WES Edens, founder and chairman of New Fortress Energy (NFE), who is investing in Jamaica’s transition to natural gas, has partnered with the Jonathan M Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship at Brown University and the Mona School of Business & Management (MSBM) to host two entrepreneurship workshops today.

New Fortress, a global leader in the energy infrastructure business, said the workshops are part of his commitment to support the economic development and job creation in Jamaica.

These workshops, which will be held at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, at 9:30 am and the Jamaica Pegasus hotel at 3:00 pm, respectively, will be led by Danny Warshay, award-winning educator, successful entrepreneur, and executive director of the Jonathan M Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship at Brown University.

A release from the organisers said Warshay will help participants to develop entrepreneurial confidence, to learn how to master and apply the structured Entrepreneurial Process, to use bottom-up research to find and validate unmet needs, and to build their entrepreneurial networks. Warshay will discuss the critical importance of observing and listening anthropologically and empathetically in the entrepreneurial process.

“Wherever I teach throughout the world, entrepreneurship is a key driver to economic development, and so teaching entrepreneurship is an essential catalyst for economic growth. I am excited to be leading these workshops in Jamaica, thanks to Wes Edens and New Fortress Energy as well as The University of the West Indies. Based on the successes of these kinds of workshops elsewhere, I am confident that participants will find value in them and that these efforts will create even more opportunities for entrepreneurs in Jamaica,” said Danny Warshay.

Meanwhile, speaking about the motivation behind the workshops, Jake Suski, managing director for public affairs at New Fortress Energy, said: “Jamaicans have a natural tendency toward entrepreneurship, evidenced by the many innovative businesses that make significant contributions to the economy. We want to help encourage and foster even more entrepreneurship in Jamaica and support growth alongside organisations like the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC), Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), First Angels, Branson Centre, and the universities who are already doing valuable work in this space.”

“Investment in sustainable growth of Jamaica by supporting entrepreneurship and education is central to the vision of our founder, Wes Edens, and we look forward to building meaningful partnerships and investing in programmes that will have a lasting impact,” he added.

As part of its long-term investment in Jamaica’s energy landscape, New Fortress Energy undertook several initiatives last year, including breaking ground at Jamalco for the new gas-fired heat and power plant that is estimated to create over 500 jobs. In addition, as part of an overall partnership with The UWI, New Fortress Energy is funding 10 scholarships for UWI Mona students with a demonstrable need for financial assistance to pay for their tuition and providing guest lecturers to the School of Engineering for enhanced curriculum around natural gas, cryogenics and energy projects.

The workshops are also being hosted in association with the JBDC, DBJ and First Angels Jamaica.