An example for us all

Last week, Belizeans were shocked by the tragic and untimely death of Sir Barry Mansfield Bowen.  Everywhere you went, people spoke about the incident and told their own personal stories, or stories of someone they knew who worked for or was in some way connected to Barry Bowen.

During these past few days Belizeans got to know even more about Barry Bowen and for the most part, the stories spoke of a man who was among the best, brightest and most daring entrepreneurs in Belize.

At the funeral service at St. John’s Cathedral, we found out that Barry had an incredible drive to be first in everything he did. In his eulogy, Mr. John Searle, his long time friend told us that as children, Barry would always fight tooth and nail to win. Second place did not exist for him and when he felt he couldn’t win, he preferred to walk away.

This incredible drive to excel, to be first, to be the best, helped him to become probably the most successful entrepreneur in Belize. At twenty, he graduated from university and got married. By the time he was thirty-three, he had bought over all the shares of the family business Bowen and Bowen.   After that Barry was ready to conquer bigger mountains.

Now the sole owner of the Coca-Cola franchise and Belikin brewery, it would have been easy for Barry to sit on his verandah in San Pedro and enjoy life. But of course, he was just getting warmed up. He bought over Belize Estate, a company with land holdings larger than some countries in the Caribbean.

With that land, he went into logging, ranching and farming, utilizing his lands in an environmentally friendly manner.   He even helped to establish Program for Belize, a forest reserve of over 260,000 acres of land in the Gallon Jug area.

When Sir Barry decided to go into the shrimp business, he knew he had to have the best. He brought in some of the brightest scientists, engineers and planners to set up a shrimp farm second to none. He succeeded, and now Belize Aquaculture is considered one of the best shrimp farms in the world. Their quality and production per pond is among the finest in the region, if not the world.

While Sir Barry may be one of those rare Belizean entrepreneurs, there are a few others.  Last week Saturday I visited Mr. Jacob Wall, another ambitious Belizean entrepreneur who lives in Shipyard, a Mennonite community in the Orange Walk District.

Several years ago, Mr. Wall moved to Little Belize, Corozal where he started a poultry business which very quickly became a very successful enterprise. After several years, he sold his business and moved to Shipyard.

In Shipyard, he continued investing in agriculture and grew rice, and turned that into another successful venture.

Later when oil was discovered in Belize, Mr.  Wall and his partners decided to take on the challenge of building an Oil Refinery in Belize. They believed that with the discovery of crude oil, there was no reason why Belize should not be able to build its own refinery to produce diesel for Belizean consumers. They knew that they could produce cheaper fuel at the pump and save on Belize’s much needed foreign currency.

Mr. Jacob Wall is no engineer and has no formal training in petroleum engineering.  He has spent most of his life around machines and all that he has learnt has been through trial and error. Nevertheless he decided to take on the challenge of building an Oil Refinery in Belize.

After several attempts, one of which resulted in his blowing up his building, Mr. Wall succeeded in building a small, efficient and environmentally friendly oil refinery.

Presently his refinery has the capacity to produce around 3,000 gallons of diesel daily and he is ready to produce reliable and cheap diesel for Belizeans.

Sir Barry Bowen and Mr. Jacob Wall come from two very different backgrounds. Bowen, a member of a well established Belizean family, Wall a relatively unknown farmer in Shipyard. Though very different in upbringing and lifestyles, there are some interesting similarities.

Both men are known for their incredible drive; for not being afraid of taking on risks; for believing in themselves and for knowing that with hard work and determination any challenge can be conquered.

The legacy of both gentlemen is one that will impact Belizeans for generations. Those who follow their work ethic and who believe that anything is possible with hard work, determination and who are confident in their abilities will find Belize a great place to invest.

We live in a country with incredible opportunities and endless potential. Sir Barry Bowen knew this from an early age; so does Mr. Jacob Wall.   The examples set by these two men, their hard work and dedication has helped to make Belize a better place.  It is now incumbent on us to continue their legacy.

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