Portland businessman building his community block by block

When James Reese established a block-making factory in Orange Bay, Portland a decade ago, one of his main focus was to provide employment for the idle hands in his community.

"I grew up with a philosophy that you must help as much as you can. So when I look around and saw how many youths were sitting idle on the corners, I decided that I need to find a way how to help them," the 71-year-old Reece said.

That conviction led to the creation of Reese Block Factory, which he operates jointly with his spouse, Irene Henry.

"Dem used to plant rice out here and then rice stop plant, and for years the place went unoccupied. So mi start to say 'bwoy, if mi can dump it then mi good to go'. Mi approach four truck men who decide say mi a mad man because dem did think seh it couldn't dump up. One man tell mi say him nah go waste him energy and him truck, despite a pay mi a guh pay him," Reese told THE STAR.

The businessman, who is a father of five, said that despite naysayers, he was determined to establish the block factory on the abandoned lands.

"Dem never see the vision. None a dem wah help me! So mi go check another truck man down a Spring Gardens and him decide fi tek di job. Mi order 10 load a shingles and mi start from there," Reese said.

However, shortly after his first line of action he encountered another setback in the form of roadwork in the area.

"Mi dump out (but) then road expansion tek di land weh mi dump. So mi get in touch wid di authorities and dem tell mi say if mi find some weh dem will gi me some material, but that never work out. Mi decide fi go back again, but dis time further back on the land. Mi start off small until mi could a improve likkle, likkle," Reese said.

Opportunities

The factory currently employs seven young men who are also given opportunities to hone their skills and earn certification from vocational training institutions. According to Derrick Morgan, the company's lone truck driver, the programme has been a huge success.

"Dem get send go HEART (Jamaica's human capital development agency) enuh, so dem can better themselves, and it a gwan good. Right now, it look like wi a guh want more workers, but the area kind of slow still. Di population nah too build anything right now, otherwise it a gwan cause people want our blocks all over," Morgan said.

Reese said that he intends to employ more youths, once the economy recovers from the fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We plan to make the space wider, get some bigger machines so that we can make more blocks. With that we will definitely need more workers," he said.