Candice Stewart

Scotiabank has announced several enhancements made by the bank that will provide greater convenience to customers using its automated banking machines (ABMs), mobile and online banking systems. Among the newly launched features for Scotia Online and mobile app platforms are access to e-statements for transactional and savings accounts, credit cards and lines of credit, the ability to update contact information and add third party recipients – a new feature for mobile banking customers. Using Scotiabank’s network of ABMs, which now include intelligent deposit machines (IDMs), customers can now make credit card payments that are instantly updated by inserting their credit card at the machines and depositing cash to make payments. According to Scotia’s President and Chief Executive Officer David Noel, the bank has already received overwhelmingly positive feedback on these additional features and promises additional enhancements throughout September. “By the end of September, Scotiabank customers can expect even more features and functionalities that are sure to add greater convenience and further reduce the need for branch visits to access routine transactions,” Noel said. Another novel feature to be introduced at ABMs is the ability to withdraw, deposit and transfer USD, from and to local currency accounts. The machines will both dispense and receive USD and seamlessly convert funds at the prevailing exchange rate. Scotiabank will be the only local bank to offer this feature. “When we analysed the types of transactions that are conducted frequently inside our branches, we were seeing high incidences of customers coming in for basic account updates, maintenance and inquiries. Source: Jamaica Observer

Despite trying economic times and uncertain prospects for most exporters, grass roots coffee company, Rocksteady Coffee is thriving during the pandemic because of the constant and increasing demand for its gourmet single origin beans. President and CEO, Ricardo Forbes attributes the continued success to relationship building and the company’s single origin approach that contributes to Rocksteady Coffee’s superior taste profile. All the coffee manufactured, grows on Forbes’ farm and is not purchased from other sources ensuring its consistently balanced, unique robust flavours appreciated by discerning coffee lovers. Established in 2013 and produced on a 17.5-acre farm located in the Blue and John Crow Mountains, Rocksteady Coffee Co. is on track to expand its reach in over 300 high-end specialty food stores in Canada and is currently available locally in select Progressive Group supermarkets, Things Jamaican at Devon House and Norman Manley International Airport. Members of the Rocksteady Coffee team Guidance from the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) enabled the company to access an investment readiness grant of USD$25,000 from the World Bank’s Link Caribbean fund aimed at helping SMEs in the Caribbean grow their businesses. This saw the World Bank Group further matching half of $75,000 in successful angel investment raised by Rocksteady. With key milestones reached and product validation, the business is now focused on acquiring investment from the right angel investor and support from Link Caribbean. According to Forbes, additional funding will serve to “increase our holding to 40 acres, maximise farm yield, strengthen the sustainability initiative and continue to build on the relationship we have with our farmers and stakeholders.” Despite the coronavirus pandemic and the fates of numerous businesses in similar and disparate industries, the demand for Rocksteady coffee is growing. The company has been able to retain its 14 employees, 80 per cent of whom are women who reside in the parish of Portland. It remains very important for Forbes and his family to scale the business and see it thrive. This will not only help them to achieve their lifelong goals but to also sustain the lives of the workers of the rural district of Cascade, Portland.   Source: Loop Jamaica

The Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ) has embarked on the implementation of a new product, the Innovation Grant Fund, to provide financial support for medium-sized companies looking to introduce or expand innovative processes, products, and/or services. General Manager for Strategic Services at the DBJ, Christopher Brown, tells JIS News that the facility aims to assist entities fulfilling the eligibility criteria to create additional revenue streams and employment, through the provision of a maximum $14-million grant to fund innovation ventures. The US$2.7-million grant facility is the first of six products being launched by the DBJ under the five-year US$25-million Inter-American Development Bank (IDB)-funded Boosting Innovation, Growth and Entrepreneurship Ecosystems (BIGEE) Programme. A loan agreement for the BIGEE Programme was signed by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, and IDB Caribbean Group Country Department General Manager, Therese Turner Jones, at the engagement’s launch in March. The initiative is a comprehensive undertaking aimed at building out entrepreneurs and stimulating more innovation from micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), as well as strengthening the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Mr. Brown informs that this grant product is designed to support medium-sized entities that have been registered for a minimum of seven years, are generating annual earnings of between $75 million and $150 million, and have a Board of Directors in place. He advises that the BIGEE Programme also has a funding facility tailored for business start-ups and smaller companies, adding that “our aim is to have both products in the market to support companies at all stages”. Mr. Brown says that under the two-stage Innovation Grant Fund application process, which opens on September 7, representatives of these entities are invited to log on to the project website: www.thinkbigee.com, fill out the concept note/application form, which provides a basic outline of the proposed engagement, and submit same for evaluation Evaluations will be undertaken at the end of September or each month, depending on the number of applications meeting the criteria, until the 30 entities being targeted for support are identified. Mr. Brown says entities passing the concept stage will, thereafter, be invited to submit a comprehensive project proposal, detailing their engagements’ main objectives/goals and how these will be achieved. He tells JIS News that a $300,000 grant, in the form of a voucher, will be available to assist each entity in preparing their comprehensive project proposals. The General Manager explains that the grant will enable them to engage the services of a member of the DBJ-accredited list of consultants to assist in writing the proposal “and really helping them to think through and design the project”. Mr. Brown says the successful applicants will have access to a grant intended to cover 70 per cent of the overall project, up to a maximum of $14 million, with the applicants putting up the remaining 30 per cent as counterpart contribution. He points out that the businesses’ counterpart input, which can take the form of cash and kind, will be evaluated. Mr. Brown advises that phased disbursement of grants will be undertaken for each applicant, pointing out that this will be contingent on milestones achieved. “So if, for example, you’re going to do drawings for a machine being developed or you are in the process of getting a product passed by the Bureau of Standards Jamaica, we advance an initial percentage of the grant for the completion of the specified deliverable. Upon justifying the expenditure, applicants will get another tranche, until the entire sum applied for has been disbursed,” he adds. Mr. Brown says the plans for the Fund’s development and rollout commenced earlier this year, coinciding with the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. He points out that the challenges posed by COVID-19, “re-emphasised the importance of supporting innovation in Jamaica, especially given the type of issues that may face the businesses [consequent on the pandemic]”. “Now it has become more of a reality that businesses are under severe pressure, given that [some target/traditional] markets have closed. But instead of their succumbing to the pressure, what they really should be looking to be is innovative. But innovation costs money, whether it’s to test the idea or trying something new or developing a new product,” Mr. Brown argues. Against this background, he says the DBJ facilitated consultations with several business stakeholders and interests, among them representatives of the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters’ Association (JMEA) and the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ), “for which an intervention like this would be necessary to support [member] businesses at this time, especially given COVID-19”. Mr. Brown says this engagement will be greatly enhanced by virtue of the “extensive stakeholder sensitisation that’s going to take place outlining what we are looking for from prospective applicants”. He encourages businesses fitting the criteria for the innovation grant to prepare themselves to take advantage of the opportunity. “We are living in a new world of business, which requires unconventional products and services or different methods of delivering those in the marketplace. We must innovate,” Mr. Brown underscores.   Source: Jamaica Information Service (JIS) by: Douglas McIntosh

A local full-service branding company has acquired the distribution rights for a new sanitisation solution that promises to significantly boost the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The company, Concept Promotions, is offering among its suite of products, the 360-Degree Sanitization Tunnel, which offers full body sanitisation in as little as eight seconds, non-contact automatic body temperature detection, non-contact hand sanitiser dispenser, as well as facial recognition with mask detection capabilities. It also has the capacity to store up 150,000 records, reducing the need for physical contact tracing, and integrates with building access control systems. Adriel McKay, the founder and managing director, said the sanitisation tunnel is a portable unit that is a convenient and effective way for organisations such as hotels, airports, banks, business process outsourcing (BPO) centres, hospitals and other facilities and businesses that process many people daily to carry out all the required sanitisation-related protocols using a single unit. “Currently, persons are only using small amounts of alcohol-based sprays on their hands when entering or using public spaces, which is not sufficient as the virus can transfer to other parts of the body, clothes and personal effects. Studies show that SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, can live on various surfaces for several hours and up to seven days in the case of plastics and metal. The sanitisation tunnel gives full body and personal effects protection,” he said. McKay further stated that, “This unit will transform the way organisations manage all the required protocols related to COVID-19, saving them money, which is now spent on extra personnel and different solutions. This is about ensuring that you can provide the best protection for your staff, clients, patrons and the public, with the use of the best in technology and convenience.” The company said the tunnel uses a proprietary brand of hospital grade hypochlorous acid, which is a people-friendly formula effective in killing the virus. McKay said that the new device forms part of Concept Promotions’ COVID-19 TotalCare product line, which offers sanitisation solutions for living, working and doing business during the pandemic. Source: Jamaica Observer

