If one were to look for a model of success in the area of business and industry in Jamaica, EDGECHEM (Jamaica) Limited would stand out as a beacon among other enterprises which could attain such a distinction.

EDGECHEM is a Jamaican company, run by a group of Jamaicans who are determined to make the dream of its founding member, Doreen Frankson, a reality.

With a seed capital of J$1 Million, EDGECHEM came into being in 1990 to satisfy the need for top quality furniture and automotive finishes. Initially, staffed by two employees and operating out of premises in the inner city community of Olympic Gardens in Kingston, the Company would within a mere nine years, post net sales of J$200 Million and provide employment for over 100 Jamaicans. EDGECHEM’s profits translated into nearly 15% return on shareholders’ equity and its net asset base grew to J$100 Million.

Armed with philosophy for good service and an adherence to sound business practices, Ms. Frankson and her team of astute Directors: Chairman, William McLeod, Errol Powell and Geoffrey Messado, set about realizing a number of objectives which served to enable it to satisfy a great need in the automotive, hardware and furniture manufacturing sectors.

In 1995, EDGECHEM built its own factory and corporate offices at Nanse Pen in Kingston on 50,000 square feet of land. The 15,000 sq. feet of factory space was constructed in nine months. Half the construction cost was borrowed and the other half came by way of equity injection from the shareholders and from cash flow. Money for the construction of the building came from profits generated by the Company.