Joe Issa: Brand Builder Extraordinaire

Although they are not equal in many ways – seniority, experience and wealth, to name a few – they are surely alike in several others. So the next time you pop up the request: show me Joey’s friend and I tell you who he is, don’t be alarm if the name Sir Richard Branson jumps at you.

Issa and Sir Richard may be pioneers, philanthropists and businessmen in their own right, but something more extraordinary defines both of them – brand builders; Issa with Cool and Sir Richard with Virgin.

It’s a matter of public record how these two men grew their separate brands, never out of the media eye, especially when they are fighting poverty, income inequality and environmental degradation, and also when giving back to the communities that support their businesses.

It’s been two decades since Issa, with a handful of dollars, started his first business, a gas station in St. Ann he named Cool Oasis; and the many people who knew him then, will remember how he leveraged little more than his good education, integrity and a brand called Cool, at a time when only a handful of people understood what a brand meant.

What Issa wanted was an identifying mark that was synonymous with great quality and great service, and he found it in “cool”, which was already a trendy way of saying “I’m alright”, “I’m great”, “I’m cool”. And for those who know the story, the rest is history.

Today, Issa continues to leverage his hugely popular, respected and successful Cool brand that has grown into a multifaceted group of over 50 companies, representing a variety of products and industries, and he is doing so not only locally, but globally, much like his colleague, Sir Richard is doing, albeit with a much larger group of over 400 Virgin brand companies.

Something else which Issa and Sir Richard have in common is that while they are growing their brand, they are also training young Jamaican entrepreneurs in developing their business models into viable ventures.

Through the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship- Caribbean based in Montego Bay, of which Issa is a mentor, hundreds of young people are being assisted in transitioning from having an idea, to developing it into a business.

The Centre is also partnering with financial institutions to enable graduates of the 12-week programme to access loan funds to make their dream come true.

Both Sir Richard, through Virgin Holidays, and Issa through his Cool Group of companies are devoting time and resources to assist young entrepreneurs; and several of Issa’s executives are involved in advising them on business models and strategies.

A non-profit institution, the Branson Centre has assisted some 500 youth in Jamaica and the Caribbean. Also, the Centre has launched an online skills training programme to increase its intake of potential entrepreneurs across the region.

Currently, about 329 young Jamaicans are benefiting from the online training, which is now looking to expand its foothold into Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St Lucia and the British Virgin Islands.

 

 

Ocho Rios is a Cool Town

Not yet in the Guinness book of world records, the Cool Cash Cambio is touted as the world’s largest Automated Teller Machine (ATM). Walking in the door at 11 Main Street, it’s easy to think you’re actually inside the inner workings of an ATM. Cooling fans whirl against the backdrop of diamond cut steel plate, giant computer components, gears, belts, an enormous credit card, $1000 bill and transaction receipt.

Andrew Grant, managing director of Cool Cards which is also based inside said, “This building was designed to simulate the inside of an ATM in order to make the otherwise mundane tasks of changing money, withdrawing cash from the US and J$ ATMs or buying phone cards more interesting for locals and visitors. What we have here is unique, in that we have both US Dollar and Jamaican dollar ATM machines inside an air-conditioned environment with 24-hour security.”

In addition to coming inside just to “Cool” off and withdraw cash from the ATMs, patrons can exchange money at the cambio and purchase phone cards for both local and overseas calling. Cool Card’s electronic calling cards are popular with the locals who have Digicel or Cable and Wireless phones as they know that by purchasing an electronic Cool Card they have a chance to win $10,000 each week. Cool Card’s overseas calling card, facilitated by Caribtel, is favoured by visitors as the cheapest way to call overseas. With current rates at just $10/minute, the card is very popular with spring breakers, cruise ship workers and passengers calling America, Canada and exotic locations such as India and the Philippines.

