Ambassador Andrew Young convenes Fifth Annual GoodWorks International Business Retreat in Jamaica
WASHINGTON, DC – GoodWorks
International, LLC recently concluded its Fifth Annual Business Retreat at the Gran Bahia Principe Resort in Jamaica. Ambassador Andrew
Young, Chairman and Ambassador Carlton A. Masters, President and CEO of the Atlanta-based consulting firm, convened the meeting, which was attended byover 70 GoodWorks employees from around the world.
A highlight of the Jamaica retreat was the appointment of Mr. Wallace Ford as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of GoodWorks.
Prior to joining GoodWorks International, Mr. Ford served as principal and founder of Fordworks Associates Inc., a management consulting and advisory firm based in New York. During his career as an attorney and international
business consultant, Mr. Ford provided strategic advisory counsel to clients in the United States, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Clients
included the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the Irish Stock Exchange, the Republic of Haiti, Bloomberg, LLP, the Nigerian Investment and Securities Tribunal and the National Investment Bank of Jamaica.
In commenting on his new responsibilities, Mr. Ford stated: “Like all Americans, I have followed the long and distinguished career of Ambassador
Andrew Young from his days as an aide to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. All Americans are indebted to Ambassador Young for his numerous contributions to society and I am pleased and honored to have the opportunity to work
with him, Ambassador Carlton Masters and the entire GoodWorks Team in fostering economic development and improving the quality of life in our targeted global markets.”
While in Jamaica, GoodWorks employees heard from several notable Jamaicans, including the Honorable Percival J. Patterson, the former Prime
Minister of Jamaica, and the Honorable Aloun N’Dombet Assamba, Minister of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture. Former Prime Minister Patterson currently serves as a Senior Advisor at GoodWorks.
Reflecting on the retreat, Ambassador Young said, “During the past decade, we have all been blessed, far beyond our deserving. We have also
been a blessing to Africa and our corporate clients. I challenge each of our employees to ask themselves if they are doing all that they can to make life better for the ‘least of these God’s children.'”
Stated Ambassador Masters, “We left Jamaica a more reorganized, refocused and reinvigorated GoodWorks Team. As a result, I believe that we
are even better positioned as an organization for substantive growth in the next ten years.”
The retreat, which is held annually, afforded employees the opportunity to not only hear and interact with the firm’s leadership, but to begin
developing and implementing a strategic plan for the future. The aggressive retreat agenda included discussion topics ranging from “Thinking Outside of the Lunch Box: New Value Drivers New Opportunities for GoodWorks” to “Partnership and Relationship Building” to “Our Mission, Our Vision and Our Future.” The retreat also included presentations by each of the country
representatives from Africa and Korea.
Former Prime Minister Patterson stated, “GoodWorks International represents the most viable link to facilitate business opportunities between not only the United States and Africa, but the Caribbean and Asia as well.
At the retreat, we all worked hard and walked away rededicated to building a world-class and dynamic global business firm.”
Founded in 1996, GoodWorks International fosters long-term economic development in Africa and the Caribbean by creating successful business
alliances in those emerging markets. In addition to Atlanta, the firm has offices in Washington, DC, New York, NY and in six African countries:
Nigeria, Rwanda, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Tanzania and Ghana. An office was also recently opened in Seoul, Korea.
