Jean Lowrie-Chin: a real pro
Published: Friday | December 5, 2008 - Jamaica Gleaner
Prime Minister Bruce Golding (left) and Beverley Anderson-Manley (second left) unveil a poster of Jean Lowrie-Chin's book 'Souldance' as she and husband Hubie look on.
The headquarters of PRO Communications (popularly called PRO Comm), looks like somebody's home and, in this home, Jean Lowrie-Chin is mama.
The managing director of the entity she founded in December 1978 is looking back on the 30 years. Lowrie-Chin, who also created The Gleaner's Flair Magazine back in 1984, has to pinch herself to make sure time has flown by so quickly. She is more than pleased with the progress the company has made.
"As a matter of fact, we have had to be very careful about growing too fast. We still run on the no-loan, self-financing-from-cash-flow policy, so we have to be conservative and, thank goodness, we have made every pay-day for 30 years!" she states proudly.
The clientele is a who's who of private sector supremacy including Digicel, the National Commercial Bank Foundation and Kingston Wharves. Past clients include Pepsi, Jamaica Money Market Brokers and J Wray and Nephew. Just how does the PRO Comm team keep everybody happy?
No easy road
"If you are committed to the clients' cause, it is not tough at all, and we don't take on any client that we don't believe in. But, if you are not well equipped it's worse than tough - it's impossible," she pointed out. Navigating the PR/communications road isn't easy, even for her. She says the biggest challenge is getting people to respect the profession. I think we are the most second-guessed profession in the world," she opined.
The poet
On the personal side, Lowrie-Chin is also quite the poet, launching her book Souldance at PRO Comm's 30th anniversary event last week. She addresses topics dealing with social commentary, spiritual and relationships. The book has been in the works for six years.
She writes to "speak out for the voiceless, to celebrate the goodness of God (and) love in many forms," she says. Claude McKay and William Shakes-peare are her favourite poets.
Always the visionary, Lowrie-Chin is looking ahead to stay ahead of the communications game.
Fine-tuned product
"We have fine-tuned our unique communications product. It's the most effective way to communicate and we have proven it through the work we have done for LASCO, the Electoral Office of Jamaica and, most recently, BPM Financial. It's a combination of advertising, public relations, Internet - full house for full impact," she explained.
She says the expansion will free her to do more writing and jokes it will also free her husband, Hubie, to play more golf. She also hinted at something big coming for 2009, a new project that could be one of PRO Comm's biggest moves yet. Happy birthday, Jean!
Jean Lowrie-Chin (right) escorts her mom
Masie Lowrie to the party with the help of hubbie Hubie
Chin.
Track trio to attend Hampton
U
published:
Wednesday | July 23, 2008 -
Jamaica Gleaner
Alpha Academy's Claudia Calder and GC Foster College's duo Petrice Richards and Jerine Bolt will head off to Hampton University in Virginia.
Calder, the holder of eight CSEC and three Cape subjects, was the 2007 Class One high jump champion. At this year's championships, she was a runner-up in the high jump and was a finalist in the 400-metre hurdles event. She was also the Under-20 high jump champion at the National Championships in June. She will be majoring in chemical engineering.
Bolt, a second-year student at GC Foster College was a member of Holmwood Technical's successful 4x400 and 4x800 metres teams at the 2006 Championships.
Richards, who was a member of the GC Foster College medley relay team at this year's Inter-collegiate Championships, specializes in the 100 and 200 metres. Bolt and Richards will major in health and physical education.
"All three athletes are expected to bolster Hampton University's track programme as the team has dominated the Mid Eastern Athletic Conference, where they have won six consecutive outdoor titles and five overall indoor championships," Ham-pton's coach, Raymond Graham, told The Gleaner.
PERFORMER OF THE WEEK: Wilson starts
season in style
published: Saturday | April 12, 2008 - Jamaica
Gleaner
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NICKEISHA WILSON, one of the youngest
World Championships 400m hurdles finalists of all time, has
started her 2008
outdoor season in blazing
fashion.
At 21, Wilson, who is the second youngest to
finish in the top four at the World Championships (Jana
Rawlinson was 20 when she took her first title in 2003), raced
to an impressive personal best at last weekend's Texas
Relays.
It, however, was in the women's 100m
hurdles where Wilson, who is eyeing a spot on Jamaica Olympic
team this summer, sped to a sizzling 12.85 seconds to beat
former Queen's School athlete and Jamaica junior Latoya
Greaves, competing
for Oklahoma Baptist University
(13.19).
FOURTH FASTEST
It was behind this
performance, which ranks her the fourth fastest in the event
this year, that she has been selected The Gleaner's Top
Performer of the Week.
A 400m hurdles silver medallist
at last year's Pan American Games in Brazil, Wilson's victory
followed her impressive showing at the Louisiana State
University (LSU) Tiger Relays the weekend before where she ran
13.19 seconds to capture the event.
Wilson, a
star athlete at LSU, is gearing up for the summer Olympic in
Beijing, China, where will be a strong contender for a medal
in the 400m hurdles. The former Convent of Mercy High School -
Alpha standout's 53.97 seconds for fourth at the World
Championships last year ranks her with 1996 Olympic champion
Deon Hemmings-McCatty (52.82), Sandra Farmer-Patrick (52.79),
running for the US, and Debbie Ann Parris-Thymes (53.88) as
the only Jamaicans to break the 54-second barrier.
___________________________
TAKEN
FROM TRACK & FIELD – JCSU WEBSITE
Jamaican Hurdler
Shermaine Williams Commits to Attend JCSU
JCSU Adds Talent
Both On and Off the Track
Dec. 20, 2007
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Jamaican hurdler |
Highly
decorated Jamaican hurdler, Shermaine Williams will join the
Golden Bulls Track and Field program in January. Her athletic
career will be guided by new JCSU head track and field coach
Lennox Graham, who has coached several national and
international athletes.
Shermaine is the current World
Youth Championships silver medalist in the 100m hurdles where
she ran 13.47 seconds to finish second in that event in
Ostrava, Czech Republic last summer. Her time of 13.37 seconds
in the preliminaries is still the fastest time in the event at
the Championships. She is a highly decorated hurdler having
won the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) Games
Under-20 girls 100m hurdles last Easter in a championships
record - 13.51 seconds. She has been undefeated at the high
school championships for three consecutive years winning in
class III once and two years in class II.
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"I feel
very happy about the opportunity to continue my education, to
represent the JCSU golden bulls and to reunite with my coach
(Lennox Graham)," remarked Shermaine.
Coach Graham and
coach Lorna Vernon introduced Shermaine to the hurdles event
five years ago and have been coaching her during her years at
Convent of Mercy Alpha (high school). Under coach Graham's
guidance, she has won medals each year at the High School
Championships, at the CARIFTA Games, Junior Central American
and Caribbean (CAC) games and the World Youth Championships.
Shermaine intends to major in biology and is looking
forward to the opportunities and experiences ahead.
"Love is
patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it
is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it
is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love
does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”
1
Corinthians 13:4-6
