Hon. Geneive Brown Metzger, Jamaica’s Consul General to New York, has been lauded for her achievements in the area of business and entrepreneurship as well as her contributions to the Caribbean Diaspora in the New York Tri-State area. Dr. Metzger was given the salute by the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (CACCI) at their Annual Caribbean Business Networking Reception and Dinner held at the Tropical Paradise Ballroom in Brooklyn, New York recently.
The annual Christmas Networking Reception and Dinner is the largest CACCI business event of the year and recognizes Caribbean-American business owners for visionary leadership, contributions and commitment to economic and community development. The Consul General was singled out to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
The evening was especially significant for the Consul General as she is a founding member of CACCI, an organization which began in 1985 to provide Caribbean nationals with expert counsel in the areas of small business start-up, business planning, business financing, procurement, certification, as well as export/import opportunities and the establishment of partnerships with the government and private sector organization in the New York area.
“The Consul General was selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award her outstanding contribution and service to CACCI since it started in 1985,” says Grenadian-American Entrepreneur, President and Founder of the CACCI, Dr. Roy Hastick Sr. According to Dr. Hastick, her length of service as an entrepreneur in the U.S., knowledge of the Diaspora, and her work across the Caribbean business community, not just with Jamaicans. She also continues to bring Caribbean businesses in New York to CACCI so that they can access the resources that are available for their businesses to thrive during these tough economic, Dr. Hastick said.”
Before being appointed as the eight Jamaican Consul General to New York, Dr. Metzger worked in the Public Relations and Marketing sector for 28 years. In 1984, she formed the agency Geneive Brown Associates, which in 1990 merged with global marketing and public relations giant Ruder Finn, where she established and headed the Emerging Markets and Caribbean Business Division.
Since her appointment, the Consul General has been instrumental in turning the spotlight on Jamaica’s potential as a business and investment option. She has introduced to Jamaica, investors in Waste Management, Mining and Housing, and has spearheaded special projects in tertiary education, philanthropy and entrepreneurship. “Job creation is top priority,” the Consul General emphasizes, noting that “Innovation in business and technology drive job creation and there’s always room to improve how we incentivize these sectors in order to stimulate the economy.”