Floor It Guyana launches new showroom
Chief Executive Officer of ‘Floor It Guyana’, Andre Cummings (right) cutting the ribbon with his son and wife
Chief Executive Officer of ‘Floor It Guyana’, Andre Cummings (right) cutting the ribbon with his son and wife

By Richard Bhainie

A wholly Guyanese company, ‘Floor It Guyana’, has made an $11 million investment to expand its efforts in promoting the ‘made in Guyana’ brand by launching a new showroom which will display its line of authentic Guyanese products.

The new showroom, located at 249 Oronoque and Foreshaw Streets, Queenstown, Georgetown opened its doors on Friday and will see an additional seven persons gaining employment with the company.

Speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Chief Executive Officer of ‘Floor It Guyana’, Andre Cummings, explained that the birth of Floor It Guyana was in response to customer feedback and filling a gap in the local market.

Chief Executive Officer of ‘Floor It Guyana’, Andre Cummings showing Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, a product manufactured by Floor It Guyana

Floor It Guyana falls under the umbrella of its parent company, ‘Cummings Wood Products’ which was established in 2008, and specialises in providing lumber locally and internationally.

He explained that a local customer would have purchased some lumber from ‘Cummings Wood Products’ and was unsatisfied with the quality; however, upon inspection of the lumber, the fault resided with the method the contractor used for installation.

“As I walked back to my vehicle, I felt empty. I felt as though it turned purpose into pointlessness, because we got paid but the customer was not happy … right there and then I noticed a gap in the market and I said to myself Guyanese do not deserve this” Cummings told invitees at the ceremony.

Acting upon that thought, he made an investment to send his team to the United States to acquire training and certification in sub floor preparation, installation, sanding and finishing; an investment which was able to match the local standard with international quality and launch Floor It Guyana.

Responding to his customers for a second time Cummings, moved from providing kiln dried and hard wood flooring solely, to expanding the company’s portfolio to include kitchen cabinets, closets, doors and a wide range of other wooden products.

“But then we ended up with another roadblock, when we sold customers a beautiful door they had to go outside to source premium quality hardware so there again was another opportunity, so we started Hardware Solutions Depot,” he said.

Apart from tailoring his business to ensure his customers are 100 per cent satisfied, Cummings explained that while his company has international reach, it is 100 per cent Guyanese.

“At Floor It, we believe the day will come when people see the made in Guyana label, it will be a signature of excellence, reliability and value and encouraging all local entrepreneurs to strive towards excellence, that’s a movement we have started,” Cummings said.

CREATING NATIONAL PRIDE

“At the heart of the movement we have started is creating national pride by using Guyanese skills and products to create value for clients both local and international,” he added.

In anticipation of the oil and gas sector and massive growth forecast for the country, Cummings encouraged the Government’s support for partnership between the Government and the private sector which was identified in the recent budget.

“In the recent budget that was tabled it was 25.6 billion dollars for roads and bridges, that would definitely bring down the price for the raw material from the forest to reach the market place as well as the plans to reduce the cost of energy and all the housing development that we expecting very soon,” he said.

Delivering the feature address at the opening of the showroom was Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat who commended Cummings for his investment which would add value to Guyana’s forestry products.

Minister Bharrat highlighted that for the year 2020, the production rate pertaining to logging in Guyana ranged between 30 to 35 per cent of the permitted production possibility.

He noted that such was unsatisfactory and that the Government will work towards unlocking the true potential of the forestry sector.

He highlighted a number of initiatives the Government has streamlined to improve relations with the private sector and development of the forestry sector such as the removal of VAT on vehicles and equipment necessary to develop the sector.

Recognising the current state of electricity being a deterrent to the manufacturing sector, Bharrat highlighted the gas-to-shore project which will make electricity affordable and encourage persons within the forestry sector to go beyond logging and transform their lumber into value added products, like Floor It Guyana was doing.

“Mr. Cummings realises that Guyana is moving forward, that the opportunity exists in Guyana, that he can make an impact on the local market, that it is important to the development trajectory that our government would like to see in our country, that we should stop exporting raw materials and stop packaging raw materials and shipping them out, that we should add value to our products and that we should have that Guyana brand being recognised throughout the world,” Bharrat said at the opening.

VALUE-ADDED INDUSTRY

The minister noted that more companies like Floor It Guyana are needed in Guyana to develop the value-added industry.

“Competition would improve quality and reduce price” he noted, pointing out that this would allow Guyana to compete on the regional and international market.

Also present at the opening were the Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Oneidge Walrond and Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues.

Minister Walrond highlighted the Government’s commitment to the development of small businesses, which she has been tasked with. She noted that Floor It Guyana was one of the businesses that benefitted from the Small Business Bureau and commended the company on its development.

Minister Rodrigues congratulated Cummings on expanding his business and pledged the Government’s commitment to working with the private sector to form partnerships to develop quality Guyanese products.

Other speakers at the opening ceremony were Vishnu Doerga, Executive chairman of ActionINVEST Caribbean Inc. and Shyam Nokta, President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA).

Cummings extended heartfelt appreciation to his family, hardworking team, loyal customers and the many organisations and individuals who, he explained, have played a major role in the success of the business.

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