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Wednesday, 03 January 2007 |
Interview with Ken Joseph, Owner/Manager of Excel Plaza
Multi-faceted local
businessman Kent
Joseph has been awarded
by the Grenada
Chamber of Industry
and Commerce.
At its banquet held
recently the local business
organization recognized
Joseph for his
selfless and tireless
efforts to help others on
the road to recovery in
the aftermath of Hurricane
Ivan, despite having
suffered devastating
losses himself.
In its citation the
Chamber referred to
Kent as a man of action,
determination and stamina
and outlined the
lengths to which he
went to help others
through those trying
times.
Barnacle Newspaper
had the opportunity to
interview this exceptional
individual and
we are pleased to bring
you the entire script of
this interview.
 KEN JOSEPH (RIGHT), DAUGHTER (LEFT) AND A MEMBER OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY
How long have you
been in business?
I have been in business on
my own since 1984.
Would you say this
award is the high point
of your career?
I have received awards
before including an award
recently for Excel Plaza
being one of the best
Malls. That was about 3 or
4 years ago and I hope it
still is.
I also received an award
recently for the annual
lighting up of the plaza.
This was part of the initiative
of the private sector. I
was recognized as one of
those who lit up for Christmas,
to make the Christmas
season in Grenada
something for people to
talk about.
I think from a business
sector point of view, considering
what I went
through, what transpired
and the role that was
taken by me I would say
yes. I don’t want to be too
modest about it as people
have indicated to me that I
deserve it, having had so
many properties destroyed
at the same time and the
challenges that a small
company like mine has
undergone.
 How were you able to
undertake all that you
did in such a short
space of time, for all
these people?
There was a good lady by
the name of Dorcas Braveboy
when I was involved in
the NDC. I used to be the
General Secretary, was
involved in other party
work also being responsible
for finance etc.
During that period she
called me Superman. She
also called me a man of
action and few words. At
that time a lot of people
indicated that even when
the land that I had originally
designated to build
the mall was taken away I
never responded publicly
but I waited and am still
awaiting my time for some
justice.
At the same time my background,
working with Geo.
F. Huggins and T Geddes
Grant Ltd. in my younger
years has helped to prepare
me. There was a time
when I was responsible for
as many as eight departments
and staff who were
older than I am. I was
their overall Marketing
manager.
I therefore learned from
experience the skills of
dealing with many situations
and many scenarios
at the same time. Obviously
this was one of the reasons
why I opted to get
involved in the public sector,
because I have an
understanding of the public
sector too and I saw no
problem being involved in
the public sector and in
the private sector at the
same time.
I felt that some of the systems
used in the private
sector could apply well in
the public sector for the
country to be better managed.
My role in the private
sector as a former
Senator, my role with the
NDC and what I have
done over the years not
only as an employee at
Geo. F. Huggins but also
an employer for the past
22 years all prepared me
for the public sector and
private sector management.
Starting with a small store
on Grenville Street called
Market View and a small
bakery and Gym under my
home also helped. I am
now also part owner of a
Company called Prestige
Motors, agents for BMW
and Subaru apart from
being the owner of Chef
Castle, Body Image
Health Club, Movie Palace
Homemade Bakery and
soon to come Excel Apartments
and Excel Home
Mart.
You are not just a businessman
you are a people’s
person, you are
one who goes out on a
limb for the community.
Yes and I am also very
accessible. People could
see me in the community
most times, that’s exactly
how I run my business. I
am on the ground with the
people with the workers. I
am not an in office person.
People can access me
sometimes too easily.
I am on the Carenage, on
the waterfront, River
Road. I am also involved in
fishing I have a fishing
boat that goes out so I am
involved with the fishermen
on the Carenage and
I am also part of the Carenage
Fishing Association.
So yes I can be seen all
over the place particularly
in the town and in the
south. However although I
was actually born in
Trinidad and came up here
at an early age my village
is Beaulieu where I grew
up and my mother still
resides.
But you live for challenges.
I like excitement, I manage
better in crisis periods.
As a matter of fact I
feel when someone comes
into the world he or she
should give every effort,
every fiber to do the best
they can to build, to learn
and to contribute positively.
That is my philosophy
and practice, to help people
wherever I can especially
in sports culture and the elderly. I have been
involved in the community
with mostly elderly people.
I try not to dwell on
any negatives that are
said about me and propel
myself to think positively
and don’t let anything
stand in my way to move forward.
Tell us about the role
that your family has
played and continue to
play in the overall success
of your endeavors.
Well my family plays a
very important and supporting
role. I move a little
too fast for them, I
sometimes stretch myself
too thin and sometimes
they also feel I do too
much and say too much.
