Meghan Hickey
Business Editor
[email protected]
A well-deserved congratulations is in order from the team at Guam Business Magazine to Jessica M. Barrett, president of Barrett Enterprise Inc., which does business as Barrett Plumbing, on her nomination and award of the 2019 Guam Business Magazine Businesswoman of the Year title. This year boasted an incredible lineup of nominees, making it markedly difficult for our 23 judges — comprised of the past 13 BWOY awardees and 10 community judges from women’s and business organizations in both Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands — to cast their votes on the eight individuals who have pages upon pages of leadership and community service which serve as a tribute to these businesswomen’s hard work and dedication to the betterment of Guam and the NMI.
This was Barrett’s second nomination; the first having been in 2014. You can read more about why she is deserving of this award — from rising as a woman in a “man’s” industry to caring for her two sons as a single mother — on Page 19. But one thing that sticks out in this issue of Guam Business, both with Barrett and throughout various other stories, is a commitment to the drivers behind a business: the workers and the hard work.
One of Barrett’s noted accomplishments is having been instrumental in the certification of four plumbers and the launch of classes for new apprentices. It’s a testament to what many in the trades industries are doing to help alleviate some of the pressure caused by labor shortages and skill gaps in the region. As H-2 and CW laws and regulations continue to shift (see Page 10) and the governments of Guam and the NMI do what they can to engage in open communication with Washington, business and industry leaders who have begun to realize solutions are the ones who have rolled up their sleeves, gotten back on the saddle and taught people to ride.
An executive or manager who roles up his/her sleeves not only helps to train employees to become more skilled and successful in their role, but also leads by example to build leaders who will be ready to take our industries to the next level in the future. As one of the nominees said in her interview, she felt that on an even playing field with her duty to her business and employees was her duty to equip others with the tools they need to meet and even surpass her success. These “second jobs” — duties for the service of others performed in hours upon hours of hard work outside of their regular day jobs — are what take individuals such as these eight nominees to the next level of success.
Meghan Hickey
Business Editor
[email protected]
