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MoBay’s BPO sector gets 17,000 sq ft of new office space

Published:Wednesday | August 24, 2022 | 12:05 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
From left: Mark Kerr-Jarrett, chief executive officer, Barnett Tech Park; Homer Davis, minister of state in the Office of the Prime Minister (West); Marlene Malahoo Forte, minister of legal and constitutional affairs; and Gloria Henry, vice-president of BP
Herbert McKenis
From left: Mark Kerr-Jarrett, chief executive officer, Barnett Tech Park; Homer Davis, minister of state in the Office of the Prime Minister (West); Marlene Malahoo Forte, minister of legal and constitutional affairs; and Gloria Henry, vice-president of BPO and logistics at the Port Authority of Jamaica, hold a conversation about the growing global service sector during the opening of Omni Nearshore BPO company at Barnett Tech Park on Friday, August 19.

WESTERN BUREAU:

The business process outsourcing (BPO) landscape in Montego Bay, St James, has been expanded by an additional 17,000 square feet of office space, thanks to the expansion of Omni Nearshore, based at Barnett Tech Park in the western city.

Omni Nearshore has invested US$22 million in its operation. The company, which was incorporated during the coronavirus pandemic in December 2020, is providing employment for 150 individuals. There is also a plan to increase the staff complement to 250 by the end of 2022.

The BPO company, which is owned and operated by businessman Howard Hambleton, president of American First Finance, is currently providing customer care service, collections, merchant care, and back-office support for its clients.

According to Hambleton, the timing of incorporating the company was quite fitting, as in Montego Bay, they have found the perfect location for their business.

“At the time, we really needed a way and a place to get our feet wet here in Jamaica, and Montego Bay Economic Free Zone provided us with that path. Look at where it has led to ... it’s quite awesome,” said Hambleton, as he spoke at the recent official opening of Omni Nearshore’s new home.

“As an organisation, we have done business with millions of consumers in the United States, and we believe that our customers deserve great service and great care. We found that answer here in Montego Bay, Jamaica,” he said.

“The beautiful people of Montego Bay understand how to work with what we call a ‘service at heart’, which is one of the company’s core values,” said Hambleton. “Thank you for getting us here [Barnett Tech Park] today. It started as a dream and that dream has become a reality and we want to keep it for many years to come.”

Oral Heaven, president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told The Gleaner that the expansion of Omni Nearshore is another indication that there is room for investors to establish new businesses in Montego Bay and the wider St James.

“This is really a great move. I applaud the developers who have placed their funding and confidence in our people, in providing employment,” said Heaven. “We welcome any investment in our city. This investment will feed a lot of families, so we really appreciate that and look forward to more investments like this coming into our country.”