The Buzz Seprod Q4 Newsletter

SEPROD NEWSLETTER

FOURTH QUARTER

OCTOBER- DECEMBER 2021

Award

TOP EXPORTER IN MANUFACTURING

AND

A PROPEROUS NEW YEAR

SCAN ME

FOR GREETING FROM THE BUZZ COORDINATOR

Seprod Limited was awarded The Prime Minister's Award for top exporter in manufacturing. Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Industry and Commerce, Audley Shaw presented Export Officer Judith Johnson-Wilson with the award on Thursday December 9th, 2021.

SEPROD GROUP VAX CORNER

VACCINATION & COVID-19 Status at Seprod DATE: JANAURY 10, 2022

No. 941

% 57%

114

7%

Total

1055

64%

Target

1229

75%

Fully Vaccinated Partially Vaccinated

Facility with least Vaccinated staff

SDL 46%

NUMBER OF COVID CASES YTD

Facility with most Vaccinated staff

FACEY MOBAY

88%

20

Facility with least number of employees with at least 1 jab

SDL 51%

NUMBER OF COVID CASES MTD

20

Play your part

Jamaica continues to have record number of daily COVID-19 infections Do not to take the Omicron variant lightly Ensure that you remain vigilant in the practice of the infection prevention and control measures against COVID-19 Get Vaccinated!

High Risk facility for COVID Transmission

CPL

02

GET VACCINATED GET BACK TO LIFE SEPROD NEWSLETTER

GRADUATING CLASS 2021

We congratulate our employees who recently completed their course of study at various institutions

Chadwade Anderson

Nadeen Hinds

Giovanni Ferguson

Tevelle Dinham

Chadwade is an intern at SIFL. Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Science, CASE

Nadeen is an Accounts Payables Clerk in the Payables Department (CORP)

Giovanni works in the Prod. Department & reports to the Production Manager (CPL)

Tevelle is now on secondment at Serge Dairies Limited as a Business Analyst

Bachelor in Education in Business & Computer Studies from UTech

Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering with Honours from UTech

Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science with Honours from UTech

Janeel Jackson

Devone Small

Marsonnette Roberts

Jhenelle McIntosh

Janeel is the Logistics & Planning Manager (JGC).

Bachelor of Science in Logisitcs and Supply Chain Management with 2nd Class Honours from Caribbean Maritime University

Devone is a Quality Technician in the Production Department (CPL).

Bachelor of Science in Microbiology (Major) and Food Chemistry (Minor) with Upper Second Class Honors from UWI, Mona

Marsonnette is the Cash Control Supervisor/ Treasury Assistant (Facey)

Jhenelle is the Marketing Assistant/Buzz Newsletter Co-ordinator (CORP)

Master of Science in Corporate Finance from the Mona School of Business, UWI, Mona

Master of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communication with Distinction from UWI, Mona

SEPROD NEWSLETTER

03

CHADWADE ANDERSON Chadwade Anderson is an agricultural intern at SIFL. A graduate of the College of Agriculture, Science and Education, he joined the SIFL team in August 2021.

Chadwade is the last of seven children and grew up in the small community of Rock Spring, Hanover. He lost his father at an early age and this propelled him to find his purpose and strive towards achieving his aspirations in life.

His love for agriculture started with the responsibility for a goat which his late father entrusted to his care, having owned and operated a small - scale mixed farm. This passion would morph into a vital part of his daily life. He soon became involved with the 4H Club and Agricultural Science. He volunteered in his community, sharing technical information with the farmers.

Chadwade’s visit to Israel exposed him to automated tagging which plays a key

role in herd management, a system used to capture every detail about each animal on the farm’s database.

The pedometer which captures the steps and movement of the animals is used for early intervention with any change in the animal’s movement.

Another fundamental lesson was that of cow comfort. Roof fans and regular misting to maintain animals’ body temperature proved the ultimate cow comfort, yielding as much as 40L per cow.

For his internsip at Serge Island Farms, Chadwade’s focus is animal nutrition.

He is now working with the Serge team to capitalize on best practices while maximizing milk production.

