Kevin S. Fahie is the Beverage Manager at Road Town Wholesale. Photo: Provided

Having been with RTW over a year now, Kevin S. Fahie has promoted the beverage brands of the company at many events including Emancipation Festival, Spring Regatta and Music Fest. Photo: Provided

Kevin S. Fahie, 28, is no longer blazing the track but has found a new love in his job at Road Town Wholesale (RTW) where he is the Beverage Manager, having been promoted from Beverage Brand Manager just over two weeks ago.

Being in charge of the Beverage Department, Kevin has responsibility for its budget, sales, sponsorship and promoting of several brands of beverages. “Previously I was actually the one executing the events and now I get to delegate the events,” Kevin said of his new role.

Having been with RTW over a year now, Kevin has promoted the beverage brands of the company at many events including Emancipation Festival, Spring Regatta and Music Fest and has helped to promote many local entertainers including artiste Shine-I, although he said RTW promotes anyone whether it be local, expat or a visitor.

His work with RTW has also afforded him many travels and has helped him to grow in the area of marketing and managing. He recently had the opportunity to travel to California to start his certification in wine and noted he has made many trips to Barbados through promoting Mount Gay brand of rum. “I can blind taste that rum!”

Being a successful athlete in his own right, it could be understood why Kevin never wants to be stagnant and sees himself further succeeding at Road Town Wholesale. He was also not shy to say that the very top positions in the company were what he is eying for the future. “Whether it may be five or ten years, my goal is to keep going in this company until I get to the top one day...I want to be the Managing Director someday, or the Chief Executive Officer, my goal is to keep in it and learn as much as I can in this field that I am in right now.”

Our young professional has a Degree in Business Management from California State University, Northridge, minored in Marketing at USC and University of California, Irvine and an Associate’s Degree in Science from Central California College. A product of Willard Wheatley Primary School, Kevin said he only attended the then BVI High School for a few months before moving to St. Croix and then pursuing his tertiary education in the United States. 

At just 28 years of age, it would appear that Kevin’s life has already been very exciting, fulfilling and rewarding. He was a Marketing Coordinator for the famous Staples Center in the United States and has had the opportunity to work with the L.A. Lakers and L.A. Clippers basketball teams and L.A. Kings hockey team, although he admitted he is more of a San Antonio Spurs fan. Kevin recalled having to plan many half-time events, some of which had to be done and executed almost instantaneously. “If we had televised games and we looked at the ticket sales and there were empty seats I had to go out and find a way to fill the seats...I also worked with some of the players to do appearances.”

Admitting that it was a dream job, Kevin said his life took an unexpected but yet magical turn when he returned to the Virgin Islands to attend a cousin’s wedding. He would find the love of his life at that wedding and has remained on the island since. “I am very happy how things worked out, for me it worked out for the best, I love this job, and I got a family and nothing to complain about.”

While very enthusiastic about this job at RTW, Kevin admits that his heart is still with Track and Field, a sport that he has also seen much success over the years as he has competed at several meets across the world and has a strong desire to assist the young and upcoming athletes as much as possible.

As an athlete, Kevin specialised in the 200m and 400m and has competed in Europe, throughout the Caribbean, Brazil and Mexico.

Although it was a humbling experience for him, Kevin shared memories of his first international meet, which was held in the Bahamas. “I shared a lane with this tall skinny guy. Back then I didn’t know who the hell he was but everyone was like oh this guy is good and I remember talking crap to him before the race. At that time I thought I was the best thing ever because that was my first year in Track and I had never lost a race because we never travelled. I was cocky and when I saw this guy I said I heard you are good but I don’t think you could beat me...when I cross the line I will be looking for you.”

Our young professional said he was in lane 6 and the other athlete in lane 3 but by the time he had got off the first curve, the tall, skinny athlete had already passed him. “And he looked at me and smiled. The sad thing is that he actually waited for me at the finish line and patted me on the head and told me next time.” That athlete was Usain Bolt, the fast man in the world today.

Kevin also recalls running against big names like American sprinter Tyson Gay and Justin Gatlin.

Our young professional has much gratitude to his father Kelvin Fahie and mother Althea Jacobs, who he said made tough decisions but for his own benefit. “I was not an easy kid to deal with hence why I moved to St. Croix. I was very rude and didn’t care. At that age I felt I knew it all, my mom felt I needed a different scenery and in turn that really helped me...I am proud of where I came from, I am proud of the people that helped me in Track and Field, I am proud of my mom for moving me.”

Kevin encourages youth to never give up on their goals and to always believe in themselves. He also encourages especially young boys to engage in activities that would reduce their idle time. “For me it was track but there are also basketball, table tennis and different other sports. Get involved in these sports or some other meaningful activity. They will keep you out of trouble. Get in it, believe in yourself and stick it out because nothing is easy. It wasn’t easy for me but I stuck it out.”

Our young professional is a strong believer in the saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’. “A lot of people see kids going on the wrong path and they say nothing to them but instead they may go and talk about them, but instead of saying negative things about that child go talk to them, encourage them, help them out whatever the case may be. I think people tend to have this concept where they think helping out is giving them material things. Sometimes all that is need is a simple five-minute conversation.”

Kevin believes that many persons who engage in wrongdoing take such a rebellious stance because they believe that people don’t care about them. “Those five minutes may make a lot of difference in someone else’s life. That one person may surprise you and turn into something better than you expected, so I would say take time out and help these kids, talk to them, mentor them the best way you could."