Business View Caribbean - October 2015 25
members to selling opportunities through its many
networks and connections; identifies media and mar-
keting opportunities that align with its member needs
and negotiates promotions for them; and utilizes road
shows, billboards, and press interviews to promote the
Association’s work, and build “Brand Jamaica.”
Perhaps most importantly, the JMA also partners with
key institutions that are crucial to the growth and de-
velopment of the manufacturing sector, such as the
Bureau of Standards Jamaica, universities, and local
experts. These stakeholders provide training to JMA
members in the areas of best practices and market
intelligence within their respective sub-sectors . The
Association also works to improve overall export com-
petitiveness, build capacity, and increase research
and development within the manufacturing sector.
Today, Pengelley claims that 100 percent of the island’s
major manufacturers are JMA members, as are about
95 percent of the medium-sized ones. But there’s a
potential pool of 500-600 smaller enterprises that he
would like to target as potential new members, so the
Association is currently putting a greater emphasis on
attracting and supporting these businesses. “We’ve
started a new initiative to bring in the small and me-
dium entities into the Association. For $100 USD, they
get full service, full membership, and we assist them
with getting distribution.” In addition, Pengelley says
that the JMA currently has a roster of 52 start-up com-
panies that it is “encouraging and mentoring.”
Pengelley would also like to see the JMA spread its ter-
ritorial base. Right now, he admits that the Association
is very Kingston-centric. But, he adds, “because our
terson
Gov. General and Brian: Our Governor General, Sir Pavtrick Allen
examining a food item with Brian et al
