When I say Huggins is family, I absolutely mean it.
These were the sentiments expressed by Commonwealth Games champion Lindon Victor as George F Huggins handed over a cheque to him in preparation for the centennial Paris Olympics in July.
The presentation ceremony was held last Friday at Huggins’ Administrative building at the Kirani James Boulevard in the GCNA Complex.
The cheque, valued at just over EC $34,000, will be utilised to purchase the required equipment for competition as he prepares for the Olympics.
Speaking on behalf of the company, Chief Executive Officer Anya Chow Chung said she was elated to be connected to greatness.
“We are sitting in a room here with greatness. Lindon, you represent something that most people in their lives will never even dream of chasing far less accomplishing. Here we have you in little Grenada, a hundred thousand jab jab strong (Nation) and we have you in our presence,” she said.
According to the Huggins CEO, what sparked the partnership between the two was the similarity in values between the company and the world-ranked athlete.
“When we first met Lindon and his brother Kurt, we knew what their mission was. We knew that they were talented for sure. We knew that they were gifted but what really appealed to us… the values we hold as a company, we saw in Lindon and his brother Kurt – that true Grenadian spirit, our resilience despite all the odds. These two young men pursued something that was just bigger.”
“You see Lindon speaks about practicing pole vault with bamboo whereas we have children all over the world, youth competing with the finest equipment. When I learnt that, their physiotherapist during competition was each other…he is sitting in our midst as the World Bronze medalist, this is greatness.”
The Chairman recalled that Huggins was associated with Victor long before he gained international recognition.
“…I am very proud that as a company we did not wait for the medals to arrive. We joined the journey in faith but wholeheartedly we regret nothing to this day…,” she said.
“Lindon has been carrying a nation of a hundred thousand people on his back. Lindon has been carrying a company that is over five hundred employees strong not to mention their families on his back. He has been carrying the weight and the honour of his own exemplary family on his back and that was hanging around his neck – not a piece of bronze,” she added.
Chow Chung also spoke of her own feeling of joy and being sentimental while watching Victor compete at the 2023 World Championships at Hungary where he won the bronze medal.
“For those who saw his final event at the decathlon at the World Championships, you saw it on TV when he knelt down and said, “Grenada this is for you. That touched me so much… and I saw your strength…,” she remarked.
According to the Huggins CEO, Victor’s vigor is not only displayed when he competes in the two day ten discipline event but in his life outside of track and field.
“Your strength goes well beyond competition and this is why we are fully behind you to support you as you continue the journey,” she said.
Chow Chung thanked the various sporting organisations that assisted the athlete over the years and reassured him of her company’s own help in going forward.
“We will be here for you. I want to without hesitation take the time to say a special thanks to the Grenada Athletics Association for their support of you, to the Grenada Olympic Committee for standing firmly behind you. In my short time there, your name was constantly on the lips of the General Secretary and the past President, the past Vice President in terms of support. I want to say a special thank you to the Ministry of Sports and for PS Stephens’s presence here this morning…”
The Huggins CEO believes that it is the firm’s responsibility as a 100% local company to give back not only to sports but also in the areas of education and culture.
“So while yes we’re in business to make a profit – that’s a given, it is our moral obligation to give back to this country. So the profits we make here and this is our firm philosophy in Huggins, must be reinvested in this country and in our people like Lindon Victor,” she said.
“We see these pillars as vital ways to build this nation and build up our young people to take over. As you chase Olympic gold we encourage you to chase this dream for you, not for us. This is your time now. With God at your back, with God at your arms with God at your legs, we know you can do it.”
“Let go, let God, stand on your own strength and stand on our love for you now. We have stood long enough on your shoulders, it’s time you stand on ours. I want to reassure you and confidently I speak for many that you have already given to Grenada more than we could have ever hoped for. We are already proud of you Lindon beyond measure.”
Addressing the gathering, the decathlon athlete who has partnered with Huggins since 2018 expressed gratitude to the company for their unwavering support.
“I don’t even know where to start to begin to thank Huggins for all that they have done for me. I would like to commend everybody on the Board of Huggins for not just supporting me but for supporting my brother and I over the years. As you can clearly see your investment did not go to waste,” he said.