Business View Caribbean | August 2022

73 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 8 C&D CONSTRUCT ION AND ENGINEER ING L IMI TED is, because we do projects all over the island of Jamaica.” Describing C&D as a principled, Christian-based company, he adds, “Honesty and integrity are very important to us. In terms of employees, we try to create an atmosphere of family, by making sure that everyone is on board and feeling appreciated.” C&D Construction and Engineering provides a wide range of specialties, with projects including everything from architectural designs, residential and commercial construction, renovations, roofing, building maintenance, civil engineering, subdivision infrastructure, project management, and more. Wint shares that C&D is currently working on a renovation project for a dwelling, as well as a new home construction project in a different location. Relaying that C&D often builds properties which are used as Bed & Breakfasts, rentals, and multi-purpose family dwellings, Wint estimates that 60% of his own residential building projects are used as rentals, while 40% are built as residences for the owners. A major project which is also in the works is a special education diagnostic center for the College of Agriculture Science and Education (CASE) in Portland. C&D Construction and Engineering has been contracted by the Ministry of Education for that particular job, as Wint explains, “The Ministry is investing heavily in the project. They are trying to duplicate a certain amount of projects around the island, and this is one of the first ones.” The early days of COVID were a challenge for the company, with labor shortages being one of the earliest issues C&D had to face. “Persons wouldn’t come out to work, because they didn’t have transportation and so on, but after a while the government recognized that and they allowed some essential services to open, so that we could support the industry,” Wint says. Of course, this, along with supply chain shortages created delays in production and cost increases, resulting in a shift in client base. According to Wint, “It’s really bad, especially with items like tiles – the prices have doubled. So, it caused the construction costs to go up. For the individuals wanting to build dwelling houses, a lot of persons could not afford it. We