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Donnie Smith
Rooted in the Community
Mr. Donnie Smith
They had planned their lives around spending a year -- maybe two -- in the Cayman Islands. Just enough time for her, the first recipient of a partial government scholarship to pursue a course in Physical Therapy, to pay back the grant she was awarded to study in Jamaica.
Then they would move to Canada, or perhaps the United States. That was back in 1976 when got married.
Twenty-five years later, Donnie Smith and wife, Jacqui are not only still in Cayman, but like threads in a tapestry, are tightly interwoven into the professional and social fabric of the islands.
For Donnie, it has been retail business, real estate, a bit of insurance broking, a role as political organiser, serving on a number of public boards and community outreach through the Rotary movement and other endeavours.
For Jacqui, it has been serving her native Cayman as a physical therapist, attending to the needs of special childrem and serving on a number of public sector boards.
And together, they have raised a family - Renee, aged 21; Vaughn, 18 and Christina, 15.
Looking back last Sunday at the strides he's made over the years from the privacy of the their tastefully appointed family room, Donnie noted that both he and Jacqui had done much to serve the Grand Cayman community over the years.
The Cayman sojourn began with Donnie giving up a career in the entertainment business altogether. Jacqui, who was at her husband's side the entire interview, explained: "I didn't think the entertainment bit was such a good idea, being a married man and all that, and particularly if we were going to raise a family."
Big on the entertainment scene back in late 70s Jamaica, Donnie managed the likes of popular recording artistes 'Fabulous Five' and promoted Byron Lee and the famous Dragonaires' many appearances in Cayman.
But, tough though it was to choose between the two loves of his life, it was Jacqui, not to mention her logic, who won out in the end. As she recalled, "he was willing; it was a big choice for him. Of course because that's what he knew best, and was also comfortable doing - he did very well."
Looking around Cayman to see where he could fit in, Donnie found just the right niche in retail clothing business, with a chain of boutiques offering quality, a la mode, ready-to-wear clothing and other related accessories to both sexes.
Appropriately, they named the business 'Pacesetter' marking the defining role they would play as clothiers to Grand Cayman. As time went by the business began to expand until at one stage he had some five locations. Initially, Donnie said, he did most of the buying but at the business grew, he began more and more to delegate some of that responsibility.
He was also instrumental in organising major fashion shows here, an event, he recalled, that was much anticipated, so much so that they were the highlight of the year, especially during the holiday season.
"As a matter of fact," Donnie said, "people used to get dressed up for that more than any other function."
'Pacesetter' survived for 24 years until around 1997, when the closure of First Cayman Bank, where he had most of his major business accounts, forced him to get out of retailing.
"Having lost the major part of that year's business," Donnie recalled, "it was a bit difficult to recover from that and I decided that maybe it was the best thing for me to do..."
Asked about competition and rivalry in the clothing industry given the proliferation of clothing shops and similar activities in so small a community as Cayman, Donnie said: "I had no problem with the number of boutiques, because if there is a need, then that need should be filled."
"I had no doubt," he added, "that if these boutiques are opened and continue to open, then they must be making a relatively decent living from it."
Reacting to the contention in some quarters that some businesses should be strictly the preserve of Caymanians, Donnie said: "I think that in a small community like this, it's probably is worthwhile especially today when there are more and more qualified Caymanians coming home, who might want to become entrepreneurs, that they should be given the best opportunity to be successful in whatever business they choose.
"I don't think it should be reserved to the detriment of the community on a whole, if there are Caymanians who are not willing and/or able to pursue these various types of business," he added.
Responding to the question as to whose responsibility it was to set the guidelines in the industry, Donnie said,"I believe in the free marketplace and market forces seem to be the best way of deciding who does what, how a business does, where it goes [and] how successful it is."
He noted, however, that "even though I can't narrow it down, that if there is a practical system that could be put in place and monitored, whether by the Government or the Chamber [of Commerce] or whomever, that would sort of steer or earmark certain businesses, I think that it might even be respected by those who might want to come in and invest on the Island."
Asked about his involvement in the Real Estate industry, Donnie, who is now a partner in the firm Cayman Fidelity Real Estate, said it was an area he'd always had an interest in, from sales right down to the acquisition of property.
Having served on the Central Planning Authority (CPA), he said, also allowed him a greater insight into the various laws that govern the sector.
A Rotarian for 23 years, Donnie served in various offices in the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman. A founding member of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Central, he was the club's President in 1991-1992 and was instrumental, along with his board of directors, in setting up the Junior Achievement Programme, which is still active today. It has been one of the highlights of his Rotary career, Donnie said.
