Mandeville, Manchester – Chairman of the National Commercial Bank (NCB), Michael Lee-Chin, on Monday broke ground for a $244 million branch in Mandeville after telling community and business leaders in this central highlands town of his confidence in Jamaica’s future.

“We are optimistic for the future of Mandeville (and) .we are very optimistic for the future of Jamaica,” said Lee-Chin, who has been credited with “turning around” NCB since acquiring the group in 2001.

There were several factors that influenced his confidence not only in Jamaica but the wider Caribbean, said the entrepreneur. Among the chief reasons was the rapid “saturation” of southern coastal areas in the United States.

That meant, he said, that the growing number of wealthy retirees from that country in search of warmer climes would have no choice but to opt for places like the Caribbean, not least Jamaica which is ‘next door’ to the US mainland.

And while conceding that violent crime, which resulted in more than 1600 murders in Jamaica last year was a threat, Lee-Chin insisted that the society would overcome the problem.

“The violence business . eventually we will put it right because we can’t have a few bad men holding 2.5 million people to ransom. That doesn’t make any sense,” he declared.

Lee-Chin, who heads the Canada-based AIC group, said Mandeville was ripe for investment for reasons such as its “salubrious” climate which has long attracted retirees and will continue to do so at an accelerated rate; its location close to bauxite alumina plants and in the midst of some of the island’s richest bauxite reserves; and the potential of the “sleeping giant” – the Northern Caribbean University which is located in the town.

Mayor of Mandeville, Councillor Desmond Harrison, and the Custos of Manchester Dr Gilbert Allen were among those heaping praise on Lee-Chin yesterday for the new investment.

Harrison hailed Lee-Chin for making NCB “one of the leading banks in the Caribbean” and Allen said his ability to “create wealth and share with others was already legendary”.

Centrally located at 6 Perth Road, opposite the Manchester High School, the new 15,000 square foot NCB branch will be built on 2.2 acres of land.

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