Thousands of people across the Caribbean made their way to work yesterday, likely not knowing that it was on that day, 56 years ago, that Gordon “Butch” Stewart got the break that would unleash the Sandals and Appliance Traders Limited (ATL) empire.

Little known at the time in 1968, Stewart made his way that morning to Edison, New Jersey, for an unlikely meeting with Fedders air-conditioning executive Bruno Giordano. It was an encounter that would rewrite his future and give the Caribbean its leading hotel chain and its most well known brand after reggae megastar Bob Marley.

None of this might have happened if Giordano, an Italian-American, had not decided to break with hallowed business tradition and acted on mere instinct, sensing that here was a man who was worth fighting for.

Ordinarily, no major conglomerate would have looked twice at Stewart, given the little pocket money he told them he had to get an air-conditioning business going. As a mere travelling salesman for Kingston-based Curaçao Trading Company, Stewart had hit it off with Giordano. All they had in common, it seemed, was their youth…and ambition to achieve greatly.

“Butch told me about Jamaica, spoke about his ambition to become a Fedders distributor and showed me his confidence and vision,” Giordano shared with the late Sandals founder’s son, Adam Stewart, in a heartfelt letter marking the day Thursday.

“With less than US$3,500 in life savings, he [Butch] built an empire, becoming a legacy in the Caribbean, helping thousands of people earn a living and contributing so much to all that his vision and wisdom touched. Bless his soul,” said Giordano.

Typically, Giordano is modest about it. Had it not been him, he once told a writer, it would have been someone else and only a matter of time that Stewart would have exploded onto the Jamaican and Caribbean scene.

“I regard it as my great fortune to have been in the right place, at the right time to provide him a hand-up. I have met few men as passionate, confident and talented as Butch and I cherish our long and close friendship,” he reflected.

Giordano had wanted to stamp his own authority on the company his uncle had built, and he felt he would do best in the international sales department, to which he was appointed sales manager for the Caribbean and Latin America in 1966.

Two years later, that fortuitous decision would bring him face to face with the indomitable Gordon “Butch” Stewart of Jamaica, three years his senior but a man after his own heart. The fate of the two would join in a long friendship that would change both and last until January 4, 2021 when Butch passed.

Following is the text of Giordano’s letter to Adam Stewart, executive chairman of Sandals Resorts International:

“Dear Adam, 56 years ago, I met your dad on a cold blustery day in Edison, New Jersey. I made a friend for life. Butch told me about Jamaica, spoke about his ambition to become a Fedders distributor and showed me his confidence and vision. The rest is history.

“With less than $3,500 in life savings he built an empire, becoming a legacy in the Caribbean, helping thousands of people earn a living and contributing so much to all that his vision and wisdom touched. Bless his soul.

“You, as his successor, have faithfully carried on his legacy and wishes. He smiles down on you from heaven every day and his heart pounds with pride at your dedication and leadership. I thank the Lord that I had the chance to help Butch to reach his ambitious goals. I think about him every day and miss him dearly.

“Keep up the good work Adam. I will always be here to help you in any way I can. Bless you. Uncle Bruno.”

See this Sunday’s Observer for the full story of that momentous meeting between Butch Stewart and Bruno Giordano.