Commendations for Carmen Bartlett
WHEN CARMEN Bartlett announced her retirement from The Jamaica National (JN) Group after 45 years, on March 31, it was a certainty that there would be tributes and commendations not only from members of her JN family, but, also from the Caribbean community in South Florida in the United States of America, based on her dedication.
Bartlett, who was JN Money Services’ (JNMS) USA South East Region, regional manager for 21 years, was lauded for her strength, leadership, and dedication, during a dinner in her honour, at the Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale Hotel, in Florida, recently.
“Mrs Bartlett regularly told us stories about how she would fill out a form and send the transfer by fax, and then call Jamaica to confirm if the funds had been received, to ensure that she didn’t have to resend the transfer,” said Horace Hines, general manager, JNMS.
BARTLETT LEGACY
“Her legacy is tied to our success here in South Florida. Through her efforts, we have grown from a single location on 24th Street in Lauderdale Lakes, to four JN-owned locations and a network of some 30 remittance agents,” he added.
Her husband, Minister of Tourism for Jamaica, Edmund Bartlett; along with their son Edmund, his wife, Sarah, as well as, their children William and Leia, also attended the function. Edmund, also paid tribute to his mother, describing her as a “tower of strength,” because she was able to successfully assume leadership of JNMS Southeast Regional Office, a few months after his sister had died.
“It had to be extremely hard to do, because that was the time my sister passed away. I cannot imagine the emotional roller coaster that she must have gone through,” said Bartlett. “Yet, she was able to do it and you would never know. She was a tower of strength.”
Chief executive officer of The Jamaica National Group, Earl Jarrett, lauded Bartlett for her work in making the JN brand a dominant one in the Florida community.
“Like Rosa Parks, Mrs Bartlett is not simple. In fact, I would dare say that beneath her soft exterior, she is a powerhouse. That is evident by the fact that, JN Money, is the number one Jamaican company in Fort Lauderdale and the state of Florida, as a result of Mrs Bartlett’s commitment and hard work,” said Jarrett.
There were also tributes from members of the JNMS USA Southeast Region, friends, and members of the political fraternity in South Florida, who commended Mrs Bartlett for her dedication to the county, since 1997.