invest in equipment, training, and growth. Perhaps most impressively, it has done so without posting a negative year in a quarter century. “We’ve got a very clear matrix in terms of how we deal with shareholders, profit sharing, and reinvestment in the organization,” Johnston says. “Those are set numbers that we adhere to. Based on our performance every year, we take the profitsharing pool and divide it up. It’s never easy, but it’s worked for the last few years. And we haven’t had a negative year in 25 years—let’s cross our fingers.” LESSONS FROM A PANDEMIC—AND AN EARLIER CRISIS Counterintuitively, one of the company’s best years arrived during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to decisive local measures, Cayman became a kind of bubble, opened internally after a brief lockdown, while strict quarantine rules applied to those entering the island. The government’s temporary decision to allow people to access their pensions injected short-term liquidity into the economy, spurring spending and home improvements. “As challenging as the pandemic was, it had a short life here,”Johnston reflects. “Oddly enough, one of our best years was actually during the pandemic.” The economic downturn that preceded it, however, was far more punishing. “The economic downturn was the hardest part of my business career,” he says. “That period really tested the model. We relied heavily on our service work to get through those challenging years.” Those lessons—about diversification, resilience, and agility—continue to inform the company’s strategy as new uncertainties emerge, from geopolitical tensions and tariffs to labor shortages and rising interest rates. THE ROAD AHEAD: EFFICIENCY, INNOVATION, AND LOCAL INSIGHT Looking 18 to 24 months out, the company’s focus is clear: execute large projects well, refine processes, and deepen the capabilities that set it apart. 35 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 12, ISSUE 12 CORPORATE ELECTRIC
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