Barbara Ellington, Lifestyle Editor
Brian Jardim stepped away from his father's shadow to become a successful businessman. - CONTRIBUTED
DON'T BE fooled by his boyish good looks! At 43, Montego Bay businessman Brian Jardim has racked up an impressive track record in his chosen field. He could have stayed in the guaranteed protection of his father Gordon 'Butch' Stewart's successful Caribbean hotel chain, but Mr. Jardim wanted to be a businessman who ran his own show.
While at Sandals Resorts International (SRI), he was based in Kingston and participated in the opening of Sandals Negril, Sandals Royal and the Ocho Rios property for a stint before working out of the Miami office, shortly after his younger brother John Stewart's death. He spent 10 years with his father and was even president of SRI.
But 'Butch' Stewart's shoes are rather big to fill, and in 1995 young Mr. Jardim made the break. Although unsure of what he'd do, he was sure he'd continue in the tourist sector. The seeds for entrepreneurship were sown when, as a boy, he raised chickens and sold eggs to relatives.
He is chief executive officer of Island Entertainment Brands, managing director of Rainforest Seafoods, and chief executive officer of Margaritaville Caribbean.
A member of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce, the Gloucester Avenue Restaurant Association and the board of First Global Bank, he has resided in Montego Bay since 1987. He is married, and has three sons. This is his story.
BE: How did your father react when you decided to leave his company?
BJ: He took it hard, but I, needed the challenge and 'Butch' is a very strong taskmaster. I had no issues with that, but I felt the need to step out of his shadow so I took a month's sabbatical, regrouped, went to Guyana to a place we have there and collected my thoughts in the remote setting.
I had friends from Antigua who owned hotels, and they imported seafood but were not getting a reliable supply, so they asked if I would get a 20-foot container load for them. I had lived in Guyana for years so I knew fishermen and others in the trade, so I got what they wanted and that was how Rainforest Seafood was born. Being in rainforest territory inspired the name and we still get a lot of seafood from the area.
I became a broker to Barbados and other islands and I returned home to start Margaritaville. I made a small profit but volume was high.
The restaurant and entertainment companies under the Island Entertainment Brand are:
Five Margaritaville locations. These are the sports bar and nightclubs.
One Marguerites Seafood Restaurant for fine dining.
One Blue Beat - an upscale bar jazz bar featuring live music.
Two Groovy Grouper locations. These offer a Hellshire-type rootsy environment.
One Jamaican Bobsled Café, a casual sidewalk for light food and drink.
Rainforest Seafoods, a separate entity, wholesales and retails a wide variety of seafoods.
BE: How many branches of each are there?
BJ: We have five Margarita-villes in Jamaica and we opened one in Grand Turk on February 25. We have one Marguerites; one Jamaica Bobsled Café, with another to open by year-end in Negril; there's one Blue Beat and two Groovy Groupers.
Rainforest Seafood is a deifferent company outside this umbrella
BE: What else do you have planned in terms of expansion?
BJ: We plan to expand Margaritaville, two per year in the Caribbean starting this year. Cayman opens on July 1; it's under construction now.
BE: How do you come up with the ideas for all the companies in the mix?
BJ: We brainstorm; we have a big team of over 600 and we believe in keeping things fresh. On the Island Entertainment side of the business (all restaurants and bars), we have 520 staff and Rainforest Seafood has over 122.
The Bobsled Café fell into our laps. An American who worked with the Stokes (persons who started bobsledding in Jamaica), brothers in Kingston, got the rights to market and do food and beverage with the name.
He opened that restaurant on the Hip Strip and we thought it was fabulous. We bought the rights from him and we plan to do Jamaica Bobsled Cafés in the ski resort areas of the world - Europe, college towns and Japan.
We will try to raise funds for that side of our expansion. Some towns are college and ski towns and that would work well. We would franchise these of course. There would be a warm place with spicy food and Jamaican music in the middle of snow and ice. With my partner, Ian Dear, we hope to go places with this.
BE: And where do you see the future of Rainforest?
BJ: We plan to go Caribbean-wide. We will consolidate here and export back to the Caribbean and hopefully set up partnerships and distributorships within the islands.
BE: What is your annual volume of business now?
BJ: We sell in excess of a million pounds of seafood monthly; we have 28 trucks on the road; 10 depots islandwide; four main ones are Negril, Mandeville, Kingston and May Pen. We sell to institutions, caterers, restaurants and supermarkets. Rain-forest is an exciting business, seafood is seen as a healthy alternative to red meat and it's becoming more and more affordable.
BE: Do you see yourself expanding beyond the current suite of businesses that you have?
BJ: We will add different concepts to our core business as we go along.
BE: And how do you now feel about the decision to move from your father's shadow?
BJ: I am very happy. It's been a huge lesson, because you see people who have accomplished, and you have full respect for them when you have to do it for yourself. We have a long way to go; we owe plenty money; several banks own us right now but you have to pay your dues till you get to where you want to be. But you finally get to a stage where, after 10 or 11 years, you know the loans will be serviced, the business is firm and you can move on to other aspects of it.
