Sugar Ray Thomas
There were many dark clouds that hung over his life but 37-year-old Ransford Davidson, who has contributed 16 years to Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) in various capacities, but he was always determined to achieve.
Imagine growing up very poor, not having the basics for class and having to stuff your shoes with cardboard, as the sole, to wear to school. Imagine not being able sit the number of CXC subjects, because your parents could not afford it at the time. Imagine having to stop to stop from college, because the finances were not available.
This has been the reality for Ransford Davidson, but he overcome all these challenge, tore down all the obstacles in his way and has emerged from the storm where he has given his life as a vessel of service to his church, community and nation.
“It doesn’t matter how poor you are, the colour of your skin or if you have inappropriate shoes to wear to school or it doesn’t matter if you have to stuff the shoes with cardboard. It is the profound message that the parent inculcates in their child from a tender age that will determine their future success and outcome,” Davidson explained in an interview with The Times.
STRUGGLES OF EARLY LIFE
Determination and proper parenting was what kept Davidson going throughout the various stages of his education.
Born to Nalford and Gwendolyn Davidson in Clayground, Bamboo with nine siblings, it was not easy for the youngest child who attended Bamboo All Age (now Primary and Junior High School).
“I grew up under very frugal circumstances, financially poor, but to counter that my parents were spiritually rich,” Davidson reflected.
His parents, especially his mother worked hard at the Brown’s Town Market by selling the best produce and this was the main source of income for his family. His father also worked overseas in the farm work programme to provide for the family.
The church also impacted on young Davidson as he developed a passion for music as he learned to play the drum, keyboard and guitar. He also boasted of having developed into a “fairly good musician and singer.”
Ransford Davidson passed his Common Entrance Examination (the predecessor of the GSAT) and was placed at York Castle High School, where he continued to excel academically and socially. He was a student council representative and also a member of the school’s daCosta Cup football team.
“The challenge at York Castle was extremely great as again I struggled financially. Back then, the very shoe I wore was of poor quality and I had to stuff it with cardboard. At certain points, my parents could not afford a proper lunch. I couldn’t afford the number of CXC subjects as I was to sit eight, but my parents could only afford five. So that became a psychological challenge and I became so frustrated that I attempted to run away from home,” explained Davidson.
However, his sister, Pastor Sharon Davidson of the Bezer Holiness Church of God in Clayground, Bamboo, encouraged him and motivated him to move forward and this stimulated Davidson to “hold on despite the challenges and pursue the best level of success.”
He passed four of the five subjects he sat at the CXC level.
SEEKING WORK
After graduating from York Castle High, Davidson, who was armed with the philosophy, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,’ sought employment. He was employed as a receptionist at the Sunflower Beach Resort in Runaway Bay, St Ann and saved to start classes in accounting, part time, at the Brown’s Town Community College.
“The money I was earning was not sufficient, so I had to drop out of college. This meant that I had to seek another job,” Davidson said. He was taken on by Dr Alverston Bailey at the Kaiser Medical Centre where he worked as a receptionist and administrative assistant between 1997 and 1999, until he was laid off.
Refusing to give up, Davidson went to the St Ann’s Bay branch off the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) and spoke with the branch manager at the time, Marcia Angus. An interview was arranged and Davidson began working at JNBS. Through this new job, he was able to complete his diploma in accounting in 1999.
THE JNBS STORY
Ransford Davidson has served JNBS for the past 16 years and has worked in various capacities in the organization.
He has worked as a teller/clerk at JNBS St Ann’s Bay Branch (1999-2002) and went to the May Pen branch where he worked as the foreign exchange and savings supervisor between 2002 and 2006. During this stint, he was elected ambassador to the Jamaica National (JN) group in 2005.
While in May Pen, Davidson was held up by gun men after returning home one evening. He was robbed of his car. “I was left unharmed, but because of the type of environment that May Pen was and the fact that they were not masked, my story could have ended, however God had other plans. It was the grace and protection of God that helped me to overcome and prayers from the church,” Davidson noted.
