Dennis Anderson makes huge statement with DA Traders expansion

For the most part the housing sector has taken the lead and will certainly continue to do so for a considerable time to come. Not too far behind though is the sector of commerce with DA Traders Management and Imports expected to further enhancing this burgeoning industry.

This is significant for Dennis Anderson, proprietor and founder of Dennis Hardware.

Last Thursday Anderson and his team made a monumental statement of intent with the grand opening of its mega warehouse and distribution hub, established on 11 acres of land at Family Avenue, Bodles, Old Harbour.

This move certainly makes DA Traders the largest of its kind in Old Harbour, while joining an exclusive club in this sector such as Anderson’s former employees ARC Manufacturing and Tankweld Limited.

But it also represents the dream of the main man himself, Dennis Anderson, the little boy from Pike, Manchester, who has risen from very humble beginnings and is creating a path that will inspire many young Jamaicans to follow.

Anderson was magnanimous in his overview of this journey, first recognizing his parents and siblings, and then staff who are all integral in getting DA Traders to this stage.

Speaking directly to a staff complement of over 30 employees, he said: “You’ve worked tirelessly to put this company where it is. We started this company in 2017 with two padlocks and two sand papers in a shop.”

Indeed one could literally feel a great sense of pride inside this 27,500 sq. ft. building already earmarked for future expansion.

In arriving at this point as an entrepreneur, Anderson had a moral compass to steer him in a particular direction. And this wasn’t lost on Juliet Holness, wife of Prime Minister Andrew Holness and current Speaker of the House in Parliament.

Mrs Holness, who is well known in the real estate and construction sector, says she has known Anderson from his time as a sales representative at the Norman Horne-owned ARC Manufacturing.

And her presence at the launch speaks volumes.

“Dennis gave this inspiring story of where he’s coming from and it should have said to us that that is why he’s successful. It is because of who is as a person,” Mrs Holness said. “Dennis you are going to do very well and I’ll l tell you why. My interaction with you is that I’ve been working with an honest man. It is going to matter in business for the long haul.”

Opposition leader and President of the People’s National Party (PNP) Mark Golding was among the top dignitaries present to mark the occasion. He commended Anderson for sticking to his vision and having the determination to just face up to the challenges but overcome obstacles to arrive at this special moment.

“The life lessons of those who didn’t have it easy can be translated into achieving higher levels of success if the character and determination is there and with the help of others who see their potential and are prepared to get behind them.

“I am very optimistic about Jamaica and when I see a man like Dennis Anderson do something like this… I say Jamaican can do it and we must do it,” Golding said.
Rev Hugh Dixon, delivering the keynote address, said Anderson reminds him of the Biblical Joseph.

“A struggling country boy in the presence of his parents, he was raised in hardships, trained by hard knocks and guided by the hand of God. Today he lives out the reality of a small part of his big dream. Dennis is a dreamer,” he said.

This dream of Anderson has been long in coming he tells Old Harbour News afterwards.

“I started this journey not to get to this level but success works in a different way and it travels exponentially and you can’t calculate it. But if you’re willing to work hard and put out the work everything you see is a dream,” said Anderson, a past student of Knox College and the University of Technology (UTech).

His aim now is to make DA Traders one of the “hugest warehouses to store goods” in the Eastern Caribbean, he added.

“This is just the start,” he continued in our exclusive interview “you haven’t seen anything yet.”

With DA Traders announcing itself as a force to be reckoned, prices for hardware supplies should become more affordable for both wholesale and retail markets.

It is, hopefully, a sign of better days to come for Old Harbour in particular and Jamaica in general. Thanks to Dennis Anderson.