However, I am not used to
being oppressive to staff
but to being frank with
them, frank with the public
and in particular my
close friends. I am a very
frank forthright person
and say what I have to say
to anybody it does not
mater how big or at what
level you are. I agree that
sometimes depending on
my mood it may not be as
diplomatic as one would
expect from a former
politician.
Tell us about the new
initiatives that you are
undertaking right now.
The most important one
right now is to open the
Movie Palace and Kids
Castle, a brand new beautiful
movie theater which
will replace the old Triple
Reels, was once owned by
Ramdhanny. This one will
be run by one company
along with a professional
manager.
In addition to the two
large cinemas we will also
have a kids’ area of entertainment
so that people
can come go to the movies
and have their kids entertained
while they are
there.
The whole Plaza itself will
be turned into a tourism
entertainment complex.
We are also going to be
putting in a small mini
sports bar soon. It should
have been ready for
Christmas but because of
the pressing work for the
movie cinema I have put it
on hold and will instead be
ready for the Easter.
Also for the Easter we will
have the Home Mart. The
Excel Home Mart is part
hardware and part home
center but there is a large
hardware store in the
future that we intend to
build on the Maurice Bishop
Highway. Also coming
is a 32- room apartment
project at the back of Excel
Plaza called Excel Apartments.
Those are my future plans
the hardware store is
more or less long term.
The medium term is the
sports bar and the
home/hardware center.
Presently what I am focusing
on is the movie cinema,
Kid’s Castle and Excel
Annex an office and warehouse
complex already
built at the back.
 EXCEL PLAZA
When you started this
project did you anticipate
the level of success
that it is presently?
Surprisingly yes, this idea
of Excel Plaza came to me
20 years ago when I purchased
5-6 acres of land in
the Grand Anse area. Fortunately
in 1992 when I
was about to start, my
banker indicated that the
land at the edge of Camerhogne
Park will be divided
and that was done during
Mr. Blaize’s (former Prime
Minister of Grenada) time.
The commercial sector
would have been at the
front where the football
field now is and the Youth
Center along with the football
field would have been
placed in the center along
with other areas of sporting
activities that having
been decided during Mr.
Blaize and the late Mr.
Ben Jones days.
When the NDC Government
came into power
they at that time invited
businesspeople who would
be interested in setting in
that area to write and
indicate so. I wrote them
in 1992 with an advice
from my banker who considered
the Camerhogne
Park as a better and larger
place for the plaza; it
would have been twice the
size it is now.
Having written and gotten
the okay then I knew I
was the only person who
had the vision and a plan
which goes back to more
than 20 years ago for a
mall in that area. Unfortunately
I proceeded to sell
part of my 5 acres that
was here (at the Excel
Plaza location). I sold 2
acres of it to my detriment
and then entered into politics
to my further demise.
I did so only because I had
friends in the party who I
was willing to assist.
There were friends at that
time in the party who
asked me to lend my managerial
expertise and
experience based on what
they are seeing, not only
in the management of
finance but the management
of people. They
asked me to lend support
to the NDC which at that
time was faltering particularly
in the town of St.
George. I entered politics
only to support the party
especially Joan Purcell
and Mr. Nicholas Braithwaite
who I felt were good
people. After that I moved
forward and became a candidate
when Mr. Nicholas
Braithwaite indicated that
he would not run again for
elections, Joan Purcell
was switched to Carriacou
and I was asked by the
constituency group and
other members of the
party to run.
My intention was never to
run in politics but to support
a Government that I
thought had the right feeling
and the right approach
to governing the country. I
liked NDC even though
there were some negatives
in their manner and their
style. I felt that I could
work with some of them.
Unfortunately you know
what has happened since
then. I entered elections
twice, lost to Raphael
Fletcher by 43 votes and
further lost to Brenda
Hood in the 2000 election
fiasco.
 I am really concerned
more as a businessman in
this country. It does not
matter which government
is in power my concern is
one of security and
accountability and the
reduction of crimes in the
country. I think any Government
has to deal with
that, crime is increasing,
security is at its lowest in
my opinion and any Government
that comes into
power will have to deal
with that along with education.
Also the finance of
the country and the debt
that is extremely high at
the moment, but my greatest
concern is the crime,
the robberies, the lack of
respect by the youths for
the elderly people.
These are crucial matters
and any Government
could build any amount of
infrastructure but the
social fabric of the country
is always most important.
I want to thank the tenants
who have stayed in
Excel Plaza and who also
suffered hardships during
Hurricane Ivan for staying
with me. Most of them are
together with me up to
this day. After hurricane
Ivan I thanked God that I
was alive and I decided
that I would do everything
possible to contribute even
more to the well-being of
my family, staff and the
people of Grenada, Carriacou
and Petite Martinique.
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