The first five years were very intense. We had 20-hour days, our wives included; we were very hands-on and we finally got to a place where we have a level of confidence in the team around us, so they can run the business while we get the time to expand. They are creative.
BE: No help from daddy? Some people would think he handed it to you on a platter.
BJ: He's happy I did it on my own; he has told me how proud he is and I was happy to hear that. I think it's important that I accomplished it like he did, on my own with my partner.
BE: So he - 'Butch' - is not on your board or involved in any way?
BJ: No, but he's silently supportive. It was important to me do it on my own and Ian Dear and I went out, got our loans, used the collateral to help. The ability to grow is what counts.
BE: You are in a resort town. What is it like doing business in the industry and what percentage of revenue do you earn from the tourist dollar?
BJ: Over 80 per cent is earned from foreign exchange but the local business is what gives us flavour. No tourist wants to go to a tourist trap; if they go to a place and see only tourists, they don't think it's good without local endorsement. We have to stay fresh for both. They want to meet, speak with, dance and have fun with locals. In the slow months, it's the locals who keep us going, so it's a very important balance.
BE: What's the most difficult thing about doing this business?
BJ: In the very early days it was getting the confidence to approach banks for financing and keeping creditors at bay while you get enough room to get a cash flow. Also, keeping the customer service at the highest level was important. I learnt from my father that customer service is key. Even if a customer does not like loud music, you should pay attention. Bad news spreads fast.
BE: And what's the most satisfying thing about the business?
BJ: The over 600 team members, many of whom have been with us from day one. I have staff who came as a bus boy and who will go to Grand Turk soon as a manager/supervisor, and will take our flavour abroad for the company. It makes you able to back out in increments and focus creative time and energy on the next concept.
BE; What has been your biggest surprise?
BJ: I don't think we ever expected Margaritaville to have the brand name in Jamaica that it has. There is tremendous loyalty and to see it move through generations and stay fresh is a big surprise. It passes through all age groups, and like all our entities, each one fits a different demographic profile.
BE: These days security costs are right up there with salaries. How does having to hire security or invest in high-tech alarm systems affect your business?
BJ: After salaries and food and beverage, security is the biggest line item on the budget. We have off-duty police officers and with 20-hour days plus hiring armoured trucks to take out cash, it has been expensive but it will not be so bad in the other islands.
BE: What are your comments on crime and how should it be dealt with?
BJ: Kingfish is a success story and we need more initiatives like that. Our judicial system is challenging. Being able to get justice and go through the courts is challenging. But, unfortunately, we only have limited resources to handle crime effectively. In my business I encounter pickpockets, harassment of guests and minor criminal offences, but Superintendent Warren Clarke and Assistant Commissioner Keith 'Trinity' Gardner in charge of Area One, are making a difference and getting the respect of the citizens. Crime on the strip has reduced under their watch.
BE: How do you see the future of the Hip Strip in relation to the rest of the tourism product in Montego Bay?
BJ: The strip has enormous potential; it's a gold mine waiting to be tapped into. The business community has a plan to create a promenade from the area known as Dead End to the cruise ship pier. The feel will be similar to Cancún, Mexico, with verges, transportation such as rickshaws and horse-drawn buggies, landscaped cobblestone pathways, jogging trails, sidewalk cafés.
We want an environment where locals and tourists can move unencumbered. That will add a great deal to the package.
BE: Is this just all talk like the grandiose plans for downtown Kingston?
BJ: No, we are now working hard at it and the new Tourism Enhancement Fund is the source of revenue that we hope to use to do that.
BE: Is there a timeline for completion, and how many miles are you talking about?
BJ: We would love to have it ready by the next winter season. The core of it is the Hip Strip, but we want people to see it from the airport, down the strip, all along Howard Cooke Boulevard and beyond. The core will be a mile and a half and it must have day and night activities.
BE: The Tourism Product Development Company head, Audrey Marks, envisions a similar scenario for Knutsford Boulevard.
BJ: That would work really well too and put even more life into the city. We are now doing our own maintenance of the strip and we transport guests to and from hotels, but we need to take it to the next level.
BE: How do you relax?
BJ: Going out on the boat and playing dominoes. Montego Bay is wonderful for going out on the water.
BE: What is your hope for Jamaica?
BJ: We get frustrated sometimes with all the talk, but with our plans for the enhancement fund, we see a bright future that will benefit Jamaica. Everyone just has to be fully committed to the task and to educating the youth to be worthwhile citizens.
BE: What kind of advice did you get from a relative or mentor that you can pass on to aspiring entrepreneurs who will be looking at your success story?
BJ: Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Stick with whatever you are doing, even in times when you think the world is ending. Failure is par for the course. Be involved, and make sure staff at all levels understand this. See that things are done properly; attend to detail without micro-managing. Be polite and respectful and leave a positive impression with anyone.
Send feedback to barbara.ellington@gleanerjm.com.