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are often seen as challenging subjects. However, Science Teacher and Founder of STEM Builders Learning Hub, Kavelle Hylton, has created an interactive virtual space where students and parents can have access to learning resources to change this narrative. STEM Builders Learning Hub is the Caribbean’s first online tutoring platform dedicated to providing a collaborative and engaging space where students and parents can access STEM learning materials and educational support from registered tutors. “The learning hub was launched on July 31 and is centred around providing an array of STEM resources to reignite teachers and students with a passion for STEM education. It also explores the use of technology in education, which has become more popular since the rise of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic,” Ms. Hylton tells JIS News. She points out that the platform, which can be accessed at www.stembuildersjm.com, allows tutors to offer online one-on-one lessons in more than 40 STEM subjects to support learning and assessment at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Science Teacher and Founder of STEM Builders Learning Hub, Kavelle Hylton.   “Tutors can create virtual classrooms where they can interact directly with individual students in real-time, while incorporating content from the website as well as their material,” she shares. Ms. Hylton notes that a latent function of the STEM Builders Learning Hub is to create a rebirth of science and technology in Jamaica. “Though there have been noted improvements in STEM subjects, the statistics also show that students still require greater learning support and a positive attitude shift towards these subjects, and that is what the STEM Builders Learning Hub seeks to provide, alongside the Government’s efforts,” she explains. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information has allocated more than $384.5 million for STEM-related areas within the school system. “The resources available on the platform cover all stages and phases of STEM education that are taught in schools. In fact, in preparation for this year’s CXC and CAPE examinations, hundreds of students subscribed to STEM Builders Learning Hub YouTube channel, stembuildersjm. They took advantage of the free revision lessons, past-paper reviews, as well as tips and tricks, to be successful in their exams that were made available,” Ms. Hylton says. She notes that consultations are free and users only pay for what they need, as there is no subscription or registration fee. The website can be accessed from any smart device. Tutors can sign up for free and start offering their services once their qualifications and information provided have been verified by the STEM Builders Learning Hub team. “My hope for Jamaica when it comes to STEM is that the nation becomes aware and appreciative of the importance of STEM education in society. Jamaica has so much more to offer than just sports, tourism and music. It is through STEM that some of our more popular industries strive,” Ms. Hylton tells JIS News. Ms. Hylton was recently recognised as a winner of the US Embassy’s inaugural cohort of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) ‘Pitch Your AWEsome Dream’ competition. She now serves as President/Coordinator of the AWE Alumni Association, Jamaica Chapter.   Source: Jamaica Information Service (JIS) by: Colleen Dawkins

MBJ Airports Limited, operators of the Sangster International Airport in St James, has obtained airport health accreditation from the Airports Council International Latin America and the Caribbean (ACI-LAC), the first airport in the Caribbean to do so. MBJ Airports Limited is operated by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (GAP) and Vantage Airport Group. The accreditation programme provides airports with an assessment of how aligned their health measures are with the ACI Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines and the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Council Aviation Restart Task Force recommendations along with industry best practices and the World Health Organization. MBJ Airports Limited chief executive officer Shane Munroe has welcomed the development. “The ACI airport health accreditation reinforces MBJ’s commitment to restoring confidence in travel to Jamaica and the safety and well being of our passengers and staff,” he said in a statement. “Airports in the Caribbean and Latin America are working hard to protect the health of passengers and airport employees. Jamaica, in particular, is leading the Caribbean in acknowledging the importance of aviation and tourism for the national economy and society at large. Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (GAP), was the first airport company to get the AHA Accreditation in the Americas, at Los Cabos Airport in Mexico, and the first to get the AHA in the Caribbean, at MBJ. I am particularly proud to congratulate my former colleagues at Montego Bay Airport for the incredible job they are doing during these challenging times,” said D Rafael Echevarne, Director General of ACI-LAC and former CEO of MBJ Airports Limited.   Source: The Jamaica Gleaner

