| All In The Family |
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Page 1 of 2  . Simply put, these present-day moguls have elevated the "Mom and Pop" approach to family business in Jamaica, allowing their respective companies to enjoy economies of scale while still observing the virtues on which the entities were founded. "If you ask my father what's his profession, to this day, he'd tell you he's a baker," says hotelier Kevin Hendrickson of his formally-trained-engineer father, Karl who for years operated Jamaica's sliced bread pioneer National Continental Bakery before purchasing Courtleigh Manor Hotel and later Knutsford Court in Kingston. For the Hendrickson family, the transition from baking to hospitality was simply serendipitous, since the acquisition of the Courtleigh was more of a real estate investment rather than an attempt to seriously enter the hospitality industry. "The Courtleigh really facilitated our introduction into the hospitality industry," explains Hendrickson, the third of four children, who was named general manager of the new Courtleigh nearly 10 years ago. "Then later, we had to create an atmosphere that would cater to the business-savvy and Knutsford was perfect for that." Today, both hotels maintain steady occupancy levels of 80 per cent, due in part to the hotels' businessoriented technology additions, namely the corporate centre and the wireless Internet access installed in 2004. The Hendricksons now also operate several hotels across the island, including the Sunset Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios and the Sunset Beach Resort in Montego Bay. It's a far cry from the bread-making of the elder Hendricksons, but the younger Hendrickson says his generation's hospitality ventures were built on the same foundations that made Yummy Bread and Wholesome Bakery a true Jamaican success story. "The (new) business had a regular corporate structure, but what my mother and father were able to do is work along with the staff to pass on certain fundamental values," he added. But while baker-hotelier Hendrickson, as "GM" would perhaps be too busy to oversee the nitty-gritty details such as bedmaking process daily, Aswad Morgan, Group Marketing Manager of Morgans Group of Companies does- literally. He is set to inherit the leadership of The Morgans Group- started in 1974 with Morgans Industries, manufacturing solid mahogany furniture- from dad Kenneth. Throughout its early years, Morgans supplied the island's major furniture retailers including Courts and Singer Jamaica, while maintaining a presence in all 14 parishes. The business expanded in the decades that followed, as the company established Polyflex Foam (polyurethane foam plant) and Jumbolon Jamaica Limited, which produces polyethylene foam, in 1982 and 1995 respectively. Like most Jamaican manufacturers in the late 1980s and early 90s, the Morgans were faced with the harsh reality of competing with global manufacturers. But instead of folding up and pursuing other ventures, the family began to think inwards, and diversified its operations when it formed Therapedic Caribbean Limited, and began manufacturing Therapedic mattresses locally. "We were deeply integrated into manufacturing and well-connected to the furniture industry, so we started [operating under] Therapedic International which is among the top five largest bedding manufacturers in the world," said Morgan. The transformation from mahogany to bedding was a true family undertaking, he notes, adding that the youngest of the three siblings Nayo, played a pivotal role in fuelling the venture. In 2000, the group scored a major coup when Spanish hoteliers contracted Morgans to supply approximately 850 beds for the Riu Tropical Bay Resort in Negril. "Also, we just recently fulfilled a J$20 million project to supply the new Gran Bahia Principe," he boasts, adding that the group is currently in talks with the Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay to create and supply the resort's signature bedding. Those mattresses, which will be called the "Half Moon Memories" will be made using NASA memory foam, the most advanced bedding material available today, and will be placed in guest rooms when the resort's renovation is completed. Like Hendrickson, Morgan, who became officially involved with the group in 1995, credits his structural engineer father and registered nurse mother for laying the foundations of the business, but points out that it was his generation that decided to take a bullish approach in reinventing, expanding and aggressively marketing the group's products. "Nayo and I took the opportunity to re-establish Morgans within the industry with new blood, new energy, new drive...we took our focus and vision into all areas of the business." The US$6 million invested in state-of-the-art bedding manufacturing machinery, Morgan hopes, will allow Morgans to easily expand into other Caribbean markets. "We really focus a lot on quality, with that you'll have longevity and that's something my parents always emphasized," Morgan reflected. |
