Jamont Group President Richard Mancilla introduced some of the key members of the company at the inauguration. (Robert Luckock photo)
MARIGOT–Jamont construction company inaugurated its executive offices in Aventura Mall, Hope Estate, on Friday evening, inviting partners, clients and suppliers to a cocktail party for the occasion.
The recently formed Jamont Group was created in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in response to the demand for reconstruction. As President of Jamont, Richard Mancilla, a well- known figure in the construction industry in St. Martin for 20 years, explained, Jamont is a company with a difference.
“You have two situations with construction companies, before Irma and after Irma. After Irma it was obviously a crisis situation and you had to adapt, reorganise in a short time,” he explained. “It meant that you had to transform from an artisan way of working to working on an industrial scale. After Irma, in a very short time, there was 10 times more work than before. And everybody wanted to rebuild at the same time. The demand was unprecedented.
Jamont Group President Richard Mancilla unveils the group banner. (Robert Luckock photo)
“So, Jamont is a parent company with capacity for financial leverage and comprises different divisions with its own specialities. These include everything that is required in construction: carpentry, tiling, glass, aluminium, concrete, painting, and so on. It means we can take on big projects like large residences and other complexes.
“The financial approach is very important. On the French side you have to set aside 11 percent of the construction cost as a security against what the insurance company will not pay. The insurance company is only required in the first instance to pay 70 per cent of the claim, which means the policy holder has to put up the balance of the money first, but is reimbursed later by the insurer.
“Most people don’t have the money and the banks are reluctant to lend not knowing if the construction will be finished. So, Jamont offers clients financial solutions to remove this headache and give assurance that the rebuild project will be completed in a good way.”
Mancilla said Irma had forced construction companies to rethink the way they operate, to adapt and evolve accordingly. In Jamont’s case, it meant creating the financial reserves, developing a new logistics base, setting prices, purchasing on a large scale and sourcing products from around the world – Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, etc.
“The island doesn’t have all the products you need in a short time,” he emphasised. “The other problem is prices are very high in St. Martin. Reconstruction is also dependent on who is insured or not. Jamont’s approach is to work with the client. We also have the possibility to move; for example, if there’s a natural catastrophe in Guadeloupe or Martinique.
“We’ve got the organization, the expertise, knowledge, and the technology, to work anywhere, not just St. Martin. Essentially we are proposing an industrial organisation but with a personal approach.”
The company has some 50 employees, half of whom are sub-contracted. Mancilla introduced several of his key managers before unveiling the company’s banner.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/83237-jamont-group-inaugurates-new-aventura-mall-offices
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