He is currently researching ways to mitigate hypocalcemia in dairy animals which can lead to tetany and, or convulsion by supplementing the animal feed with limestone (calcium carbonate) to the animal feed. This is vital in replenishing calcium and to reducing the risk of hypocalcemia, Anderson explained, “Dairy cows lose calcium through continuous milking, thus the need to supplement their macro and micro mineral”.

achi evem en ts

School • 2011 - 2016: Agriculturist, Green Island High in Degree e Scienc of lor Bache CASE, 2021: 2016 • ies Animal Science. Recipient of Hanover Charit and Seprod Foundation scholarship. at the • 2019 - 2020: Represented Jamaica (CASE) m for Ramat Negev International Training Progra ce Advance Agriculture Israel - Diploma in Advan Agriculture.

• 2020: Trail Blazer award for Agriculture • Aug 2021: Internship program, Serge Island Farms Limited ate • Nov 2021: Representative 4-H Youth Advoc ns Council - assisting in making National decisio towards agriculture. Acting voice for his peers.

• Commi ee Member - Youth in Agriculture Movement • Ambassador - Hanover Charities

keep

Afori ming the Stars SEPROD NEWSLETTER

05

7 STEPS

for controlling or shedding weight gained during the festive season 01 Eat small portions of food at each meal.

02 Eat slowly.

03

04

05

Remember to add at least 1 serving of fruits and/ or vegetables each day.

Eat more complex carbohydrates (e.g sweet, potato, whole wheat flour) & less refined ones (e.g white rice).

Limit concentrated sweets and alcoholic beverages.

06

07

Drink 1 glass of water before each meal.

Participate in some form of physical activity regularly - at least 4 times per week for a minimum of 30 minutes.

s a m t s i r h C CELEBRATING INTERNATIONAL SARD INE DAY @ CORP National Sardine Day - November 24, 2021

06

SEPROD NEWSLETTER

Kingsley Thompson, MegaMart (Mandeville)

l e e n a J n o s k c a J

Get to know our Logistics and Planning Manager (JGC), Janeel Jackson

UT JANEEL FUN FACTS ABO

• Grew up in Kingston children for • She is the eldest of 4 both parents

• She is a Daddy’s girl works on • In her spare time, she baking endeavours her skin care line and and cheese casserole ham t • She makes a grea s movies and restaurant • She loves going to the • She is a foodie • She loves reading • She loves road trips

What I

love about

myself is that i stay

true

to who I am

Janeel has been with the Group for over eight years. She is the epitome of working from the ground up. She assumed positions such as Clerk, Assistant Secretary and Stores Supervisor before actualizing her four-year dream of becoming the Logistics and Planning Manager at JGC. Her road to vocational and academic achievements was nothing short of challenging and derailments almost thwarted her plan. But, she preserved! The self acclaimed multitasker, likes a good challenge and took them head on even as she juggled work, school and life.

As the lead of a 19-member team, Janeel currently manages: • Raw Materials • Packaging and Stores • Finished Goods

I am

driven FOR success

ADVICE TO STAFF Education and personal development is a must! Find that short or long-term course or skills training and pursue it.

Remember, not everyone will like you and that’s okay.

Some plans will have to be prolonged for varying reasons, but, still pursue them.

HER WISH FOR SEPROD Her wish is for Seprod to employ forward thinkers and visionaries who will be open to new ideas and concepts for themselves and their working operations.

MULTITASKING

always WAS

A THING FOR

ME

SEPROD NEWSLETTER

07

A HELPING On Friday October 22, 2021 at approximately 6:30a.m., Mr. Nigel Bryan, a Janitor of KTK Janitorial Services Limited assigned to the Engineering Department at SDL carried his breakfast to work. He sat and ate it in the canteen. Just as he was having the last few bites, he realized he had difficulty swallowing and drank some water to ease the problem but it got worse. Mr. Bryan stood “glued to the spot and struggling to breathe”. He was choking, trying to clear his throat but was unable to do so It was then that Damian Pearson, Production Operator from the Production Department came along. Damian was passing the canteen and saw two of his colleagues, Elvis Lawrence and Dwight Hamilton in the canteen. He went inside the canteen to speak with them, it was then he noticed that something was not right with Nigel. Nigel’s eyes were too wide and watering. Instinctively, Damian was

fer Petgrave

Mr. Pearson receiving token from HRM Jenni

08

SEPROD NEWSLETTER

A Helping Hand at SIDL (Bog Walk)

propelled into action to assist. He slapped Nigel’s back but nothing happened. He then held him around the waist, pressing into his belly with an upward thrust. Food and liquids spewed from Nigel’s mouth with each upward thrust. Damian administered the Heimlich maneuver which dislodged the food from Mr. Bryan’s throat and saved his life.

