Doreen Frankson and EdgeChem, celebrating 20 years

Barbara Ellington, Lifestyle Editor

This month, EdgeChem marks 20 years in business, and the company started by businesswoman and immediate past president of the Jamaica Manufacturers' Association (JMA) is as fired up today as she was at the start.

The company began in 1990 with seed capital of J$1 million, and its aim was to satisfy the need for top-quality furniture and automotive finishes. It began with a staff of two and operated from Olympic Gardens in Kingston. Today, EdgeChem's sales have passed the J$800-million mark and employees number more than 140.

It has grown from strength to strength with 14 retail outlets, one mobile outlet and some 500 distributors and partners. A fully Jamaican company, EdgeChem expanded its distribution network into the Caribbean islands of Barbados, Antigua, Trinidad, Belize, St Lucia, Dominica, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Cayman and Cuba.

But just who is the woman behind the successful company? Flair spoke with her via an email interview.

BE: Just who is Doreen Frankson, which parish are you from and what are your family and educational background.

DF: I was born in Manchester, the cool hills of Mandeville of two eminent Jamaica families; the Lewis' out of St Elizabeth and the Franksons out of St Catherine. I was raised by my father's parents in Portland, St Mary and Kingston, and I attended Happy Grove High School in Portland, but completed sixth form at Convent of Mercy Alpha Academy and later Harvard Business School.

BE: Have you ever been married, any children? If not why?

DF: I have not yet found the right person who is comfortable enough with my personality, achievements and goals. As a result, I have had no children. However, I have 'mothered' many across all generations.

BE: You have chosen a tough business that puts you against established popular 'name recognition' brands. what sets you apart?

DF: Our formulas for our products are as good as, if not better than, others and our focus is on meeting the needs of the customers and meeting their needs. What sets our company apart is that we are a home-grown, Jamaican-owned company. Ninety per cent of our products are developed and manufactured in Jamaica. Our entire directorate and staff are Jamaican.

BE: Why did you choose this particular business?

DF: I chose it to prove that a home-grown company like this could survive 20 years and compete against international brands. It was the vision we had, and that is why I chose to undertake the challenge.

BE: What were you involved in before EdgeChem and what would you be doing if not this?

DF: I was a minor shareholder in an adhesive company. In fact I have always been in manufacturing. I would still be in manufacturing; it's in my blood to be entrepreneurial, as it was the role model I saw in both my grandfathers.

BE: What is it like to be in a totally male-dominated business arena?

DF: I have never placed emphasis on male or female dominated classifications. To be truthful, there is no difference for me. I judge people based on ability and I focus my own abilities to be the best whatever the industry.

BE: You have close ties with the People's National Party (PNP), do you have personal political ambitions?

DF: I want to acknowledge my ties with the PNP because I believe in their principles and ethics; however, I have no personal ambitions for representational politics.

BE: How do you balance business with your position at the JMA?

DF: It's a lot easier now being immediate past president, but while I was president, the tightrope was very evident and my business did suffer somewhat as the JMA role is a full-time job with all the demands of owning your own business.

BE: Discuss the role of women in business today, why are there still roadblocks in spite of the huge 'cracks in the glass ceiling'?

DF: When I started my business there were many mental roadblocks in the society, especially with funding for business. I chose three male partners to open those doors that would have otherwise been closed to women.

The ceiling has been cracked, but to what extent I am still unsure. In fact, I was the first female president of the JMA in 60 years!

BE: What will it take for more women to be invited to more board positions?

DF: It will take people judging others based on ability rather than gender and thinking outside of the box when inviting people to serve on their boards. Don't invite the same people over and over. Choose new blood despite gender, age, religion, etc.

BE: Where do you see the company/yourself in the next 20 years?

DF: I want to see my company as the company of choice, as Jamaicans migrate to supporting all that is Jamaican. For the people in my company, I want to see them developed to the point where they take over to carry us forward, beyond another 20 years. As for me: maybe I'll be married!

BE: Who have been your female role models along the way, why?

DF: Golda Meir, due to her tenacity and strength; and my paternal grandmother, Edith Frankson, who was proud, ethical, had a generosity of spirit that was unbridled, strong and caring for the downtrodden and those without opportunity.

BE: If you could live over one year in your life, which one would it be and why?

DF: This question can be looked at in two ways: first it was so good that I would live it over or otherwise it's so bad that I would want to relive it and fix it. In terms of the good I would have to say the year I started my business. Why? Because it was exciting, full of promise and the first step towards my success. On the regrets, I would live over the year that the then executive director, Nicola Gordon-Rowe, of the JMA took sick and died in a short time. This event brought to the fore some of the inadequacies of our health-care system. Had she been accurately diagnosed she would have been given the proper treatment.

BE: Of the current business landscape, what do you think needs to be done to make it better?

DF: I would have to go back to accessible business financing for start-ups. We also have to encourage people to be entrepreneurial.

barbara.ellington@gleanerjm.com