IN celebration of 100 successful years of business, Goddard Enterprises Ltd (GEL) launched its 100th anniversary entrepreneurship competition geared towards giving back to and uplifting small business owners across the Caribbean region through financial assistance and mentorship.

Ten entrepreneurs were selected from around the region, representing Barbados, Jamaica, St Vincent and Trinidad. On February 10 at the Fidelity Motors showroom, a member of the GEL Group of companies, the two Jamaican winners were awarded their cheques and trophies and met their mentors, marking the official start of the first stage of the competition.

GEL is a publicly-traded Barbadian company operating in 26 countries in the Caribbean, North, South and Central America under the divisions of manufacturing, airline and event catering and import and distribution. The 100th anniversary entrepreneurship competition represents a holistic approach to giving back to the communities that they serve, wherein winners receive financial awards at three competition stages, all while receiving invaluable mentorship from GEL management executives. Each winner is assigned two mentors, one senior GEL manager and one financial controller.

Jamaica’s winners are Onel Williams of Nella’s Tenda Ronis — a producer of gluten-free pasta made with local ingredients; and Jean Claude Walters Dunn of Z-Rise, a community of Caribbean creatives looking to improve the knowledge and skills of creative people.

The competition is structured across three years. At the start of the first year, the 10 entrepreneurs receive US$5,000. In October 2022, the participants will submit a report to be judged for the second stage, where the number of participants will be narrowed down to three. Those three entrepreneurs will receive a further US$12,500 to continue to grow and expand their business.

Then, in 2023, those three finalists will be evaluated and the winner will be chosen to receive a final cash injection of US$25,000. This totals an overall investment of US$112,500 by GEL into the regional small business ecosystem. That winning company will also take away the title of Goddard Enterprises 100th anniversary entrepreneur award winner.

“This is one of the ways in which GEL is giving back to our communities across the region. It is our way to give a number of small business owners guidance and direction to help their businesses grow and prosper,” stated Anthony Ali, CEO/MD of GEL. “We don’t want to just give them a cheque and leave it there. For us, this is really about succession planning and our dedication to doing our part to nurture, enrich and enlighten a stronger business community going forward. At the end of the day, we are giving them a leg-up in the hopes that 100 years from now, they too will be celebrating their milestone anniversary, and we would have played a part in helping them achieve this milestone,” he added.

The various companies entered in the competition run the gamut of industries. In addition to the Jamaican winners, the other participants range from Yalla’s Mobile Tyre Service — a service provider and virtual marketplace for tyres; CariWay — an online booking platform for tours that includes virtual reality tours; Alluhwi Comics — a creator of virtual comic books; BB’s Mushrooms ­ a mushroom farmer; Jem’s Gourmet Chocolates Barbados — a gourmet chocolatier; MedRegis — an electronic health records system; Mike’s Bajan Beverages — a manufacturer of rum punches and Cool Comfortz Frozen Delights — a manufacturer of artisanal frozen desserts.