He brought his "orgnaisational skills" to the political arena and recalled that he was tapped to provide assistance to various candidates from the early 80s. "Politically, I have supported every candidate at one time or another," Donnie laughed.
Along the way, he has also served on "quite a few" public sector boards, including the first Tourism Attractions Board and the Central Planning Authority.
Recently appointed to serve on the Immigration Board, Donnie's inclusion as a Caymanian status holder (he is Jamaican by birth) has sparked some debate.
As to whether he still considers himself a Jamaican after more than a quarter century in Cayman, Donnie said: "I consider myself Caymanian."
He said that while he is a Jamaican by birth and has full respect for his birth-line, he has lived here so long and adapted to the local scene and culture "that I can't tell the last time that I felt anything else except Caymanian."
As Jackie tells it, Donnie who just turned 50 last month, has spent "half his life here."
"He doesn't even have a Jamaican passport", Jacqui said.
Asked to comment on his recent appointment to the Immigration Board given that historically there have only four non-Caymanians who have ever had the privilege of making such decisions, Donnie said: "I want to remind you that first I am Caymanian." He reiterated for the record that while he "definitely" has his "roots in Jamaica", a fact he has never denied, he is Caymanian through and through.
He explained that when the news about his appointment first broke over the radio, someone he'd known for many years called to say: "I don't understand what I'm hearing on the radio; I thought you were Caymanian all along."
"The amazing thing is," said his wife, "is that, sometimes when we go out... nobody knows me as much as they know Donnie. I get introduced as Donnie's wife, not the reverse."
"Being a born Caymanian," she said, "you'd think it would be the reverse. It's amazing...how do you know so many people. He tends to know a much broader spectrum of people I guess in many ways than I do."
Asked how he perceived his role as a member of the Immigration Board, Donnie said: "I, first of all do not see myself as representing the expatriate community. I see myself as representing everybody in this community. I've been asked to do a job, which seems to be a very difficult job; very time consuming.
It's not one that you can say that any member of the board is full compensated for.
"I see it as a major duty to the peoples of these islands [and] I'm prepared to sacrifice my time in order to assist in creatinge a balanced community.
As he said, somewhat philosophically: "I guess it's just a part of my nature; I've always being community-service minded. I see it as another part of the community service that I've always given."
Rooted in the Community
Mr. Donnie Smith
They had planned their lives around spending a year -- maybe two -- in the Cayman Islands. Just enough time for her, the first recipient of a partial government scholarship to pursue a course in Physical Therapy, to pay back the grant she was awarded to study in Jamaica.
Then they would move to Canada, or perhaps the United States. That was back in 1976 when got married.
Twenty-five years later, Donnie Smith and wife, Jacqui are not only still in Cayman, but like threads in a tapestry, are tightly interwoven into the professional and social fabric of the islands.
For Donnie, it has been retail business, real estate, a bit of insurance broking, a role as political organiser, serving on a number of public boards and community outreach through the Rotary movement and other endeavours.
For Jacqui, it has been serving her native Cayman as a physical therapist, attending to the needs of special childrem and serving on a number of public sector boards.
And together, they have raised a family - Renee, aged 21; Vaughn, 18 and Christina, 15.
Looking back last Sunday at the strides he's made over the years from the privacy of the their tastefully appointed family room, Donnie noted that both he and Jacqui had done much to serve the Grand Cayman community over the years.
The Cayman sojourn began with Donnie giving up a career in the entertainment business altogether. Jacqui, who was at her husband's side the entire interview, explained: "I didn't think the entertainment bit was such a good idea, being a married man and all that, and particularly if we were going to raise a family."
Big on the entertainment scene back in late 70s Jamaica, Donnie managed the likes of popular recording artistes 'Fabulous Five' and promoted Byron Lee and the famous Dragonaires' many appearances in Cayman.
But, tough though it was to choose between the two loves of his life, it was Jacqui, not to mention her logic, who won out in the end. As she recalled, "he was willing; it was a big choice for him. Of course because that's what he knew best, and was also comfortable doing - he did very well."
Looking around Cayman to see where he could fit in, Donnie found just the right niche in retail clothing business, with a chain of boutiques offering quality, a la mode, ready-to-wear clothing and other related accessories to both sexes.
Appropriately, they named the business 'Pacesetter' marking the defining role they would play as clothiers to Grand Cayman. As time went by the business began to expand until at one stage he had some five locations. Initially, Donnie said, he did most of the buying but at the business grew, he began more and more to delegate some of that responsibility.
