We Met The JEDI's!

Last year The Parker Avery Group designed, built, and delivered an intense two-month entrepreneur training program to a small group of Jamaican students who were interested in starting their own businesses. This venture was brought together via RetailROI, with the support of the Ferguson Simpson Foundation (FSF). You may already be familiar with RetailROI. Founded and led by Greg Buzek this charity raises money for programs to support children and orphans in underdeveloped countries. FSF is a similar organization but focuses on a specific parish in Jamaica. 

The entrepreneur program is called JEDI – Jamaican Entrepreneurs Driving Innovation – and was supported by JEDI Ambassadors (local advocates and sponsors) as well as the JEDI Council (Parker Avery consultants that delivered the training and provided 1:1 coaching). Click here to learn more about the program.

Yes, there’s a Star Wars theme, and yes, I do realize it's May the 4th!

Last week a small team from Parker Avery, along with Greg, traveled to Jamaica to spend time with all the students, hear about the progress of their businesses, and see them provide guidance and advice to the upcoming JEDI class. It was incredibly rewarding to be a part of these activities. Given that the program was delivered completely virtually last year, the ability to meet the students in person in Jamaica was truly a blessing.

This inaugural group of JEDI students included Jodi-Ann, Nichordo, Shaneque, Shelline, Sherika, and Sontee, and their businesses ranged from poultry farming to baked goods to fashion and personal care.  We also got the opportunity to meet and work closely with the JEDI Ambassadors, Janeth, Carol, and Lawrence. 

I’ll give a personal shout-out to Bailey for driving us everywhere (and if you’ve even been on a bus through the beautiful Jamaican mountains, you will understand this is no easy task!), and to Naz for providing additional support and guidance, especially in all things agricultural-related. Through the long bus rides and many personal interactions over the course of three days, we gained an intimate understanding and appreciation of this team’s tight personal connections within the local community.

While in Jamaica, we were also busy with RetailROI exploring other opportunities and initiatives.

• We spent time with school leaders, learning about schools’ needs and opportunities.
• In addition to the JEDI updates, we visited Nichordo’s chicken farm in Smithfield.
• We met with the parish library staff to discuss potential needs.
• We discussed a potential farming program and explored the potential land plot for viability.
• We looked at a potential building and site for a children’s home.
• We discussed options for kitchen support for a bakery business.
• And finally, we spent a day visiting several schools for younger children, delivering small care packages to students, and learning about the classroom environments and needs.

It was all unbelievably gratifying and educational for our team, and we are thankful for the opportunity to make the visit. There were long days, working out of our hotel base in Kingston, and spending 3-4 hours driving each day, leaving the hotel early each morning and returning at the end of the day. The schools and sites we visited were not what most travelers to Jamaica ever see—they were not the pristine beaches and all-inclusive resorts promoted in ads. We saw Jamaica's life in the raw, with a lot of crumbling and meager conditions, but where the sparks of these young entrepreneurs and the smiles of children glowed brightly.

There’s more to come. We have already set the dates for JEDI 2.0, the next set of students, and we are working on improvements to the program. JEDI 2.0 will start this summer, and we’re hopeful that the final presentations and awards can be done in person in Jamaica in the early fall. Especially after meeting the JEDIs this past week and witnessing first-hand their passion and enthusiasm, we really can’t wait.

We went to Jamaica for a week, didn’t visit the beach, and didn’t have to worry about getting too much sun. Yet the glow from our visit will remain for quite some time.