In a quest to reduce the energy costs at his Subway franchise in Kingstown, businessman Ryan Gonsalves not only found what he considers the answer to that problem, but in the process, secured a new business enterprise.{{more}}

Gonsalves is now the Managing Director of the local Caribbean LED Lighting Limited, which distributes Light Emitting Diode (LED) products around the Caribbean, and boasts of cutting costs for individuals and businesses alike.

At a product launch and demonstration last Thursday at the Paradise Beach Hotel in Villa, Gonsalves admitted that he wanted to share with others the savings that his business has experienced, and jumped at the opportunity to introduce his new enterprise to his colleagues.

“… Sales were down, electricity bill was up, so we started researching, looking into different ways to save electricity,” Gonsalves told the audience. We looked at LED lighting, and I said that great, this looks like the new thing I should go with it.”

Gonsalves said that his research pointed him to producers in China, but due to logistical restraints, he looked elsewhere.

“I did some more research, found a company called Caribbean LED Lighting in Barbados; so did some research, had a ‘Skype’ meeting with the CEO Jim Reid, got some product into my business Subway and Gonsalves Liquors; at the end of the month we saw some good savings on our electricity bills.

“So after a while, we started thinking that this is something all the businesses in St Vincent need to generate profit and to keep the running cost down,” Gonsalves further explained.

“Jim said he’s looking for a distributor in all the islands, so I said ‘Jim put me down for St Vincent.’

“In three months we did all the logistics and got it started and the rest is history.”

Gonsalves said that the company, located on the corner of Mellville and Middle Streets, is committed to providing customers with cost effective lighting solutions, which improve their environment, reduce their operating costs and their carbon footprint.

The company offers a variety of lighting products, as well as a five-year warranty on products.

The products are manufactured in, and shipped from Barbados, where the company is based, and CEO Jim Reid hinted that the production of LED lighting here in St Vincent is a possibility.

“This could be made in St Vincent. We could easily set up an assembly plant here … Why should we ship if we can bring in the components? We could make them here. There are lots of things we can do ourselves; we don’t necessarily have to import things,” Forde said during his presentation.

The presentation was followed by a product demonstration, where potential customers took a close-up look at the lighting fixtures.(JJ)