St Lucia Business Focus 85

Issue No. 85

Windward & Leeward Brewery Ltd. Celebrates 40 Years

Growing with Saint Lucia! www.stluciafocus.com www.stluciafocus.com www.stluciafocus.com

Jan/Feb 2016

Nowadays, every business is an IT business. But is your IT keeping up?

Workspace Solutions

brings together the best of the C&W Managed and Cloud Services, all delivered over the region’s most

powerful fibre network with easy to understand packages and pri cing.

Workspace Solutions

will form the IT foundation for your organisation for today and the future letting you do what you do

best: Running your business.

Services Managed Networking

Cloud Security

Cloud Voice

• Private Wide Area Network (WAN) to connect your business sites.

• Local Area Network (LAN) at each of your business sites.

• Enterprise grade Wi-Fi at each business site for your wireless devices.

• “Turnkey” service includes site survey, design, installation & equipment.*

• Fully managed Next Generation Firewall, Intrusion Prevention (IPS), Content Filtering & Access Control in the cloud.

• No on-site equipment or expertise required.

• Endpoint protection provides Anti-Virus and secure connection for compatible computers (Windows® XP or later & Mac® OS X®) and mobile devices (Android™ & Apple® iOS).

• Private Branch Exchange (PBX) using the latest Voice over IP technology delivered from our resilient, carrier-grade cloud infrastructure.

Includes telephone lines, handsets, local numbers and extensions (call charges extra).

• Add Workspace Solutions Communicate Builders for conferencing, mobile integration and other great features (sold separately).

* Internal cabling is not included and must meet ANSI/TIA-568 international standard.

Microsoft® and Windows® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. Apple® and Mac® OS X® are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. IOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the.U.S and other countries and is used under license.

Google® is a registered trademark of Google Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Android™ is a trademark of Google Inc.

Contact us: 453-9000

or email slu-corporatesalessupport@time4lime.com

www.cwc.com

R FO

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

LE

SA BEL JOU HOTEL ST LUCIA

64-room full-service resort hotel, beautifully maintained to international standards Total Property Size 3.7 acres – approx 15,000 sq. metres

FOR PRICING GUIDANCE, SALES VIDEO AND DETAILED PROPERTY INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT www.CaribbeanHotelOpportunity.com Further details from Jonathan Everett of agents : Home Services Ltd. T: 1 (758) 452 0450 E: homeservices@candw.lc Or from Joel Crocker of : MacLellan & Associates T: 1 (758) 452 0862 E: joel@machospitalityconsultants.com BusinessFocus

Jan / Feb

|

1

Terms and conditions apply. Copyright Š 2016 Axcel Finance. All rights reserved.

YOUR GROWTH IDEAS + OUR FINANCING =

YOUR SUCCESS Axcelerate your business with

VISIT US TODAY OR CALL US AT 450-8222 AXCEL FINANCE CASTRIES Lamar Building, Bridge Street, PO Box C2009, Castries

Vieux Fort Gabelwoods South Mall, Unit # 22

Tel: (758) 450-8222 Fax: (758) 450-8224 slu@axcelfinance.com www.axcelfinance.com

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

2

Soufriere GTM Building, Bridge Street

No. 85

BF Jan/Feb 2016

CONTENTS FEATURE 25. WinLee Brewery 40 Years 26. Cheers to Another 40 Years of Growing with St. Lucia!

27. Heineken: Family Owned and Operated Since 1864 28. Passion for Quality 30. We Produce Some of the Highest-Quality Beverages in the World 31. Our Employees 32. Our Business Partners 34. Respect for People and the Planet 36. Protecting Saint Lucia’s Water Resources 37. Responsible Consumption 38. Making Moderate Consumption Aspirational 40. Investing in Youth Development 42. There in Times of Need 44. Enjoyment of Life 46. Bringing Enjoyment to Life with Brands People Love 48. A Look Back in Time

04. Editor’s Focus 06. Business Briefs 08. The Board ‘s Oversight Role in it Governance

Technology 10. C&W Business Receives Company of the Year Award 10. Digicel Business Achieves Gold Certification in the Caribbean

18. Republic Bank Ltd. is Caribbean Bank of the Year 20. $790.8m Profit for First Citizens 22. World Bank Programme to make 100 Firms Investment-Ready

89. The Traditional Salesman Misunderstood

52. MINI FEATURE

91. University of Guyana Wins ‘100,000 Strong in the Americas’ Funding for Study Abroad with Support from Exxon Mobil

The People’s Entrepreneur Michael Chastanet

58. Growing The Coco Palm Family 64. Into The Future

92. St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce Elects New Executive

66. The Kreole Flavour

93. Baron Foods Limited Blazing the Trail in Cuba

68. Ocean Blue Property Consultants Ltd.

94. On Branding: Truth Told Beautifully

70. Caribbean Alliance Insurance Receives Further Financial Strength Upgrade

Youth In Focus

Environmental Focus

94. Saint Lucian to Receive Young Leadership Award from Her Majesty The Queen

72. Guyana, CARICOM Sign 6 Million Project With Italy to Combat Climate Change

94. Branson Centre Seeks Start-up Entrepreneurs for Its Training Programme

73. Zaika Saint Lucia’s Authentic Indian Dining Experience Delivered

Tourism Focus

76. Sagicor Life Inc Positioning for Further Growth and Expansion

Economy & Trade 78. Saint Lucia to Benefit from XCD$20M Aid for Fishing and Tourism 79. LUCELEC in Major Energy Deal

14. 1st National Bank Modernizes Communications Infrastructure with Digicel Business as the Provider of Choice

81. Courts Opens First Optical Store in Saint Lucia

17. NCBJ Now Owns 29.9% of Guardian Group

88. White Concrete

90. Hot and Heavy Cou r t s h i p

80. IMHO: Intellectual Property (2)

16. Sir Dwight Venner Retires as ECCB Governor / New Governor Appointed

86. Is Everyone an Entrepreneur?

50. Must Reads

12. Digicel Group Buys Paymaster

Money Matters

In The Know

82. Jamaica’s ATL Automotive Now Regional Dealer for BMW and MINI 83. FAO Concerned About Regional Food Insecurity 84. Family Business- Successful or Explosive?

96. SLHTA Declares 2016 “Year of Environment” 97. SLHTA and Springboard Collaborate on Food Safety & HACCP Training 98. 25th Anniversary of St. Lucia Jazz Festival Launched 99. Sandals Invests EC$10M to Open 3 New Restaurants

Health & Wealth 100. Personalised Medicine 101. Zika Moves Across the Caribbean

102. Major Moves 104. Events 2015 105. New Company Registrations 106. Advertisers Index BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

3

Visionary Leadership and Focused Management:

A Tested Formula for Long Term Success!

Happy New Year and Best Wishes for your continued success in 2016. Many of us would have done our reviews and confirmed plans to be executed during the year to guarantee our growth and success.

Coming out of 2015 we are all aware of the national economic challenges and look forward to the efforts of Government with support from the private sector in delivering a new surge of investments and developments towards economic resurgence.

The reduction of the VAT threshold, the launch of the CIP, the Gros Islet Highway Project, the new Sunwing Resort at Smuggler’s Cove, Courts Unicomer Mega Store, Sandals Grande Expansion, Hewanorra Airport Lokesh Singh Expansion and Castries Port Development are Editor / Managing Director some of the many initiatives which will drive economic activity.

The private sector has shown resilience despite the turbulent economic environment with a number of significant projects being executed which augurs well for our future.

Tourism continues to be the industry leader and the increased arrivals and global accolades for the destination augur well. The Saint Lucia Tourist Board needs to be commended for its efforts in marketing Saint Lucia In this issue we highlight two icons of the private sector whose stories are great examples of visionary leadership and focused management which have ensured their longevity and success.

The Windward & Leeward Brewery Celebrates its 40th Anniversary and what a journey it has been – as Saint Lucia’s principal manufacturing enterprise producing a range of world class brands, it has impacted all aspects of the economic and social life in Saint Lucia and beyond.

