Island Car Rentals founder Michael Campbell has died

WESTERN BUREAU:

Merely 10 days after his company was recognised as the ‘Leading Independent Car Rental in the Caribbean, at the World Travel Awards in St Lucia, Michael Campbell, managing director of Island Car Rentals, has died.

Campbell, who served five times as president of the Jamaica Rent-A-Car Association, had stepped back from the day-to-day operations of the company a year ago, and had been ailing for some time, said his colleagues.

He died at the University Hospital of the West Indies in St Andrew yesterday, after he fell ill at home. He was 82 years old.

“It is with a sense of deep regret, hearing of his passing. His contribution to the car rental industry in Jamaica is immeasurable,” Orville Spence, president of the Rent-A-Car Association, told The Gleaner last night.

Campbell, who single-handedly built his company from scratch and operated the country’s largest car rental agency, was described as one who was very passionate about the industry.

“He navigated the association through some very turbulent times, and negotiated on behalf of us all,” Spence added.

Reminiscing on the indelible mark Campbell made on the sector, Spence spoke of a man who was one of the primary persons responsible for negotiating special deals with the government on behalf of the car rentals.

Campbell’s company was celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. In the last four years, he was recognised by the Jamaican Government with membership in the Order of Distinction in the rank of Commander for his work in the tourism industry.

Last night Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said Campbell was a stalwart in the transportation subsector of tourism.

"He was an innovator and a trendsetter. He brought a new dimension to the car rental industry by establishing the signature Island Car Rentals, which today is one of the outstanding statements in ground transportation in the entire Caribbean," Bartlett said.

"Everyone in Jamaica as well as the diaspora all across the globe, know of this mode of transportation and indeed a testament to the quality and excellence of the execution of the services that he and his awesome team has been able to win.

"Certainly, we are going to miss him, but we will glory in the legacy that he left us, a strong and enduring contribution to entrepreneurship, and certainly a man of impeccable character and in fact deep and abiding commitment to the land he loved Jamaica."

Montego Bay businessman and longstanding friend, Fred Smith, said Campbell was one of the finest human beings.

“He had a strong passion for commerce and business, but even a stronger appreciation for the arts and culture of Jamaica. There is no similar person I know in Jamaica with a more diverse collection of Jamaican art, he was a trailblazer in commerce and he was able to maintain it without an international franchise. He was a gem," said Smith.

“He has made significant contribution to Jamaica’s tourism industry, by way of ground transportation.”

Nicola Madden-Greig, president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, spoke of a big supporter of the industry, someone dependable and loyal to a cause.

“You could call on him anytime you had issues to lobby,” said Madden-Greig.

One of the foundation members in the hospitality sector, Campbell started out with 15 cars and owned up to 1,600 before COVID-19 hit the tourism sector. Up to his death, he served as council member of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, and was actively involved in the Private Sector Organisation of Association from 1998 to 2005.

He was an old boy of Jamaica College who later studied in Canada and, as news of his death spread within the tourism community, those who knew him well spoke of how he had no boundaries in relation to his entrepreneurial spirit.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com