YOUTH FOCUS - Vinton Roberts marries bricks and mortar with IT

Ricardo Campbell, Youth Focus Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

The exhaustive search for a reputable skilled tradesman in Jamaica has been made easier by 26-year-old computer whiz Vinton Roberts, who has created the popular tradesmenfactory.com. The business effort is an online directory of tradesmen in Jamaica.

According to Roberts, the idea was conceptualised when he had a plumbing problem and could not find a plumber.

"At the time, I wished there was a book of some sort that I could go to directly to find a listing of plumbers or someone who could fix the problem," said the Montego Bay Community College graduate.

"It was after I shared the concern and the idea with my father that he came up with the name Tradesmen Factory."

Roberts, who is from Green Island in Hanover, wanted to start a unique business, but did not want to do graphic design or web development, as a lot of people are already in those fields. Instead, he strived for an online business that would benefit several people in and outside of Jamaica who needed skilled tradesmen.

Roberts, a specialist in graphic designing, and website and software development, explained: "Trademensfactory.com has a review system that allows an individual to leave a comment and rate a tradesman from ranges one to five, with five being the highest in favourable service".

He further stated: "There is also the profile feature that provides detailed information on each person and his previous work. So it is very user-friendly for persons searching through the site."

CUTTING HIS OWN PATH

Creating his own source of income was also a dream, especially after his position at an information communication technology company was made redundant in 2010. Then, he promised himself that he should not feel dejected about losing any employment and thought it best to also invest in his own business.

"I've received many positive comments about the initiative and I am motivated by that to continue finding ways to make it better," Roberts concluded.

"I am really focused on building this online directory of tradesmen into something huge that can be syndicated across the rest of the Caribbean, so [that] when people overseas want a tradesman, our website would be the first place they visit to find them."