Damian later said he was not trained in First Aid but remembered seeing a similar situation in a movie and the actions that were taken to save a life.

Bravo to Damian for being so observant and responsive! You made a world of difference when it was needed most! Kudos to you Mr. Pearson; keep up the good work!

Mr. Pearson received special recognition and a token of appreciation from the company on November 2nd, 2021.

J. Petgrave with Pearson and Nigel Bryan

ESTATE PLANNING PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER DEATH

People tend to see life as permanent and death will not occur in the prime of their lives. However, the reality is quite different. No one knows what will happen to them tomorrow and what chaos will be left to be sorted out by loved ones after you are gone.

We can spare our loved ones the trauma, stress and agony of finding, sharing and administering our estate after we have passed

by carefully planning, organizing and setting instructions to administer our estate.

Estate Planning according to Investopedia is the preparation of tasks that serve to manage an individual’s asset base in the event of their death. The planning includes the bequest of assets to heirs and the settlement of debts.

6 tips for successfully planning your estate.

1

Create an inventory of what you OWN and what you OWE. Start by writing down a comprehensive list of your assets and debts. These include tangible and intangible assets such as stocks and bonds, bank account information, houses, cars etc. You should keep this information in a secure central location along with copies of important documents.

2

Have a Contingency Plan.

An estate plan allows you to control what would happen to your property and assets if you or your spouse passed away today. It also puts a documented plan in place so that if you became incapacitated, your family could carry on your affairs without having to go through the Courts or The Administrator General’s Department.

3

Make provisions for Minor Children and Dependents One of the primary goals of many estate plans is to protect and provide for loved ones and their future needs. Your estate plan should include provisions for any children, including naming a guardian for children under the age of 18 and providing for those from a previous marriage/ relationship. If you re-marry, please note that your assets may not automatically pass to the children of a previous relationship.

4

Protect your Assets.

If it becomes necessary, your estate plan should include specific strategies for transferring or disposing of unique assets like family-owned business, real estate, stocks and bonds. Many people use trust funds to protect assets while ensuring future goals can be met.

5 6

Document your wishes.

If you want your assets distributed in a certain way to meet your financial or personal goals, you need to have legal documentation to ensure those wishes are followed if you die or become incapacitated. This includes designating beneficiaries/trustees for life insurance policies, retirement accounts and other assets. It also means ensuring that titles for material assets, such as property, land, cars are named properly and in good order. Work with an Attorney or the Administrator General’s Department to have an updated Will disposing of your assets.

Appoint Fiduciaries.

To execute your estate plan, you must designate someone to act on your behalf, if you are unable to do so as executor of your will, trustee for your assets, legal guardian for your dependents and/or personal representative or power of attorney if you became incapacitated. You need to be sure your fiduciaries are aware of and agree to their appointments and they know where to find your original estate planning documents. It should be noted that fiduciaries can be family members, friends or hired professionals such as Bankers or Attorneys.

Whether you are just starting out or have accumulated wealth over a lifetime, an up-to-date estate plan helps to minimize the impact of unexpected events on you and your family by preserving, protecting and managing your assets. Estate Planning is an ongoing process, as life progresses and goals shift, the estate plan should shift inline with new goals. The lack of adequate estate planning can cause undue emotional and financial burdens to loved ones, so at the very least each person should have a Will set up. Should you need further guidance or support in planning for your estate, please feel free to contact your HR Department.

SEPROD NEWSLETTER

09

TEVELLE DINHALL HIGH SCHOOL He attended Norman Manley High School where he obtained seven (7) CXC passes.

Mr. Patrick Daley, a teacher at the school described Tevelle as ‘one of his best students in Mathematics’ and spoke of him as ‘a critical thinker and someone who was always conscientious’. In High School, he was the recipient of awards for excellence in Mathematics and Electrical Technology. Unfortunately, he was not able to proceed to sixth form for financial reasons and so decided to apply for employment.

FROM A

young age

TEVELLE knew he

was good with

MATHEMATICS

and enjoyed anything to do with

the subject.

