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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact
David Rabkin
OTF Group Inc.
617-607-0245
drabkin@otfgroup.com
Jamaica Exporter's
Association (JEA) Chooses OTF Group to Lead the Jamaica
Competitiveness Project
Project's
Practical Results to Increase Export Competitiveness
Watertown, Mass. - August
21, 2002 - In an expansion of its activity in the Caribbean,
OTF Group, Inc. will lead the Jamaica Cluster Competitiveness
Project (JCCP), sponsored by the Jamaica Exporters' Association
(JEA).
With national economic growth
slowing and the potential impact of the Free Trade Agreement
of the Americas (FTAA) on the Jamaican business environment,
the time is right for Jamaica to focus on the competitiveness
of its key industry clusters.
The two-year project, slated
to begin in September 2002, will focus on increasing the export
competitiveness of 60 small and medium-sized firms in three
Jamaican business clusters. The JEA, an organization of exporting
companies, raised funds for the project. Fund contributors
include DFID, USAID, and the Jamaican Ministry of Commerce
and Technology.
A full-time OTF Group team
will be based in Kingston Jamaica, led by project director
and company Vice President David Rabkin. OTF Group will
also collaborate with Caribbean firms including the Mona School
of Business, Calderon Group, and Growth Facilitators.
"Efforts will focus on
timely and measurable results," says Rabkin. "A
project like this requires the support of SME's, and our results
are designed to specifically impact those businesses."
Plans include the establishment of a Competitiveness Unit
at the JEA and the facilitation of increased private/public
collaboration.
As part of the program, OTF Group
will provide licenses for StrategyBUILDER, a revolutionary
business software application that allows users to gather
customer data without the usual high investment of time and
money, to firms participating in the project.
"We selected OTF Group
for the Cluster Project due to their reputation as a firm
committed to the Caribbean and their expertise in strategy
issues affecting the developing world. We are excited about
their innovative approaches and practical results driven focus.
Leveraging their technologies, particularly StrategyBUILDER,
with individual firms throughout the project will create unique
value for participating companies," say Beverly Morgan,
project director for the Jamaica Exporter's Association.
For more information on the
Jamaica Cluster Competitiveness Project, or OTF Group's
Country Competitiveness Practice, please contact us at countrycompetitiveness@otfgroup.com.
About OTF Group, Inc.
OTF Group is the thought
leader on competitiveness in developing economies and emerging
markets, with over 25 years experience in Africa, Latin America,
the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. Using
their unique philosophy and methodologies, the team at OTF Group
advises developing companies, regions and nations to innovate,
increase productivity and create new competitive advantages.
OTF Group is also a software
development company leveraging technology to support its Country
Competitiveness™ and Strategy Coaching™ practices.
StrategyBUILDER, OTF Group's revolutionary business software
application, allows users to gather critical customer data
- in less time, at an affordable price.
Headquartered in Watertown,
Massachusetts, OTF Group maintains project offices in
Kigali, Rwanda and Kingston, Jamaica.
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OTF Group,
Inc. and StrategyBUILDER are registered trademarks of OTF Group,
Inc.
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