Mr Michael Chastanet at 80 years of age is a business icon whose name is synonymous with success. His range of investments and bold business initiatives are a compelling success story. We celebrate his longevity and maturing of his Coco Palm Resort as they celebrate ten years as a new standard bearer in the tourism sector.

BUSINESSFOCUS Business Focus magazine is published every two months by Advertising & Marketing Services Limited (AMS), Saint Lucia.

Editor / Managing Director: Lokesh Singh lokesh@amsstlucia.com Graphic Designer: Cecil Sylvester Advertising Sales: Cennette Flavien - cennette@amsstlucia.com Hudson Myers - hudson@amsstlucia.com Webmaster: Advertising & Marketing Services Photography: Cecil Sylvester | TEPA | Feolla Chastanet www.scubastlucia.com | www.news.power102fm.com www. stluciatimes.com | www.jamaicaobserver.com www.parsherald.com | www.burwoodplaza.com.au Contributors: Dr Chris Bart | Dr. Ofir Turel | Lyndell Halliday Lyndell Halliday | Brian Ramsey | Dawn French Samuel Rosenberg | Sir Richard Branson Kezia Preville | Pilaiye Cenac | Hanna Fitz Karena Bennett | Caribbean Tourism Organization Jamaica Observer | Jamaica Gleaner | Inews Guyana SLHTA | WLBL | Sagicor | Feolla Chastanet | Zaika Editorial, Advertising, Design & Production: Advertising & Marketing Services P.O. Box 2003, Castries, Saint Lucia Tel: (758) 453-1149; Fax: (758) 453-1290 email: ams@candw.lc www.amsstlucia.com, www.stluciafocus.com Business Focus welcomes contributions from professionals or writers in specialized fields or areas of interest.

Reproduction of any material contained herein without written approval, constitutes a violation of copyright.

Business Focus reserves the right to determine the content of the publication.

We hope that you will enjoy reading the other stories in the pages of this Issue of Business Focus and be inspired by the shining examples of enterprise and success highlighted.

Like you, we are excited about the prospects going forward and will continue to share the passion for excellence and success in future issues.

We thank you for your support and look forward to working with you during 2016 and beyond.

On The Cover:

Windward & Leeward Brewery Ltd.

Happy Reading!

Celebrates 40 Years Growing with Saint Lucia!

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

4

DIGICEL ONLINE BACK UP

Back up your data automatically online

Organisations store enormous amounts of data. However, many organisations and users do not back up their data on a regular basis because they don’t have the time, back up processes are too time consuming, or they simply forget to do so. The ramifications of a major data loss are so great that most companies that have the misfortune to experience it, don’t survive for more than six months afterwards.

Business data is only as good as the back up system that is in place. That’s why it’s so critical to have a modern and dependable system in place to safeguard valuable business information.

With Digicel Online Back Up, you can preserve and restore all of your files in a secure, offsite environment without a major capital investment.

We even manage the setup and the maintenance for you, so you can concentrate on your business. Our Online Back Up solution offers the crucial protection you need to ensure the continuity of your business. Don’t leave your most valuable business assets vulnerable for another day.

Why Digicel Online Back up Cost-effective with pay-as-you-go structure Ease of use Optimal business continuity Elimination of human error Scalability Largest private cloud in the region Data stored to Digicel’s Tier III data centre certified by the UpTime Institute 24/7 helpdesk provides continuous support

To get the technology you need to keep you ahead, Contact Digicel Business at 1 758 724 6001 or digicelbusinessslu@digicelgroup.com Complete solutions for your needs WWW.DIGICELBUSINESS.COM

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

5

BUSINESS BRIEFS CHTA Education Foundation Scholarships Opportunity Now Open

The SLHTA is pleased to circulate information regarding CHTA scholarships. Applicants are kindly asked to review the following link www.caribbeanhotelandtourism. com/CHTAEFapplication and complete the attached application form.

Kindly note that upon completion of the attached application form, all documents should be submitted to the SLHTA for endorsement. After endorsement is received from the SLHTA, applicants are then required to submit the completed applications to CHTA for processing and consideration.

Please note that applications should reach the CHTA no later than 30th March 2016. ¤

Saint Lucia Divers Association Discuss Plans for 2016

The Saint Lucia Divers Association held a Special Meeting of its Members at the SLHTA Offices.

The purpose of the Meeting was to provide updates on the work of the Association last year and discuss the work plan for 2016. Of key importance is the discussion on membership of the SLHTA. Over the coming year, the two Associations plan to collaborate to boost training specific to the dive sector, increase the number of dive sites in Saint Lucia, undertake marine preservation awareness, host Divefest 2016, strengthen relationships with agencies such as the SMMA, SLTB, SLHTA, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Tourism and other international agencies. ¤ BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

6

NCPC Launch Television Series - Productivity Matters

The National Competitiveness and Productivity Council (NCPC) have announced the broadcast dates for their new television series ‘Productivity Matters’.

a new policy which bars the importation of gasoline-powered vehicles more than four years old. Previously, foreign used car dealers were allowed to import vehicles that were up to six years old.

The series, which is funded by Compete Caribbean, gives insight into organisations and agencies within Saint Lucia’s private and public sectors, whose programs and initiatives focus on productivity and/or competitiveness.

The policy, which takes immediate effect, also restricts prospective buyers importing cars for personal use to doing so every four years instead of every three years.

The series which comprises of six episodes, made its debut in January 2016.

Marketing Analyst at the NCPC, Mrs Geraldine Bicette Joseph stated, ‘There are many organisations out there that are doing great things in regards to helping develop the nation through productivity initiatives and we believe that it is only right for their efforts to be highlighted.

Each episode within the series varies significantly from the other as we have looked at a range of individuals and subject matters including the Construction Industry, Solid Waste Management, the Public Service, the Commercial Division of the High Court and Young Entrepreneurs’.

‘At the NCPC we also recognise that it is sometimes hard to grasp the concepts of productivity and competitiveness and so we hope that the series will illustrate how these concepts, when applied practically, bring about a positive outcome for the nation’. ¤

T&T Moves to Regulate Used Car Imports New Ruling: No Used Cars Over Four Years Old Allowed In a move expected to shake up the foreign used car industry, Trade Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon recently announced

“The decision was also taken that the current age limit of three years for diesel-powered cars and four years for CNG-powered cars which are allowed for importation be maintained,” the Minister said during a media briefing at the Ministry’s offices at Nicholas Towers, Portof-Spain.

Gopee-Scoon said the application process for any new person or business seeking to register as a Foreign Used Car Dealer has been temporarily suspended as the Trade Ministry is currently undertaking a comprehensive review and audit of the existing policy. The review, which will include discussions with relevant stakeholders, will be concluded by March 31. ¤

FLOW Announces Upgrade to LTE in Jamaica Telecommunications company FLOW has announced that it is carrying out work on a Long Term Evolution (LTE) upgrade to sections of its network that will introduce advanced next-generation mobile internet speeds to Jamaica.

In a press release, FLOW described the move as ground-breaking and said that it will facilitate mobile internet connectivity of up to 10 times faster than the 4G mobile speeds which FLOW subscribers all across Jamaica now enjoy.

BUSINESS BRIEFS The $2.4 million deal will set up a Fiber Optic Wide Area Network (WAN) in the public sector that Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of the Civil service Allyson Forte said would provide the infrastructure for government to implement its human resource development strategy and e-government programmes.

“These are indeed exciting times for the FLOW brand as we are constantly pushing the boundaries in our bid to meet and exceed the expectations of our customers,” said Garfield Sinclair, managing director of FLOW Jamaica.

Sinclair added that this technology is sure to delight customers as it places Jamaica on par with, if not ahead, of many developed countries around the globe.

“Initially we will be rolling out LTE in major high traffic sections of the Kingston metropolitan area and of the North Coast,” he explained.

At the official signing of the agreement at the Ministry’s Culloden Road offices, Forte said the network would be a “secure and cost-effective gateway for government” and he added the extensive utilisation of IP telephony will result in cost savings.

General Manager Digicel Business Martin Keogh described it as an “unprecedented agreement” that would make the government of Barbados connected “like it has never been connected before”. ¤

Barbados Government Signs $2.4 M Connectivity Agreement with Digicel Business

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of the Civil Service Allyson Forte (left) and General manager Digicel Business Martin Keogh prepare to sign the WAN agreement.

