Where the name comes from:
Neal & Massy's name goes back to a time when Trinidad was still a
British colony. Harry Neal, an English engineer founded Neal Engineering
in Port of Spain, Trinidad's capital, in 1923. Around the same time,
Charles Massy, an ambitious Trinidadian salesman of British parentage,
founded Massy Limited to sell motorcars. Neal Engineering acquired the
franchise for Chevrolet motorcars from General Motors. In 1932, Harry
and Charles decided to merge their companies, and Neal & Massy is born.

Early developments:
In 1958, the company goes public as a holding company, Neal and Massy
Holdings, and forms subsidiaries to carry on its business in specific
areas. The first two wholly owned subsidiaries are Neal and Massy
Limited and Tractors and Machinery Limited (Tracmac). In 1960, Auto
Rentals Limited, the third wholly owned subsidiary, is created to
provide services to the growing oil industry.

In 1966, Neal and Massy Industries Limited is inaugurated and the first
automotive assembly plant in the Caribbean is put on line. In May, the
first Vauxhall Victor 101 rolls off the production line. The first
shipment of locally assembled Holden motorcars is exported to Guyana,
which is the first time that vehicles manufactured in one Caribbean
country is exported to another.

Growth in the boom years of the late 60s/1970s
With the appointment of Sydney Knox as Chairman of Neal & Massy, the
Group starts to grow into the large conglomerate that would go into the
next decades.
One of the important additions to the Neal and Massy portfolio is in
1969 Grell and Company Limited, a major distributor of office equipment,
foodstuffs, wholesale meats, a Ship Chandlery service and a General
Insurance company, creating the largest and most divergent corporate
entity of the time.

As early as 1969, Neal and Massy establishes its Computer Department
with twenty-three employees and ICL 1900 medium size computer system.
In 1970, Neal and Massy Limited is appointed distributor in the Eastern
Caribbean for the Datsun line of cars and pickups and Nissan heavy
trucks. As bank loans to purchase cars are still practically
non-accessible for private people, the General Finance Company Limited
is created in a joint venture between Neal and Massy and the Royal Bank
of Canada. The new company finances retail sales of subsidiary companies
and offers attractive Fixed Deposit rates to the public.

In 1972, Neal and Massy begins making its mark in the Caribbean with the
founding of Trimarg s.a.r.l., a supplier of Xerox services, catering for
clients in French West Indian islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Surtrin n.v., a supplier of Xerox and Allied Office Equipment is
established in Suriname, and Neal & Massy acquires twenty-five percent
shareholding in Xerox Jamaica. Caribbean Home Insurance Company Limited
is established in association with AFIA Finance of the USA and Angostura
Bitters (J.G.B. Siegert & Sons Limited), and continues to be a Group
member until 2001.

In 1975, the Neal and Massy Group merges with Canning and Company
Limited, bringing together the capabilities of two of the largest and
oldest companies in the Caribbean in the area of food processing and
distribution. Canning brings the Hi-Lo Supermarket Chain into the Group,
which was to become an important "cash cow" in the early 1990s.
Also in that year, Neal and Massy acquires Industrial Gases Limited and
merges with the Liquid Carbonic Group to produce and distribute
industrial gases in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados and Jamaica.
At the end of the 1970s, which are also the closing years of an oil boom
in Trinidad and Tobago, the Neal and Massy Group under Knox is comprised
of ... companies!

The 80s and 90s - Challenges during the Recession
In 1980, Complete Computer Systems Limited (CCS) in Trinidad and
Caribbean Computer Systems Limited in Barbados commence operations. Neal
and Massy Incorporated in Miami is established as a purchasing and
shipping subsidiary after acquiring the NCR line of office equipment.
Three years later, CCS is appointed the Distributor for Apple Macintosh
computers.

In the last years of the oil boom, in 1982, Neal and Massy Industries
Limited opens the new car assembly plant which enhances the Company‚s
ability to supply vehicles in volume and with unparalleled quality for
the local and regional export markets.

In 1984, Cannings Foods Limited opens new food processing plants geared
to greater volume production of Ice Cream, Yogurt, Soft Drinks and the
processing of poultry. A new U.H.T. Plant produces juices and dairy
products for the domestic market and export.
Several Group companies begin to make progress in regional trade,
including; CCS, Risk Management Services Limited, Caribbean Home
Insurance Company Limited and General Finance Company Limited, which
make significant inroads in the financial sectors of several Caribbean
countries.

In 1992, in the largest corporate maneuvre since the Cannings merger in
1975, the Neal and Massy Group of Companies acquires the T. Geddes Grant
Group. The enlarged Group now consists of nearly seven thousand
employees, an asset base of TT$1.5 billion and over a hundred companies
and operations throughout the Caribbean. Subsequently, a joint venture
is also formed in Guyana between T. Geddes Grant (Guyana) Limited and
Courts Furnishers (Overseas) Limited.
The Group secures representation for Hyundai, the largest vehicle
manufacturer of South Korea. The range of vehicles is marketed by Mel‚s
Automotive Limited.

ISO 9000 Quality System Standards implemented to meet the challenges of
developing export markets, and competing on the international front on
price and product quality.

Restructuring in the 1990s
In 1995, Jesus Pazos is appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Neal
and Massy Group. Under his leadership, a team of Neal & Massy Executives
restructure the Group to meet the new requirements of a changed
marketplace, retaining only those activities which have a viable future
for the Group.

From 1996 onwards, the Group undergoes a major re-structuring exercise
which included the closing of unprofitable operations or companies and
the selling off of assets which were no longer required in the Group. By
the end of 1997, the Group remains with fifty companies. W. Sidney Knox
retires after 44 years and is succeeded by Ken Gordon, Chairman and CEO
of Caribbean Communications Network Limited.
In 1998, the long standing and mutually beneficial alliance with the
Angostura Group ends but a new relationship with Barbados Shipping and
Trading Company Limited, the largest Group in Barbados, is finalised. In
addition, a strategic relationship with the Guardian Holdings Group is
developed.

At the threshold of a New Millennium
In 1999, the recovery of the Group is complete and it is well poised to
take advantage of the opportunities of the future. Neal & Massy invests
TT$239M (US$38M) in new activities, and there is a new emphasis on the
energy sector through a joint venture lease operatorship with Petrotrin.
In 2000, Jesus Pazos retires as CEO, and Bernard Dulal Whiteway succeeds
him. Also, Ken Gordon retires and is succeeded by Nazir Ahamad.