Today marks the birthday of the Team Leader of Rayneau Group of Companies, Rayneau Gajadhar. In celebration of his birthday we take the liberty to give you an inside peek of who Mr Gajadar really is. Sit back, read on and enjoy!
"Rayneau Gajadhar took a decidedly circuitous route
on his way to becoming CEO the RG Group of Companies, recognized today as the
largest locally-owned construction and industrial products conglomerate in St.
Lucia. “After I left school, not being able to get a job, I had no alternative
but to do something on my own,” Gajadhar says, beginning the tale of his
professional odyssey. “I started selling ice cream; from selling ice cream, I
bought a vehicle and started renting it out; from that, I got more vehicles and
had to learn to repair them, so I became a mechanic.”
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Rayneau Gajadhar
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“Then, because of accidents, I learned body work,
and I started a garage where I worked for other people, as well,” the
peripatetic worker continues. “At one time, I did videography – weddings, funerals,
television advertisements, and so on. At one time, I had an electronics store,
selling and repairing. It moved from one thing to another, it was never
planned. As opportunities came about, I went ahead and did it. After the car
rental and repair, I made furniture and draperies. After that, I bought a
small, skid-steer loader from a bank that had seized it from somebody and that
is how I got into the construction business. After I bought that one, I bought
another one, I bought trucks, I bought into concrete. Then I got a quarry and
then I got into big construction.”
Today, the RG Group consists of Construction &
Industrial Equipment, (CIE) Ltd., and RG Quarry, Rayneau Construction and
Industrial Products (RCIP) Ltd & Rayneau Rentals & Sales Ltd. The core
of the business CIE, first established in 1995, is a local leader in
developing, managing, and constructing civil infrastructure, including roads,
bridges, runways, and other municipal plants and facilities. The company has
also built community h.
ousing projects, private residences, and commercial
buildings throughout the island.
Gajadhar reports that most of the Group’s
construction work has been in St. Lucia, with a small amount in Trinidad, but
has now moved almost a quarter of his equipment to Dominica to handle major
construction works, where Hurricane Maria recently severely damaged its
buildings and infrastructure. “In the
quarry, we supply the local market, but we also supply the regional market,” he
adds. “Trinidad and Guyana get 70 percent of our production; maybe about ten
percent goes to Tortola in the British Virgin Islands, and the other is 20
percent is utilized locally.”
Gajadhar believes that the RG Group stands out,
not just because of its size and scope, but because of its high level of
customer service. “We deliver on time, and we provide a significantly better
service to our customers than the competitions,” he maintains. “Although we
come from a small island, because of the way that we are set up, we can deliver
almost any size project. That has made the difference when it comes to
construction. In terms of our sales, it’s because we always have the products
that nobody else has, so we’ve become the go-to place. Over time, this has
really helped us.”
Going forward, some potential upcoming projects
should help Gajadhar get closer to his goal of eventually employing 2,000
workers. Recently, Rayneau took on a new venture as the authorized dealer for
Hyundai Heavy Equipment in the Eastern Caribbean and Guyana. “The drive in
anything I do, apart from the profitability, takes into consideration the
number of employees, and how you affect the other human beings around you, and
how you contribute,” he states. “Right now, we are in the process of expanding
significantly into other areas – the construction of a very big strip mall
which is going to house commercial and industrial; we’re looking at a big
agricultural project; we’re also looking at doing a convention center and hotel
in one location. If that project goes through, and it depends a lot on the
government concessions to us, it is going to take us to a totally new level,
from the size of the business and number of people that we employ.”
From selling ice cream to employing thousands –
that’s one long and winding road. “Because of where I came from to where I’ve
gotten, I think it’s a good story,” Gajadhar reflects. “Even in the worst of
times, hard work and determination will still pay off, and you can still do
well.” "
Mr Gajadhar's dedication, determination, and vision inspire us to always give our
best. We appreciate having someone wonderful like him at the helm of affairs. We know that these words would not be able to convey how awesome he is, but we’ll
still attempt it anyway. "You are a
wonderful person and we are glad you are our leader."
On
this special day, may he gets the chance to sit back, relax and enjoy the
moment while we do all the work.
Happy Birthday boss! You deserve it.
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