GraceKennedy celebrates 24th anniversary in Guyana

GraceKennedy (Guyana) Ltd celebrated 24 years of financial services in Guyana, last Tuesday.

Seventy-one years after the establishment of GraceKennedy and Company Limited, the international enterprise expanded its reach by commencing operations in Guyana. In 1992, an office was registered at 65 Main Street, Cummingsburg, which later became the Head Office of Western Union Financial Services, an exclusive agent from the following year.

The Guyanese corporation is a subsidy of GraceKennedy and Company Ltd, Jamaica; one of the most successful groups of companies in the Caribbean. While Guyana is honouring its 24th anniversary, the Jamaican sister entity is celebrating 95 years of services.

GraceKennedy (Guyana) Ltd began its operations with one central location in Georgetown. A decade later, the local network has expanded to include 39 agent locations across Guyana. The money services of GraceKennedy is now extending countrywide with outlets in Berbice, Essequibo, Linden and Lethem.

Even though the company is the provider of a wide array of services, their focus in Guyana is directed towards money services. Following the success of Western Union, GraceKennedy added the one-stop bill payment facility, Bill Express, to diversify the amenities offered here. Grace Foods was subsequently introduced but on a much smaller scale than that of the other Caribbean extensions.

Apart from the financial services offered, the company places significant emphasis on giving back to their customers and the less fortunate. Over the years, the company has imparted on numerous promotional and charitable projects including feeding programmes, donations to schools and underprivileged homes as well as sponsoring local events and development initiatives. This is in keeping with the company’s mission of putting service first.

During an interview with Guyana Times, the Marketing Manager of GraceKennedy (Guyana) Ltd, Christel VanSluytman, explained that the company has been focusing on staff in commemoration of their 24th anniversary. She further indicated that while there may not be any grand activity to celebrate this milestone, there will be more community involvement and promotional activities factored into the strategic plans for the year. Their annual banquet will be the main attraction for the 24 year of existence. However, the company is highly anticipating their 25th anniversary and several grand gestures are proposed for next year’s celebrations.

Reflecting on their years in Guyana, GraceKennedy (Guyana) Ltd is proud of the entity’s accomplishments for offering noteworthy financial services throughout the country. The company also promises significant growth and expansion of services for the years ahead.