Memories of old rotary phones, two-way radios to connect Kingston to Port Kaiser, old sugar ships pulling into the harbour and a Russian captain whose name he can't remember bring a smile to Kim Clarke's face today.

These pieces of his past, shared with his father, Hylton Clarke, helped shape his future in the shipping industry.

The second-generation Clarke to enter the industry, Kim considered studying oceanography while attending Miami University in the 1980s. At that time, his father, Hylton, was already vice-chairman of the Shipping Association of Jamaica (SAJ), a position he held between 1981 and 1983, having joined the managing committee of the SAJ in 1974. The elder Clarke served for 31 years as a member of the managing committee until his passing in 2003.

Hylton Clarke entered the shipping industry in 1958, joining A.E. Parnell Limited as a timekeeper. He later rose to majority shareholder along with his sister Daphne Clarke-McLaren. An astute businessman, Clarke formed Maritime and Transport Services, Maritime Towing Company, Maritime General Insurance Broker and Seaport Equipment and, towards the end of his life, finalised the acquisition of R.S. Gamble and A.L. Malabre and Company Limited.

Summer jobs

It may have been this knack for business observed by the junior Clarke during his summers spent working in the family business that eventually led him to study business administration. He opted to learn shipping from the principal's side by working with Kirk Line Inc in Miami as a documentation clerk and then documentation manager before returning to Jamaica in 1991 to work in his father's agency.

"I came into the business because of my father, but more so to help in the family business. That's a big thing for me and I try to encourage my friends to work in their family business to build on the legacy," Clarke said.

Lead negotiator

Currently the vice-president of the SAJ, Kim Clarke says he feels honoured to be in a position his father once held. As vice-president, Clarke also chairs the Industrial Relations Committee of the SAJ, a similar role to the one his father played as the lead negotiator in union talks for many years.

He admits when faced with difficult decisions, he asks himself, "What would Mr Clarke do?"

"He was a great sounding-board. When he gave advice, you didn't feel that you had to second guess him. I miss that the most about him," Kim said.

His father's camaraderie is an attribute that the young Clarke admired most and tries to emulate. He was able to share in that camaraderie outside the family business when they both served on the Managing Committee of the SAJ between 2002 and 2003, making them the first father-and-son team to serve simultaneously on the committee.

Eye for business

Like his father, Kim has a keen eye for business and built on the foundation by adding a personal touch to the business by expanding it to include small boat operations, commercial diving, trucking and warehousing.

Describing himself as a quiet leader, the young Clarke said he doesn't have to be the president, but should the members of the association elect him to the position in the future, he would be willing to serve.

Speaking to the future of the industry, Clarke said he believes the industry is moving in the right direction. The new mandate of the SAJ - to work along with key players, including government agencies, to establish a trade facilitation platform as well as create a major logistics hub in Jamaica - Clarke believes, will greatly benefit the industry. "It's good for the industry, not just for the association, but everyone will benefit from it," Clarke said.

He noted that he will continue to honour the principles of his father, as he too makes his mark in the industry.

This article is the first in the series on families in shipping.