Seprod Q3 Newsletter 2022

SEPROD IS MANUFACTURER & EXPORTER OF THE YEAR!

“2021 was tough but these awards are real sweetener…we are motivated to continue the process[s]”.

The Seprod team has done it again! On Saturday, October 8, 2022, Seprod walked away with two of the most coveted awards, the Governor General’s Award for Manufacturer of the Year and The Prime Minister's Award for Large Champion Exporter Manufacturing, at the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association’s Awards. This was a momentous win for Seprod, who, like the rest of the world, grappled with the economic and logistic setbacks of 2020-2021. Our CEO tweeted,

SD STAFF

Kadie Mundell

REGIONAL

From a Sales Representative, Sales Supervisor to Regional Manager, this dynamic dynamo has spent almost 10 years transforming sales and lives within the Seprod Group.

It was therefore no coincidence that Kadie Mundell was nominated for this quarter’s Buzz staff feature. Yes, it was during an inspirational side conversation with a team member that allowed us to meet Kadie.

Kadie has a mantra that keeps her going

believe in yourself, work hard and success will follow

We have seen her personify that mantra from her days as the ISL Sales Representative for Portland, St. Mary and St. Thomas. Despite it being an initially challenging area, within almost 6 years, Kadie was able to increase sales from $16-18 Mil to over $30Mil.

She a ests that developing a great relationship with her customers in those areas helped. “I saw my customers as family, so, achieving sales and collections became easier.”

Can we quickly point out that she did this while navigating poor roadways, raising (at the time) her young family, pursuing her Degree and having understanding Managers?

Kadie pulled through carrying with her numerous accolades of “top tier” accomplishments.

List of a Few of Kadie’s Accomplishments and awards

• Strategically redesigned and augmented the areas of Portland, St. Thomas and St. Mary

• Most Outstanding Sales Representative for Eastern region 2018

SALES

MANAGER, SEPROD GROUP OF COMPANIES

• Outstanding collection award in Q4- 2016

• World’s Best Collector Award runner-up 2017

• Best Reconciled trial balance sheet in 2017

• Runner-up for Sales Rep of the year 2013, doing so in over 9 months among seasoned reps

• Winner of UTech Business Model Competition

Have you ever met Kadie Mundell in person? Kadie is such a mix of “sugar, spice and things nice with a splash of wit, and a whisk of no nonsense”. These are what her team members, teammates and family know of her.

Outside of that, Kadie is a travel bug with a constant itch to explore the world and its culture with her family by her side. She loves a good 90s party, hosting intimate gatherings and cooking up a storm.

All in all, she is grateful for the opportunities gained thus far. “Everything I have accomplished over the nine and a half years is primarily as a result of being employed by Seprod”. The Seprod benefits surely assisted her with growth and development. “I was able to pursue my Degree by making the best use of the Educational Assistance Grant and Loan, as well as, my children benefi ed from the Seprod Foundation’s scholarship for GSAT now PEP students”.

“I also ensure that my team members are aware of the programs available for their personal and professional development.”

Kadie overcomes various challenges whether in trade or within the office as she must get the job done.

“My daily aspiration is for my team and I to continuously find strategic ways to achieve the company’s goals and objectives, which

are of utmost importance in ensuring that the company remains viable and competitive in the sales, manufacturing and distribution industry.”

Her wish for Seprod is to see the company dominate the Caribbean and international regions even as she eagerly awaits the official launch of our state of the art Warehouse and Distribution Centre.

Tevin entered the weekly Summer Of Fashion Icon competition during the month of July. He was the first ever male winner of the weekly competition. Tevin came through with the second-highest number of votes in his second week and has been in the Top 5 for all 4 weeks. At the end of the competition, Tevin scored 146 votes overall, making him the second most voted person this year. A er doing additional observations, we realized that Tevin has continued his trend of weekly formal business a ire. Tevin is the official grand prize winner of an E gi card valued at $20,000 - redeemable at a vendor of his choice within the Gi Me network.

Tevin Sinclair, a team member of the Pharmaceutical Customer Service Team, was voted the Facey Summer Of Fashion Icon!!! CONGRATULATIONS, Tevin!

NURSES’ CORNER NURSES’ CORNER

The nurses’ corner across the Group continues to buzz with quite a bit of activity. Among them are monthly highlights bringing awareness to varying health concerns through health education, organized screenings and physical activity.

During this quarter, our focus was on promoting Prostate Cancer Awareness at Seprod. These included:

• Hybrid (face to face and virtual) discussions and seminars on Prostate Cancer

• Tips promoting prostate cancer via educational videos and leaflets

• Organised Prostate Cancer screening at each profit centre

Employees were reminded of the symptoms, encouraged to get themselves checked and speak to their friends and families about their potential risk.

development Learning &

Modern learning and talent management are not about giving the old a new coat of paint. Learning and Development (L & D) is playing a larger part in overall organizational strategy. Seprod is aware of the need to “adapt transformative L&D practices and be creative” to keep essential learning and skills development going.

The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave is not training them and having them stay.

