Rollins THE JAMAICA Hotel & Tourist Association (JHTA) has named the late John Rollins, recipient of the Abe Issa Award of Excellence.
According to a release from the JHTA, the award which is presented annually to an individual who "has contributed significantly to the tourism industry by promoting the reputation and image of Jamaica as a tourist destination", is named for the late hotelier Abe Issa who earned the title "Mr. Tourism" for his early contributions to the development of the industry.
John Rollins, the JHTA said, was a man who had a passion for Jamaica... having fallen in love with the island when he visited on vacation in 1960. He was, the association said, a man who had a large vision for Jamaica's tourism and moved to realise that vision when he purchased the Rose Hall Plantation and turned the decaying great house into a magnificent mansion.
He then created the 489-room Wyndham Rose Hall Hotel and the 558-room Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort; created Spring Farms, a residential community; built The Palms and created the Rose Hall Beach Complex at Lilliput.
The JHTA said, his crowning success is the soon-to-be completed 430-room Ritz Carlton Rose Hall Hotel, with its attendant White Witch Golf Course & Club.
The association described Mr. Rollins "as a hands-on developer - not one to sit behind a desk and simply give instructions. He presided over the refurbishing of the Wyndham Golf Course, to be renamed the Ocean Course. Thus, with the Ironshore and Half Moon courses, Rose Hall will be positioned as one of the finest golfing destinations in this hemisphere".
Recounting Mr. Rollins' achievements, the JHTA said that "always reaching towards his vision of Montego Bay as one of the best developed resorts, he established plans for a major real estate development for Rose Hall, which will rival the most ambitious 'second home' complexes in the region. Already off the ground is a Rollins plan to create the 'quality district' bounded by Lilliput in the east and Ironshore in the west'.
John Rollins, the JHTA noted, did not start out life with the proverbial gold spoon in his mouth but, came from humble beginnings, having grown up in a small farmhouse in rural Georgia. His, they said, was "a classic rags to riches story which could be the plot for any story of achievement in the face of formidable odds".
Odd jobs
A series of odd jobs including making boilers for an engine company convinced the young Rollins that he was destined to pursue the entrepreneurial path. Having come to that realisation, he never looked back. At the time of his death, he was a multi-millionaire, overseeing his enterprises from the top of the 15-storey Rollins building in Wilmington, Delaware. He directed four New York stock exchange companies, doing business in trucking, environmental waste and energy. His major communication company, Rollins Communication, which included 39 radio stations, a number of television stations as well as billboard advertising had been sold for over US$600 million.
Apart from his entrepreneurial pursuits, Mr. Rollins was also a good corporate citizen to Montego Bay and Jamaica in general, the JHTA said.
Noting that when he came to Montego Bay, he saw need and poverty in certain communities and did what he could to help. Among his numerous community activities, he restored the Mount Zion Church, ran a school feeding programme at the local school and paid school fees for children in the community. In fact, the entire Mount Zion community benefited from his largesse. He created the Montego Bay Hope Clinic, and donated land for the S.O.S. children's village.
Noting that Mr. Rollins' recent death will change little of the relationship between the village and the Rollins family, as it still receives support from his estate, the JHTA said that his widow, Michelle, who shared his life for 25 years, has pledged to continue the work he started and nurture his Jamaican dream.
They proclaimed the late John Rollins, recipient Abe Issa Award of Excellence 1999, "a man who made a lasting impact in many fields, including business, investments and public service. But in the hearts of Jamaicans he took his place as someone who truly cared for this country and her people".