10

SEPROD NEWSLETTER

WORK EXPERIENCE He sent a resume to Seprod Limited in 2015 and Diana Reynolds, HR Manager interviewed him for a position in the Records Department (Corp) in May 2015 (that was the only vacancy at the time).

He readily accepted and within six months applied for a position at Caribbean Products and was offered the position of Assistant Plant Operator in November 2015.

TERTIARY EDUCATION Tevelle was accepted in the Actuarial Science programme at the University of Technology, Jamaica in 2017. Working full-time on a shift basis and having evening classes was difficult at times and he was accustomed to having

minimal or no sleep at times to ensure he kept up with coursework and assignments. He expressed gratitude for his Shift Managers and colleagues who were very supportive and were very flexible when he asked for a change in shift if there were critical classes he had to attend.

Tevelle was also on the Dean’s list at UTech 2017/2018 and 2018/2019. In addition, he was the recipient of UTech’s 60th anniversary scholarship.

Tevelle officially graduated with Honours on December 12, 2021 and we are extremely proud of his achievement and drive to succeed.

He is now on secondment at Serge Dairies Limited as a Business Analyst and Process Lead.

WE ARE

proud

OF

You

ak! mQ ea Tep Up The Good Wor

Congratulations to the Laboratory Team of Serge Dairies/MIDL Quality Assurance Department who participated in the 2021 Dairy Chemistry (QDCS) LGC Proficiency Testing (p-test), an international competition for Dairy Food Laboratories. Their grades were outstanding. They have consistently maintained a passing score for many years and this year have achieved Excellence.

Ke

L- R: Lexel Clarke, Ophal Lewin, Ruddean Dunn, Xavier G. Cameron, Noreen Williams, Omaine Collord

GARIAN WILLIAMS

ONIEL DOUGLAS

JEROME DIXON

SEPROD NEWSLETTER

11

SEPROD

FOUNDATION The Seprod Foundation PEP Scholarship Awards We hosted our annual Seprod Foundation PEP Scholarship Awards virtually on November 9th, 2021.

Proud family and friends were in attendance to celebrate our CHANGEMAKERS who persevered and completed yet another challenging school year. Awards were presented to 30 new graduates who recently entered high school, as well as 54 returning scholars at various levels of their secondary education.

We were honoured to have keynote speaker, Dr. Terri-Karelle Reid who delivered remarks encouraging our scholars to embrace their power to make change.

The Seprod Foundation CASE Scholarship covers one year of tuition and provides an internship and hands-on learning experiences at Seprod and Serge Island Dairy Farms.

Please stay tuned to our social media pages@seprodfoundation to learn more about them !

Where are our past Seprod Foundation CASE Scholars now?

RENARDO STONE

Seprod Foundation CASE Scholarship Awardee 2018

Special congratulations to our Granville Marsh Scholars from St. Thomas, Shannakay Brown and Jahlil Douglas, and to our Byron Thompson Awardee who maintained the highest academic average, Isabelle Dodd.

Announcing our 2021 - 2022 CASE Scholarship Award recipients Seprod Foundation is excited to announce that the following CASE students were successful in the application process and are the 2021-2022 CASE Scholarship Awardees.

Congratulations to Brittana Facey, Camille Lindo, Antonio Spence, Carlos Reid and Jeneica Tucker !

12

SEPROD NEWSLETTER

Degree & Specialization at CASE Asc. In General Agriculture and Bsc in Animal Science

Why did you apply for the Seprod Foundation CASE Scholarship Award?

For financial assistance given my financial circumstances.

What are you doing now?

I am currently employed by the College of Agriculture Science and Education where I serve as a farm supervisor for the piggery unit that's on site. I operate under the operations

department where I am responsible for production.

What is your five-year plan?

My desire is to own and operate my very own state-of-art livestock complex, consisting of all the various livestock units with the latest technology integrated systems to make production much more efficient.

How did getting the Seprod Foundation Scholarship help you?

This scholarship allowed me to complete my BSc. in Animal Science as it provided financial assistance and gave me the privilege to be more focused on just the academic aspect throughout my tenure at the college.

It also gave me the opportunity to be a mentor to other students to encourage them to participate within the college to grant them opportunities like these.

What advice would you give to other students who are applying for this scholarship?

My advice is, take the opportunity of being a part of clubs and other engagements in the college because it is not just about the college but to help with personal development and also to prepare each one for opportunities like this to be rewarded for the work that has been done.

