The man, the myth, the legend - Newton Rodney proud to hand steel company to heir apparent daughters
Published:Sunday | June 21, 2020 | 12:00 AMJanet Silvera - Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Newton Rodney knew his two youngest daughters, Neesha and Nicole, would one day take over what is normally depicted as a man’s job, and this knowledge was more pronounced because his was the only testosterone in his home.
The father of four girls, who has operated ‘Mobile Welding’ – the longest-serving fabricating and manufacturing everything steel company in Montego Bay for the last 47 years, said his youngest daughters staked their claims early in life, and this was evidenced by their “bravery”.
“Whenever I went overseas for business trips, those two girls would pilot the cranes, backhoes, trailers and any other heavy equipment, with red flags and flasher lights, from Montego Bay to job sites, no matter how late,” Rodney told The Sunday Gleaner, as he prepares to turn over his rich legacy to the two.
So convinced was he that they would be the official heirs to Mobile Welding that he tried to get Nicole to study law and Neesha engineering, but the latter did finance and the other opted for political science and business management.
Newton Rodney – “the man, the myth, the legend” as Nicole lovingly describes him – turned 70 in February this year. Long before he dreamt of the idea of success and wealth, the girls were an integral part of the business.
“I started working in the business from the days of prep school,” Neesha, who is currently a risk management officer at First Global Bank, reminisced.
“He lives, eats, breathes work, everything is work. It was natural for us to start out in the business. If he went on a job site, we would be with him. He would pile us up in the vehicle. It was a natural transition for us. That is what we knew, what we were taught indirectly.”
On Sundays, the girls were required to wash their father’s cars.
“He instilled work ethics in us that have carried us throughout life,” Neesha stated, adding that her dad is driven by what he loves.
“He is literally obsessed with metal; that’s what wakes him up every single day and that was why he tried to get me to do engineering, but I didn’t want to do it. So today, although I have a full-time job, I assist with the financial management of the business. That is where my strength lies.”
COMMITMENT TO FAMILY
For Nicole, who is involved in the everyday running of the business, she speaks of a father who would work all night, get home early morning, shower, and still made sure to take her to school.
“It showed me what commitment to family looked like. He never fell short, combined with his commitment to pursuing success, securing the financial well-being of his family. He worked hard so we could enjoy our youth, but he also made sure that we knew what it took to achieve success,” she stated.
Nicole said her sister was the one who painted the grilles, while she did the invoicing and the checking of daily sales.
“Christmas holidays, Easter, summer that was our job. He was our first employer,” the proud daughter noted.
Explaining the subject of ‘the myth’, the 35-year-old heir apparent said sometimes her dad is seen as hard and uncompromising, but he really isn’t, “because he has worked so hard for what he has, and it is basically through his own ideas and his strength, where everything is depending on him. He is steadfast.”
HIGH BAR TO EMULATE
The legacy Newton Rodney has left for Nicole is the respect he receives from his clients.
“It is a very high bar to emulate,” admitted Nicole, who noted that when she goes on worksites, her dad is usually the one handling the cranes, and their clients expect the same from her.
“He expects this as well from me and that is a lot of pressure. However, he has prepared me as best as possible,” she shared.
Acknowledging that there are challenges at every walk in life, Nicole said the aim is to ensure that the quality of service her dad delivers to the customers continues.
Having worked on some of the biggest projects in the country, including Seawind Beach Resort (now Sunscape), Seawind Keys, the Grand Palladium Hotel, Caribbean Producers Jamaica’s two warehouses, Rainforest Seafoods, the Catherine Hall Stadium, MBJ Airports Limited, the former Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall, and boasting the record as the largest contractor on the Great River water line, Newton Rodney is happy.
A structural engineer by profession, Newton studied in Ohio, in the United States. He is a member of the American Welding Society, and his Mobile Welding company provides ‘fabricating and manufacturing everything steel’, such as tanks, truck bodies and steel framing of buildings.
He works in quarry maintenance, installing stone crushers and heavy haulage of transformers, tractors and other machineries.