Business View Caribbean September/October 2018

56 57 READY-MIX LIMITED customers and the preferred option for new clients. Business View Caribbean recently spoke with Graham Proverbs, General Manager of Ready- Mix Limited, Barbados, about his insights into the current state of the construction industry on the island and his company’s strategy for success. Having been with Ready-Mix Limited for almost four decades, Proverbs has seen the company survive when times were lean and thrive when building was booming. The follow- ing is an edited transcript of that conversation. BVC: Congratulations on the upcoming 50th Anniversary of Ready-Mix Limited. Could you give us an overview of the company’s background? Proverbs: “Ready-Mix started in 1969, fol- lowed by Ready Block in 1971. The parent com- pany, Ready-Mix Holdings Limited, owns those two subsidiaries and a few smaller companies in the condominium rental business. That came about when we supplied materials to the com- panies building the condos – they supported us by giving us the work and we, in turn, supported them by buying condominiums that we rent out as an investment. They aren’t big income earn- ers, but they pay for themselves, so it doesn’t cost us anything to have them. “Basically, we’re a manufacturing company of concrete, concrete blocks, and Omnidec. (Om- nidec is a pre-cast slab that can be placed on top of walls as a base for pouring concrete. Us- ing innovative technology, Ready Block Limited designs, builds, and installs Omnidec floors and roofs that are both functional and aesthetically appealing.) When we started, there was one other company doing concrete.When we added concrete blocks, they did as well. Since then, a lot of small- er concrete and blockmanufacturing companies ‘came out of the woodwork,’ as the building indus- try took off in Barbados and existing companies couldn’t keep up with the demand.” BVC: Can you describe your operations; do you AT A GLANCE READY-MIX LIMITED, BARBADOS WHAT: Niche supplier of concrete products for residential and commercial use WHERE: St. Michael, Barbados WEBSITE: www.readymixbarbados.com