Barbara Ellington, Senior Gleaner Writer
Pat Isaacs-Green, head of JamRock.Carlington Wilmot/Freelance Photographer
COME MAY 1, it will be a year since businesswoman Pat Isaacs-Green became the sole owner of the popular New Kingston sports bar and grill, JamRock. But her journey did not begin on Knutsford Boulevard. It all started in Georgetown, Guyana, before she detoured to Detroit, Michigan, and finally halted in Kingston, Jamaica.
Like many other West Indian women, when Mrs. Isaacs-Green left her native country at age 18, she was on her way to a career in teaching. With the reality of wages that did not make ends meet, she found a job at a McDonald's fast food restaurant instead. She battled racism, cleaned some floors along the way, learnt the ropes and moved up the ranks from assistant manager to vice-president before owning a part of the company through the 12 restaurants she introduced to, and operated in, Jamaica.
Mrs. Isaacs-Green presents the kind of façade associated with those who are so unassuming, one would pass them in a crowd; but underneath it all lies an astute businesswoman who has the ability to grasp entrepreneurial opportunities and turn them into profitable entities. Sandwiched between two of the most important people in her life mother and daughter she's endowed with an endearing personality that draws clients, staff and customers to her. In an interview with The Gleaner, she spoke about her journey, her vision and her goals for the future.
BE: It's been almost a year since you took over JamRock. How has that been for you?
PG: I like it. The customers are great. We have a large number of regulars and we are still doing changes to the menu, tweaking it to prevent boredom. We have introduced quarter-pound-size hot dogs with interesting names like: 'Mongrel', 'German Shepherd', 'Chihuahua' and 'Yard Dog', trying to make it fun.
BE: How long was your association with McDonald's, and which do you prefer running, this smaller business or that one?
PG: They're different. I spent most of my life with McDonald's; they will always have a dear spot in my life because I was with them 28 years and learnt everything I know about the food business from them. I did not teach after university. Financial constraints led me to seek a better-paying job and I went straight to McDonald's as an assistant manager in 1975, and in 17 years I became a vice-president in Detroit, Michigan.
BE: How many stores did you have islandwide under your leadership here and how difficult was it to set up business here?
PG: Twelve stores, but when I was with the company in Detroit, Michigan, I had responsibility for 354. JamRock is different because McDonald's does not serve alcohol or the Jamaican classics we have here; this is a sports bar atmosphere. The first few restaurants were difficult to set up because we did not have a track record with suppliers. But after I got a good staff, support team, good marketing and human resource managers, things became easier. We were then able to develop a good list of suppliers so when we wanted to set up new stores later and called them, they knew exactly what we wanted.
BE: How did you deal with the bureaucracy and red tape that we often hear get in the way of setting up a business here?
PG: Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) was very helpful with lists of suppliers, customs brokers, other paperwork, and I met many people who gave assistance and over time I learnt the hard way how to get a Tax Compliance Certificate (TCC). Sometimes this meant several trips to offices and sitting long hours. But I wanted to learn how things really went so when we were ready to send staff overseas for training, I accompanied them to the embassy just to see what the process entailed. When time came to send others, I knew what was involved.
BE: Did you encounter racism in America?
PG: Being from the Caribbean and having never lost my accent, I was always being told to speak properly because they could not understand me. Some made jokes about where I came from and the other thing was being bypassed for promotions because someone else was thought better. When that happens, you cannot develop a bad attitude because that hampers you in the future. Being black, I had to go through every level of management. This meant having to work in some of the most difficult situations such as inner-city and downtown stores. It was felt that since you're black you can deal with it.
But I dealt with it and came out of it, always making sure that I met all goals set; it often meant working longer hours to get the work done. Inner-city stores always had security problems and sometimes needed extra attention in maintenance for clogged bathrooms or drugs hidden in the ceiling, unlike suburban restaurants which were considered a little easier; no fights or drug busts.
BE: How many years have you been a businesswoman?
