Marketing maven Guenet Gittens-Roberts tirelessly works in the Central Florida community to highlight contributions of notable individuals of Caribbean heritage, especially those from Guyana
US-based Guyanese public relations and marketing executive Guenet Gittens-Roberts grew up on Church Street in, Georgetown, and attended Stella Maris and then Queen’s College.
“When I first left Guyana, it was after high school, and I went to school and lived in New York, before heading back to Guyana. I lived in Guyana for a few years, met my husband, got married and then left Guyana; but this time we went directly to Florida. I’ve been in Florida since then, first South Florida and then Orlando. We’ve been here and raised two amazing children for the last 14 years,” she related in an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine.
Guenet disclosed she has not completed college as yet, but is currently halfway through her college degree programme. She revealed she got married at 21 and had her children shortly thereafter. However, it was always her plan to go back to college and finish her degree when her children went off to college.
Gaining experience
Crediting her parents for everything she knows about marketing, Guenet said she worked in marketing and public relations throughout high school and after she returned to Guyana she headed the marketing department at NCE Screen Printers- her parents’ company in Guyana.
“Our marketing company was started to provide a portal for people who wanted to access the Caribbean community in Central Florida. We have radio, television, events and much more in our community that many people are absolutely not aware of. I was lucky enough to experience many of them. I think that my Guyanese upbringing gave me the open-mindedness that I have when it comes to religious and cultural differences. So I would not only go to one type of event but I went to Diwali and Phagwah, Ramadan celebrations, Parang parties, Haitian Flag day celebrations, Jerk Festivals… and enjoyed them all.
But I was brought up that way in Guyana: to celebrate all of the religions and cultures, enjoying the diversity but celebrating as one. I also worked in the American communities and realized that a lot of our events were done with little or no resources and brought out hundreds and thousands of people while other events would get huge funding and be satisfied with 150 people showing up. So I wanted to showcase our community, show our power economically and the programs we were contributing socially,” she recalled.
Striking out solo
Five years ago, Guenet started her own marketing company, GGR Marketing. In 2010, she launched Caribbean American Passport News Magazine which highlights the diversity of Caribbean people while showcasing the similarities and celebrating the people who live, work and play in America and are of Caribbean heritage.
“Many of our Caribbean people are doing amazing things but no one really knows. My job is to raise awareness of the Caribbean-American community. My focus was first on Central Florida; however we are now being distributed across the state of Florida. In 2012 my husband, Sam Roberts, lost his job, which ended up being a blessing in disguise, as he was able to then focus more on the business, while I focused on the creative side of the business. Thankfully, we were able to streamline the business so that we only focused on clients who wanted access to the Caribbean American market, so that the marketing company and the newspaper could really work closely together to help build the companies involved with us and to build each other,” Guenet explained.
One of Guenet’s proudest accomplishments is the Caribbean American Heritage Month Festival held in June to celebrate Caribbean American Heritage Month. She noted that working to bring this festival to the community brings together all of the different community groups from across the Caribbean. The festival showcases the Caribbean’s rich diversity and culture, and attracts crowds in excess of 10,000 people to downtown Orlando. Due to this festival and showcasing of the other diverse events in her community, Guenet, her husband and Caribbean Passport were listed by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer as one of the reasons to visit Orlando.
Through her company, they were able to secure the marketing contract for Caribbean Airlines for the Central Florida market. Additionally, they were able to assist Caribbean Airlines with the launch of its flights in and out of Orlando with an 80 percent fill rate. As a result, Caribbean Airlines has been able to sustain and increase its flights out of Central Florida.
“Also through our company we were able to rally as a community, put aside our internal fighting as a community, and stand solidly behind a Guyanese candidate, Rick Singh, who was running for an office that no one thought he had a chance of winning since he was a long shot against an entrenched politician. The Caribbean American Chamber was the first to endorse him. I was vice president at the time. I am now president. Then the newspaper hosted a meet-the-candidate series which introduced the candidate to the Caribbean Community and he actually worked with all of the diverse groups in the community and showed that minorities were a majority if they worked together. It was an upset victory in Orlando. Rick is now doing an amazing job in office today as the property appraiser in Orange County,” she pointed out.
The marketing expert said she and her husband attend all Caribbean events, provide support for those events to the best of their ability, and work with the associations who are working in the community to promote those events.
Dispelling myths
“As we market for Caribbean Airlines, we are able to distribute Caribbean Beat magazine which really does a wonderful job of promoting the Caribbean, its rich culture and diversity. I always have Explore Guyana magazines on my table because they do a wonderful job of showcasing aspects of Guyana that many people are not aware of. Many Guyanese in the U.S. pick them up to share with their kids so that they see a different part of Guyana and are encouraged to visit. Last year we actually worked with Caribbean Airlines and GuyExpo, and sent two Guyanese home who had not visited in many years. One of them was a journalist with Fox News and had not been to Guyana in more than 20 years. Her family was petrified during her visit, but she came back and was so happy that she then took about 15 family members back just a few months later. So one person and one event at a time we dispel myths and encourage people to look at the Caribbean, acknowledge their roots and be proud of them,” revealed Guenet.
Inspired and Inspiring
Guenet divulged in dealing with challenges she meditates. Meditation helps her to focus on tasks and effectively carry them out. During December and July, she and her team spend time on strategizing, planning and not working. It is a time for them to reenergize and spend with family. She noted during that period they always come up with the most significant changes.
“My motivation and inspiration are the many Caribbean people who do amazing things in our community, showcasing them, getting them recognized for their achievements and telling their story. I’m very proud of Caribbean people and I love the rich cultural diversity we have, so every month I’m excited about telling another great story or sharing another rich event. My encouragement to youths is that in this economy if you can’t find a job, then follow your dreams, if you’re not going to make money, it’s better to not make money while you build something you’re passionate about. In the end, you could end up with the best of both worlds – making money while doing something you love,” she encouraged.
