At least 24 small businesses who experienced significant challenges during the past two years due to the novel coronavirus pandemic received assistance to rebuild and grow through the Scotiabank Vision Achiever Programme.

The 2022 cohort included participants from varying industries including health-care services, education, retail and distribution, manufacturing, agriculture, and environmental solutions.

During the closing ceremony, Perrin Gayle, executive vice-president, retail and small business banking at Scotiabank, said, “The Scotiabank Vision Achiever Programme is one of our long-standing commitments to our SMEs and we have invested almost $100 million in this programme over the last 12 years. These participants have now benefited from one-on-one business consultations and training and have joined an elite group of businesses known as the Scotiabank Vision Achievers,” Gayle said.

This year’s top-three participants were: Jesse’s Gifts & Décor, a personalised gift, and home décor company; Homemaid Jamaica Ltd, a company that connects clients to reliable housekeepers, caregivers and nannies; and Somers Furnishing, a St Ann-based bespoke wooden furniture manufacturer.

The winners were selected based on their attendance, completion of modular assignments, and the ‘real-life’ implementation of practical learnings during the course.

The 17-week-long capacity-building course was led by Marcia Woon Choy, CEO of ActionCoach Jamaica.

The top-three winners each received a plaque from Scotiabank, a $250,000 grant from Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), $250,000 in advertising value towards marketing of their product and services from Trend Media, $200,000 in advertising from Gleaner and a $200,000 gift certificate from Ashley Furniture Home.

All participants walked away a with US$750 digital course designed to enhance their online presence and marketing. Altogether the prizes totalled $5 million.

Guest speaker Senator Aubyn Hill, minister of industry, investment, and commerce, said that while he celebrated the successful investment of Scotiabank into the small business sector, it was equally refreshing that SMEs could find opportunities to thrive despite the economic challenges posed by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“You are now celebrating the best investment that you have made in your business. You are now proficient in the core competencies required to run a profitable business, and that is a great achievement. I am a part of a Government that believes in profit, and we will continue to support more businesses to become profitable,” Hill said.

“The practical strategies that we learnt throughout the programme we could implement right away. This was amazing and can be seen in the vast improvement in our revenues and profits,” commented Rushane Somers, owner of Somers Furnishing. He also reported that his company’s revenue increased by nearly 140 per cent during his participation in the programme.

Nastassia Morrison, managing director, Homemaid Jamaica Ltd, expressed satisfaction at her learnings and said, “During the programme, we learnt about the value of implementing strong systems in our business and so we upgraded our systems to make them more automated and so far, it has greatly boosted our efficiency in managing the services that we offer.” Morrison was also awarded a $250,000 grant from the DBJ as “Most Outstanding Female Entrepreneur” in this year’s programme.

Kiddist Cowan, owner of Jesse’s Gifts and Décor, said it was a transformational journey that went above and beyond her expectations. “We are very grateful to Scotiabank for investing in us, and we look forward to seeing our businesses continue to grow,” Cowan said. Since joining the programme, her company has achieved approximately 41 per cent growth in revenue versus the same period last year.

The Scotiabank Vision Achiever programme has been part of Scotiabank’s offerings to SMEs and is open to any eligible business, including companies not aligned with the bank.