What else would you like to share about you and/or your experience?

I was a youth in Agriculture for Nutramix for the calendar years 2019-2020, where recognition was shown to us as ambassadors. We got the opportunity to be featured on the 2019 Calendar and enjoyed other outings to encourage other youths to

be involved in Agriculture and share our stories as to how we got our recognition.

Seprod Foundation Budding Farmers Lockdown Bake Off

JODY-KAY BOWEN

Seprod Foundation CASE Scholarship Awardee 2019

Degree & Specialization at CASE ASc Veterinary Science, BSc Animal Science

Why did you apply for the Seprod Foundation CASE Scholarship Award?

I needed financial assistance in completing my Bachelors degree.

The Seprod Foundation Budding Farmer Lockdown Bake Off took place on Sunday, October 24, 2021, and was aimed at bringing awareness to the Seprod Foundation Budding Farmers Grow Club and the process for registration for the cohort of students. The two-hour session included fun activities for children aged 3-16 years and their families and a muffin baking and decorating competition. The baking lesson and demonstration were led by our very own Francine Ricketts, Baker at Jamaica Grains and Cereals, who also served as a judge for the muffin baking competition! Approximately 30 students participated.

What are you doing now?

I am employed at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

What is your five-year plan?

To complete a MSc, professional improvement, personal development.

How did getting the Seprod Foundation Scholarship help you?

It reduced my post study debt and enabled me to complete my studies by being more focused academically rather than being worried about sourcing funding for school.

What advice would you give to other students who are applying for this scholarship?

Do it! There will be no regrets. Even if you are unsuccessful the process will help in your personal and professional development.

Have you ever been at CPL and heard the infamous horn? Did you know that the time horn aka the “kauchi” horn has its origin on Sugar Plantations/ Factories to signal time? The verdict is still out but we believe that the CPL kauchi is one of the last functioning horns on the island. “Our Kauchi gives signals at 8am, 12 midday, 1pm and 4:30pm. Believe it or not persons in the community listen for the time signals as well!”, said Diana Reynolds, HR Manager (CPL). Did you know that it is also a signal for earthquake emergencies where it is blown three times for employees to respond accordingly?

SEPROD NEWSLETTER

13

FIRE WARDEN TRAINING

ACROSS THE GROUP ISL staff

ISL staff

Facey Pharmaceutical

IBL

IBL

Serge Farm

IBL

JGC Fire Warden Training – Dec 29

Fitzroy Nugent demonstrating firefighting technique.

Newly Trained Fire Safety Wardens at Jamaica Grain and Cereals: Mario Mills, Lecia Oliver (JFB) , Fitzroy Nugent, Monique McDonald, Shari Williams, Antoine Webb, Whitney Williams, Christopher Cargill, Jacqueline Lawrence-Romellie, Rohan Maxwell, Theodre Chambers, Shaun Hamilton (JFB)

Whitney Williams demonstrating a firefighting technique

14

SEPROD NEWSLETTER

Christopher “Motion” Cargill demonstrating a firefighting technique.

Members of JFB share theoretical notes on Firefighting.

Jacqueline Lawrence - Romellie demonstrating a firefighting technique.

Rohan Maxwell demonstrating a firefighting technique.

l o Busta In ternal T bo rb ur Tu

Promo t i on Wi n n er s

1st

DRAW

WINNERS

Letetia DaCosta - CPL

Lorris Murray - SIFL

Keisha Scully - IBL

Sofia Dacres - Di Shop

Kevin Brown - SDL

2nd

DRAW

WINNER

S

Nicholi Livingston - CPL

Diana Armstrong - Di Shop

Sophia Morrison - IBL

Romain Brown - Belvedere

Xavian Currie - SDL

GRAND DRAW

WINNERS

Anthony Mitchell - Di Shop

Fenton Brown - Belvedere

Kevin Brown - SDL

Neville Davidson - SIFL

Tashoy Smith - Facey Rx

SEPROD NEWSLETTER

15

Gold Seal Promotion

AT GENERAL FOOD SUPERMARKET

Butterkist School Promotion

At Vaz Prep on November 16, 2021

AT Richmond Park Preparatory School

STAY IN THE KNOW! Want to contribute to the next edition of The Buzz Newsletter?

Feel free to submit suggestions to groupcommunications@seprod.com