The Business Observer shares with its readers some of the results of a recent Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association survey results on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Jamaica’s productive sector. JMEA Productive Sector COVID-19 Impact Survey Results `   FALLOUT ON THE SECTOR 59 per cent – considering temporary or permanent closure of business. 51 per cent – temporarily reduce staff (14 per cent laid off 20-50 per cent of staff). 48 per cent – reduced the working hours of employees. 50 per cent – reduced production due to lower demand. 67 per cent – experienced a reduction in cash flow. 24 per cent – indicated an inability to make loan repayments. 59 per cent – experienced a fallout due to closure within the tourism sector.   OPPORTUNITIES ARISING FROM COVID-19 57 per cent – received new business opportunities from the crisis (export and essential sanitation items). 22 per cent – started producing new products, for example, masks and sanitisers.   WHICH SECTORS HAVE BEEN RESILIENT •Food and Beverage, B2C has increased. B2B has struggled. •Pharmaceutical •Chemicals, for example, production of hand sanitisers and other cleaning agents. •Textile and apparel industry, for example, production of face masks. •Paper products, for example, toilet paper, paper towels, among others.   OPPORTUNITIES I. Exports to new markets afforded by global supply chain disruption. II. New product lines, especially natural products agro-based products.   WHICH SUBSECTORS ARE STRUGGLING? Sectors with key product lines that are sold to: I. Tourism II. Entertainment III. Schools   WHEN ARE WE LIKELY TO SEE A RETURN TO PRE-COVID-19 LEVELS OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY?   FACTORS TO CONSIDER •Jamaica has had anaemic/negative growth even when the rest of the world was booming. Last recovery from a global recession took 10 years. •Pre-COVID-19, lots of economic activities but no real economic growth. Consumption-driven economy with minimal value-added. •Operating the same way we did will not give us a V-shape recovery. Radical change in economic base required with a heavy focus on value-added, productivity and export. •Need service pillar and productive pillar together, not one or the other. Diversification will be a key driver. •Containment of the virus is crucial to recovery speed; private sector need to be included as part of the solution. •Most companies surveyed see Q4 2021 as likely date for stabilisation and 2023/2024 for pre-COVID economic activity level.   WHAT IS NEEDED NOW TO PROVIDE THE RIGHT KIND OF SUPPORT FOR MANUFACTURING?   1 – FOCUS, FOCUS , FOCUS 2 – Incentives for research and development (R&D). 3 – Capacity support to help micro, small, medium enterprises (MSMEs) to access available funds. 4 – Capability development to improve supply & quality of technical resources. 5 – Policy directives and support to drive export.   Source: Jamaica Observer

KINGSTON Wharves Limited (KWL) on Monday urged people who arrived in the island recently to observe the 14-day quarantine period before proceeding to the wharf to clear their shipments, saying no storage costs will accrue for the quarantine period. “Those who have not completed the mandatory quarantine period will not be served at KWL facilities. Additionally, the company has been advised by health officials to provide the details of such persons found circumventing the rules to the authorities, for their further action. As further measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, specifically to enforce social distancing, Kingston Wharves also announced the following: * Customers collecting shipments at KWL will not be permitted to attend the wharf with any accompanying persons. No person except the consignee/person in whose name the shipment was sent will be allowed to access KWL facilities. Drivers being utilised for the collection must remain in the vehicle until time for pickup. Persons who are pregnant or disabled are allowed one accompanying person to render assistance. * Customers will not be allowed to bring children, including babies, to the wharf. “This measure is aimed at safeguarding the nation’s children and preventing the spread of COVID-19. There have been instances of persons bringing children and leaving them in the care of strangers as they navigate the clearance process, which place[s] the children at risk of infection and other threats to their safety,” the company said.   Source: Jamaica Observer

Two of Jamaica’s major shipping companies now have female chief executive officers. The chairman of both companies, Charles Johnston, recently announced the appointment of Sue-Ann Johnston as chief executive officer of Jamaica Fruit & Shipping Company Limited, and Anna Hamilton as chief executive officer of Jamaica Freight & Shipping Company Limited. Johnston, a fourth-generation Johnston, follows in the footsteps of her great-grandfather, Charles Edward Johnston, who along with Capt S.D. List, formed the Jamaica Fruit & Shipping Company in 1919. Since its inception, the company has grown from strength to strength, expanding its reach. Today, as the holding company for Jamaica Freight & Shipping Company Limited and its subsidiaries, Jamaica Fruit & Shipping is involved in logistics, management, shipping services, ship repair and dry-dock facilities. In addition, the company forged partnerships with Seaboard Marine, in local agents Seaboard Jamaica Limited, and with Zim, in Kingston Logistics Centre Limited. Jamaica Fruit is also a founding shareholder in Jamaica Producers Group Ltd and Kingston Wharves Ltd. Johnston, who attended the University of Florida prior to returning to Jamaica in 1987, has been involved in the family business for the past 27 years, immersing herself over that period in every facet of the business. She also held the position of business development manager at Kingston Industrial Garage between 2013 and 2017, but continued to be an active director of Jamaica Freight & Shipping during that period. In making the announcement, Johnston expressed complete confidence in Johnston’s ability to navigate the company safely and successfully through the unchartered waters of today. Hamilton has more than 14 years experience in the shipping industry and has held the position of sales and marketing manager at Jamaica Freight & Shipping Company since 2014. Jamaica Freight & Shipping is the agent for Cosco Shipping Container Lines, Jamaica Producers Shipping Company, Jashipco Express, Miami Freight & Shipping Company, MOL Auto Carrier Express, and Orient Overseas Container Lines. Jamaica Freight & Shipping is also the port agent for West Indies Alumina Company and Rusal at Port Esquivel. Prior to joining Jamaica Freight & Shipping, Hamilton held the position of account executive and then director of sales and marketing at Seaboard Jamaica Limited between 2000 and 2008. She left Seaboard in 2008 to work in her family construction business, but as her true love is shipping, she returned to the industry in 2014. She is the current chairman of the Shipping Association of Jamaica Agents Committee and recently completed the professional certificate in customs regulations, processes and brokerage at the Management Institute for National Development Hamilton, a fluent Spanish speaker, is a graduate of Long Island University in New York, and holds a bachelor of arts and a master of arts degree in political science, and is a member of the prestigious Pi Sigma Alpha honour society. She is married to Richard and has one son, Justin.   Source: The Jamaica Gleaner

