In Business

SOL PETROLEUM JAMAICA LIMITED has been unveiled as the most recent addition to The Sol Group, and the newly formed company has been credited with enhancing Jamaica’s image as a ready-for-business destination.

In June this year Sol was appointed as the new macro distributor for Shell lubricants in Jamaica, deepening the already well-established commercial relationship between Sol and Shell.

To formally mark the establishment of the new Sol business, the company was toasted at a gala ceremony last week at the Terra Nova Hotel which featured entertainment including Jamaica’s up and coming vocal star, Tessanne Chin, who has been creating waves internationally since debuting on NBC’s hit series “The Voice”.

Featured speaker, The Honorable Dr. Morais Guy, M.P., Jamaica’s Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Transport, Works & Housing, addressed an audience that included fellow cabinet ministers, officials of the Sol Group, and representatives of Shell, a global leader in the petroleum industry and strategic partner of Sol, the Caribbean’s leading supplier of petroleum products.

Dr. Guy said Jamaica welcomed Sol as a social partner in several areas including energy:

“You’re not just a distributor of petroleum products, you are now a partner with the Ministry in the quest to boost efficiencies in land transportation in Jamaica. So once again, the Government of Jamaica wholeheartedly welcomes you to our shores, we laud your move and we anticipate the social partnerships in the areas of not just energy, but the environment, education and sports. All this is to be coupled with your passion for excellence. Your presence here gives us a major boost in selling to the rest of the world that Jamaica is open for business.”

Andrew Rollins, Director and Chief Financial Officer of The Sol Group, said the company was honoured to welcome Jamaica to its family, which now officially spanned 19 territories across the region.

“To ensure we deliver on the Sol promise to customers and to make certain we successfully manage the Shell lubricants portfolio, we have joined together some of the best and brightest local professionals to lead the Sol charge in Jamaica. We are very confident that this team will continue to build on the strong legacy which Shell Lubricants has already established here and we are already very pleased with the local team’s efforts so far,” said Rollins.

Robert Jackson, General Manager for SOL PETROLEUM JAMAICA LIMITED said Sol’s appointment as the official Macro Distributor for Shell Lubricants reaffirmed the fact that Sol was a preferred partner of Shell.

“Through this partnership, Sol provides a full range of Shell lubricants, including synthetic high-performance products from our offices located at Lot 5 Newport East in Kingston. Sol also has ready access to Shell’s resources and specialists in the Lubricants field,” Jackson stated.

“At Sol Jamaica our goal is to deliver quality products and services, customised solutions; flexibility and excellent sales support to consumers. The legacy of Shell lubricants in Jamaica is one that has endured the test of time and will continue to be regarded by Jamaicans as products of very high quality.”

In her comments, Victoria Singh, a member of Shell’s Latin America Distributor Markets Sales team, and the Account Manager for Sol Petroleum Jamaica Limited, underscored Sol’s value as a strategic partner of Shell:

“Jamaica is a territory that is very important to Shell. We recognise that the Political, Economic and Social landscape of the markets in which we operate is constantly changing. Meeting those challenges requires innovation, partnership and the effective application of that innovation. It is for this reason that, after months of careful deliberation and meticulous screening, SOL was selected to be our partner in Jamaica.”

Sol is one of the largest privately held petroleum distribution companies operating in the Caribbean basin. In its short eight year existence, Sol has grown into a dynamic, customer-focused business operating in 19 markets and across all segments of the petroleum distribution business.

This new business in Jamaica is the latest chapter in an expansion process dating back to 2005 when Sol first acquired Shell’s business in the Eastern Caribbean, Guyana, Suriname and Belize. This recent appointment further improves Sol’s position as the largest supplier of Shell lubricants in the Caribbean region.