Davidson returned home to St Ann in 2006 and assumed the position as a branch operations manager of the Brown’s Town JNBS branch until 2010.
He was promoted to senior branch manager of the St Ann branches of JNBS, where he served in that capacity from 2010 to 2012. He serves as the licensed dealers’ representative for the JNBS group and the business relationship and sales manager for JNBS in St Ann. He has held both positions since 2012.
In his capacity as a licensed dealers’ representative, Davidson provides financial solutions to optimize wealth and create healthier financial living for clients. He has also been appointed twice as board director at JNBS.
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
On reflection, Davidson pointed out that a career in business was not his dream. He had wanted to become a surgeon or medical doctor, but the financial challenges swayed him from entering that field.
Davidson’s love for being in the banking sector grew and developed and he studied part time with the Salem campus of the Northern Caribbean University (NCU), where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with a major in Finance (Cum Laude) in 2010.
Davidson was also awarded four honors certificates for his academic performances between 2007 and 2010 and was the top male academic achiever (2008-2009).
He also pursued post-graduate studies with Chapman Graduate School of Business, Florida International University and successfully completed a corporate master of business administration degree (Magma Cum Laude) in 2014.
For this academic success, he was selected in 2014 to Beta Gamma Sigma, which is a prestigious international honor society for business students.
Davidson is pursuing his doctorate of Business Administration from Walden University. He noted that it was never easy working, while pursuing further education. “It required strict discipline, strict balancing and careful scheduling of activities. It took many sleepless nights,” Davidson pointed out.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Ransford Davidson is actively involved in several community outreach efforts, and also works with the Jamaica National (JN) Foundation to deliver projects geared towards community help, development and sustainability.
Some of these projects in which he has been involved include fencing and renovation of the staff kitchen at the Brown’s Town Health Centre, providing stationery items to the St Ann’s Bay police station, painting of the Bamboo police station, providing resources to staff and patients of the St Ann Infirmary, and more.
Davidson is also focused on “the developing and the mentoring of the youth.” In his capacity as motivational speaker, he provides inspiration to HEART Trust/NTA trainees through training, advice and mentoring.
Davidson is a Justice of the Peace since 2013 in St Ann where he lives.
He was appointed chairman to the St Ann Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) committee, appointed to the board of directors and also chairman of the finance committee of the Brown’s Town Community College in 2014.
Davidson also serves as the chairman of the St. Ann Jamaica Library Service Advocacy committee, director of the St Ann Chamber of Commerce and also a chairman for the chamber’s public relations committee. In addition, he serves as an executive member of his church organization, the Bezer Holiness Church of God in Clayground, Bamboo.
One of Davidson’s biggest achievements was being awarded the 2015 Governor General Achievement Award for St Ann for excellence in leadership and academics. He is also a member of the awards committee since being awarded.
When not busy with community work, his career and education, Davidson enjoys playing a game of football, basketball, travelling and being involved in music at his church.
MESSAGE TO THE YOUTHS
Ransford Davidson explained that the ‘Yes We Can’ slogan of US President Barak Obama has been one of the inspirational messages in his life towards success.
He has achieved several milestones as a young man of the north coast and sees himself one day becoming a scholar practitioner with the purpose of influencing positive social change in the society and also giving back to the country by helping to strengthen economic goals. He also has hopes of lecturing and imparting the knowledge that he has received to students.
“There is a message that I’ve always passed on to the persons in particular the youth and those financially challenged. Your circumstances do not define your destiny, but your response does. This means that how we respond to the chaos in our lives is going to be the determination of our outcome in life,” Davidson said.
He continued by appealing to the youth to remember that “the journey of a million miles starts with one single step.”
“Remain focused and remain steadfast regardless of the challenges,” was the advice of a man, who has conquered and overcome his own challenges.
