Jordon Freeman, a graduate student at The University
of the West Indies (UWI), Mona wants to be the Jamaican equivalent of Elon
Musk, who is the chief executive officer and chief researcher of several
companies, which he founded, to specialise in computing and automotive
engineering, to include Space X and Tesla. Like Mr Musk, Mr Freeman plans to
establish his own company and to be a chief researcher.
Where he differs from Mr Musk, however, is that he is passionate about his
field, biotechnology, and what it can do to resolve many problems in Jamaica.
“I enjoy finding solutions to
problems,” Mr Freeman declares, “Even if I become a business person, I would
prefer to create products that can improve the lives of people while someone
else focuses on the operations and the financial aspect of the company.”
“I, therefore, want to be ‘the Elon Musk of Jamaica,’ but in the field of
biotechnology. I see him as a role model and I want to accomplish similar
things; always innovating and finding ways to make my country a better place.”
Mr Freeman recently won the
Vincent HoSang UWI Venture Competition.
The competition, mounted by the Mona School of Business and Management (MSBM)
encourages members of the university community to use their talents to create
ideas that can grow into full-fledged operations. Students from across all five
faculties are encouraged to participate. JN
Small Business Loans (JNSBL), a member company of The Jamaica National Group, is one of the sponsors of the annual
competition.
Mr Freeman won for his innovation “Bio
Plastics,” a biodegradable material which he projects can be used in place
of the “single use plastic bags.”
“My friends and family members suggested that I create a material that could replace single use plastic bags, because I am always innovating,” he said. “I ignored it at the time because I did not see the value, and most of my innovations had to do with food. However, I love a challenge and decided to do it,” he stated.
Along with two other members of his team, a plan was designed to make the
venture a viable one.
“None of us were business students,” he explained. “I was the lead on the
project and the other persons are team members. We had no knowledge about the
financials. However, we were blessed to meet good people along the way, and we
had assistance from one of my mentors, Pastor Karen Davis. A business person,
she mentored me in this area; and helped the team night and day to prepare for
the competition.”
“She didn’t just prepare me for the competition. She gave me tips and pointers
in understanding financials,” he added.
The Excelsior High School graduate has plans to manufacture the product on a
commercial scale, to become a replacement for petroleum-based bags. The concept
material is still in the early stages of development. He is however unable to
publish photos of his project as it is still going through various intellectual
property processes.
Mrs Gillian Hyde, general manager, JNSBL said Mr Freeman’s commitment to
developing this bio plastic product is to be commended and, his determination
augurs well for Jamaica.
She congratulated him on his success in the Vincent Ho Sang Venture Competition, and said, “I am proud of you,
your commitment to implementing this product is commendable. What you are doing
will benefit not only our country; as it could become a ‘global game changer.’
We thank you for your dedication and will assist your team as best as
possible.”
Currently, Mr Freeman’s research has been hampered by the lack of equipment
locally, to be able to conduct further tests. However, he explains that he and
his team members are working to tailor the product to be able to produce it on
the machines that are in Jamaica.
At the same time, he is confident that this innovative product will come to fruition and eventually become a viable alternative.
A Second Lieutenant in the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force, Mr Freeman explained that he has another venture to bring to market, shortly. However, he was tight-lipped about that product, hinting that it came out of many years of research.
“The response to that product has been great and we are looking to go to market,” he said. “It has been well received; however, based on where we are, I can’t say too much about it at this time, as we are still in the process of sorting out the requisite documentation.”
