Two legends who have been, and continue to be, an integral part of this country’s business landscape, were honoured when the T&T Chamber of Industry and Commence hosted its annual Champions of Business awards on Thursday night.
The remarkable efforts of George Janoura and Junior Sammy were recognised when they were inducted into the T&T Chamber Business Hall of Fame.
Both men are stalwarts in their own right, making an indelible contribution in the sphere of fashion/garment design and construction respectively and so much more.
As Janoura and Sammy collected their awards before the large audience at the auditorium of National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA), it was evident that their faith and firm belief in God remains the cornerstone of their lives and their successes as they openly praised him for his continued grace and guidance.
Their families, employees and even their communities were also acknowledged as important factors in moulding their various entities, with Janoura and Sammy stating they are both firm believers in giving back to the needy through their various philanthropic efforts which include charity drives with Janoura being a keen supporter of the T&T Cancer Society and Sammy donating to needy families in his hometown of Rio Claro.
During their vote of thanks, both men gave highlights of the business careers.
Sammy shared he entered the construction industry under the direction of his father at the age of 15 and his quick insights enabled him to expanded the business into a general contracting company specialising in civil and earthworks, engineering, coastal protection, site preparation and foundations and land development.
Three decades later Junior Sammy Contractors Ltd is a prominent name in both the private and public sectors.
Janoura remains still very active in the daily operations of Janouras Custom Design Ltd and Janouras Ltd.
Leading by example and demonstrating core company values, he said these strong ethical values continue to influence all aspects of the business.
As the entity grows from strength to strength, he noted that investment in technology has built on the skillset of employees and continues to influence the ease in which they can complete tasks which may have been solely manual in the past.
Janoura further shared that the company continues to implement training on new software programmes to propel it to the next level.
The Business Hall of Fame started in 2005 with the posthumous induction of founding member of the Chamber, Joseph Leon Agostini. The very first Business Hall of Fame was a simple ceremony that took place in the Board Room of the Chamber’s offices.
The award soon outgrew its modest beginnings and evolved into an official programme which now inducts a maximum of two business leaders at its annual awards event.
Each year, outstanding individuals are inducted (one of whom may be posthumous) into the T&T Chamber Business Hall of Fame.