Cavel Mais works on digital images at Hot Shots' Sovereign Centre store.Andrew Smith, Staff Reporter
WHAT DOES a photographic processing lab and a soft drink manufacturing company have in common? Both have been presented with The Employment Creation Award by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ). Presented to Hot Shots Limited and The Jamaica Drink Company Limited for "significant investment which has led to the creation of sustainable employment opportunities", these companies have made a difference in the lives of ordinary people.
Hot Shots is one of Jamaica's leading photographic labs and received the award in the small business sector by creating 12 new jobs over the past year. Established in September 1997 under the guidance of Managing Director, Michael Subratie, the company has expanded to boast five stores in which work 27 employees. These stores are located islandwide with two at the Sovereign Centre in Kingston, one in Negril, and two in Ocho Rios at the Ocean Village Shopping Centre and at the Island Village Shopping Centre.
Mr. Subratie readily points to his employees as key to Hot Shots' good fortune. He says that "One of the main reasons for our success is that we have trained our people from scratch."
Such an employee is 21-year-old Cavel Mais. The former teleservice operator has been at Hot Shots for three months. She says that, "When I came here, I didn't know anything about film processing digital work in terms of putting prints on T-shirts and mugs." She says, "It's a wonderful experience...It's all a process and you just have to apply yourself to it and just try."
Mr. Subratie is justly proud of Miss Mais who has learned how to process film, operate digital processing equipment, apply make-up for glamour shoots in addition to being a sales representative.
A veteran of the company is David Gordon. Employed from 1997, he was previously a company bearer. Completely ignorant of photographic processing before starting at Hot Shots he learned how to operate and maintain film processing equipment in terms of both the chemistry and the hardware. However, it has not been just Mr. Gordon's professional life that has benefited due to working at Hot Shots. He has been able to obtain his driver's licence through his employer's help, and now he drives the company's van. Referring to the assistance that he has received from the company he says that "It help all-round to this day and (it's) still improving." He has thus been able to support his wife, three daughters and three grand-daughters.
The Jamaica Drink Company, known for its flag-ship brand Bigga Soft Drinks, won its award for creating a minimum of 25 new sustainable jobs over the past year. Since its formation in September 1995, the company has increased both infrastructure and personnel at its manufacturing plant located at White Marl, St. Catherine. Managing Director Francois Chalifour says that this is possible due to the company re-investing its profits into equipment and products. Between May and September 2002, the expansion of the company's manufacturing plant enabled the company to increase its staff numbers. Personnel increased from 15 at the onset to its current complement of 100 employees who hail from May Pen, Portmore, Spanish Town and Kingston.
Staff loyalty and job satisfaction appear to go hand in hand at the Jamaica Drink Company. Of his staff, Mr. Chalifour says that they are "Always willing to go the extra mile for the company".
Such staff include Granville Smith and Nekisha Booth. Mr. Smith joined the company in 1995 as a packer. He moved up the ranks as operator, supervisor, and now he is a superintendent overseeing supervisors and ensuring that targets and deadlines are met. He says that the company has a future, and feels certain of his job security. Miss Booth has been with the company for more than three years and is the Beverage Processing Supervisor. This is also the first company that she has worked with, and she sees the Jamaica Drink Company as "One big happy family."
In spite of the economic constraints being placed on Jamaica's business community, two companies have made their mark in Jamaica's marketplace. While doing so, they have also positively touched the lives of their employees and their families at both a professional and personal level.