(Picture by Christoff Griffith) The Barbados Government recently signed an agreement with telecommunications provider Digicel Business that will see the eventual connectivity of all government data and networks.

“The feeling and the consensus is that the customer experience is improving significantly and that’s the feeling but we also have the stats. We survey our customers every single week and we are seeing a big improvement on customers perception of the Flow service.” ¤

UWI Students Recieve CIBC Scholarships

Cable & Wireless Establishes Regional Human Resources Base in Barbados

With the use of handheld devices including smartphones, tablets and Wi-Fi devices, customers will be able to access super-fast Mobile Internet network with connectivity that is expected to be up to 50 megabits per second (Mbps) on the downlink and 5 Mbps on the uplink in areas where the service is introduced.

It is anticipated that this new LTE platform once successfully implemented in Jamaica will be rolled out across the entire Caribbean as part of FLOW’s expansion and development plan. ¤

Sheehy also said Flow was so serious about improving customer service that “we have 300 people working on the customer experience side to improve how we interact with our customers”.

Barbados lost out to Jamaica as the location of Cable & Wireless’ (C&W) new Caribbean Call Centre, but the island has been chosen as the regional base for C&W’s Human Resources Services.

“One of the things we are actually quite pleased of is Barbados has been chosen as the shared services centre for human resources, so we are looking to serve the regional team here out of Barbados. We are always looking for new technologies, new services,” said Flow Barbados Managing Director Niall Sheehy.

He also said the Barbados operation had “increased the number of people working either directly or on contracts, significantly since the start of the year”.

“There are around 700 to 750 people now working directly either as contractors or full time in customer service roles, or service delivery roles or in retail roles, so the numbers have actually increased because of the merger,” he said.

Two students of the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus will be the beneficiaries of one off scholarships from CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank.

The scholarships worth BD$10 000 each was awarded in honour of outgoing Chief Executive Officer of the Bank, Pik Parkhill, whose tenure ended December 31st, 2015.

In addition to this latest initiative, CIBC FirstCaribbean awards 15 scholarships annually to undergraduate and postgraduate students of the UWI as part of a longstanding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). It also offered a one-off Student Empowerment Scholarship earlier this year as part of the bank’s Adopt-a-Cause programme.

The bank also offers research grants for post-graduate students and supports a number of lectures as part of the MOU. It entered its first MOU with the university in 2003, shortly after its formation in October of 2002. ¤

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

7

O v e r s i g h t Ro l e i n

I T

G o v e r n a n c e

By: Dr. Chris Bart, FCPA and Dr. Ofir Turel

Not so long ago, it was accepted that boards of directors had little responsibility, if any, in terms of providing ‘oversight’ of the corporation’s information technology (IT) operations.

A

s a result, they tended to be only passive receivers of IT information and expressed little interest in their organization’s return on its IT investments. This ‘IT indifference’ on the part of boards was happening despite the fact that some firms (principally in the financial services sector) were spending half their capital budgets on IT. However, given the IT disasters at American retail giants Winners and TJMax, the married dating site Ashley Maddison, and global powerhouses like Sony, this indifference has also proven to be to be a financially and reputationally costly attitude.

Accordingly, corporate boards today are being increasingly challenged to provide more and better “oversight” – or supervision - of their organizations’ IT function in order to reduce the risks facing their enterprises, such as the loss or embarrassment occurring from fraud, error, non-compliance or cyberterrorism. Additionally, around the world, more and more regulators of publicly listed companies are pushing boards of directors to plan, assess and monitor the quality of their organization’s IT systems which collect and disseminate financial information.

It is therefore critical that directors now seek to better understand their organization’s IT operations. This includes: their IT’s current infrastructure relative to their particular industry; the sufficiency of the annual IT budget allocation; and IT’s relationship to any future business model.

Indeed, without such understanding,

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

8

boards may fail to adequately serve the interests of their corporations in general and their shareholders in particular.

Structuring the Board for IT Oversight Interestingly, in response, the boards of some organizations (e.g. FedEx, HewlettPackard, Home Depot, American Airlines, Wal-Mart) have created a board-level IT governance committee (or mandated another board committee e.g., Audit or Risk) with the responsibility to supervise and appraise IT operations. Others have approved the creation of a Chief Information Officer position (to increase operational oversight of IT) and then regularly request his/her attendance at board meetings. There is also increased attention being paid regarding the selection of directors. The board’s nominating committee is now expected to seriously weigh and evaluate the experience and backgrounds of current directors to determine if they have the right skill set to oversee IT and, if not, what type of IT expertise needs to be added.

The Oversight Process Once the IT governance structure has been set up, the principle activity which the directors need to perform for discharging their specific IT oversight responsibilities is to ask pertinent, probing and thought-provoking questions of management. In so doing, directors can help senior managers drive changes in the right direction, generate new insights, and gain the assurances they need regarding the capability and competence of IT

operations as well as the appropriateness of IT investments.

Recently, my colleague Dr. Ofir Turel and myself set about trying to better understand the magnitude of IT oversight that board members provide through the IT issues they probe and discuss in the boardroom. Our survey involved over 100 directors. We were also interested in determining whether the board-level oversight provided might depend on a

Dr. Chris Bart, FCPA is a recognized global governance authority, the author of two best sellers, and Co-Founder of the Caribbean Governance Training Institute.

The Institute is currently providing throughout the Caribbean an intensive 3 day corporate governance program leading to the prestigious, internationally recognized, Chartered Director (C.Dir.) designation. For more information visit CGTI’s website: http://www. caribbeangovernancetraininginstitute. com/ or phone Lisa at 758 451 2500

perhaps just easier to deal with) than others. The most and least popular ones are listed in Table 1.

We also found that, in line with the conventional wisdom, boards appear

Dr. Ofir Turel

firm’s particular IT needs and, additionally, whether it influenced performance.

What we found was that the vast majority of boards routinely raised many questions about their firm’s IT. We counted 27 different types of questions in total. However, the average number of questions raised was only 12. This suggests (as might be expected) that not all board-level IT questions have the same weight, presence or importance in the minds of the directors. Some questions appeared to be more important (or

to employ a “contingency approach” when discussing their organization’s IT. Depending on their organizations’ magnitude of need for “innovative, stateof-the-art IT” and/or “reliable (no fail) IT”, boards adjust their IT governance oversight accordingly. Companies with lower needs along these two dimensions therefore had boards that tended to raise, on average, less IT questions than those firms with higher needs.

But is this practice advantageous?

The surprising answer appears to be “no”. We found that regardless of the circumstances, the more IT questions the directors raised, the better their organizations performed. Thus, even companies with a low need for state-ofthe-art and/or reliable IT could benefit from high levels of IT board oversight.

Why? Because casting a wider net of IT board oversight appears to help companies mitigate IT risks better, use IT more efficiently, and generate greater

strategic gains with IT, regardless of their IT situations. Therefore, the more that boards systematically inquire into their organization’s IT operations, the more they help contribute to the creation and sustainability of a competitive advantage through IT. In conclusion, effective board oversight of an organization’s IT can be an essential component in an organization’s success and continuity. Yet many boards either fail to address this need or do so poorly leaving their firms and themselves vulnerable. So here’s the big, uncomfortable question for Caribbean directors: to what extent does your board have the assurance it needs regarding your organization’s oversight of IT? If you think that there is room for improvement in the way your board carries out this important governance oversight function, you might want to consider sending them to one of the corporate governance training programs currently available in the region – like the unique 3 day Chartered Director Program currently being offered by The Caribbean Governance Training Institute. After all, it’s not education which is expensive, but rather ignorance. ¤

We Provide the following services in addition to the refueling of vehicles: Soufriere 758-459-7729

Cooking gas – both Sol and TexGas * Telephone top up – Lime/Digicel Vehicle accessories, car batteries, air fresheners * Lottery Tickets Oils and lubricants * Ice * Convenient store

Location: Fond Cacao, Soufriere Telephone : 459 -7831/459-7729 BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

9

BUSINESSTECH TECH BUSINESS

C&W Business Receives Company of the Year Award

D

igicel Business, the region’s leading Business Solutions provider, announced in January that it has retained its Cisco® Gold Certification as well as the Master Cloud Managed Services Provider designation for its operations across the Caribbean – the highest levels of partner certifications from Cisco.

