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She heard comments like, ‘‘Nobody no live de, it off the main road, is who gwine come buy from yuh?’’, but ‘Miss P’ as she is popularly known, refuse to be deterred even when the banks refused to support her idea. ‘’You must always follow your dream,’ said ‘Miss P’, whose tall commanding frame exudes confidence.
So she persisted. The help she needed finally came and having decided that people satisfaction would be the plank of her success, in the early to mid 1980s she established GPCL, a business consisting of a supermarket, variety store, bar and lounge.
In no time, Greenwood Plaza began to attract the curious and the curiosity made them customers. The word spread and as the area developed into a prime residential area, the ‘madness’ tag was replaced by ‘genius’, just as ‘Miss P’ herself had predicted.
Always looking for growth, whether it be plants or otherwise, Miss P reasoned that with the boom in housing construction, it would be a cinch to capture those builders who were travelling to Falmouth or Montego Bay for supplies by making the same products available to them in a friendly relaxed atmosphere, served by a caring staff.
From this rationale, the lounge and bar receded into the background and Greenwood Hardware Store became a reality.
‘’Here we pride ourselves on being able to provide everything for anybody establishing a home. Once you have the land, Greenwood Plaza can support the rest at reasonable prices with low cost delivery service added,’’ said Miss P. with more than a glint of pride in her business accomplishments.
But all the successes at Greenwood could not be achieved without the staff, she said. ‘’It is difficult to single out any one person, whether it is my husband (Trevor Burnett) or any one member of staff. All members of my team work toward the good of us all. Here, we are a family. It just couldn’t have happen without them,’’ she said. Neither could it without its customers and so GPCL arranges special community events as its way of saying thanks.
There has been an annual Christmas Treat for children and the school in the area as well as sponsorship for sportsmen from the community.
Miss P, a lover of Rhythm and Blues music, is most often at work. Whenever she finds the time, she tries to prove she has green fingers by planting what she can and watching growth in a different form take place outside the company. She worships at Calvary Baptist Church in Montego Bay.
Always looking for growth, whether it be plants or otherwise, Miss P reasoned that with the boom in housing construction, it would be a cinch to capture those builders who were travelling to Falmouth or Montego Bay for supplies by making the same products available to them in a friendly relaxed atmosphere, served by a caring staff.
“Here we pride ourselves on being able to provide everything for anybody establishing a home. Once you have the land, Greenwood Plaza can support the rest at reasonable prices with low cost delivery service added,’’ said Miss P. with more than a glint of pride in her business accomplishments.
But all the successes at Greenwood could not be achieved without the staff, she said. ‘’It is difficult to single out any one person, whether it is my husband (Trevor Burnett) or any one member of staff. All members of my team work toward the good of us all. Here, we are a family. It just couldn’t have happen without them,’’ she said. Neither could it without its customers and so GPCL arranges special community events as its way of saying thanks.
There has been an annual Christmas Treat for children and the school in the area as well as sponsorship for sportsmen from the community.
Miss P, a lover of Rhythm and Blues music, is most often at work. Whenever she finds the time, she tries to prove she has green fingers by planting what she can and watching growth in a different form take place outside the company. She worships at Calvary Baptist Church in Montego Bay.
Her advice to others would be entrepreneurs is simply this: ‘’Always be there for your customers to give as much as possible personalized service. All parts of the operation are very important.’’
Over time, Greenwood Plaza Company is to be expanded further, with immediate plans now including a pharmacy.
Board of Directors
Madge Neil-Burnett, O.D., J.P.
Chairman & Managing Director mburnett@greenwoodplazaja.comMadge Neil-Burnett or Ms. Pat as she is affectionately called is a celebrated business proprietor and Justice of the Peace for the parish of St. James. She started Green Wood Plaza as a small supermarket, bar and gift shop in 1982; but her entrepreneurial journey commenced long before, from in the early 1970’s. Today Greenwood Plaza is a very successful, multi-divisional organization.
Ms. Pat is considered by many to be a beacon for business development; having pioneered many divisional expansions for Greenwood Plaza which were a first for St. James parish. She has been featured in several publications including the Gleaner, the Observer and the Western Mirror and she currently serves as president of the board of the Greenwood Citizens Association.
An important aspect of her life is philanthropy; her personal maxim being: ‘There is no I can’t, everyone can make it, with a little help.’ In her spare time Ms. Pat enjoys gardening, attending horticultural shows, travelling, photography, music and dance.
Trevor Burnett, Snr.
Executive Director tburnett@greenwoodplazaja.comMr. Trevor Burnett Snr. is an Executive Director of Greenwood Plaza Co. Ltd. He is often described by friends as quiet and reserved but this unassuming nature in no way speaks to his very successful business acumen.
He worked as a Customs Officer for many years before retiring in 2001 to join his wife Madge Neil-Burnett in business. Throughout his illustrious career with Jamaica Customs he was the recipient of several outstanding performance awards.
Mr. Burnett is affectionately called Bungles within his close friends and family unit. Though reserved, he is easy to talk to and is always quick to lend a helping hand to those in need. He likes to keep abreast of current affairs and enjoys gardening and music in his spare time.
Christopher Burnett
Chairman & Managing Director cburnett@greenwoodplazaja.comChristopher Burnett is an innovative business leader who subscribes to the mantra that corporate social responsibility and profitability are not mutually exclusive but intrinsically linked. He joined the management of his family’s business in 2008, serving as General Manager for three years, before subsequently been voted in as a Director in 2011.
Christopher is a true representation of the adage ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’. In the same way that his parents worked hard to build Greenwood Plaza, he too is steadfast on continuing their legacy. To date, chief amongst his accomplishments is the implementation of the GWP Money Services Division.
Christopher holds an honours degree in Management Studies from the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus and is also a graduate of Knox College in Manchester. Outside of his professional endeavors, Christopher enjoys travelling, swimming and music.