By O'Neil Simpson, Gleaner Education Awardee
Mr. Noel Hylton, chief executive officer and president of the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), listens to Pat Francis, president of JAMPRO, at a recent function in Kingston. - Ricardo Makyn / Staff Photographer
IT IS not every day that one is privy to an inside peek into the organisation, management and general operations of one of Jamaica's industrial giants. Nor is it every day that one is able to see the technical, functional and operational activities that hold together the framework of the nation's productive sectors. Therefore, it was not an opportunity to be taken lightly when, as one of the Gleaner Education Awardees for 2003, I was invited to accompany the Honourable Noel Hylton (C.E.O and President of the Jamaica Port Authority) and Gleaner's Man of the Year 2003, on a day of activities at the agency that he has steered for the past thirty years. It was certainly his excellent management of the facility that has afforded him the remarkable recognition of Gleaner 'Man of the Year'.
Without any shadow of a doubt, the experience was one of epic proportions, and served well to reaffirm to at least myself of the fact that Jamaica's economic and social development lie within the unleashed creativity, tenacity, competence and proper management of, and by, its people.
DAY PROGRESSED
Commencing at the Duke Street Head Offices of the organisation, the day progressed through a series of events that included a meeting of the Board, an informal question-and-answer session with Mr. Hilton, a business luncheon with some of Jamaica's prominent legal, political, governmental and non-governmental organisations, and culmination in a tour of the Kingston free-zone wharf facilities.
The basic itinerary amply provided for a relatively rounded look at the 'typical' day in the life of an industry tycoon, while at the same time, providing a slightly more personal and 'on-the-ground' look at the way in which most of the linking aspects of the facilities' processes were made to relate. It is admissible that the day was anything but typical, as it is highly unlikely that Mr. Hylton could as effectively run such an organisation on a more general basis, while under the watchful eye of "neophyte" observers. Be that as it may, suffice it to say that the functions of the Port Authority of Jamaica are very well catered to by the astute and meticulous control of Mr. Hylton (by the obvious looks of it), and one can only agree that the immense expertise with which Mr. Hylton has approached the running of the PAJ resulted in the advancement and expansion of the company.
One of the first things that caught my attention was the way in which the vast experience of Mr. Hylton had been effectively translated into feasible and applicable realities for Jamaica. With the aim of transforming the island into one of the five future mega-hub ports of international transhipment, he has taken his English training in Accounting, his Nigerian work experience in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, and his recruitment as a port developer in Fiji to blend their uniqueness into an innovative model of specifically Jamaican flavour. Never shy of the opportunity to take on a challenge, he has been instrumental in the process of mechanising the facilities, while at the same time, effecting meaningful re-port foiling of workers.
This falls neatly into place alongside a history of such personnel management innovations carried out in the 1970s and 80s. In this respect, both the historian and philanthropist in me were equally aggrandised. Secondly, I had to be impressed by the fact that there was substantial proof of the pudding in the eating (in this case, the seeing). The mere magnitude and scope of the facilities seemed to suggest the extent of investment and aptitude demanded by such an organisation.
WIDENING CHANNELS
The PAJ's use of GPS satellite equipment allows the industry to process over 7000 containers on a daily basis. It was with nostalgic pride that I was able to think back at opportunities that I have had to see similar transhipment facilities across Latin American and the Pacific, and recognise that Jamaica is truly on par with the most developed in the world; justifying its position as housing the 63rd of the top 100 ports in the world. By extension, the operations for dredging harbours and widening channels, as undertaken by the Port Authority quickly sparked my interest on the ways in which the organisation observed and regulated itself in terms of ecological protection; queries of mine which were sufficiently well addressed.
FINAL POINT
But the third and final point that was to impress itself upon me immensely was the simple, unpretentious and yet, focused air of Mr. Hylton, whose rural upbringing, in my mind, provided the perfect background for remembering that hard work and dedication continue to be among the hallmarks of excellence.
It intrigued me that in spite of the multi-million dollar contracts to be signed, the port's development plans to be reviewed and the countless communications to be made, he was still able to welcome and give impressionable young people an eye-opener into the undertakings of such an industry. It is only to be hoped that this experience could be afforded to other young Jamaicans (beyond the confines of the 'Career/Open' School Days), and possibly provide some young 'greenhorn' with what may prove to be a deciding incentive toward educational advancement and national development.
