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JIIC opens Ocho Rios office

Published:Friday | September 17, 2010 | 12:00 AM
From left: Byron Leslie, assistant general manager, JIIC; Winsome Gibbs, business development manager; Simon Roberts, CEO at H&L Rapid True Value and Courtney Campbell, CEO GraceKennedy Investments, during a tour of JIIC's new Ocho Rios office. The occasion was the official opening of the office last Friday evening. - Contributed

Carl Gilchrist, Gleaner Writer

GraceKennedy's insurance arm, Jamaica International Insurance Company (JIIC), opened its Ocho Rios office last Friday at Rapid True Value, on Main Street.

The office is the sixth in Jamaica for the 29-year-old insurance company, adding to its two branches in Kingston, and one in Montego Bay, Mandeville and Portmore.

The JIIC also operates in Dominica, St Lucia and Turks and Caicos.

The company, which prides itself on the calibre of customer service it offers, will bring this experience first-hand to clients in Ocho Rios and surrounding communities, explained marketing manager Elizabeth Chung.

"Our customers, through our survey of them, have told us that 95 to 99 per cent are happy when they interact with us directly; and so the customers who now have the opportunity to interact with our JIIC representatives directly; at this office will experience that high calibre customer service," Chung told the Financial Gleaner.

Customers who have been doing business with JIIC through the company's broker partners can also expect a greater degree of efficiency, as the waiting period for transactions from the Kingston office will be eliminated, she explained.

A general insurance company, JIIC offers insurance for motor vehicles, property, private residential property, commercial property.

"If you are a business owner we also offer insurance for that; if you are someone who rents and don't actually own the property, we will insure your contents for you," Chung said.

Financially secure

According to the marketing manager, JIIC is the only locally owned general insurance company in Jamaica that is rated financially secure by international rating agency for financial institutions, A.M Best. JIIC is rated at B++.

"A significant part of that rating status is because we have a very strong parent company (Grace-Kennedy) that has expressed its commitment to support us no matter what the climate is like," said Chung.

The opening took the form of a reception which was held in the car park and attended by a few dozen persons who were entertained by Lemon, the comedian.

The office will be run by a minimal staff complement that will expand as the business requires.