C

able & Wireless Business has received Frost & Sullivan’s ‘Company of the Year Award’ for 2015.

The award was given to C&W Business for its robust product portfolio and outstanding customer service.

Frost and Sullivan has said that in an environment where technological change is rapid and constant, and businesses require specialized support to address specific needs, C&W Business has created a solid and unique position in the market through its high-quality, one-stop-shop solutions.

The organization’s suite of solutions includes data communications, unified communications, data center services, managed networking, cloud services and business continuity.

The corporate culture of C&W Business is deeply oriented toward identifying first-to-market growth opportunities and pioneering the launch of innovative products. In addition to constant market research and investigation of the competitive landscape, the firm also interacts closely with partners and providers to capture market trends and stay aware of state-ofthe-art solutions under development.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated excellence in terms of growth strategy and implementation. The award recognizes a high degree of innovation with products and technologies, and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration. ¤

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

Digicel Business Achieves Gold Certification in the Caribbean

|

10

“We are thrilled to have retained these certifications, which make Digicel the most certified telecoms partner in the Caribbean and speak to the credibility and competence of our team of over 140 highly trained ICT experts across the Caribbean,” said Martin Carroll, COO of Digicel Business.

Carroll added, “This is very important to us and our customers.

Delivering scalable, innovative and reliable solutions to our customers that will help them to drive efficiency and increase their bottom line form a huge part of our focus at Digicel.

However, the other equally important aspect for us is to provide them with a world class support system – and this is what we’ve been able to do using Cisco’s customer satisfaction best practices and marketing support.”

To earn Gold Certification, Digicel Business, in its operations across the Caribbean, has once again succeeded in meeting the rigorous standards set by Cisco in terms of networking competency, service, support and customer satisfaction.

As a Cisco Gold Certified Partner, Digicel Business has met the requirements for attaining the broadest range of expertise across multiple technologies by achieving Cisco advanced specialisations in the areas of enterprise networks architecture, security architecture, collaboration architecture, data centre architecture, and service provider architecture. In addition, Digicel Business has integrated Cisco Hybrid IT, the resale of cloud and managed services, into its offerings, which ensures high customer satisfaction in collaboration with Cisco. ¤

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

11

BUSINESSTECH TECH BUSINESS

Digicel Group Buys Paymaster

Digicel Acquires Prism

D

igicel Group has acquired controlling interest in Prism Holdings as it seeks to expand its products and services.

Prism Holdings is a privately held business-tobusiness company operating in 22 countries with regional headquarters in Barbados, and offices in the Bahamas, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago.

Details of the transaction were not disclosed, however, head of group public relations, Antonia Graham, in an emailed response to the Jamaica Observer, stated that “in line with the convergence of digital communications across the globe, we are continuing to expand our range of products and services. Prism Holdings, as a financial services powerhouse, fitted in with that vision.”

D

Prism Holdings is a conglomerate with one of its subsidiary being Prism Services Inc, part-owner of the loyalty rewards company Magna Rewards. The company’s core services include data centre solutions, electronic financial processing, contact centre, records and asset management, mailing and fulfillment solutions, and loyalty management. igicel Group has acquired a majority interest in Paymaster, Jamaica’s first bill payment company pioneered by Ambassador Audrey Marks.

The cost of the acquisition was not disclosed.

Marks will be staying with the company as Executive Chairman of Paymaster and will retain a stake in the company.

“This move gives Paymaster the ability to capitalise on some big opportunities particularly in the areas of online and mobile-based payments. Given our already positive working relationship, we quickly established that Digicel Group is the right strategic partner for Paymaster and I am very excited about the future,” said Marks in a joint statement with Digicel regarding the takeover.

The businesswoman founded the company in 1997, and now Paymaster has 170 shops in Jamaica agent relationships with and more than 40,000 locations in the United States and Canada.

“Paymaster is a great brand and a great product and we are delighted to welcome it to the Digicel family as we expand our range of products and services consistent with the convergence of communications, e-commerce and financial services,” said Digicel Group CEO, Colm Delves. ¤ BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

12

Indications are that Digicel will be expanding its services to include all aspects of Prism’s core services. Prism’s payment system -- electronic financial processing -- involves the processing of more than 20,000 debit cards transaction each day and the clearing of half a million cheques per month. Its records and asset management company, Stronghold Data Solutions, provides comprehensive records management and storage solutions that anticipate and address the needs of customers of all sizes in the Caribbean.

The deal to purchase controlling interest in St Lucia-based International Media Content (IMC) also gave the regional telecommunications firm a toehold in the North American market through CEEN-TV, which targets the Diaspora in the US tri-state area and in Canada.

Digicel stated that the co-managing directors will remain in their current position.

“This move means accelerated growth for our business and gives us the ability to take advantage of bigger opportunities coming down the track. Digicel is the right strategic partner for us and we are looking forward to growing together,” the co-managers said. ¤ Courtesy: Jamaica Observer

FAST CASH

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

13

1ST NATIONAL BANK MODERNIZES COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE WITH DIGICEL BUSINESS AS THE PROVIDER OF CHOICE The 1st National Bank as part of its strategic review of its operations has opted to engage the region’s leading full service business solutions partner to supply, commission and support the telephony requirements of its head office and all branch offices in Saint Lucia.

This decision, which entails the complete replacement of its main Private Branch Exchange (PBX) with a state of the art IP Office Server Edition IP PBX from AVAYA inclusive of video conferencing capabilities connecting all branches and head office in Saint Lucia.

A key objective of this engagement was to ensure operational efficiencies through cost reduction and work flow optimization as like any organization in today’s economic environment, the management of the 1st National Bank was keen to institute meaningful initiatives which would result in tangible operational cost reductions particularly with regards to the annual spend of the bank.

Digicel Business through their engagement with the 1st National Bank provided the assurance that as a partner, their team of engineers and corporate support staff were focused on delivering total business success by not only understanding the needs of the bank but equally working tandem with the management and staff of the bank in support of understanding the challenges faced, in an effort to empower 1st National Bank with real solutions specifically designed to generate real results.

Digicel have provided 1st National Bank with a range of telecommunications services including Dedicated Internet Access, IP PBX and Video Conferencing.

Digicel Business Products and Services to 1st National Bank Dedicated Internet Access Digicel's carrier network extends across the Caribbean and Central America to the United States and is built using a combination of optical fibre and state-of-the art microwave links. The entire connection is provided independently of any competitor infrastructure, and works entirely without sharing any network elements with or relying upon any other local telecommunications provider, either on or off-island.

Digicel Business Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) service provides the best reliable, high quality internet service for any business.

Digicel has provided 1st National Bank with BusinessFocus Jan / Feb the | 14 Dedicated Internet Access giving 1st National

Selwyn Adams – Business Solutions Senior Engineer, Robert Fevrier – Manager Projects and Services Philbert Lubrin – Corporate Sales Manager

Bank greater connectivity at a lower cost. The 1st National Bank can now enjoy the benefits of a single, unshared line directly into the Digicel Business Network. Our network meets The 1st National Bank’s stringent corporate security requirements for data encryption, information integrity and confidentiality.

This service is backed by our leading service level agreement (SLA) ensuring The 1st National Bank business, the best response time in case of technical difficulties.

Benefits for The 1st National Bank • Quality dedicated internet business connection • Guaranteed service speed and bandwidth • Consistent high performance service delivery • Highest level of data security • World class internet infrastructure • Providing industry leading SLA's ensuring maximum availability Video and Audio Conferencing Digicel has provided a state of the art Avaya Scopia Radvision Video Conferencing solution which will accelerate 1st National Bank’s productivity. This solution delivers advanced HD, voice and video collaboration anytime, anywhere enabling 1st National Bank to setup virtual meeting room and collaborate face to face with staff, partners and customers from anywhere using a PC, MAC or the latest mobile device allowing every participant to share documents, annotate materials and collaborate in online meetings made for a mobile workforce.

