The Brissett family placing God at the forefront.
IN OUR quest to quench the thirsting of our souls or find spiritual guidance, we often opt to either reverence with God or seek the advice of a spiritual leader we hold in high esteem.
But, imagine a father who has proudly chosen his daughter as his spiritual adviser because he feels a conviction from his Creator to do so. Following on God’s intervention, more often than not, he has never gone wrong obeying his daughter’s advice, both in their family and business endeavours.
It was during one such intercession that Clinton Patrick Brissett obeyed the advice of his daughter, Tanya Brissett, that they should cut their losses and exit the stationery, gifts and pharmaceutical business and redirect all their energy as full-time agents of GraceKennedy Money Services – Western Union.
The Brissetts also operated a FLOW store to complement the moneytransfer business. “We lost a lot of money in the pharmaceutical and stationery business, but following on my daughter’s advice, over time, it was the right decision to quit,” Clinton told Family & Religion.
Clinton, his wife Carlene, their son Neil and daughter Tanya own and operate Stapharm Services at the Boulevard Supercentre in Kingston and at a branch in Morant Bay, St Thomas. It was in St Thomas that the business saw its genesis over 20 years ago before being expanded into Kingston.
CHOSEN ONES
Clinton recalls the days when they would sometimes only do one money transfer per month, when it was all done manually. Today, he and Tanya remain fervent that it was an act of God that they were chosen to be Western Union agents.
The Brissetts, who are Christians, worship at the Swallowfield Chapel in Kingston. “Our faith in God is solid, and it has been only through him that our blessings are being bestowed,”Tanya said.
These blessings have seen them now being part of a historic hallmark as they have been chosen by the GraceKennedy-owned First Global Bank (FGB) to operate the first agentbanking location in Jamaica and taken over the operations of the Western Union flagship store on Barbados Avenue in Kingston.
“GraceKennedy Money Services is the agent of Western Union throughout the Caribbean. We have been given the mantle to operate their flagship branch, their first agentbanking location and their Bill Express stores on Ruthven Road in Kingston and Yallahs in St Thomas. These are huge responsibilities, and it demonstrates their level of confidence in us. It could not have been any other directive, but from God himself,” Clinton affirmed.
The agent-banking location was recently officially opened at the Boulevard Supercentre in Kingston. President and CEO at FGB Mariame McIntosh-Robinson explains the agent-banking concept: “At an agentbanking location, you can do most of the transactions you would normally do at a traditional branch, such as deposits, withdrawals, loans, credit card payments, and balance enquiries. All these services are done in person in branches and do not attract any fees. Our locations will open Monday through Friday, with extended hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.,” she added.
At the Boulevard Supercentre, Stapharm offers an all-in-one financial service on behalf of GraceKennedy Money Services, including agent banking and services from First Global Money Link, Western Union, PROXIM (a micro finance lending agency), Bill Express, GraceKennedy General Insurance and FX Trader.
Clinton and Tanya have shared a close bond since her childhood, which remains intact to date.
“As Christians, integrity is at the forefront of our businesses. I intercede with God every day. My decisions are based on the visions He gives me. Seek God first, and he will guide you,” noted Tanya.
Clinton said his Christian principles were entrenched in him by his mother. “As children, we were not forced to attend church, it was expected of us. I was everything in church (the St John’s United Church). It was expected of me to have become a minister of religion – and I think I should have. However, I knew I had to take care of my family, so I chose business instead, and I am guided daily by my Christian values.”