KIngston Jamaica Opperative, MOE Liason

Carlton A. Grant, Managing Director and Chairman of Makeyla Technologies Limited and Zed Jamaica Limited, director of Makeyla Solutions Limited and A2Zed Learning Centre Limited was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in the mid-1970s he moved to join his family in Toronto, Canada. In 1981, Carlton graduated from high school with honours and went on to study engineering at Carleton University in Ottawa. It was at Carleton University that his interests in entrepreneurship emerged. Without a summer job, Carlton and a friend, David Weston founded a company Weston Grant Inc. to subsidize their University education during the Canadian recession of 1982. With the help of the Royal Bank of Canada and the Youth Secretariat, they wrote a business plan, acquired a $2,000CDN loan and started their summer business, a moving company, with the brand name “Student Pro Movers”.

The Weston Grant Group of Companies emerged as one of the leading transportation, truck rental and warehousing companies in Ottawa. Capturing more than 4% of the market with an initial growth of over 40% per year. This persuaded Carlton to set aside his engineering studies and switch to part-time business and economics at the University of Ottawa. Carlton attended the University whilst simultaneously performing his responsibilities as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Weston Grant Inc.

As a young entrepreneur in Ottawa in the early 1990s, Carlton was recruited by the Black Business and Professional Association of the National Capital Region to act as the Vice president and Chairman of their business committee. Acting on his belief in the social and corporate responsibilities of the business in society, Carlton started supporting a number of non-profit organizations as well as being a crusading employer of black youth in the Ottawa area and supporter of Education in Jamaica.

With the help of members of the Black Business & Professional Association in Ottawa, Canada, Carlton organize his first container shipment of books and desks to needy schools in Jamaica in the early 1990’s. So when Devon Dunn a close friend of Carlton for over 30 years call for his support of the UZAZI foundation, this was a no brainer, as helping schools to perform at their best is part of his DNA.