ON Monday December 22, 2014, the Gafsons Group of Companies held its annual dinner to honour long-serving employees. 

In an era where staff turnover is a critical concern of most companies, because there is a dearth of skilled and efficient human resources, Sattaur Gafoor and his family were surrounded by employees who have served them for as long as 45 years. Many of the awardees joined the Group from their teenage years, worked diligently and were trained to optimise their skills, until, after honing those skills, they have reached managerial positions where they contribute to policy decisions of the company. What is more, they are treated more as family members than employees.
What stood out was the fact that there was no discrimination in the awards; in that the Gafoor home-help was awarded in tandem with its managerial and other staff members. Also the line-up of most staff members honoured by the Chairman of the Group were all females.
Seated at the head table with his parents was the scion of the Gafoor family, Omar Gafoor, along with his family. The younger Gafoor who took over the reins of and expanded the Group’s CARICOM holdings, brought the house down when he related an incident that is an indication of the discipline, sacrifices and hard work that made the Gafoor achievements so superlative – he was suspended by his father for a week because he took a Sunday off the job.
Most of Guyana’s billionaires and multi-millionaires started from humble beginnings; but by dint of hard work, unremitting efforts, and great sacrifices, they have reached the zenith of enterprise and industry. Notable among them are: Gafoors, Toolsie Persaud, Edward Beharry, John Fernandes, Bish Panday, Peter D’Aguiar, Kayman Sankar, Johnny Kowlessar, Kamal Kanhai and Yesu Persaud – all legendary figures in Guyana’s entrepreneurial world.
Like Sattaur Gafoor, who did not own a pair of shoes until he was eleven years old, most of these men evolved from an ethos where they could not approach banks for loans and had to scrimp and save to accumulate seed capital, gradually re-investing in their portfolios until they themselves cannot estimate their true worth; so great is their success.
Today, the education sector offers ample opportunities – including skills training for school drop-outs. Various organisations, including the Gafoor-chaired Small Business Development Fund, offer low-interest loans for budding businesses, as well as grant-aids for vulnerable groups. There is a proliferation of criminals who claim poverty, marginalisation and lack of opportunities for upward mobility, using these false claims to excuse their predatory actions and criminal, even murderous tendencies.
However, the giants of industry have proven that anyone can achieve, because they walked the hard roads to reach their ultimate destination, and subsequent to their success, provided the requisite opportunities through job-creation via their wealth-creational endeavours; and they facilitated the upward mobility of those who are willing to stay the course.

They are also social benefactors in a multiplicity of ways, and Director of Gafsons, Mrs. Ameena Gafoor, in thanking the Gafsons employees, mentioned some of the beneficiaries, so many that would fill volumes, except that she named only a few institutions that their hard work have helped to provide assistance to; so, too, was the P & P family engaged throughout the year, being benefactors to the poor and vulnerable. These acts of kindness, compassion and care for the less fortunate in society are replicated by entrepreneurs in many corporate dynasties.
Guyana’s industrial and manufacturing sectors constitute the engine of growth for individuals, families, communities and the nation at large.