Glennon
Barbara Ellington, Contributor
WHEN BILLY Glennon got the call for help from the Mustard Seed Communities (MSC) in 1999, he thought a donation of computers and software would be a good idea.
But the founder and chief executive officer of Vision Consulting Limited was first asked by MSC founder Father Gregory Ramkisoon to visit Jamaica and see what the charity was doing before making the donation.
Out of that visit, the Zinc Link Cyber Centre was established. Zinc Link uses information technology to give MSC care-givers distance training that will make them more qualified to care for the disabled children in the organisation's care.
The trainers are experts in the field of physiotherapy based at Ireland's College of Physiotherapy and, locally, the course modules are prepared and examinations set by the University of Technology.
The Sunday Gleaner spoke with Mr. Glennon who was in the island for the 25th anniversary celebrations of MSC last week.
BENEFITS
"Through our College of Physiotherapists, we have connected Jamaicans and the Irish and we are both benefiting from the experience," Mr. Glennon said.
Describing Vision Consulting Limited as a company that is successful because it cares about people, he said care is at the heart of customer service.
"In bad economies, your horizon narrows. But we need to realise that trust, care and confidence are closely linked; to expand your horizon of confidence and trust, you must care. To break the cycle of mistrust, you must be willing to risk that you will be betrayed but continue to trust."
Speaking with quiet conviction, Mr. Glennon is proud of the new confidence he has observed in the care-givers who now have the power of professional training.
And in response to the question what if they now leave MSC for better paid positions elsewhere, Mr. Glennon said that would be alright because it would mean opening the doors for yet others to learn.
Also coming out of the collaboration is the opportunity for two trainee teachers to travel to Ireland for a week of courses and observation. They returned to the island on Sunday. Trainers in Ireland give of their time free of cost.
ECONOMIC SUCCESS STORIES
"People in Ireland can have an impact without uprooting themselves," said Glennon whose company also provides assistance for destitute women in India.
One of Ireland's economic success stories, Vision Consulting Limited was founded in 1984 and is dedicated to the philosophy of changing the way people work for the better.
With offices in Chile, Britain, Mexico, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the United States, they have an impressive list of clients which include: Citibank, General Motors and AOL Time Warner.
Mr. Glennon's business savvy was honed early in life when he was a part of his family-owned business, but he told The Sunday Gleaner, "I wanted to do a business that put people at its centre and I am passionate about taking the notion of care and technology to produce profitable business."
Mr. Glennon describes Father Gregory as a great entrepreneur for his part in developing small businesses that can financially support the work of the 25-year-old MSC. These include the ceramics factory and the Christmas card business.
"This is commendable because the disenfranchised need a sense of their own value; we must learn to treat people as equals so the they get a sense of their own worth. I am interested in seeing more Jamaican companies engaging at a level of trust. I also want to see our model with MSC replicated outside of Jamaica."
Mr. Glennon who is 45 years old and married, is an electronics engineer and has worked with Anderson Consulting, and in the Middle East. London and the United States.