IP PBX Digicel Business has provided The 1st National Bank with a “turn-key solution” for their Telecommunication needs, delivered with the implementation of the Avaya IP Office Server Edition IP PBX solution.

Our solution offers a reliable, world-class information technology platform for the delivery of services including data, voice, fax, video and mobility. Digicel will deliver to The 1st National Bank, a solution that will be intuitive, secure, easy-to-use, and provide a host of hospitality services, such as in-room guest services, advanced voice and unified communications applications. With these and other benefits, The 1st National Bank will experience professional services, all with the goal of improving service quality and lowering the total cost of ownership.

To get the technology you need to keep you ahead, Contact Digicel Business at: 1 758 724 6001 or digicelbusinessslu@digicelgroup.com Complete solutions for your needs.

Communication Tools SMS

Benefits of Collaboration

Instant Messaging

Customer Service

Email

Mobility

Mobile Device Desktop Sharing

Unified Communications (UC)

Unified Communications (UC) uses the network as a platform to coordinate communication tools and channels such as the office phone, laptops and tablets, with services such as email and interactive calendaring UC allows greater collaboration in the workforce as information can be shared easily as users have a variety of methods at their disposal.

Cost Savings

Increased Productivity

Video Conference

Changing the Voice of your Business: Uni ed Communications and Collaboration

The State of Business Communication

Traditionally, communications within a business was limited to face-to –face meetings and telephone calls. Today, millions of device and service are transforming the way our businesses communicate. The growing popularity of communication tools such as email, text messaging, instant messaging, videoconferencing and desktop sharing have revolutionized the voice of today’s business, erasing the boundaries that previously existed between each channel.

Now our cellular phones do the work of several devicesgiving you access to your email, wherever you are, while allowing you to schedule meetings with co-workers on a shared calendar, make a videoconference call and send broadcast messages using instant-messenger apps. This is done through Unified Communications (UC), a solution that integrates various communication channels so that information is easily shared across the corporate network.

How does it work?

UC uses the network as a platform to coordinate devices such as the office phone, laptops and tablets, with services such as email and interactive calendaring. With this level of integration, employees are able to communicate using voice, email and other mixed media from one mailbox, regardless of the access device being used.

Contact Digicel Business today for further details at 758 724 6001 or at digicelbusinessslu@digicelgorup.com

Why use Unified Communications?

Aside from integrating disparate communication channels within the business, UC also provides service consolidation, eliminating the need to have multiple providers to fulfill the communication needs of your business. According to Business Solutions Senior Engineer, Selwyn Adams, “With the economic pinch being faced by many organizations, businesses and government entities have to be making the most of the fewer resources while finding ways to serve their customers better and improve collaboration. within the workforce, This forces them to find creative ways to facilitate the growing trend of mobility and respond to the demands of their customer while gaining competitive advantage and cutting costs.

A Unified Communications solution can help them to achieve this and give them greater power of collaboration.”

Digicel Business has had tremendous success in designing, commissioning and maintaining a number of Unified Communication Solutions with companies such as St Lucia Electricity Services (LUCELEC), East Caribbean Financial Holding (ECFH) and the Government of Saint Lucia’s Unified Communications project.

Collaboration

Michael Schrage, a research fellow at MIT Sloan School’s Center for Digital Business defines collaboration as “a process of value creation that our traditional structures of communication and teamwork can’t achieve” Collaboration refers to employees being able to share information with ease across a consolidated BusinessFocus Jan / Feb | 15 communication platform.

MONEY MATTERS

Sir Dwight Venner Retires as ECCB

Governor / New

Governor Appointed

A

fter 26 years of dedicated service an era has ended at the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB) Sir Kenneth Dwight Vincent Venner announced in December his move to retire from the St. Kitts and Nevis based institution.

The Saint Vincent native is a 2012 recipient of the Saint Lucia Cross for outstanding contribution to economics and finance.

Prior to his service at ECCB, Sir Dwight was Director of Finance and Planning in the Government of Saint Lucia from 1981 to 1989.

The St Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris hailed the leadership skills of Sir Venner, as one that has been pivotal in the growth and expansion of the Bank. According to Harris, it also led to the growth and stability in the OECS financial system, while laying the foundations for sustainable development and transformation of ECCU countries.

The Saint Lucian Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony thanked Venner for his dedicated service while showing deep concern for the ordinary people of the region.

Grenadian Economist Timothy Antoine has been appointed the new Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, and will assume to post on February 1.

Antoine leaves behind his post as Permanent Secretary in Grenada’s Finance Ministry.

He has been described by Chairman of the Monetary Council, Victor Banks, as an outstanding Caribbean professional with a clear vision for the ECCB and has demonstrated commitment to the development of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union.

Mr Antoine brings to his new position, senior managerial experience, having served as Grenada’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance for fourteen (14) years.

Grenadian Economist Timothy Antoine BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

16

He also has significant regulatory experience as a member of the ECCB Board for 12 years and as Chairman of the Grenada Authority for the Regulation of Financial Institutions for the past seven years. ¤

NCBJ now owns 29.9% of Guardian Group The completion of the transaction is subject to it receiving all necessary regulatory approvals in T&T and in Jamaica.

The NCBJ acquisition of the significant stake in GHL will see Lok Jack remain as the chairman of the GHL board and the majority of the board will continue to be independent directors, according to a Guardian Group statement released at yesterday’s briefing.

Guardian Group CEO Ravi Tewari said: “The alignment of NCBJ and GHL is a very positive development and holds great opportunity for our shareholders, our clients and our employees.”

For the 12-month period ending September 30, 2015, NCBJ declared a net profit of J$12.3 billion, which works out to be about US$102 million, from assets of J$523.8 billion (about US$4.4 billion). At its December 2014 year end, Guardian Group’s net profit was $400 million (US$63 million). ¤

Seated l-r: Mr. Imtiaz Ahamad, Major Shareholder and Director GHL, Mr. Arthur Lok Jack, Major Shareholder and Chairman GHL, Mr. Micheal Lee Chin, Chairman NCBJ. Standing l-r: Mr. Ravi Tewari, Guardian Group CEO and Mr. Patrick Hylton, Managing Director NCBJ.

T shares.

he stake purchased by NCBJ, whose majority shareholder is Jamaican billionaire Michael Lee Chin, is significant because it is just under the 30 per cent threshold that would have triggered a mandatory takeover bid for all of Guardian Group’s outstanding

The transaction involved the Lok Jack and Ahamad families selling most of their stake in Guardian Group to NCBJ through a private sale. Also selling some of its shares to NCBJ was the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank affiliate that invested US$75 million in Guardian Group in 2010.

The transaction also involved the Lok Jack and Ahamad families buying back the 12 per cent stake in GHL held by the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and IFC’s remaining shares, leading to the exit from Guardian Group of its two blue-chip foreign investors.

The result would be that NCBJ is GHL’s largest single shareholder; the Lok Jack and Ahamad families would jointly be the second largest shareholding block with a 22 per cent stake and both RBC and the IFC have ended their shareholding relationship with the Westmoorings-based insurance company.

Mongiraud, Gros Islet, P.O. Box 8330 Choc Cell: (758) 484-9007 Tel: (758) 721-7201 • 452-8022/32 Fax: (758) 452-0030 Email: hotsports@candw.lc Web: hsautorental.com BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

17

MONEY MATTERS BUSINESS TECH

Republic Bank Ltd.

L

Caribbean Bank of the Year

eading international banking and finance publication LatinFinance has named Republic Bank Limited (RBL), Bank of the Year-Caribbean 2015. Published from New York and Miami, with a network of correspondents across Latin America and the Caribbean, the magazine has covered banking and capital markets in the region for more than two decades.

According to an online article on the LatinFinance website, the awards recognise financial institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean that have demonstrated excellence in retail, commercial and investment services between July 1, 2014 and June 30,2015. In recognising the bank’s achievement, the website read: “Amid rocky economic forecasts, many lenders across Latin America have focused on stabilising their businesses at home.