PG: I spent 28 years at McDonald's and started my own business when I came to Jamaica in 1995. It was a joint venture partner with Detroit. It grew to 12 restaurants and a mobile unit. Two years ago, I decided I needed a change, so I sold my part back to them. I spent 11 months opening up and running Kaieteure Foods at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, before getting ready to start JamRock.
BE: Are you the sole owner of JamRock and do have plans to expand?
PG: I am the sole owner and I will expand. There are discussions, opportunities and I weigh them but it's not something I'm in a hurry to do. I want to make sure this one is on solid ground before I expand. Now I'm concentrating on the restaurant and the farm.
BE: When did you acquire the farm?
PG: I bought the land in 2002 and have been farming in a year, buying equipment such as tractors, mowers, put in a nursery for 85,000 seedlings, a state-of-the-art solar power-generating system, back-up generator, water tank, permission to put in a well, hired a manager. I have about 15 workers and I try to go down there twice a week.
BE: When you decided to leave the United States, why did you choose to come to Jamaica instead of going back home to Guyana?
PG: Jamaica is closer to the U.S. and I wanted to keep my friends and all my contacts and it's just a short plane hop away from here. I have always worked with and felt comfortable around Jamaicans at McDonald's. The other reason is that there was no McDonald's here; if you're going to do something, be first at it. So far, there are no regrets. There were challenges but I feel comfortable here and Jamaica is home. When I go away, I'm always glad to come home.
BE: There are several complaints and commendations about the quality of Jamaican workers at home and abroad. In the first instance, some are said to be clock-watchers, lazy, inclined to put off tasks and care only about the pay. In the latter instance, employers speak glowingly about the first-rate service they give. What has been your experience as a boss both in the United States and Jamaica?
PG: [In the United States] We worked hand in hand as a team: When one person got promoted, he pulled the other person up. Here in Jamaica, I find employees come in with baggage, whether they be problems in the community or at home, and as a boss you have to help them deal with these problems or it affects performance.
Problems range from relationship issues to violence. I have to speak to them and be counsellor-mother and help them through it. Also, as a boss you end up having to teach a lot of what they should have learnt elsewhere such as how to dress for an interview, express themselves, control tempers, general behaviour, work versus party clothes. No one at home is telling them these things.
They are coming for a job in a restaurant situation and come without a food handler's permit or even their Tax Registration Number (TRN). In any given day, I have to wear several hats, depending on the crisis that may arise. But once they are trying and they think you have their best interest at heart, they are the best workers. My teaching background enables me to better relate to young people.
BE: How did you find the response from your colleagues and peers, because at the time you set up business, not many women were heading operations of a similar size?
What was the level of acceptance and welcome from the established business community afforded to a single, Guyanese-American woman?
PG: They all welcomed me. In the first seven years, my focus was on building McDonald's, so I didn't have a lot of time to be on the cocktail circuit. We joined the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) and the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham); some were curious as to how I, and not a Jamaican, got the McDonald's franchise and I had to explain my history with the company; then they were waiting to see how I would do. People did not know me, they thought it was this American coming; so they warmed up after they got to know me as someone they could work with and saw my community involvement and that I was here to do a business and employ many people, they backed off.
BE: With the challenges in the foreign exchange rate over years, it has settled somewhat now, but how did you cope with it and the high costs that accompany running a business? Is it worth it at the end of the day? Many business people are hesitant to admit when business is good, others prefer to forget the hassle and place the money in profitable high-interest bearing instruments. What is your take on that?
PG: It's difficult to make a profit because in the food business, utilities are high, especially here at JamRock. Security costs are high and eat into profit. You can control costs if you do most things in-house, hence the farm, and starting our own bakery and we try to keep prices reasonable. On the farm, I made the best business decision when I put in the solar generator. Electricity costs are very high. Luckily, this is not like McDonald's where most things were impsorted, so foreign exchange is not a factor now. Our suppliers may import but we don't and I don't have to worry about interest rates to the banks. I am not paying myself now but I prefer to wait until I can do so.
BE: How do you go from an established businesswoman running a chain of restaurants to starting from scratch with no salary?
