PRIME MINISTER P.J. Patterson on the weekend told a private gathering of business and community leaders in New York City that the scale of operations and the success of the Golden Krust Corporation was a source of pride for the entire Jamaican diaspora.
Mr. Patterson's remarks came as he participated in the official opening of the 100th store under the Golden Krust Bakery and Caribbean Grill franchise, owned and operated by the Hawthorne family.
SHARING A COMMON VISION
Noting the capacity of other ethnic groups to hold the family unit together in the development of their business, Mr. Patterson pointed out that the strength and cohesion of the Jamaican nation were going to be ultimately decided by the number of enterprises around which families could share a common vision and work towards a common goal.
He further said that Lowell Hawthorne, president and CEO of the Golden Krust Corporation, had shown not only the propensity for enterprise, but also the capacity for excellence.
EXTRAORDINARY EFFORT
Mr. Patterson said that as a way of recognising "those who have risen to the top by extraordinary effort and relentless pursuit of excellence", the government and people of Jamaica had seen it fit to confer on Mr. Hawthorne, the national honour of Order of Distinction (OD) in October this year.
The Prime Minister called the official opening of the 100th store at 408 Eighth Avenue, near Madison Square Gardens, a major milestone in the history of Jamaican entrepreneurship in North America.
Mr. Patterson left the island last Thursday for an official visit to New York to participate in a number of activities to mark Jamaica's independence and is expected to update the business owners on the social and economic development in Jamaica, especially in the areas of tourism and bauxite.
