Vincent Clarke's hard work pays off
Published:Saturday | February 4, 2012 | 12:00 AM
Dave Lindo, Gleaner Writer
MILE GULLY, Manchester:
MILE GULLY businessman Vincent Clarke's life is a living testament that through hard work and proper planning, you can achieve your goals in life. Clarke operates the Petcom gas station in Mile Gully, which is the popular stop for motorists in that section of Manchester.
Clarke was born and grew up in the farming community of Bethany in Manchester. There, he attended the Bethany Elementary School. After leaving elementary school, his parents couldn't afford to send him to high school, so he started early trying to make a living on his own. "After leaving school, I got a job with a man who I worked with for 10 months. After that, I got my driver's licence and bought a car," Clarke related.
"I was able to buy the car from my savings. I had developed the principle of saving from school days, and that has helped me throughout my life."
Clarke used the car to operate a taxi service as well as to do odd jobs. He also ventured into farming, which was the main livelihood of the people in his community. "I always had the ambition to own things, to have my own business.
First property
"At age 22, I bought my first property in Devon - a house on a five-acre property. That was again from my savings," Clarke disclosed.
Again, through disciplined saving, he was able to buy another property in Kingston at the age of 25.
In the early 1960s, he worked as a contractor with The Gleaner Company and serviced areas in Manchester, Trelawny, and St Elizabeth.
He later bought a truck and switched to the trucking business. "I transported goods for market people from Devon as well as groceries for wholesales and supermarkets."
Twelve years ago, Clarke saw an opportunity - which he grabbed with both hands - to buy the gas station in Mile Gully. "It was owned by a friend of mine. I rented it for a while and then I had the option of buying it, which I eventually did," Clarke explained.
He has reaped signifcant success with the gas station as it consistently enjoys good business. Clarke is also well loved in the Mile Gully community and enjoys a good relationship with both the young and old.
"Mr Clarke is a good man. I am raising some goats for him. We started off with two and now the herd has grown big time," disclosed a young man named Allan. "Right now, I have some rice and I am here to check him for a money to buy something to go with it. Him not going to tell me no. He is that type of person - always giving."
Clarke's advice to young people is: "Work hard for what you want in life. No matter what setbacks you have, you can overcome and be a success. Also, it is very important for you to save, because it is not how much you earn, but most important, how much you put aside."