Clinton Wilson pumping gas at his service station. - ContributedBy Damion Mitchell,
Freelance Writer
PORUS, Manchester:
IN 1957, when Clinton Wilson left Jamaica to work in Canada, little did he know that he was arming himself to fight against challenges and adversities that would later help to define his business acumen.
By 1959, he migrated to the United States, where he joined the giant company General Electric as a technician. He worked there for nine years.
While at General Electric, Mr. Wilson benefited from a work/study programme and attended the New York University where he gained an associate and bachelors degrees in engineering.
He has also worked at some of the world's largest companies, including Carrier Air Conditioning and Westinghouse.
Mr. Wilson later entered the field of petro chemicals, and spent 13 years working in numerous countries as a petro chemical designer and builder. In fact, from 1979 to 1981 he was the only black among a crew of 6,850 workers in Iraq who were constructing a major petro chemical complex, where he had to contend with different prejudices.
"In addition, the warfare between Iraq and Iran in 1981 was simply intolerable," he said.
Mr. Wilson recalled that he narrowly missed death when a bomb was fired at the camp, killing 14 of his co-workers. Days after the incident, Mr. Wilson returned to Jamaica.
On August 4, 1981, he opened the Newleigh Texaco Gas Station at 103 Manchester Road, which today stands as one of Mandeville's most popular gasolene/service stations where The Gleaner is sold daily.
"We have seen tremendous growth at this station, so much so that, of the 90 Texaco stations, it is ranked among the top 12 for its proficiency in sales," said Mr. Wilson.
He believes that his business has succeeded in the harsh economic climate because of proper management skills, loyalty of his employees and good corporate citizenship.
As early as 6:30 a.m., Mr. Wilson is at work serving his first customer and his day never ends before 9:30 p.m. He believes in getting his hands dirty, that is, working alongside his workers.
