Butch Stewart facts for kids

Gordon Arthur Cyril "Butch" Stewart (born July 6, 1941 – died January 4, 2021) was a famous Jamaican businessman. He was known for starting and leading many successful companies. His most famous businesses were Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts, which are popular hotels. He also founded The ATL Group and The Jamaica Observer newspaper.

Early Life and First Businesses

Gordon Arthur Cyril Stewart was born on July 6, 1941, in Kingston, Jamaica. He grew up on the north coast of the country. An American sailor gave him the nickname "Butch."

As a child, Butch helped his mother at her appliance store. When he was 12, he bought a small canoe. He used it to catch fish and sell them to hotels nearby. Later, he bought a bigger boat and used it until he was 17 years old.

Starting His Career

After finishing his education in England, Butch Stewart became a salesman. He worked his way up to become the sales manager of a company called Curaçao Trading Company.

In 1968, Stewart left that job to start his own business. He named it Appliance Traders, Ltd. At first, his company sold air conditioning units, water coolers, and stoves. Over time, it grew to sell many different kinds of products.

Building the Sandals Empire

In April 1981, Butch Stewart bought two old hotels in Montego Bay. They were called the Bay Roc and the Carlisle. The Bay Roc had been empty for over five years. Stewart spent $4 million to fix it up. He reopened it that same year as the Sandals Resort Beach Club. This hotel later became known as Sandals Montego Bay. This was the start of Sandals Resorts.

Butch Stewart brought new ideas to the hotel business. For example, in 1984, he built the Caribbean's first swim-up bar. This was at the Sandals Montego Bay Resort in Jamaica.

In 1985, he opened his second hotel, the Sandals Carlisle. The next year, he opened Sandals Royal Caribbean. This resort was special because it had its own private island in Jamaica.

Over the next few years, Stewart made Sandals Resorts even bigger. He opened resorts in Negril in 1988 and in Ocho Rios in 1989. In 1991, he opened another resort in Ocho Rios near the Dunn's River Falls. He also opened Sandals Antigua, which was his first resort outside Jamaica.

He added two more Sandals resorts in Saint Lucia in 1993. These were Sandals La Toc and Sandals Halcyon Beach. Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau opened in 1996. In 1997, Stewart started a new hotel chain for families and children. This was called Beaches Resorts, and the first one opened in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.

Other Businesses and Leadership

Butch Stewart also started The Jamaica Observer newspaper in January 1993. In 1994, he helped form a group to buy a large part of Air Jamaica, an airline. His group paid $37.5 million for most of the airline. Stewart owned 46 percent of it and became the chairman. In 2004, his group sold their shares back to the Jamaican Government.

In November 2006, Stewart became chairman of Sandals and Beaches Resorts. He appointed his son, Adam Stewart, as the CEO. In 2012, Stewart started Sandals Corporate University. This program helps adults who work at Sandals and Beaches Resorts learn new skills. It works with universities in Canada and Jamaica. By 2012, Stewart's businesses employed over 10,000 people in the Caribbean. These jobs were in hotels, restaurants, car sales, retail, and media.

Family Life

Butch Stewart had eight children. His son Brian Jardim is on the board of The Jamaica Observer. He also owns a seafood company called Rainforest Seafoods. His daughter Jamie Stewart-McConnell helped start a juice company in Jamaica. His oldest son, Robert “Bobby” Stewart, held important jobs at Sandals. Adam Stewart was the deputy chairman of Sandals. He also founded the Sandals Foundation.

Stewart lived in Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Death

Butch Stewart passed away in Miami, United States, on January 4, 2021. He was 79 years old. He had been sick with an illness that was not made public. A private funeral service was held for him.

Awards and Recognition

Butch Stewart received many awards and honors. These included Jamaica's highest national honors: the Order of Jamaica and Commander of the Order of Distinction. He also received honorary degrees from important universities.

In 1992, he received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award. This award recognized his work to help others. He was named "Master Entrepreneur of the decade of the 90s" by Ernst & Young. He also received Rotary International's highest award, the Paul Harris Fellow.

At the 2000 World Travel Awards, he was named "Travel Man of the Millennium." This was for his efforts to promote tourism in the Caribbean. In 2011, he received the Golden Eagle Humanitarian Award. This award recognized his help for education and new businesses in the Caribbean. In 2014, he won several more awards. These included Most Innovative All-Inclusive Resort Executive and Hotelier of the Year.

Butch Stewart also earned Lifetime Achievement Awards from several groups. These included The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences and Travel Weekly. He was seen as one of Jamaica's most admired businessmen.