“Republic Bank is one that has bucked the trend, growing inorganically with international acquisitions.”

RBL was also named, the Bank of the Year in T&T for 2015. In 2006 and 2008, the bank won The Best Bank Award and in 2010 Trinidad and Tobago Best Bank.

Commenting on the bank’s double award success, Republic Bank’s managing director, David Dulal-Whiteway said: “Being the leading bank for the past 179 years, it is an honour to be recognised, once again for our longstanding and dedicated service to the people of the Caribbean.”

Dulal-Whiteway added that these successes earned RBL international recognition, and as T&T forges ahead toward developed nation status, it will continue to be a bank of international standards, creating a benchmark for the rest of the industry.

In making the awards, LatinFinance’s editors take into account financial data for banks over the reference period, including but not limited to, total assets, capital ratios, return on equity and return on assets, as well as market opinion.

Latin Finance is the only magazine that examines cross-border finance and investment in Latin America and the Caribbean. ¤

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

18

David J. Dulal-Whiteway

R

Republic Bank Forms Holding Company epublic Bank recently announced the incorporation of a holding company, Republic Financial Holdings Limited, which will now serve as the parent company for its banking subsidiaries in the Caribbean, South America and Africa.

In a press release, the Bank stated that the restructuring will not affect it operations, customers or the price of RFHL (formerly RBL) shares. Following is the content of the release: Republic Bank was pleased to announce the formation of the Holding Company, which was completed in late December 2015.

The restructuring was effected by a vesting order under the Financial Institutions Act, Chap 79:09, in Trinidad and Tobago, and successfully brings the structure of the Republic Bank Group in line with international best practices to facilitate future growth.

Under the holding company structure, the Group plans to capitalise on greater operational efficiency and strategic focus that will lead to increased value for clients, employees and shareholders.

Following the change, Republic Holdings Limited will now be the parent of all the banks in the Group – Republic Bank Limited, Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited, Republic Bank (Barbados) Limited, Republic Bank (Grenada) Limited, HFC Bank (Ghana), Republic Bank (Suriname) N.V and Republic Bank (Cayman) Limited.

Republic Financial Holdings Limited will also be the parent of Republic Securities Limited.

The trading symbol of the new listed entity on the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange will be RFHL. ¤

A taste of Paradise in every drop...

Goddard Catering Group (St. Lucia) Ltd. Hewanora Int'l Airport, P.O. Box #363, Vieux Fort, St. Lucia Phone: 758- 459-6400 • Fax: 758 454 6206 BusinessFocus Jan / Feb | 19 Website: www.goddard-catering.com or www.goddardenterprisesltd.com • www.paradisewaterstlucia.com

MONEY MATTERS

$790.8m Profit for First Citizens Cuba Seals

‘Historic’ Debt Pact

with Paris Club

C

uba has recently concluded a “historic accord” over debt that has been unpaid to foreign creditors for the last 25 years.

F

First Citizens Chairman Anthony Smart irst Citizens Bank is recording a $790.8 million profit in 2015.

The bank’s chairman Anthony Smart told shareholders that the profit before tax of $790.8 million was the result of diversification from traditional interest income to a greater focus on fee based lines of business.

The bank’s financial highlights for the year ended September 30, which were posted on the T&T Stock Exchange late last year, showed a 2.4 per cent increase in profit before tax compared to 2014.

Profit after tax was $630.4 million, which was an increase of $3.8 million from 2014.

According to Smart, significant growth was shown in both customer loans and investment portfolios of 24 per cent and 17.7 per cent respectively.

These financial achievements were bolstered by First Citizens receiving the Bank of the Year T&T award from Banker Magazine.

Smart said First Citizens also continues to be one of the best rated indigenous banks in the English-speaking Caribbean and was recently rated Baa2 by Moody’s and BBB+ by Standard and Poor’s. ¤ BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

20

French Finance Minister Michel Sapin made the announcement recently, saying that the accord helps to definitively resolve the issue of Cuba’s medium-term debt which has not been honoured since the 1980s.

The cumulative interest amounting to US$4 billion (3.6 billion euros) will be waived, while the unpaid debt of $2.6 billion to France will be paid by Cuba over a period of 18 years, depending on its economic situation, he said.

“This arrangement offers a framework for a sustainable and definitive solution to the question of arrears due by the Republic of Cuba to the Group of the Creditors of Cuba covering a total stock of debt of US$11.1 billion, including late interest, as of 31 October 2015,” the Paris Club said in a separate statement.

The Paris Club is an informal group of public creditors created in 1956. Its members include officials from 20 industrialised countries who meet to try to resolve payment problems of debtor nations.

Cuba owes money to Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom within the Paris Club.

President Raul Castro, who took over from his brother Fidel in 2006, began normalising relations with creditors in 2009 as part of an effort to revamp the island’s Soviet-style economy.

The objective has been to generate confidence, gain access to credit, and attract foreign investment. ¤

Let Us Build Your Financial Future Together Manage your wealth with First Citizens Investment Services.

With our in depth knowledge of the ďŹ nancial markets and our unparalleled personalised service, we make meeting your investment goals our top priority.

Call or visit today.

Trinidad & Tobago 1 (868) 622 3247 | 1 (868) 657 2662 St. Lucia 1 (758) 450 2662 Barbados 1 (246) 417 6810 St. Vincent 1 (784) 453 2662

First Citizens Investment Services Limited is a licensed broker/dealer in the Eastern Caribbean Securities Market and is also incorporated in Barbados as First Citizens Investment Services (Barbados) Limited.

1 (868) 62-FIRST (623-4778) | www.ďŹ rstcitizenstt.com

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

21

Issue date: July 2nd, 2015

MONEY MATTERS

World Bank Programme

to make 100

Firms Investment-Ready

G

anesh Rasagam, a trainer under the World Bank Group’s Entrepreneurship Program for Innovation in the Caribbean (EPIC) is reporting that Caribbean nations have experienced low economic growth and high unemployment for several decades.

EPIC, a seven-year $20-M programme funded by the Government of Canada seeks to build an enabling environment for high growth. It held its first joint Hub and Spoke Workshop from December 2-3 in Kingston.

While speaking with the Jamaica Observer, Rasagan said that strengthening the capacity of 100 entrepreneurs, including at least 30 female entrepreneurs, was priority under the programme making them more bankable and thus investable.

“In general, Caribbean nations have experienced low economic growth and high unemployment for several decades. The region is highly exposed to economic shocks and natural disasters, and many nations are dependent on tourism and natural resources, rather than high-growth, knowledge-based sectors. This affects the size and the preparedness of markets for entrepreneurs in the Caribbean,” he said.

Ganesh Rasagam

“Underlying the growth gaps are low levels of productivity and competitiveness across the region, which call for a boost of private sector capacity to drive economic growth. EPIC promotes sustainable economic development by creating an enabling ecosystem for innovative, technology-enabled enterprises, whose growth has a multiplier effect across participating countries.”

EPIC’s programme also includes delivering a capacity-developing programme to 10 business enablers across the region (including three from Jamaica) to better serve entrepreneurs.

“The two major challenges identified under the Entrepreneurship Program for Innovation in the Caribbean are access to capacity building and training, and access to finance,” Rasagam said.

He noted that 69 implementation partners and policymakers improved capacity through business incubation management trainings, and over 250 entrepreneurs so far benefited from incubation services under EPIC. ¤ Story courtesy Jamaica Observer

Fed finally lifts key interest rate from near zero

T

US Federal Reserve Chair, Janet Yellen he United States Federal Reserve is raising interest rates after seven years of record lows. But it’s also signalling that further rate hikes will likely be made slowly as the economy strengthens further and muted inflation rises.

The Fed’s move to lift its key rate by a quarter-point to a range of 0.25 per cent to 0.5 per cent ends an extraordinary sevenyear period of near-zero rates that began at the depths of the 2008 financial crisis. Consumers and businesses could now face modestly higher rates on some loans.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

22

This action reflects the Federal Reserve’s belief that the economy has finally regained enough strength, six and a half years after the Great Recession ended, to withstand higher borrowing rates.

But the statement announcing the rate hike said the committee expects “only gradual increases” in rates going forward.

