Guyana’s growing business potential is the main factor behind it being chosen as the location for the Hard Rock Café’s first Caribbean franchise, a representative of the company said yesterday after meeting with the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and major companies in the manufacturing sector.
Hershael Ramesar, representative of the company, met with PSC Chairman Eddie Boyer and other PSC officials along with representatives of various local manufacturing companies, including Massy Gas Products, Bounty Farm, Amy’s Pomeroon Foods, GTT, Guyana Logistics and Support Services, Solutions Pro, Tropical Shipping, Namilco, Denmor Garments Manufacturers Inc. and Fibre-Tech Industrial Plastics.
Ramesar explained that while they had plans to open the outlet in both Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, the latter was seen as having “a lot of potential.”
“It is a business investment and Guyana is primed at this point in time. We had the opportunity laid in front of us… and when you consider Guyana you can’t help but be excited when you look at the potential,” Ramesar explained.
When questioned about the investment cost and how many local persons will be employed, Ramesar said that he was not authorised to say and that they “don’t want to put our feet in our mouths.”
“We don’t make promises we cannot keep and everything we say we will try our best to honour it,” he explained, while pointing out that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company is expected to visit the country soon and will make all the necessary pronouncements.
Ramesar also pointed out that they reached out to the manufacturing sector of the country because they don’t want to be viewed as incoming competition but to look at how best they can work together to not only build their franchise but also the respective local companies, and the country by extension.
“…You listen about the developments happening in Guyana and you can’t help but be excited. It’s a good sign of the faith from our company that we are going to be opening the first Hard Rock Café here in Guyana,” he further said, while explaining that one of the aims of the company is to showcase Guyana.
In doing so, the company will be using a large local work force and also utilising “much of the locally manufactured products and local service providers as we can.” As a result, he noted that they will be importing goods and materials as little as they can and will try to utilise as much as they can from the local companies.
“In the start-up we will see how much we can do without having to involve much of the imports. We can’t limit it but as far as we can and in the years to come we will develop a sustainable model where Guyana can take ownership of their Hard Rock Café, not only through the workforce but through the products that will be used to implement menus,” he noted, while emphasising that he was impressed from the various visits to the local companies he had made so far.
Boyer made brief remarks and emphasised that Guyana is open and ready for investment. “Believe it or not, I don’t know in my career if I’ve ever seen bankrupt businesses in Guyana. Right now, you see bankrupt businesses in the US and some parts of the Caribbean but not Guyana. Nobody goes bankrupt in Guyana. They might tell you that you’re not making money or not doing well, but your area of concern is can the people support Hard Rock Café and I am telling you they can,” Boyer said.
