Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association

“Due to the merger, we have an expanding role and represent a cohort of exporters that are involved not only in manufacturing, but also the export of primary produce, as well as services. We are a very small team of 15 staff, with four divisions: our executive and administrative team; our export, research, and trade department; our membership services and engagement department; and our business development services department.” BVC: How do you communicate with the membership? McNab: “We use different avenues of communication with our members. We find that direct messaging, whether via email, or telephone, or actual company visits, is very impactful. Outside of that, we are very visible through social media, as well as utilizing traditional media, because we have to be a visible, strong advocating body. So, we tend to ensure that those issues we are representing the interests of the members on are actually in the public domain. In terms of highlighting our benefits to attract new members, we do a lot of capacity building – in training, market intelligence, industrial relations, and other areas. We also hold two of the largest trade shows in the island, Expo Jamaica and the Jamaica International Exhibition (JIE), where we promote avenues to increase local and export sales for our membership.” BVC: Do you have the numbers handy – revenue, number of jobs, etc., of your membership? Ward: “What we know for sure is that our membership base constitutes the largest manufacturing and exporting companies in the