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employees have been trained in specialized areas

Our Learning and Development Unit operates a hybrid model. This is achieved by integrating the best practices from centralised learning and decentralised learning models. The approach captures the strengths of both models while effectively managing the relationship between corporate and training functions across the group.

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employees have had generalized training related to our daily operations.

SEPROD FOUNDATION

A Summer well spent with the Seprod Foundation

Seprod Foundation celebrated summer by facilitating a host of opportunities for our children and youth that supported our strategic pillars of STEAM Education and Food Security and Agriculture.

Budding Farmers Summer Grow Camp

The Budding Farmers Grow Camp, held during the month of July, provided 20 students ages 3 - 12 years old with a fun and interactive agricultural learning experience. The students learned how to start their own gardens, learned about alternative farming techniques and how to grow what they eat and eat what they grow. Seprod Foundation was happy to provide snacks for the kids for the duration of the camp.

Seprod Foundation partnered with RISE Life Management Services to offer a Personal Development and Educational Enrichment Summer Programme to students from the Parade Gardens Community. The camp provided 20 students ages 812 years old with a fun-filled experience aimed at supporting their personal development and preparing them to start the school year with a positive a itude. The camp featured math, english, chess, life skills, games and a field trip to Freedom Skatepark!

RISE Life Management Kids Summer Camp

Promoting Mathematics Positivity in Students at Tivoli Gardens High School

In collaboration with the YES Institute, Seprod Foundation offered a programme designed to enhance mathematics literacy to 10 students of Tivoli Gardens High School. The programme was designed to inspire their curiosity, cultivate grit and promote a growth mindset around mathematics.

Conflict Resolution Training for Teachers at Tivoli Gardens High School

Following the high profile altercation between a teacher and student at Tivoli High School, Seprod Foundation worked with the school and RISE Life Management Services to provide conflict resolution training to the teachers, the administrative staff and the ancillary staff during orientation week ahead of the new school year starting. The sessions were dynamic and engaging, leaving the staff le with knowledge and tools that they can draw upon to

speakers complemented each other in their explanations and also very happy to know, too, that both speakers have been in the classroom and have dealt with issues similar to what me and my colleagues are facing and as such, spoke from a place of reminded me of what stress can do to my body, I will definitely seek to reduce being in such situations as much as possible for the new school year.

- Teacher, Tivoli Gardens High School

EwartHENRY

MIDL/Serge Dairies SAFETY, HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT SPECIALIST

S.H.E. Specialist at Serge Dairies Mr. Ewart Henry is a consummate professional who has been ensuring that all employees work in a safe and healthy environment since 2004, when he first held this role with the previous owners of the business. Having accumulated experience and knowledge in the field of Occupational Health and Safety, he continues to support the Seprod Group in this area. His goal for the organization, is that we all work safely and return to our families and loved ones in health and wellness. Zero Accident & Incident. Let’s get to know a li le more about him.

EEARNEST and energetic Ewart is the Secretary/Treasurer for the Bybrook Master’s Sports Club. In this role, he engages the youth in the communities of Bog Walk, Ewarton and Linstead to find meaning and direction through the games of Football and Dominoes.

WWITTY in any situation that stands before him, as he makes changes by modeling the a ributes that he would like to see in the younger generation. He interacts and provides mentorship through his involvement in sports and this forte was highlighted in his involvement in the staging of the Master’s League Football competition between Ewarton and Linstead clubs.

AACTIVELY participates in community development as the President of the Charlemont Housing Scheme Citizens’ Association, where he assists in the planning and execution of projects. He is also in high demand as a Master of Ceremony for different functions.

RRESOURCEFUL Ewie, as he is affectionately called, is deeply commi ed to serving his fellow citizens and demonstrated this by serving his country Jamaica, as a Justice of the Peace since 2017.

TTENACIOUS Team player, he was a member of the team in 2010, which included Dave Virtue and Genevieve Stewart that led the factory in achieving the first ISO 14001 and OHAS 18001 international certification. He continues to successfully lead the Serge Dairies Factory team in the re-certification for ISO 45001:2018 and ISO 14001:2015.

HHELPFUL at home by landscaping the yard, washing dishes and delighting the tastebuds of his family with a variety of soups and sweet potato pudding, especially on a Friday evening when he takes over the kitchen for his special dishes.

EEDUCATING and entertaining through music is one of his passions. He enjoys singing with a group, where he adds an enviable bass or tenor. His love for singing started when he became a member of the St. Jago High School Choir Glee Club and he credits his Alma Mater with the development of this talent.

NNOTABLE and nice musical notes reverberate from the Jericho Baptist Church and other places, where he plays the Keyboard, Violin or Bass Guitar. Supported by his wife Nadeen who is also an accomplished Musician, they arrange and direct musical pieces for the Jericho Baptist Church Youth Chorale.

RRELAXING a er involvement in so many different activities is important, so he rejuvenates by collecting stamps, coins and monetary notes. Yes, he admits this hobby may seem outdated, but you learn a lot about the world by the perusal of these items.

