Joey Issa thinking "outside the box"
Creativity and uniqueness can be said to be the outcome of imagination,
which German-born
American scientist, Albert Einstein said “is more important than knowledge, it
grows by exercise and is more powerful in the mature, and if put to use the
possibilities become limitless.” Do you know of anyone who has demonstrated
this?
It is
not possible to compare business savvy Joseph J. Issa with the Nobel laureate, Einstein,
who wrote the general theory of evolution, but if what he said about
imagination is true, it mirrors the creativity and growth of Joey’s endeavours
over the years, from philanthropy to business, to advocacy.
Joe
Issa’s creativity surfaced very early in life when he imagined winning the Head
Master’s Award at Campion College and he did in 1982. Similarly, he set off to
university in the mid-1980s, with eyes focused on being the youngest resident
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Jamaica. He did that too. Joey says if you
can imagine it you can achieve it.
Growing
up with much, he often imagined what it was like having so little. Joey first
realised his vision of greater access to education by less fortunate Caribbean
and Jamaican children when, while attending the London School of Economics
(LSE) in the United Kingdom, he founded “Educate the Children Fund”.
The creative
idea, which was endorsed by the Jamaica High Commission in London was taken
onboard by the LSE and given a life of its own, managed by a committee
comprising the LSE, the Afro Caribbean Society of which Joey was president, and
the Jamaican Government.
Joey
and his team held a raffle and raised £3,000 to enable the Ministry of
Education in Jamaica to purchase Mathematics and English Language textbooks for
five of the neediest schools. Jamaica was given first take of the proceeds as
it was celebrating its 25th Independence anniversary.
If
imagination begets imagination, examples are abound in Joey’s next big moves,
including full scholarship for one bright Jamaican child every four years to
attend Collage of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he
graduated Valedictorian with more than one Jamaican first.
With
two big initiatives now living their own lives, ‘Joey tun up di ting’ in his
next endeavour a year later, when he founded “Global Education 2000”, in which
Jamaican and US schools collaborate to train Jamaican teachers, among other
benefits. His various philanthropic initiatives have been widely reported in
the Jamaican media.
As
in philanthropy, Joey is quite imaginative when it comes to business. This has
been shown many times in his working life as a hotel executive and
entrepreneur.
Joey famously
brought to Jamaica in may 2000, Robin Leach, famous for the hit series
‘Livestyle of the Rich and Famous’, as the major attraction for one of his
marketing ideas, ‘Leach on the Beach’, providing the ultimate in entertainment
while filling up resort rooms for his parents’ SuperClubs chain of hotels.
Another show of inventiveness
was Joey’s ‘SuperClubs Radio Remote
Broadcast’, involving 10 foreign radio stations from new Jersey, Philadelphia,
Denver, Huston, Dallas, New Orleans, North Carolina, California, and Buffalo.
The initiative drew many visitors
from these cities to SuperClubs, as it hosted their favourite radio stations to
broadcast back home about Jamaican culture and heritage. The project brought
many benefits to Jamaica, including increased visitor arrival and trade.
Joey
also brought new meaning to the old adage, ‘What you sew, is what you reap’, by
increasing the satisfaction level of his staff, who in turn increased guests’
satisfaction, which is critical for success in the hospitality business. To
achieve this Joey came up with the “People Development Programme” idea, under
which workers were helped to buy and develop land.
His many innovative marketing strategies over the years have
transformed the SuperClubs into a top rated, highly classy and sough-after chain
of resorts and this did not go unnoticed He earned several awards, including
Young Hotelier of the World in 1999, and the Jamaica Observer’s Tourism’s
Brightest Spark award and a place among the country’s top 10 Personalities.
But
it is in entrepreneurship that Joey has been most imaginative, building an
empire on a ‘Cool’ brand, from one petrol station, Cool Oasis, to one of the
largest petroleum retailers in Jamaica within 15 years. He also came out with
the idea of ‘Cool Biz’, under which some 3,000 active businesses sell phone
cards, soap, and toilet paper, among other household goods.
Joey’s
successful business strategies have been likened to those of Sir. Richard
Branson.
He is famously known as founder and chairman of the Virgin Group of more than
400 companies.
As
in philanthropy and business, Joey has shown much imagination in his advocacy
work, not least was his well endorsed idea of making politicians sign a
covenant with their constituency to make them more accountable.
The
idea, which became known as the ‘Issa initiative’ was widely supported by
members of parliament and by the media. The editorial in the April 20, 2005
edition of The Gleaner, which was devoted to ‘Seeking Accountability’, spoke
highly of the initiative.
Calling
the idea “a watershed in Jamaica’s political culture,” the newspaper said it
“has the potential of bringing about a change in the relationship between
constituents and their elected representatives.”