Rates on mortgages and car loans aren’t expected to rise much soon. The Reserve’s benchmark rate does not directly affect them. But rates on some other loans like credit cards and home equity credit lines, will likely rise, though probably only slightly as long as the hikes remain modest.

The central bank’s target for the federal funds rate - the interest that banks charge each other - has been at a record low between zero and 0.25 per cent since December 2008. ¤

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

23

app ONLINE BANKING

BANKING APP

ATM ATM SERVICES

INTERNATIONAL DEBIT CARD

Business...

Bank of William

With BOSL My Way Banking I get to handle many of my business and personal transactions that would normally be needed by visiting my branch.

And with the BOSL App now I get to access my accounts more quickly and efficiently.

LIKE US ON: FACEBOOK.COM/BANKOFSAINTLUCIA

WWW.BANKOFSAINTLUCIA.COM

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

24

Telephone: 1 (758) 456 6000 | Fax: 1 (758) 456 6720 | Email: info@bankofsaintlucia.com

FEATURE

Windward and Leeward Brewery Ltd

40 YEARS

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

25

Cheers to Another 40 Years of Growing with Saint Lucia!

We are honoured to be celebrating our 40th anniversary producing and selling the premium beverages that Saint Lucians have come to know and love. Windward and Leeward Brewery Ltd. (WLBL) has grown from a small brewery with only one beer, into one of the nation’s largest manufacturers with a vast portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic products including Heineken, Piton (Beer, Shandy, & Malt), Guinness, Desperados, Strongbow Cider, Amstel Bright, Red Stripe, Carib, Royal Club (soft drink), Climax (natural energy drink), Ti-Malta, VitaMalt, and Smalta.

We owe much of our success to the hard work of our founders, and their dedication to the belief that sustainable growth could only be achieved by focusing as much on how we help develop the people and communities we do business with, as we do on ourselves.

Passion for Quality, Respect for People and the Planet, and Enjoyment of Life.

These core values were instilled in our business from the beginning and have remained unchanged to this day.

They represent what we stand for as a corporate citizen, a business partner and an employer, and they inspire us and drive our business.

As we look to the future, we are committed to continue investing in our core values (which we summarise as our “quality, people, and brands”) to guarantee we play a significant role in Saint Lucia’s development for the next 40 years to come.

Cheers to Another 40 Years of Growing with Saint Lucia!

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

26

Our Economic Impact As we have grown, so too has our impact. Our value chain employs more than 2,000 people directly and indirectly (equating to three per cent of the Saint Lucian labour force), and the brewery itself now operates with over 100 staff members. This makes WLBL one of the largest employers throughout the whole of Saint Lucia.

A socio-economic study in 2012 indicated that, directly and indirectly, WLBL represents an impressive three per cent of the GDP of Saint Lucia, and accounts for four per cent of all tax collections. We are proud of the significant contribution we make to the economy of the island, and it reaffirms our commitment to take responsibility for more than just our own team and operations when doing business.

Heineken: Family Owned and Operated Since 1864 The HEINEKEN company has a rich heritage that began over 150 years ago when Gerard Adriaan Heineken first purchased the ‘HAYSTACK’ brewery, in the Netherlands.

The family’s passion remains as strong as when they first started brewing beer, and Heineken’s entrepreneurial spirit continues to drive the business. As the controlling shareholder, the Heineken family still plays an important role in directing the company today.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

27

Passion for Quality We always have, and always will place the utmost importance on quality. Ultimately, our business only works if we make great beverages, and for us, quality goes far beyond the products. It touches everything we do, and we continue to invest in our employees, business partners, and local communities, to ensure that our quality standards are upheld.

Being a HEINEKEN company, Heineken is obviously our flagship brand and everything that we do both at a brewery level, in terms of quality standards – and also at a marketing level – is very much associated with all the knowledge that we have gained from being part of a multinational organization.

One of the best ways to ensure our quality standards are met is through the local production of our products. This fosters in employees a personal relationship with the products they make, and drives them put out highest-quality products.

We are continually looking to expand our local production, and have recently added the all-natural herbal energy drink Climax into the local portfolio.

We operate in the same way as any other HEINEKEN subsidiary, according to the clear rules, best practices and guidelines for our various different functions, from marketing to supply chain, that are shared by our fellow subsidiaries around the world. In order to ensure that these global standards are met, we invest a significant amount in our equipment and people annually.

Cheers to Another 40 Years of Growing with Saint Lucia!

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

28

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

29

Passion for Quality

We Produce Some of the Highest-Quality Beverages in the World Every month, HEINEKEN breweries across the globe sends samples of their products back to Holland to be submitted in a blind taste test in order to ensure that global standards are met. Over the years, our dedication to quality has consistently yielded top results, and we are happy to report that the Heineken we produce is one of the best in the world.

Heineken is brewed in more than 70 countries worldwide and last year, we not only consistently scored higher than the global taste test average, but we have been acknowledged as the best tasting Heineken beer in the Americas.

Our Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is produced under license from Diageo and undergoes similar testing. We have also received great scores from their head office as well, and have tied with their Barbados brewery as the best tasting in the world.

Our Secret Ingredient Our passion for quality is easy to experience through any one of our products - just take a taste for yourself. What isn’t as apparent when enjoying one of our products is the impact of what we refer to as our “secret ingredient” our people.

Even though you won’t find the names of our employees and business partners on our labels, they have a tremendous impact on the quality of our products. Ultimately, we cannot be successful without them, which is why we invest a lot in their development annually.

Cheers to Another 40 Years of Growing with Saint Lucia!

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

30

Our Employees We believe that if we take care of our people, our people will take care of us. We encourage all employees to follow our lead and invest in themselves during their careers here. We use a self-directed 70:20:10 learning philosophy, where 70% of learning is derived from ‘on-the-job’ experiences, 20% through relationships and feedback, and the remaining 10% is delivered by formal training programmes.

Our employees have a multitude of resources they can take advantage of including online training modules, global best practice sharing platforms, and international market visits to broaden their perspectives and sharpen their skills.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

31

Passion for Quality

Our Business Partners Customers are the core of our business.

Since we can’t sell directly to consumers, we go through our customers, and we see them as our business partners. It’s not enough to just sell them our products. We rely on them to ensure that the consumers experience our products at the same high-quality standards that we hold ourselves to when producing them.

Creating a top-quality consumer experience is no mean feat. Not only does the product have to be stored and served correctly, but the atmosphere must match consumers’ expectations as well. For these reasons and more, we have dedicated a portion of our commercial department help our partners develop their businesses. The support we provide is based on our 40 years of working in the market, and help our partners focus on what they do best: selling product. This includes providing them with everything from branded point of sale items to eco-friendly refrigerators, helping with renovations, and providing insights on how to optimize their space. All the effort is worth it when our business partners succeed, and ensures the best possible consumer experience.

There are over 2000 outlets on island that sell our product, so in order to keep a high level of loyalty with our customers we have created the Star Points program.

The program allows customers accumulate points when they purchase our product which can be redeemed for everything from high-end point of sale items to additional product. Every year, we show our appreciation with a Customer Appreciation Day where we treat them to dinner and give away awards and prizes.

Cheers to Another 40 Years of Growing with Saint Lucia!

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

32

Our Supply Chain Our obsession with quality drives us to consistently deliver a premium product, so our supply chain is constantly evolving. For example, in 2006, we invested over $26 million XCD to expand capacity, and another $14 million XCD to be able to handle the new Heineken K2 bottles. On average we spend around $9 million XCD annually to make sure we’re operating at peak efficiency.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

33

Respect for People and the Planet

Respect for individuals, society and the environment is essential for sustainable business growth.

As a brewer, we advocate a policy of responsible alcohol consumption, both for our customers and our employees. As part of Saint Lucia, we cherish a corporate culture that embraces diversity and a business approach that honours local laws and regulations, and want to ensure that we have a positive impact on the communities we serve. The idea of sustainability as a business imperative means that we act now to mitigate the impact of environmental and social risks and that we look at ways to create genuine economic opportunities for both our business and our stakeholders.