Some 165 unattached youth recently graduated from the Jamaica Social Investment Fund’s (JSIF) Alternative Livelihoods Skills and Development Project – Blue Economy training programme, during a recent ceremony at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James. The project was undertaken in partnership with the RE School of Education and Technology (RESET) with funding of $34 million jointly provided by the Government and World Bank. The Blue Economy, which involves economic activities occurring in and around the sea, accounts for an estimated 90 per cent of Jamaica’s gross domestic product (GDP). In this regard, the programme provided training in boat and equipment handling and repairs, lifeguarding, scuba diving and underwater filming. The initiative is part of JSIF’s Integrated Community Development Project (ICDP), which aims to promote public safety and transformation through the delivery of basic infrastructure and social services in 18 communities islandwide. Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, in lauding the graduates, encouraged them to remain focused, despite the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic’s impact on the tourism industry, one of the biggest components of the blue economy. In remarks read by Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) Executive Director, Dr. Carey Wallace, the Minister told the graduates that their training has prepared them to become involved in a new brand of tourism that is emerging. “I suspect that given the limitations of land-based vacation activities that must adhere to restrictive COVID-19 health and safety protocols, the open sea offers a greater appeal for persons to explore aquatic recreational activities,” Mr. Bartlett said. The Minister said he harboured no doubts “that RESET would have put you through a rigorous training programme; and being counted among the graduates today means you applied yourselves well and are duly accredited for your efforts”. Mr. Bartlett gave the assurance that the Ministry and its agencies remain committed to restoring the tourism industry and making it stronger than it was prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. For his part, JSIF Managing Director, Omar Sweeney, encouraged the graduates to utilize their certification as a starting point to further improve their qualifications. “If this is your first certification, it should only be that… [and] not be your only certification. You should always look back at this day and say this is the day that [you] started to matriculate or take the steps towards becoming whatever… you set your mind to,” he said. Mr. Sweeney also told graduates that JSIF was pleased to support them and looked forward to seeing other programmes of a similar nature emerging, adding that “I am waiting to see how many of you will eventually become trainers in this very programme.” Custos Rotulorum for St. James, Bishop the Hon. Conrad Pitkin, in his remarks, also lauded the graduates for staying the course with the programme despite challenges they may have faced. He encouraged them to “spread the word about the blue economy, [as] I am confident that all of you will make a very worthwhile contribution to your families, community and [the] nation.” Bishop Pitkin also impressed upon the graduates the need to abide by ethical principles in whatever they do, and lead exemplary and positively impactful lives. Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Homer Davis, told the graduates that the training they received will help them to be a part of the fourth industrial revolution. He also lauded JSIF for conceptualizing the programme, noting that it represents “an investment in our people through skills training.” JSIF’s Social Services Manager, Gresford Bennett, told JIS News that the programme’s participants were drawn from the 18 ICDP communities islandwide. He pointed out that the training was conducted at several locations including the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) pool in Kingston and the Marine Lab in St. Ann. The participants were recruited by the Community Development Committees (CDC) in the communities. They were, among other things, shuttled to and from the training locations closest to their communities daily. Mr. Bennett also indicated that lifeguard trainees will receive internationally recognized certification at the end of their training. He noted that the lifeguarding examinations, which were postponed due to COVID-19, will be rescheduled. Meanwhile, graduate, Omego Gardener, noted that the experience was a “great one”. The Anchovy, St. James resident, who underwent training in under water filming, lauded JSIF for conceptualizing the programme. “I must commend JSIF for giving us this opportunity to gain training and certification. We will use this wisely, wherever life’s journey takes us. Because of JSIF, we have been provided the opportunity to uplift [ourselves] and our family circumstances, and to make greater contributions to the development of our communities,” Mr. Gardener said.   Source: Jamaica Information Service (JIS) by: Serena Grant