Searchlight Business takes a close up look at Randolph Russell, Managing Director of WestIndia Development Co., Ltd.

Business 1 on one

In this issue of Searchlight Business we feature one of this country’s prominent businessmen, Randolph Russell. He is the Chairman and Managing Director of First St. Vincent Bank, a Director at Century Insurance and currently holds the post of Chairman of the Private Sector Organisation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

He also manages a number of businesses, which fall under his company, WestIndia Development Co., Ltd.{{more}}

He is the proprietor of Russell’s Shopping Centre, Tropic Breeze Hotel, Wallilabou Hotel and Restaurant and the Chinese Market Stores.

Q: Are you living your professional dream, and is this what you envisioned you’d be doing as an adult when you were growing up?

A: Yes, I am living my professional dream. As a young man I have always worked hard with the aim of becoming a businessman. I have worked steadfastly in achieving this goal.

Q: What do you do to relax?

A: After a hard day at work I go home and look at the television. I usually start off with the BBC news and I also go to station 26 and look at religious services. Apart from that I usually chat with friends on the telephone and that’s mainly what I do before going to bed.

Q: How do your spend you weekends?

A: Sometimes I drive to Wallilabou (where he has one of his hotels, Wallilabou Anchorage) to enjoy the beach.

Q: Where would you be on a Saturday night?

A: On a Saturday night I am relaxing at home or if there is a function I go to that, sometimes we have functions at Tropic Breeze Hotel.

Q: What is your favourite meal?

A: I like rice and pies with fish, also breadfruit especially when it’s fried over.

When you reach my age it’s not easy to decide on any particular meal, because you have to watch your cholesterol and your pressure.

Q: What challenges you most in life?

A: Coming up with a new business or project. It motivates me to get moving, it gets me thinking and focused.

Q: What is the most enjoyable aspect of your life?

A: I am restless by nature. I have got to find something new all the time, before I finish one project I like to get involved in something else.

Q: Where do you get inspiration to go on?

A: I get my inspiration from my father above. I have a strong belief in God. There is where I draw my strength and direction. To be prosperous in the world you got to have his guidance in whatever you do. You have to remain focused and have a moral approach to the problems in this world. That’s why I spent a lot of my relaxing time listening to Billy Graham, John Hagee and other tele-evangelists, I would urge people to look at these programmes.

Q: Who has had the most positive influence on your life?

A: My wife has had the most positive influence on my life.

Q: If you were given the power to change one thing in the country or the world, what would it be?

A: I would change the poverty and the wars

Q: Where do you see yourself in the next 5-10 years?

A: I would want to develop programmes that would assist people more.