Four prime ministers at his birthday celebration, and no media. Fifty million donated to his alma mater, Jamaica College, and minimal publicity. His friends and associates know that I could be writing about only one person: Karl Hendrickson. The Jamaican public may be surprised to know that this elegant patriot who recently achieved fourscore years has founded, and with his four children re-engineered a group of homegrown companies with a total workforce of over 3,000.

Today, Gary runs National Baking in Kingston and Coconut Bay Resort and Spa in St Lucia; Lori-Ann and her husband Dave run Caribbean Broilers, Newport Mills and their subsidiaries; Kevin and wife Jackie operate Yummy Bakery in Mandeville, The Courtleigh and Knutsford Court hotels in Kingston and the Holiday Inn in Montego Bay; Cathy and husband Ian operate Sunset Beach Resort & Spa in Montego Bay, Sunset Jamaica Grande in Ocho Rios, Sunset at the Palms in Negril.

The business pioneer recalls that when the family decided to invest in the hotel industry, they got solid advice from other hoteliers. What would this country be without such daring investors? Entrepreneurship is probably the greatest and least acknowledged response to the Christian mandate, which in modern times could be translated as, “When I was hungry, you invested.”

Karl is asked regularly, “How did you mentor all of your four children to become such successful entrepreneurs?” His first response is to praise his wife Nell, who he says has been the strength of the family. “I knew that with guidance they would realise their capabilities,” he says. “It is important to release energy, intellect, potential.”

The iconic business leader harks back to the 70s when they saw many of their extended family members migrating: “But we made a collective decision to stay in Jamaica. Times were tough … the family, including the children, focused on work and home. It made them stronger and inculcated positive work habits. They also developed a deep compassion for the less fortunate.” He is grateful that his grandchildren are now showing the traditional Hendrickson caring, diligence and discipline.

For the Hendrickson family, business is an integral part of their lives. “Even during the short holidays we took, we used the time to acquire knowledge about new technology, equipment and processes that were taking place around the world. I can’t remember ever leading a boring life. Business is a full-time commitment,” says Karl, “seven days a week, 365 days a year. I am not a hobby person, my hobby is work.”

“I am a manufacturing person,” emphasises Karl. “I believe if Jamaica is to progress we should go back to production; we need to respond to the necessary discipline that goes into production. This will generate quality employment for our people, and this deviation from production is why Jamaica has not seen growth.”

The committed Jamaican recalls fondly his childhood in Magotty with his hardworking parents who owned a modest bakery. “My mother, Irene, was ambitious, but not for material things – what was important was our education,” recalls Karl. “My father was hardworking, methodical and neat.”

“Life in the country was very simple,” says Karl. “As children, my brother Larry and I used to roam around for long hours. There was good community spirit. Our parents though did not have much time for the pleasures of life – for them, it was just work and family.”

In those days, DeCarteret College was the preparatory school of choice, and Irene Hendrickson decided that her sons should go there. Karl said that they were happy at DeCarteret where politeness and good manners were the order of the day. Indeed, their parents had insisted on impeccable manners from a very early age.

The brothers later enrolled at the revered Jamaica College which gave Karl some of his fondest memories. “Those days formed my life,” he avers. “JC as a school provided a good education, but most of all JC was an institution of leadership. It had a fine tradition.

We had healthy rivalry among the halls; this was important as nothing builds leadership like rivalry of this type – not to destroy, but to spur us on to excellence. My schoolmates are still among my closest friends.”

When Jamaica achieved Independence in 1962, Karl Hendrickson and his colleagues embraced it: “I grew up with a Jamaica College group that was philosophically aligned with the vision of an independent Jamaica, so when the country got independence we believed in it.”

As they grew, Karl and Larry would assist their parents at their Mandeville bakery during the holidays. “We worked at the bakery along with the regular workers. I wanted to do things just as well and fast as they were doing,” says Karl. “Working at the bakery made us feel we were contributing.”

Excelling at Jamaica College, Karl was accepted to study the sciences at McGill University in Canada. However, his heart remained in baking, and he took a job at one of the biggest bakeries in

Montreal – Steinberg’s. “I saw that they were not making bread by hand; instead, the process was totally automated,” Karl recalls, his eyes shining at the memory. “With my knowledge of science, I began to correlate chemistry and baking – they are very similar. It was here that I learnt to bake the new bread.”

An excited Karl returned home the following summer with bigger plans than a degree in chemistry: “I told my dad about the new mechanical processes. With the mechanisation of baking in Jamaica, we could produce sliced and packaged bread here. I convinced my father to build a new bakery in Kingston and National Bakery was born at 45 Half Way Tree Road in 1952. It was an instant success.”

Montreal had even greater significance for Karl, as this was where he met his beloved Nell, his wife of nearly 60 years. On meeting her, his father declared, “Nell is your good luck.” He was so right. Together Karl and Nell Hendrickson have nurtured two generations who are taking forward their legacy, inspiring their fellow Jamaicans to make productivity the mark of their patriotism.

lowriechin@aim.com

www.lowrie-chin.blogspot.com