He was also instrumental in organising major fashion shows here, an event, he recalled, that was much anticipated, so much so that they were the highlight of the year, especially during the holiday season.
"As a matter of fact," Donnie said, "people used to get dressed up for that more than any other function."
'Pacesetter' survived for 24 years until around 1997, when the closure of First Cayman Bank, where he had most of his major business accounts, forced him to get out of retailing.
"Having lost the major part of that year's business," Donnie recalled, "it was a bit difficult to recover from that and I decided that maybe it was the best thing for me to do..."
Asked about competition and rivalry in the clothing industry given the proliferation of clothing shops and similar activities in so small a community as Cayman, Donnie said: "I had no problem with the number of boutiques, because if there is a need, then that need should be filled."
"I had no doubt," he added, "that if these boutiques are opened and continue to open, then they must be making a relatively decent living from it."
Reacting to the contention in some quarters that some businesses should be strictly the preserve of Caymanians, Donnie said: "I think that in a small community like this, it's probably is worthwhile especially today when there are more and more qualified Caymanians coming home, who might want to become entrepreneurs, that they should be given the best opportunity to be successful in whatever business they choose.
"I don't think it should be reserved to the detriment of the community on a whole, if there are Caymanians who are not willing and/or able to pursue these various types of business," he added.
Responding to the question as to whose responsibility it was to set the guidelines in the industry, Donnie said,"I believe in the free marketplace and market forces seem to be the best way of deciding who does what, how a business does, where it goes [and] how successful it is."
He noted, however, that "even though I can't narrow it down, that if there is a practical system that could be put in place and monitored, whether by the Government or the Chamber [of Commerce] or whomever, that would sort of steer or earmark certain businesses, I think that it might even be respected by those who might want to come in and invest on the Island."
Asked about his involvement in the Real Estate industry, Donnie, who is now a partner in the firm Cayman Fidelity Real Estate, said it was an area he'd always had an interest in, from sales right down to the acquisition of property.
Having served on the Central Planning Authority (CPA), he said, also allowed him a greater insight into the various laws that govern the sector.
A Rotarian for 23 years, Donnie served in various offices in the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman. A founding member of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Central, he was the club's President in 1991-1992 and was instrumental, along with his board of directors, in setting up the Junior Achievement Programme, which is still active today. It has been one of the highlights of his Rotary career, Donnie said.
He brought his "orgnaisational skills" to the political arena and recalled that he was tapped to provide assistance to various candidates from the early 80s. "Politically, I have supported every candidate at one time or another," Donnie laughed.
Along the way, he has also served on "quite a few" public sector boards, including the first Tourism Attractions Board and the Central Planning Authority.
Recently appointed to serve on the Immigration Board, Donnie's inclusion as a Caymanian status holder (he is Jamaican by birth) has sparked some debate.
As to whether he still considers himself a Jamaican after more than a quarter century in Cayman, Donnie said: "I consider myself Caymanian."
He said that while he is a Jamaican by birth and has full respect for his birth-line, he has lived here so long and adapted to the local scene and culture "that I can't tell the last time that I felt anything else except Caymanian."
As Jackie tells it, Donnie who just turned 50 last month, has spent "half his life here."
"He doesn't even have a Jamaican passport", Jacqui said.
Asked to comment on his recent appointment to the Immigration Board given that historically there have only four non-Caymanians who have ever had the privilege of making such decisions, Donnie said: "I want to remind you that first I am Caymanian." He reiterated for the record that while he "definitely" has his "roots in Jamaica", a fact he has never denied, he is Caymanian through and through.
He explained that when the news about his appointment first broke over the radio, someone he'd known for many years called to say: "I don't understand what I'm hearing on the radio; I thought you were Caymanian all along."
"The amazing thing is," said his wife, "is that, sometimes when we go out... nobody knows me as much as they know Donnie. I get introduced as Donnie's wife, not the reverse."
"Being a born Caymanian," she said, "you'd think it would be the reverse. It's amazing...how do you know so many people. He tends to know a much broader spectrum of people I guess in many ways than I do."
Asked how he perceived his role as a member of the Immigration Board, Donnie said: "I, first of all do not see myself as representing the expatriate community. I see myself as representing everybody in this community. I've been asked to do a job, which seems to be a very difficult job; very time consuming.
It's not one that you can say that any member of the board is full compensated for.
"I see it as a major duty to the peoples of these islands [and] I'm prepared to sacrifice my time in order to assist in creatinge a balanced community.
As he said, somewhat philosophically: "I guess it's just a part of my nature; I've always being community-service minded. I see it as another part of the community service that I've always given."
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