The world’s largest ATM is open 24 hours per day, seven days per week and Cool Cash Cambio is open Monday-Friday from 9am-4pm and Saturdays from 10am-3pm. Call 1-888-COOLCARD if you purchased an electronic calling card from a Cool Card terminal to see if you’re the $10,000 Dollar Cool Cash Winner!

CALL WORLDWIDE FOR ONLY $10/MINUTE!!!

AVAILABLE AT COOL CASH CAMBIO

11 MAIN STREET, OCHO RIOS

Work cited from: North Coast Times, April 18-24, 2003

COOL LUBES USING VENOCO TO SEEK LARGER SHARE OF LOCAL LUBRICANTS MARKET

Venoco Lubricants International, Venezuela’s largest lubricants manufacturer, is expanding its product base in Jamaica and has introduced several new products to the market through its local
distributor Cool Lubes of Ocho Rios.

The new range of products for the local market including diesel lubricating oils, transmission oils, motor oils and power steering fluids, was introduced to several service station operators and other business interests at a session at the Ruins Restaurant in Ocho Rios recently.

Ken Jensen, Venoco’s technical advisor, flew into the island for the occasion to provide technical details on the products.

His visit to the island was part of the effort by Cool Lube and Venoco to try and penetrate a market that for years has been dominated by the three transnational corporations — Shell, Esso and Texaco.

Freddie March, managing director of Cool Lubes, expressed confidence in the Venoco brand of
lubricants saying his company’s investment would ultimately pay off.

“I think it (Venoco brand) will stand up eventually, as long as the customers start using it and they get confidence in it,” March told the Business Observer.

March conceded that his brand had far less name recognition than the competitors on the Jamaican market, but said that it was nevertheless doing well in western Jamaica.

“It’s a good product but because it doesn’t have a Shell name or Castrol name they (customers) don’t really know it,” he said. “But it’s doing well in St Ann, Trelawny, Montego Bay, all along the north coast. We sell quite a bit in those areas so it’s just a matter of introducing it in Kingston and we’re working now in Kingston,”

March said Venoco products would also be introduced to parishes of St Catherine, Clarendon and Manchester.

“I’d say in the next six months we should be able to cover the area. We’re expanding more and more and we’re adding new products here and there,” he stated

Two months ago Cool Lubes, which started as a lubricants distributor, expanded its distribution portfolio to include dozens of automotive-related small items such as battery terminals, bulbs, jacks, wiper blades, hose clamps, fuses, oil filters and other products.

Apart from the Venoco brand, Cool Lubes also distributes products on the Super-S brand such as gas and oil treatments, sealers and degreasers.

Cool Lubes is a part of the Cool Corporation enterprise owned by businessman Joe Issa.

Experience in Hospitality, Branson Strategies Helped Grow Cool Brand – Joe Issa

As he readies to mark two decades in business, Executive Chairman of Cool Group, Joseph J. Issa, says in an interview that the experience gained in the family hospitality business and the strategies employed by Sir Richard Branson in growing the Virgin Group have greatly influenced the growth of his Cool brand of companies.

Joey Issa (right) Hangs out with Mentor Richard Branson at Tryall in Jamaica, 2014.

Like Branson did with Virgin Records, selling an attitude and a lifestyle, Cool Oasis sold a way of life and introduced novel standards for service delivery to enhance brand loyalty

(PRWEB) July 15, 2014

Business guru Joe Issa, says in an interview that the experience gained in running the family chain of all-inclusive resorts and the corporate strategies employed by Sir Richard Branson in growing the Virgin brand have greatly influenced the growth of his Cool Group of companies.

The announcement came as Issa, who in 2015 will celebrate 20 years of his Cool business, is interviewed on the success of his corporate strategies and the growth of his Cool brand companies, which have earned him several awards.

“My time at the family SuperClubs resorts was a tremendous journey, from knowing nothing about the hospitality business when I started working as a teenager, to running one of the largest chain of hotels in the island.