PG: I am reinvesting the money in the business. That is important, and in another two months I will be able to get a salary. Now it's a sacrifice. people see you perhaps driving a nice car, but they don't know the sacrifice behind it.
BE: When you took over JamRock, what was your vision for it? It had already changed hands a few times, so what did you set out to do with it?
PG: My vision was to bring it back to achieving good sales and we now have a regular flow of lots of the young, upwardly mobile set, government agencies, tourists, just people who want to hang out and have a great time. We have fun, some go elsewhere to party and return; we joke and tease and I tell them to drive carefully because I want to see them next week.
Some thought we wouldn't do well with all the competition around but we are holding our own. We know our market and we try to keep things fresh. Customers like when I'm around; if they miss me, they ask for me.
BE: What's your take on the crime situation in the nation?
PG: People need jobs and maybe it's time for casinos. I lived in Detroit and it was a rough place. There were dilapidated buildings and garbage everywhere and now they are torn down and hotels and restaurants are going up in preparation for the Super Bowl next year in the same way that we are getting ready for Cricket World Cup 2007. They have casinos attracting people from Canada and elsewhere. Jobs are provided when a city is reborn.
Million-dollar homes have sprung up along the waterfront, people bought these old places cheap and have them fixed up. Casinos can be taxed to build hospitals and schools and other needs. Detroit is a good case study. General Motors is now back in the city limits because of the transformation. An ideal place for a casino in Jamaica would be Morgan's Harbour. I would also move the prison and put a boardwalk along the waterfront downtown with restaurants, parks, trees and places to walk undisturbed for miles.
Every major city with a waterfront has a boardwalk with jazz bands and other forms of entertainment.
BE: Would you go back into something on a large scale or are you an entrepreneur at heart who will explore the possibility of another venture now or in the future? Having done the restaurant thing successfully, would you want to try something different?
PG: No, I have had offers and opportunities back in the United States but I have been there and done that and I don't want to do it again. But I like food and the only thing I would do in the future is look strongly at franchising JamRock and being in the development of people who want to own their own business and helping them own a JamRock Sports Bar and Grill somewhere in the world. I also want to continue developing my farm and having spin-offs from that such as putting some of the land into houses. Whatever I do, I want to ensure I have a life. My mother and daughter are important to me and I want to enjoy good quality life and travel when I want to.
BE: Would you remarry?
PG: I would, but I'm not going to settle just for the sake of it or just to have somebody and be miserable.
BE: What is your typical day like and what about vacation?
PG: I am up at 5:30, make sure my mother is set for the day, take care of the dogs, go to the farm or the office, and work until late depending on the night, sometimes after midnight. Saturdays, it's errands and getting my mother to church or attending meetings. Sundays, I get caught up with things at home. When I travel, I take some time to relax and visit friends. I try to get away every six weeks to unwind and get thinking time.
BE: Any advice to other business people or the young woman with an entrepreneurial spirit who wants to start her own business?
PG: Try to get your own things done in-house: if it's a restaurant, develop a way to get your own produce. If you need to have constant training, send staff to train-the-trainer classes so they can come back and do it for others; if you have lots of equipment, get your own in-house technician rather than outsourcing.
The young woman who wants to start a restaurant business must go get a job in one and learn all its functions from kitchen to cashier upwards; learn purchasing, administration and all before you go on to managing one and then pretend it's yours before you venture into it.
BE: Have you noticed any discrimination against female business owners in Jamaica?
PG: Sometimes you go to a meeting and some men will regard you as if you don't know what you're doing. When I encounter that, I put them in their place. Even in here, if I'm not wearing a JamRock shirt, I'm asked, who are you? Depending on the level of behaviour, I have to stop it from getting out of hand. When I say I'm a farmer, I am looked at as if I'm crazy.
BE: What's your wish for Jamaica?
PG: That we work towards a trained workforce, with employees who respect what they do and care for more than a pay cheque; and at the national level, I want to see crime under control so we can increase tourism and have an environment where we can walk all over the island and not be bothered.
