NP in the nature island of Dominica

As a Trini, I am fiercely proud of our Northern Range.

The secret villages and spectacular views from El Cerro Del Aripo and El Tucuche have long held fascination for me.

But you will never know the true beauty inherent in the breathtaking sight of mountains until you fly over the island of Dominica, affectionately known as “The Nature Island of the Caribbean”.

Impossibly green, lush trees and vegetation engulf the undulating landscape; with not a building in sight for miles, one has the impression that this is what the first colonisers saw when they first landed there five centuries ago.

This is this backdrop against which NP’s Dominica Branch operates.

Our presence has its roots in the late Prime Minister of Dominica Dame Eugenia Charles. In 1998, this matriarch of regional politics extended an invitation to NP to supply bulk fuels to her country. After prolonged negotiation, the Branch was launched in 1991, initially providing jet A1 to Canefield Airport. Over the last 15 years, facilities have expanded to form a microcosm of NP Trinidad: diverse services on a smaller scale.
Headquarters are situated at Rockaway Canefield, minutes away from the capital city of Roseau. The bulk terminal consists of the office building, storeroom, tank farm and gantry. The tank farm has six (6) tanks; one contains unleaded fuel at a capacity of 4,000 barrels, three are assigned to gas oil at 7,000 barrels, and two contain jet A-1 fuel at 6,000 barrels. From here NP Dominica services both airports (where we have the monopoly on airplane refueling services), four service stations, as well as services to five (5) ships involved in cross-border trading throughout the islands.

According to Terminal Manager Heskeith Brumant, “Bulk fuel sales to industrial customers account for a significant portion of the Branch’s income.” He also emphasised that the next major focus for the Branch is the development of a marketing strategy.

The grounds of the Terminal head office represent a true environmental model for our Company; the gantry area, yard and facilities are cleaned and maintained every day, courtesy of the groundsman Rawlin Simon.

The Branch falls within the portfolio of Divisional Manager Business Development, Michael Derrick, and comprises two main sections: Accounting & Finance and Operations. Heskeith Brumant has held the post of Terminal Manager for the past year, and manages a staff of about 26 persons. The newest member of staff, Accountant Sharon Vidal, says that from her observation, she sees the need to organise social activities geared towards bringing workers together, thereby enhancing teamwork among staff.

The soft-spoken Peter Darroux has been with the Company as a Security Officer for 16 years. He has seen it change and develop, and witnessed the going and coming of five Managers, the latest being Mr. Brumant, the man at helm of day-to-day operations, for whom Mr. Darroux is full of praise. He sums it up: “I’ve had my ups and downs, but overall I like working here.”

Derrick Edwards started at NP as a Plant Attendant 15 years ago; today he is the Operations Supervisor with a vast portfolio. He is responsible for supervising six aviation crewmen, one plant attendant, four security officers and one groundsman. He effects repairs and maintenance at all four service stations, at the bulk terminal and at the airport, and he must be present for receiving fuel from tankers at the bulk farm. Clearly, the enthusiastic Edwards must be well organised and able to multi-task; according to him, “I love my work here at NP; my family and my life have grown during my time here…I believe in making things work.”

He sees the need for more staff to fill roles in operations as well as in forecasting, such as keeping track of gas prices and other factors that affect the business. Also, he voiced another popular opinion: “There is a need for a marketing strategy and campaign for the lubricants on the shelves.” Note that with no advertising, NP’s lubricants have maintained the largest market share.

Since Mr. Brumant took the helm, he says, the Branch has been able to acquire equipment that assists day-to-day operations, such as a generator which supports the electricity supply to the Terminal and to the adjoining service station; a forklift; new pumps with double nozzles; new vehicles, etc. In fact, Mr. Edwards will soon visit the US to inspect a much-needed airplane refueller which will improve efficiency at the expanding airport at Melville Hall.

For six years, Clara Daway has worked in the office, most recently as a sales rep with various responsibilities. Apart from preparing sales orders to walk-in customers daily, she checks the adjoining Canefiled service station’s stock at the end of the day, enters data, corrects errors, and makes stock adjustments, balances the books and prepares aviation’s bills. Clara believes that NP has “lost customers” to our service station competitors, Texaco and West Indian Oil. “We need promotions at the service stations, something to make customers feel appreciated.” She also sees the benefits of incentives for customers as well as staff, who look forward to efforts to show appreciation to them for their work.

Leaving Canefield and driving about the country was a lesson in the wonders of nature. The countryside abounds with lush ferns, balisier, myriad types of trees, as well as bananas, dasheen, cocoa, coconuts and more. As a country that loudly advocates “Buy Local, Build Dominica”, there is a marked absence of fast food havens and infiltration of foreign businesses, a trend that is the norm in more “developed” islands like Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica. Instead, Dominicans savour a thriving agricultural sector, with the Roseau Market forming the center of culinary and cultural activity from Thursday to Saturday.

There are also three dealer-owned stations in Delices, Anse de Mai and Newtown. Similar to Trinidad, these stations run independently of the parent Branch. Newtown’s model is similar to that of our QuikShoppe, dubbed “QuickZone”, and is situated on a busy main street. The youth of its owners is reflected in the bright lights, innovative selection of car care products and constant energy surrounding the station.

The station in Delices, on the other hand, is owned by an expatriate couple. Signs of the turnaround that has been happening at the Branch are evident in this quiet village station, on the southeastern coast. Previously neglected and dilapidated, the station is strategically located on a major link road between the capital city Roseau and the tourist attractions of Morne Trois Pitons National Park and Victoria Falls. Major renovations last December such as installing new pumps, repainting the building, and properly securing the underground tanks with manhole covers have revitalised the station’s traffic and profits. The stations all carry the ULTRA line of lubricants and related products.

Mr. Brumant and his staff maintain amiable relationships with the station owners, making regular visits and encouraging reports that would improve the stations and, by extension, NP’s image in Dominica.

The station at Anse De Mai, near the northern tip of the island, has been recently renovated and all pumps have been refurbished and is now being run by a family-owned business named Fast Company.

NP Dominica has gotten involved in their community, even with limited resources. They have adopted the Bells Primary School in the community of Bells, providing much needed renovation and equipment to them. They have sponsored the annual walkathon for the Dominica Association of Disabled People, sponsored the Dominica World Creole Music Festival, provided NP-branded travel T-shirts for the national Netball team, and have made their presence felt at various Carnival events.

The addition of the NP Dominica Branch under the umbrella of the NP has truly made our Company a regional brand. There is room for development and improvement, but as with us, their greatest resource is their human resource. The staff is serious and committed to their work, and I was heartened by their growing sense of team work at work and at play; an impromptu beach barbeque one night brought out most of the staff along with some spouses.

We look forward to bigger and better things from our Caribbean counterparts.

By Nneka Luke – former Corporate Communications Manager, NP