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KEN JOSEPH "BIGGER THAN LIFE ITSELF" |
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Wednesday, 03 January 2007 |
There are certain earth changing events that occur periodically, some you can predict some you can’t.
Similarly, exceptional persons appear in our midst periodically and although in their case as well one cannot predict when they will appear, when they do everyone notices. It just cannot be helped.
The power of their presence, the appeal of their personality, the effect of their doings and the depth of the footprints they leave defy indifference.
Kent Joseph has been described by many adjectives over the years. Ambitious, energetic, personable, selfless, philanthropist but lately it seems the word Phoenix must be added to this list because if ever a person has risen from the ashes of seeming destruction is has been this remarkable individual. Well yes he has been the man behind Phoenix brand cigarettes in Grenada for many years too.
You see the essence of a person cannot only be judged by how much they have achieved for themselves, the size of the empire they have built or the number of competitors they have outmaneuvered. More importantly it must be judged by the effect they have had on people they have come into contact with along the way.
Kent Joseph has not only been able to build an empire through dedication, innovation and a rare level of foresight and discipline but has also managed to earn the respect, love and admiration of practically all the people he has had to interact with on a business or personal level.
After suffering what to most people would have amounted to hopelessness, destruction and despair at the hands of Hurricane Ivan the ability to shake this tragedy aside and launch himself almost fanatically into looking after the welfare and safety of others bespeaks a person of unusual human qualities.
In awarding Kent Joseph for his superhuman efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan the Grenada Chamber of Industry and Commerce calls this rare individual “a man of action, determination and stamina.”
And why not? It certainly took a lot of all of those qualities to do what this man did even as his whole life’s work, many years of planning and sacrifice laid in shambles all around.
The morning after the hurricane, Kent found himself, like most Grenadians with his home destroyed along with those of most of his close relatives. Further investigation revealed that his business premises had also been destroyed.
Although Kent only became aware of the extent of his losses after, so busy he was looking after his family, relatives and staff it turned out that the seven properties under his care had suffered. These included residences and businesses scattered over Beaulieu, Tempe, Grand Anse and at St George. The roof of Body Image Gym at the Excel Plaza was gone along with the roof of many of his tenants.
On the Carenage, the cigarette factory, the largest income earner suffered extensive damage to the building and equipment. The looting of the factory, office, Homemade Bakery and the excel Plaza made it worse. The damage went into millions of dollars.
Despite this personal catastrophe, , the first two days after Ivan found caring Kent trying to locate firstly, his relatives then his 63 staff members. The home of 59 of his 63 staff members had either been destroyed or had lost their roofs.
Everyone looked to Kent for leadership, support and assistance. His family, relatives and staff and he was not about to let them down.
He noticed how hopeless they all looked and realized that a lot depended on him. He took up the challenge and set about making arrangements to house firstly, his relatives and then his staff. The results were that 14 members of his family and relatives were able to stay in a twobedroom apartment and his home gym.
True to Kent’s character things were not to be done by halves and therefore he did not see his responsibility as stopping with the provision of shelter. There was the matter of food and water for his family and his 63 staff members. He was assisted in this by a prominent local company as well as relatives in St. Lucia. Even in the face of his personal loss Kent ensured that his staff members were paid their full month’s salary for September and kept all of them on ? month salary for the first six months after the hurricane. Of course, long before this most other business had declared that they could not pay staff and had released them.
 KEN JOSEPH (RIGHT), A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS WITH MIN. OF FINANCE THE HON. ANTHONY BOATSWAIN.
More than this, Kent provided many of his staff with funds to assist them in starting to rebuild their homes or to seek assistance from the banks. Only much later did he find himself forced to pension off his older staff since there was no work for them. Kent’s superhuman endeavors extended to the communities of Independence and Archibald Avenues as well as River Road, assisting people there with food and water, assisted by the Grenada Marketing and National Importing Board and Chef’s Castle. Food and water were also provided to shelters south of the island.
Not only was this businessman the hands- on philanthropist but he was also very much the facilitator, seeking out the Prime Minister, though unsuccessfully at first, to discuss the national crisis including the looting taking place in the city.
It was Kent’s suggestion that the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition should get together to discuss solutions, a proposal the Prime Minister agreed to at the time. Kent arranged these meetings.
Shear determination on his part along with the support of his family relatives and staff caused Kent’s businesses to rise from the rubble faster than considered possible. Home Made Bakery within a month followed by Chef’s Castle.
Now, true to his phoenix designation, Kent has rebuilt all of his businesses and arranged for the West Indian Tobacco Company in Trinidad to continue the production of Phoenix cigarettes which has been on the local market for 65 years.
Consistent with people of his character, Kent is quick to point out that other people contributed to his quick recovery and thanks his staff, family, friends and members of the private and public sectors in particular those at the GIDC, customs and relevant government ministries.
Kent Joseph is really a humble person but none can hide from or deny the strides he has made since entering business on his own in 1984.
He has received awards before including an award for Excel Plaza being one of the best malls a few years ago and one from the private sector for the annual Christmas display at Excel Plaza.
A candidate in two general elections for the constituency of the Town of St George, former Senator in the Upper House and long time prominent member of the National Democratic Congress, Kent has run the gamut of several roles and responsibilities and functioned with distinction in each. In fact he has been described by a former colleague as a man of action and very little words.
In the NDC he served as General Secretary, PRO and head of the finance committee of the NDC and one of the editors of the NDC Heartbeat.
Kent has had to surmount his fair share of challenges before the devastation of Hurricane Ivan and did it calmly and without aggression or panic. Even when the land he had originally planned to build his mall on was taken away he never responded publicly and is still waiting quietly for justice.
It seems that Kent Joseph was born to achieve and he knows how to put the experience he gains from life into practical use. Even as a youngster working with Geo. F. Huggins and Co. he was responsible as many as 8 different departments as Marketing Manager. Eight different sets of people looking to him, their junior in terms of age, for leadership and guidance.
He took from those experiences, the skill of dealing with many situations and many scenarios at the same time.
Kent’s foray into business started with a small store on Grenville Street, St. George’s called Market View and a small bakery and gym under his home, humble beginnings indeed in business.
Today he is part of a company called prestige Motors, agents for BMW and Subaru, owner of Chef’s Castle, owner of Body Image Health Club, Home Made Bakery and soon to come Movie Palace.
The near and medium term future will see the emergence of other businesses such as With his attitude, the dream to turn the whole plaza into a tourism entertainment complex Excel Apartments and Excel Home Mart, impressive indeed.
Not in the least blinded by his achievements to date, Kent is still a very accessible person, a hands- on and involved sort of manager, not the type to sit secluded in an office aloof from everything else.
He also has a fishing boat, is a member of the Carenage Fishing Association and can often be found mingling with the fishermen on the Carenage.
Kent has been very much involved in the community, with elderly people and like any outstanding person does not use his energies for destructive purposes and does not dwell on the negative things that will inevitably be said about him. In a line Kent does not let anything stand in his way to moving forward.
He believes in using his position in the private sector to help people especially in the areas of sport and culture. The successful businessman believes in frankness and straightforwardness. will no doubt be realized and will be successful.
His concern as a businessman is for the country no matter which government is in power. He is concerned about the increasing crime level in the country and the lack of respect for the elderly. These are things that have to be dealt with.
Kent is thankful to the tenants, the hard working staff and the general public who have stayed in the Excel Plaza through all the post- Ivan hardships and looks to the future with optimism and a conviction that with good intentions, discipline and dedication things are bound to improve not only for his business but for the entire country.
-> Interview with Ken Joseph, Owner/Manager of Excel Plaza Born to lead
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