YYOUTHFUL , with a keen sense of humour, your interaction with Ewie is punctuated by his wit and charm. One of his fondest memories included being a member of the winning team of the Interdepartmental Football Competition, where he made a defining contribution. He also recounted playing a pivotal role in helping the Mickleton Cricket Team win the competition. He held his composure as one of the final pair of batsmen at the crease, with one ball remaining and two runs needed to win the game, Ewie the right-hand batsman carefully stroked the ball and “howzat”, the ball went to the boundary for four runs. The victory dance followed …

Arsenal all the way –Football season. Then celebrate the victory with good music.

Blessings!

Keep up the good work Ewart.

Ewart and his Violin.

Ewart as co-organizer & M.C. for the Aug 2022 Serge Dairies Interdepartmental Domino Tournament.

ST. THOMAS FOOTBALL League LAUNCH

A er a two-year hiatus due to covid-19, the Serge St. Thomas Football League was launched on August 2022. This renewed sponsorship sought to highlight the Serge as a mainstay in the parish of St. Thomas.

PENSION

How much do you know about pension?

There are two types of pension plans, a Direct Contribution plan (DC) and a Direct Benefit Plan (DB). Within the Seprod Group, employees actively contribute in a DC plan which is administered by Employee Benefits Administrator Limited. A DC plan means whatever you save in the plan along with the employer’s contribution will be used to provide a pension at retirement. Therefore, the more you save the “bigger” the pension benefit at retirement, the opposite also holds true, the least you save the “meagre” the pension benefit at retirement.

Seprod’s Pension Arrangement

Seprod Limited does not have a Superannuation pension scheme for active members of staff that is governed by a board of Trustees made up of employees, pensioners and management. However, this is in the making, so very soon we may have our very own pension scheme.

What currently obtains is an arrangement where the Company contributes into an Approved Retirement Scheme (ARS) which is called Sagicor Lifestyle for each employee. This scheme is administered by Employee Benefits Administrator Limited (EBA) a subsidiary of the Sagicor Group. It is important to note that the ARS is a contractual agreement between the employee and Sagicor and as such a contract is generated and issued to the employee once an account is created.

Seprod’s obligation as per your employee’s contract is to pays 5% of the employee basic salary and the employee is required to contribute a minimum of 5% of their basic salary towards their pension account each month.

Whatever sum Seprod pays into each employee pension account, the company cannot recover or touch. Employees likewise cannot access this money as a withdrawal/refund of contribution should they separate with the company.

However, employees can access the accumulated value in their pension account starting at age 50, which is considered as early retirement based on Sagicor Lifestyle plan rules. We are encouraging persons not to

access their pension until they have formally exited the workforce, but continue to save until that time.

What are the benefits of having a pension?

Having a pension plan creates a secure income stream for you at the time of your life when you are no longer able to work. A pension plan will provide the following benefits for you.

• It is a source of income a er retirement

• Provides financial aid to your dependents in the event of death

• Tax exempt

• It is a wise investment option for the future

How much should I contribute towards my pension?

The Company policy indicates that it is mandatory for all employees to contribute 5% of their basic salary towards their pension account. However, the Income Tax Act allows for members of a pension scheme to contribute up to an additional 10% which is called voluntary contribution.

In addition to your contribution, the employer also pays 5% of your basic salary into your pension account each month. Pension is tax exempted, therefore, whenever you contribute to a pension plan you automatically pay less taxes each month.

Where does my money go if I die before I retire?

Your named beneficiary(s) will receive the accumulated value (employer & employee contribution) in your pension account.

A beneficiary is a recipient who receives a one off payment a er the members death. Beneficiaries can be an adult or minor, however, for minor beneficiaries a trustee must be named. Therefore, we ask that you select your beneficiaries wisely and ensure that the trustee named will act in the best interest of the minor beneficiary.

Pension is a great way to be prepared for retirement and the sooner you get started, the be er it will be.

Celebrating IBL

‘Re-igniting a Nation for Greatness’

IBL recognized Jamaica’s 60th Emancipendence celebration using the theme ‘Re-igniting a Nation for Greatness’. The focus was on good people through innovation and good food as fuel to achieve be er and great acts by our team members.

A display was mounted to showcase the innovations done by Jamaicans.

Pictures of the display and staff members dressed in Jamaican colours were taken by the Creative team. Staff members were asked to wear Jamaican colours on July 29, 2022 to start the celebrations.

Lunch served included jerk chicken, jerk pork, ackee and saltfish and mackerel rundown. These foods have contributed to and fueled the creativity of Jamaican people. Sweet treats such as gizzada, coconut drops and grater cakes were distributed to the staff on August 5, 2022 to end the festivities.

Additionally, to recognize our staff members, we received suggestions for employees who did great deeds for other team members. As such, Ms. Dile e Brown was recognized by a fellow team member. She was described as a motivational, positive and inspirational people person. Dile e’s team member noted he felt that she always had his best interest at heart.

(From le to right) – Nurse Andrea Walford, Tanya Campbell-Wright, Monique Williams, Anthony Ellis, Stacia Smith, Kareen Grant

(From le to right) - Nurse Andrea Walford, Kareen Folkes, Monique Williams

(From le to right) – Macadian Weir, Benniko Berry, Dile e Brown, Anthony Ellis