Orane ANOTHER Jamaican company has put down roots in the New York area to serve the financial needs of the expanding Caribbean immigrant population.
Grace, Kennedy and Company Limited last Saturday (September 6) officially opened its new subsidiary, Caribbean Outpost on Utica Avenue in Brooklyn, a prime corridor for West Indies businesses. The new entity is a direct offshoot of Grace, Kennedy Remittance Services Limited (GKRS) in Jamaica.
Caribbean Outpost is Grace Kennedy's first international financial service centre and will provide a wide range of services including money transfer through its Western Union operations, bill payment, Internet access, mail box rental and DHL courier service.
Customers will also be able to purchase money orders, phone cards and Metro Cards, used for mass transit commuting in the New York Metro Area.
Chief Operating Officer for the company's Information Services Division, Brian Goldson, said his organisation some two years ago, recognised the strategic importance of connecting to its customers outside of the Caribbean basin. "We were seeing the global competition getting closer to our customers at home, so we figured that if they can come to the Caribbean, then there is no reason why a Caribbean-based company could not do the same thing in their backyard," he said.
Mr. Goldson noted that while Grace, Kennedy's link to the Caribbean-American community is well established through its Western Union money transfer services, it was felt that to truly understand and serve its customer base, the company had to invest in the community in which the people lived.
He pointed out as well that New York, and Brooklyn in particular, was a major market for Grace products such as its Tropical Rhythm bottled juices, Grace, Coconut Water and Grace Ackee.
The Chief Operating Officer promised a first class operation and said the community could help to improve the service by offering suggestions on how better to serve their needs.
Through its partnership with Western Union, Caribbean Outpost will serve nationals from several Caribbean countries including Haiti. The company said it is targeting the English, French and Spanish-speaking Caribbean and to better serve the public it will recruit persons who can speak French and Spanish.
Executive Director of GKRS, Joan Marie Powell, said Caribbean Outpost would eventually be expanded to other communities in the United States with large Caribbean populations.
Caribbean political and business leaders welcomed the new financial agency into the Brooklyn neighbourhood and urged residents to give it their support.
Among those hailing the Grace, Kennedy initiative were Jamaican State Assemblyman, Nick Perry; Una Clarke, former Jamaican Councilwoman for the 40th District in Brooklyn and her daughter, Yvette Clarke, who has succeeded her in that seat.
The new agency was formally opened by Grace Kennedy's Chairman, Senator Douglas Orane, who cut the ribbon and warmly welcomed customers inside with the adopted motto "At Caribbean Outpost... We Speak Your Language, Welcome!"
Caribbean Outpost is located at 887 Utica Avenue, between Snyder and Church Avenue - a few blocks away from another Jamaican financial service centre, Jamaica National Overseas Inc.
