n the vast volume of literature describing the types seeking success in corporate kingdoms worldwide, Maurice Facey is clearly recognised and has been categorised as ‘Emperor’.

Maurice Facey assumed the Chairmanship of Pan-Jamaican Investment Trust Ltd in 1968. As a Lad, he had been carefully groomed for this position by an autocratic but loving father who commanded that during the holidays, he and his brother Lloyd, later his faithful business partner, make their way by foot or by bus to the family business, C.B. Facey & Co., notwithstanding the fact that Father Facey was, himself, driving to the same location.

The boys were expected to arrive punctually, on pain of remaining after hours and perform all manner of tasks, mostly mental. Maurice learnt many valuable lessons; that one must think on one’s feet, commit millions of hardware items to memory, move with dispatch and display both responsibility and cunning if one were to catch any of the football games in which the other, less lucky, lads were merrily participating.

Apart from the nurturing that forges his strong character, great emphasis was naturally placed on the education of Maurice who in later years, would claim towering achievements as the pioneering real estate developer whose multi-storeyed structures forever changed the skyline of our capital city.

Maurice attended the prestigious de Carteret preparatory school and later the renowned Jamaica College where he excelled in track and field as well as football. When not training for various sporting activities, he devoted himself almost entirely to long, arduous hours of detailed, careful work as, with pencil and drawing book, he created entire townships and cities, complete with infrastructure, hotels, offices and homes. Without benefit of modern computer software, hotels, offices and homes. Without benefit of modern computer software allowing flexibility and animation, young Maurice, never satisfied with anything static, had the tedious task of carefully erasing the cars he had parked before his beautiful buildings in order to have them driven and repositioned in new locations. Thus his imagination took flight and his townships came to life.

As he build his yet imaginary asset base and conjured long term investments in real estate, young Maurice, kept on short shrift by Father Facey, recognised the absolute necessity of identifying a source of immediate and strong cash flow. He had already developed an early and enduring belief that local agriculture could be profitable if properly packaged and presented in the right market. He therefore disregarded discouraging data from the precursors of the Planning Institute of Jamaica and Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and consequently enjoyed substantial sales of produce harvested from the mango walks adjoining Jamaica College.

He completed his educational foundation with a stint in the Royal Air Force, having decided on the spur of the moment that going to war was a wonderful way to quickly broaden his view of the world and gain greater insights into the characters and likely behaviour of men in a corporate setting.

Maurice Facey returned to Jamaica somewhat disappointed in not having seen some active service, but ready to implement his long laid plans for what was to be Jamaica Property Company. His chances of success were greatly enhanced by his marriage to Valerie Hart-Collins, highly artistic, with a natural architectural bent and a passion for project management.

He persuaded his skeptical but staunchly supportive father to sell the family business to Seagram’s of Canada and at last, in 1959, Maurice Facey set out to acquire investment properties astutely selected in New Kingston, on the Kingston Waterfront, in the foothills of Manor Park and other prime commercial and residential areas.

The merger of Jamaica Property Company with the newly established Pan-Jamaican Investment Trust in 1966 provided the capital fillip that Facey needed, paving the way for rapid construction of the most modern structures of the day – condominium apartments in Manor Park and at Abbey Court, residential developments in Acadia, Drumblair, Norbrook and elsewhere; the monolithic Imperial Life, later the Pan-Jamaican and then the First Life Building, the NCR, IBM and Air Jamaica Buildings, the National Life Building, Dyoll Building, National Computer Centre and, perhaps the jewel in the crown, the Scotia Bank Centre.

The asset growth was real but, not for the first time, Maurice Facey found it necessary to address the matter of improving his cash flow. His intimate knowledge of the hardware business and invaluable experience in trading emboldened him to acquire companies like Wherry Wharf and in 1969, he achieved the sensational purchase of the giant trader, Hardware & Lumber Ltd, in what was the first and, to date, only successful ‘hostile’ take over bid in the history of the country. The then Hole-in-the-Wall and other acquisitions followed. Further, Facey forged close relationships with financiers in the capitals of the world. We today know talk of a global village. He began living it twenty-five years ago.

Ever optimistic about repeating early agricultural successes but mostly for the love of the land, he ventured into floral operations, cattle rearing and sugar production and sales.

Maurice Facey enjoyed the excitement of acquisitions but as a true nation builder, he has always been equally prepared to go in for the long haul in creating entities from scratch. His determination to be a part of a modern financial sector led to involvement in insurance and the establishment of one of the earliest merchant banks in Jamaica, which he insisted should be truly entrepreneurial in outlook and geared to facilitate investment. His myriad business interests have manifested a deep belief in Jamaica’s ability to achieve a truly independent economy through a well managed tourism industry, radical approaches to traditional sectors and niche marketing of our unique products, skills and culture.

The Hon. Maurice Facey is characterized by an uncanny ability to see much more than the mere sum of the parts. He has never attempted to divorce business from the social environment and with pioneering zeal, has tackled the decay of our inner city, deterioration of our tourism product and the preservation and restoration of our national shrines. He is to be found in every action to achieve what is free and fair, wide ranging philanthropic endeavours and initiatives for support of the fine and performing Arts. Generous with his time, energy and ideas, he continues to serve on numerous boards and national councils. Maurice’s Facey’s vision, enthusiasm, charm and capacity for hard work have led many to share with him a view of what Jamaica could be if we seize opportunities, show sufficient tenacity and faith in our established ability to take on the world.

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