PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n Cemex Caribbean Cement Company Limited www.caribcement.com Caribbean Cement Company Limited’s successful installation of a 160-tonne surge bin and solid fuel equipment marks a major milestone in its kiln expansion project. This development enhances production capabilities and ensures a stable fuel supply, reinforcing the company’s commitment to meeting local demand and supporting Jamaica’s construction sector growth by 2025. n VM Financial Group www.myvmgroup.com VM Group Limited is a global financial institution with offices in Jamaica, the wider Caribbean, the United States and the United Kingdom. In 2022, VM launched a special business services unit that provides tailored, full-scale solutions for Small and Medium Enterprises and Corporations, ensuring alignment with their financial goals. For more information of VM’s Business Services, email: businessservicessupport@myvmgroup.com. ample room for growth. “In 2008 in Jamaica, they did a survey on the number of houses needed in the affordable housing sector. At that time, they needed some 500,000 houses,” Johnson notes. “They said from 2008 to 2030, we need 15,000 new housing starts every year.” To address transportation costs, which can consume up to 25% of development budgets, the company has engineered an innovative solution.“We’ve developed what we call a portable onsite plant, which takes our factory and puts most of it in a container so we can move it to a developer’s site and manufacture the blocks onsite,” Johnson explains. The founders remain committed to their original vision despite challenges. “Our investors to date are all friends and family members who believe in Jerrold and I,” Merrill says.“We didn’t come to Jamaica to try this. We came here to do this, so we will stay there until this is done. In our minds it has always been purpose before profit.” As E-Z Block continues to expand across Jamaica, it stands as proof that innovative construction methods can simultaneously address housing shortages, create meaningful employment, and build stronger communities—all while delivering homes that are indeed cooler, quieter, faster, and stronger than their traditional counterparts. 74 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 12, ISSUE 03 ON)
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