“It is this experience and the corporate strategies employed by Richard Branson in growing the Virgin Group of over 400 companies which gave me the knowledge base to start my own business and make the quantum leap to having over 50 companies today under the Cool brand,” says Executive Chairman of Cool Group, Joey Issa.

He says, “What we did at the family all-inclusive resorts was to set strict standards for food service, room comfort and checkout, among other areas, and we praised and rewarded our team members when the benchmarks were met,” Issa says, citing as an example, when the hotel outscored all others in Jamaica and the Caribbean, in a customer satisfaction survey by US tour operator, Apple Vacations, which was reported in the Saturday October 29 issue of the Jamaica Record.

After replicating this successful strategy at the other SuperClubs properties and developing the reputation as a turnaround manager, Issa copped the coveted Young Hotelier of the World award in 1994 at the age of 29 years.

“A year later I formed my first company, a petrol station in St. Ann which we named Cool Oasis and that’s when the business practices and brand-building strategies of Richard Branson really kicked in,” Issa says, as he recalls following the growth of the Virgin Group and emulating some of the business processes and corporate strategies which he employed.

Issa says, “Like Branson did with Virgin Records, selling an attitude and a lifestyle, Cool Oasis sold a way of life and introduced novel standards for service delivery to enhance brand loyalty. As a result Cool Oasis became the catalyst for the formation of several other ‘Cool’ companies in the new millennium, by engaging in an array of business activities through its subsidiaries and affiliates.

In 2001, Cool Automotive Distributors was established to deliver motor oil and lubricants to gas stations, auto stores, companies with fleet vehicles and those involved in trucking. Today, it is one of the leading retailers of automobile-related lubricants and selected accessories in Jamaica. The distribution business has grown to include basic household products such as toilet paper and soap.

By 2002, Issa had formed Cool Card to distribute telephone cards in Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago. It became the #1 non-exclusive Top-Up Distributor in Jamaica, according to the North Coast Times March 28-April 3, 2003.

In 2003, through Cool Biz, which has a network of over 3,000 small businesses engaged in selling phone cards, soap, toilet paper and other household products, Issa introduced ‘EZ Card’, an innovative, electronic top-up of telephone credit operated by the Cool Biz customers, says the Financial Gleaner, January 17, 2003.

In 2005, Issa started Cool Petroleum, which became the licensed user of Shell brands in Jamaica. The company was the exclusive distributor of Shell bulk fuels, Shell chemicals and Shell lubricants, and the largest fuel retailer by volume, operating an extensive network of more than 50 Shell service stations, it was reported in the Business Observer Wednesday November 23, 2005 and Wednesday Gleaner May 10, 2006.

In April 2006, he started Cool Cash loans for micro businesses. After this came Cool Gear, Cool Beach and Cool Tours, among the many other companies which, at one point or another were part of Cool Group.

“Our group is now one of the largest indigenous petroleum suppliers in Jamaica, accounting for a substantial percentage of the retail station market. We also have a publications division, fisheries division, a distribution division and an e-retail division among our many varied business interests,” Issa informs.

References
Business Observer, 2005. Shell name and workers to remain. The Business Observer, 23 November .
Anon., 2003. Joey showcasing entrepreneurship – Cool Card investment of $125M. North Coast Times , March 28 – April 3.
Business Observer, 2005. Growth of Cool. Business Observer, 23 November.
The Gleaner, 2003. Cool Card Centre introduces the ‘EZ Card. Financial Gleaner, 17 January.
The Gleaner, 2005. 7. Growth of Cool; Cool Oasis is now one of the largest petroleum retailers in Jamaica. The Gleaner, 14 October.
The Gleaner, 2006. Neal & Massy Splits Shell with Joey. The Gleaner, 10 May.

Joseph (Joe) Issa: Executive Chairman, Cool Group of Companies

Photo Caption: For developing a multi-faceted group of companies that provide hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, and in the process, creating a powerful brand – Cool – that is already being leveraged outside the shored of Jamaica. (Pictured Joey Issa)

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