GEL to fund $1 million to Barbados Parkinson Secondary School ahead of its 100th anniversary

Barbados: Ahead of its upcoming 100th anniversary, Goddard Enterprises Ltd (GEL) would lead a project which will issue $1 million of funding into one of Barbados secondary schools. The company would also officially begin its Entrepreneur Awards Competition for striving business owners, likely to provide them with a stage to pitch their new and innovative business ideas in front of the GEL experts.

The Parkinson Secondary School is the institution that would benefit from the million-dollar rebuilding recognition of GEL.

The Managing Director & CEO of Goddard Enterprises Ltd – Anthony Ali, made the big announcement on Tuesday during a press conference and stated that educational investment is a significant mission for the organization.

He added that following adopting the school, providing job placements & invaluable work experiences to numerous students, a decision was taken to rebuild various parts of the campus, damaged by fire a few years ago.

“This year, because it’s GEL’s 100th anniversary, we decided that we would rebuild Block D, which was condemned and have it open sometime in September or October by this year only. We are trying to use this as a role model for the rest of the neighbourhoods in which we operate; that this is a great instance of a PPP (Public-Private Partnership).

He further noted that PPP aimed to improve the next generation of youth that GEL thinks would be the next leaders and entrepreneurs within Barbados and the other areas in which the organization operates.

The Managing Director emphasized that financial support and coaching for budding entrepreneurs in the business competition would be available in the company’s regions.

Following the statement, he added, “The award is a competition, where we would be awarding prizes broken down geographically – 4 of them being awarded in Barbados, 3 of them being awarded in the rest of the Caribbean, two in Latin America, and one that we are reserving for families from the Goddard businesses.”

He added that the organization is giving entrepreneurial wards, the value of worth $10 000.