NEGRIL, Westmoreland — Freshly cleared of members’ allegations related to its internal operations, the Negril Chamber of Commerce (NCC) is intent on reinventing itself now that the Companies Office of Jamaica (COJ) has given it a clean bill of health.

“There were some concerns that were referred to the Companies Office of Jamaica by a handful of our membership. The chamber cooperated, and we have been corresponding throughout the review by the Companies Office. Confirmation actually has been received from the COJ that this matter is closed and the chamber is rendered compliant,” the chamber’s first vice-president, Simone Goffe, told the Jamaica Observer after a board meeting on Tuesday.

The Observer first got wind of discord within the business umbrella group in July.

“Right now we’re just having ongoing efforts to strengthen our governance, and that includes the review of our by-laws and just holding the board more accountable moving forward,” added Goffe.

She outlined the broad issue that led to the COJ’s intervention, saying it began with seven people then gradually lost steam.

“Once it was clear that they were just pretty much causing trouble, a few of the members had abandoned that initiative. So only three continued to pursue it,” explained Goffe.

However she stressed that operational shortfalls identified within the 43-year-old entity, which was established in May 1983, are currently being remedied.

“There was somewhat of an archaic system in place. If anything, this year has been a positive for us in that we have identified where we have issues and shortfalls, and we have corrected those processes — for the most part,” stated Goffe.

“Right now, we are actually committed to a Negril Chamber of Commerce 2.0, where we’re establishing clear governance rules. It’s all about evolving and just being better; both for ourselves and for the community that we advocate for,” she added.

Despite the controversy arising during his tenure after being elected at an annual general meeting in December 2025, chamber president Damion Salmon said he did not take the matter personally.

“It happened at that time when some new members were part of the chamber and some people had managed to air their grievances at [a] particular time. I don’t think it was particularly [an] affront to me, or anything like that at all,” he told the Observer.

Now that the COJ has reviewed all the relevant evidence and concluded that the chamber is compliant and in good standing, Salmon views the outcome as a vote of confidence in the organisation’s leadership.

“It reinforces the importance of the partnerships that we have, it shows our leadership in the community in Negril, the results that we were able to come up with, and [we will] be able to move forward,” said the chamber president.

Treasurer Sophia Grizzle Roumel, the daughter of founding member, past president, and director emeritus Daniel Grizzle, maintained that despite recent hurdles, the NCC retains its strong reputation.

“The chamber has been through ups and downs over many, many years, but we’ve always been tremendously successful. The impact that we have on Negril is tremendous, and many people have voted us as the best chamber in Jamaica, to be honest with you. I’m proud to be a member of the chamber,” she said.

President of the Negril Chamber of Commerce Damion Salmon (Photo: Anthony Lewis)