Mike Henry (left), minister of transport and works, and Glen Khan, chairman of Laparkan Group of Companies, shake hands. - Contributed

THE UNITED States-based Laparkan Group of Companies has opened offices in Jamaica - Laparkan Jamaica Limited.

Laparkan has been providing air and ocean shipping to Jamaica for more than 20 years, through a local agent, and is one of the leading players in the barrel trade. The opening was held at The Jamaica Pegasus on July 25.

The group is involved in diverse business activities in Guyana, which is its core market, including retail, supermarket and travel services. Laparkan is the general sales agent for Delta Airlines and operate in partnership with the Unions in GNIC, a port terminal and engineering services corporation located on the waterfront in Georgetown, Guyana.

This investment in Jamaica by the group is geared towards expanding and broadening the scope of its services, as well as to cultivate a more personalised relationship with its Jamaican customers. Laparkan Jamaica has already established its direct sales and operations offices in Kingston (opposite Kingston Wharves Limited) and Montego Bay (Portsville Plaza, Montego Freeport) and has also established an alliance with Capital and Credit Remittance Limited, for payout of its money transfer services.

With a vision

Laparkan's plans include the establishment of an LCL transshipment hub in Kingston, linking with its hub in Trinidad. LCL refers to shipments of less than a container load.

Glen Khan, the company's chairman, expressed appreciation for the warm welcome and visionary comments of Transport and Works Minister Mike Henry in his address at the launch ceremony. Henry outlined the Government's plan to foster multi-modal transportation in Jamaica, which fits the Laparkan model.

Laparkan says it is already the number-one shipper of personal effects in the Caribbean and is hoping to achieve a similar dominance with commercial cargo.

Also speaking at the function were Dr Una Clarke, a Laparkan vice-president; John Green, network air cargo manager; and David Yee Sing, general manager for Laparkan Jamaica Limited.

www.laparkan.com