September 2015 Issue Business View Caribbean

38 September 2015 - Business View Caribbean Currently, its export business is about 12 percent of total sales, and McHargh says that the company wants to grow that percentage. “So we’re looking at new markets,” she says. “When you’re in Jamaica, you don’t tend to look at the Spanish-speaking Carib- bean Islands or the other lands that surround you, but if you look at a particular map and you look at the non-English speaking lands that are in the Caribbean, you see a large market that we can tap into.” How will Edgechem land those new customers? “Trade shows introduce,” says McHargh, “but a lot of times, it’s just jumping on a plane, looking up some things in a direc- tory, cold-calling for customers, and just going. Usu- ally it’s through good recommendations from contacts that we have.” When asked to sum up Edgechem in just one word, McHargh responds immediately: “Family. Despite the fact that we are two hundred employees, I can tell you the name of every one of them; so can our Managing Director, and so can every staff member even though they’re not physically housed in the same facility, be- cause that’s how we approach our business. We’re very close-knit.” Of course several other words quickly come to mind: “Quality is the next important issue,” adds McHargh. “We will never compromise what we put out on the market. We stand behind our products. Our quality control checks are very stringent.” And fi- nally: “We are innovative. We don’t like to follow; we like to lead, so we always like to be the one who is the first to come up with ideas. Innovation is very impor- tant to us.” Innovation, quality, and family. Three concepts that have propelled the little business that began in Olym- pic Gardens, into one of the Caribbean’s leading paint companies. PREFERRED VENDORS Andes Chemical Corp. - Andes Chemical Corporation is a provider of raw materials and specialty chemicals throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Headquartered in Doral, Florida, USA, the company offers high performance solutions for the following industries and sectors: construction, archi- tectural, pharmaceutical, personal care, household & industrial, tire & rubber, food & beverage, and inks & adhesives. Some of its products include: paints, coat- ings, primers, lacquers, varnishes, detergents, soaps,