The men behind the 15-year-old Caribbean Producers Jamaica, Mark Hart (left) and Tom Tyler. - Photo By Janet Silvera
They are the dynamic duo behind the highly successful Caribbean Producers Jamaica (CPJ), and on Saturday, November 14, their 15th anniversary series of parties continued at New Kingston's fabulous Spanish Court Hotel. To make it extra special, they teamed up with the producers of Maco magazine who were celebrating their 10th anniversary, for an unforgettable night.
Outlook spoke with business partners Tom Tyler, CPJ's chairman/president of marketing and sales, and Mark Hart, its chief executive officer, poolside at the hotel. Both men have much to be happy about. But the story of their 15-year journey actually began with Tyler's late father and mother in the '60s. Back then, the elder Tylers handled packing and shipping just about every commodity needed in the Caribbean region.
"When my father died in 1973, my mother kept things going," said the self-confessed 'mommy's boy'. The meeting between Tyler and Hart came when both were still in their 20s and trading the old-fashioned way was coming to an end. At about the same time, the advent of the computer and fax machines rendered their business style antiquated so teaming up, the young men switched from furniture fixtures and equipment (FF&E) to consumables.
Toilet tissue
"We began with toilet paper because that is something that everyone needed," said Hart. "Tom had the contacts, so on that foundation, we expanded to disposables including cheeses, canned goods and meats. In so doing, we discovered that no one else was handling the distributions for hotels effectively when we began in 1994. The going was tough, but today that have 130,000 square foot of warehouse space and very satisfied customers."
As time went by, Tyler and Hart saw the opportunity to add wine importation to their inventory so they learned the business at several trade shows, did the necessary reports and made the application for relevant permits to the local authorities, hit several snags, but after eventually, armed with the permits, they are today the third largest liquor distributor in the island and leading the distributive trade in wines.
"Our initiative has led to the lowering of the duties on wines so that more people can now afford it," Hart noted. And in case anyone is left in Jamaica who has not heard of Red Bull, it is also one of the items they supply.
CPJ employs some 260 people and long-term goals include being known as a brand and a respected Jamaican distributor offering the full range of services to the hospitality and mass-market sectors.
Tyler said if he were not in this business, he'd still be creating something from nothing by looking for opportunities and grasping them. But away from the office, he spends a lot of time caring for his mother, Clarendonian Margaret Tyler, now in her 80s and suffering from Alzheimer's disease. "She is responsible for who I am today," said the married father of a 14-year-old son. He also has one sister.
Crisis
For Jamaica, he sees the present recession and crisis as a great opportunity for entrepreneurs, but wants the authorities to make it easier to do business in Jamaica.
"We need to start treating tourism and our sun, sand and sea as export commodities. All relevant inputs should be treated as such and government should give tax relief to these inputs. We can't compete internationally if we don't. We are a small island that is known worldwide for our music and sports and food, so we ought to be cashing in on them."
But in spite of the hardships, Hart and Tyler think all is not lost because change is constant and we just need to go along with it because we can't continue to do things the same way.
The biggest challenge in business at CPJ is competing against people who don't conform to regulations and tax laws and the most enjoyable aspect is the thrill of the deal and watching something grow from nothing to a relationship with customers and suppliers.
Tyler who describes himself as the energy of the business sees his partner Mark Hart as the rudder. And they work well as a team. His guiding principle is that he never asks anyone to do anything he cannot do himself. "Don't expect, inspect," is the key to successful business.
barbara.ellington@gleanerjm.com