Mario McPherson’s story begins in Lawrence Tavern, St. Andrew. That was 26 years ago.
His educational journey took him from Mona Primary to Kingsway High School then his track and field prowess parachuted him to Kingston College, where as a member of the Fortis brigade, he performed well.
His prospects for college were good, indeed, he was admitted to three Universities, Iowa State University in the United States, Fanshawe College in Canada and home-based University of Technology (UTECH).
His true passion was dentistry, but tuition costs put that dream out of his reach. Instead, he enrolled in a business course at UTECH and with the encouragement of a lecturer, joined the marketing club which paid big dividends for him.
McPherson became Marketing Vice President gaining experience through hosting school events. For example, he helped to raise $2 million, estimated then to have been the largest sum ever raised by a school club.
People were taking notice, and this effort helped to launch McPherson’s career as a marketing executive at Digicel, before he had even got his business degree at UTECH.
He recalls that the last Olympics brought in $18 million through hosting viewing parties at Usain Bolt’s Track and Records restaurant. As he explained it, the “Digicel Double Dat” concept began with a superior asking him how he would spend $100 million on an all-island promotion. McPherson went into overdrive thinking of all manner of gimmicks including carnival trucks, bikers, dancers, performances from top artists and a marching band. This vision came to life in Montego Bay in grand fashion and was extended to other parishes creating extraordinary buzz for the Digicel Group.
McPherson’s next stop was Quest Security services. He answered the call of owner Joseph Dibbs who was searching for a marketing and sales manager. “I remember walking in and seeing a long line of people, sixty in total. I was the third to be interviewed. After my interview the Human Resources Director told everyone to come back the following day for a Sales Rep Job because they found their new Sales and Marketing Director and I was just shocked.”
McPherson was immediately put to work to create a series of ten tennis tournaments over the span of a year. Such an assignment was not surprising because Dibbs is an avid tennis player. “We went crazy on this one,” McPherson recalls.
Many memorable moments were written in the history books during the series. Additionally, some tennis-related charities were given financial support in fulfillment of Mr. Dibbs’ hope that brilliant tennis stars will emerge to Jamaica’s glory.
McPherson made a stop at Coldax Mart, suppliers to educational institutions. Then came his interview at Global Exchange FX Services where he was seeking to become On-Site Manager.
When it was time to show qualifications, McPherson was the only candidate with a mere first degree, the others held Master’s and Doctoral degrees. “I felt totally misplaced,” he said. “I didn’t think I would get the job but I thought I should still hold out for a chance.”
Two weeks later, he got the call. He was the new On-Site Manager. “I could not believe it!” exclaimed McPherson. “I was placed to manage four Cambio offices and 60 employees. I did a month of rigorous training to prepare for the role.”
McPherson described it as boot camp with no lunch.
He got to work at 8 a.m. and trained up to 8 p.m. with only few breaks. “I had to learn the entire process and how to work with the different currencies. It was a lot but I was dedicated and I mastered it,” said McPherson.
Then everything crashed with the corona virus pandemic. Many airlines stopped flying, staff were being laid off and people were getting sick. The business operations were becoming too expensive, and the budget was slashed. Monthly performance bonuses were scraped. The situation was untenable so yes, McPherson was on the move once more. He is currently a wealth manager for micro- financing company, Sprint Financial. His specialty is funding people and businesses.
You will remember that McPherson’s first love was dentistry.
“During university though I studied business I always had a passion for dentistry. In CXC it was all about the sciences, so I did 8 subjects and passed all with flying colors. My parents couldn’t afford to fund that kind of tertiary level education for me, so I pretty much went with the flow and studied business.”
But this love for dentistry has not waned and to satisfy that desire, he created ELS Mobile Dentistry. “I employ dentists and dental hygienists and we became mobile.”
At the peak of the pandemic there was no dental practice. McPherson seized the moment and launched the business in September 2020 by taking the service to clients.
McPherson aims to revolutionize the way dentistry is done in Jamaica. “I love it, though I didn’t study it. So follow your passion,” he suggests.
McPherson describes himself as an entrepreneur who looks for greatness in people, adding value to people, society and economy. “I love to see people grow and I love to help people do their best.”
His experience in various business ventures has given him an insight which he now applies to his own business.
McPherson laments the fact that many people do not pay enough attention to their health. “For example, a girl would rather spend $20,000 on her hair than spend $5,000 to clean her teeth. I have seen the hottest of the hottest girls, from corporate professionals to models and celebrities, you name it. When you look in their mouth, it is like a completely different ball game. I have seen people who go on million-dollar trips and are probably one missed floss away from spending that amount on their teeth.”