Cheers to Another 40 Years of Growing with Saint Lucia!

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

34

Brewing a Better World Brewing a Better World is WLBL’s long-term approach for creating shared, sustainable value for our business and stakeholders. We launched the program in 2010 to focus on key areas we believe we could make the most difference, including protecting water resources, reducing CO2 emissions, and advocating responsible consumption.

In 2014, we expanded our program’s original focus areas to include two more pillars: promoting health and safety, and growing with communities. While these have always been an integral part of our business, adding them as pillars creates greater visibility both internally and externally.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

35

Respect for People and the Planet

Protecting Saint Lucia’s Water Resources The high-quality water supply is one of the main reasons Saint Lucia was chosen to be the site of HEINEKEN’s first CARICOM brewery, so it is in our best interest to do everything we can to protect it.

Our approach for addressing water-related issues is best described as ‘Water Stewardship’. For all our water-related investments, we consider how they benefit the wider community, not just our own business. We focus on these areas with two goals in mind: reduce water consumption by addressing avoidable losses, and minimise our impact by balancing (where possible) the water we use that cannot be returned to the local watershed.

At the brewery, we utilise a rainwater harvesting system to help offset water consumption, and all wastewater goes through a treatment process so it can be safely released back into the watershed. In our communities, we saw there was a need to help build resilience when natural disasters occurred, so we installed large rainwater harvesting tanks in several schools around the island to ensure they could stay open if there’s ever a disruption to the main water supply.

Currently, we’re embarking on a public-private partnership with Saint Lucia’s Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), through its International Water Stewardship Programme (IWaSP) to address water security risks in the southern areas of the island.

Cheers to Another 40 Years of Growing with Saint Lucia!

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

36

Responsible Consumption Beer is a natural product that has been enjoyed across the globe for thousands of years. For the majority of adults it is, and can be, part of a healthy balanced lifestyle when consumed in moderation.

While most people enjoy our products responsibly, there are still some who don’t. Clear health and behavioural risks are associated with overconsumption, either over time or on single occasions. For some occasions and some people, it is better not to drink alcohol at all. Harmful drinking hurts more than just the individuals themselves, but also the people around them and society as a whole.

Alcohol abuse is a complex issue without simple solutions or a one-size-fits-all approach, so we continually push ourselves to come up with new ways of encouraging responsible consumption.

We’ve found that one of the most effective ways to communicate this message with consumers is directly through our brands, and in 2004, we started including enjoy responsibly messaging in all of our commercial communications and packaging.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

37

Respect for People and the Planet

Making Moderate Consumption Aspirational We have a long history of encouraging responsible consumption and we take this role seriously. For us the goal is to make moderate, responsible consumption aspirational.

One of the ways in which we do this is to lead by example, so we require all emcees to routinely promote key responsible consumption talking points throughout our events. In addition, we have also implemented a mandatory water break programme. Halfway through an event, we suspend the sale of all alcohol for 15 minutes in order to promote responsible consumption and provide access to free water.

During our most recent event, Oktoberfest en Kweyol, we made the program more visual with reminder cards including tips on how to enjoy responsibly and rewarded the first 750 attendees with vouchers they could trade in at any time for a free bottle of water.

Cheers to Another 40 Years of Growing with Saint Lucia!

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

38

Putting Safety First At WLBL, we spend a lot of time, money, and effort to make our employees healthy and safety our top priority. Indeed, our slogan at the company is “Put Safety First.” Nothing is more important than ensuring that our employees and the people we work with are safe when they perform their duties so they can return home safely every night. Most accidents come from unsafe behaviour, so we focus on raising awareness with internal training and implement safety procedures in order to stop potentially dangerous actions from ever occurring in the first place.

We believe that it is our job to act as a positive role model. During our annual Safety Week, we go out into the communities to share the knowledge we have learned. Our most recent theme was “Road Safety.” A group of employee volunteers went to the island’s largest gas station and talked with approximately 500 drivers and provided them with tips about how they stay safe on the road.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

39

Respect for People and the Planet

Investing in Youth Development We have always placed a priority on giving the next generation a leg up when entering the workforce. Investing in our youth is an essential part of supporting not only our own future, but Saint Lucia’s as well. Every year we take part in Sir Arthur Lewis Community College’s job fair to give students career advice and talk to them about the different employment options WLBL offers. Our textbook and scholarship programmes have been some of our longest-running initiatives and have supported the scholastic achievements of our employees’ children for over 20 years.

In line with our 70:20:10 learning philosophy, we have also provided opportunities for work study programs and internships to give students real-world experiences that aid their professional development. In 2014 we expanded the program significantly when we started a partnership with Sir Arthur Lewis Community. The partnership gives 20 students the opportunity to work at WLBL for a period of four to eight weeks and exposes teaches them best practices while operating in a global marketplace.

Interns go through the same onboarding process as any other new WLBL recruit, and are held to the same high standards we expect from all WLBL employees. Because of the limited amount of spots we have to fill, not all students who apply are selected, but we try to help all potential candidates by providing feedback after their interviews on how to best market themselves when starting their careers.

Cheers to Another 40 Years of Growing with Saint Lucia!

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

40

A child’s health is directly related with how they will perform in school, so we support a wide variety of health-focused initiatives. In 2014, we partnered with the Plain View Combined School in Vieux Fort and started a school breakfast programme. The programme launched with a renovation of the school canteen , and is currently employing two part-time staff and provides nutritious breakfasts for 50 underprivileged students.

Sports are a great way to stay active and build character through positive social interactions.

We sponsor youth sports throughout Saint Lucia and support young athletes in everything from local football meets to international competitions like the Commonwealth Youth Games.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

41

Respect for People and the Planet

There in Times of Need Being part of a family owned and operated company has created a work culture in which we view all of the communities we operate in as part of our extended family. Global climate instability has led to more and more devastating storms hitting the Caribbean, and Saint Lucia was hit especially hard with Hurricane Tomas in 2010, and the Christmas Trough of 2013.

When the opportunity arose to help our extended family in a time of need, we worked together with the local Rotary Club, St. Lucia Red Cross Society, and WASCO to help provide disaster relief. We were extremely lucky when Hurricane Erica passed us by in 2015, but Dominica was not as fortunate. We asked our staff to contribute what they could and more than doubled their contribution so that we could donate $25,000 EC to help our neighboring island.

Cheers to Another 40 Years of Growing with Saint Lucia!

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

42

The Directors, Management and Staff of Guardsman St. Lucia would like to Congratulate Windward and Leeward Brewery on their 4Oth Anniversary

Comprehensive Security Services From a Single Source

GUARD SERVICES Armed, Unarmed & K-9

CASH-in-TRANSIT SERVICES

ALARM MONITORING & RESPONSE SERVICES

Unit 15, Colony House, John Compton Highway, Castries, Saint Lucia Tel: 1(758) 451-9911/3 • Fax: 1(758) 451-9914 Email: guardsmanslu@guardsmangroup.com Web: www.guardsmangroup.com

COURIER SERVICES Transporting of Valuables

ATM MAINTENANCE & SERVICING

Member of

Guardsman Group

PATROL SERVICES DEPOSIT PROCESSING

JAMAICA • SAINT LUCIA • BARBADOS • ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

43

Enjoyment of Life We are all about bringing enjoyment to life, and we believe the social experience is inseparable from our products. For our consumers, we sponsor music, sport, art, and other commercial events because we think they are great ways for people to come together and enjoy themselves.

For our employees, we make the workplace enjoyable by creating a fun atmosphere that encourages openness and personal growth.

Innovation is at the Heart of Our Business We are a successful business, and have remained the market leader because we look to excite consumers with amazing brands and new product innovations. We utilise a framework of consumer and market intelligence tools that enable us to tailor our products to the needs of the CARICOM region. Having a portfolio that includes a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, ensures we have enough variety to meet the changing demands of our consumers.

The Desperados brand is a great example of this. There was a relatively new variety called Desperados Red, which, despite being available globally, was not popular in international markets.

However, local market research indicated that it would be a popular flavour here in the Caribbean, and Desperados Red is now driving the growth of the Desperados brand.

Cheers to Another 40 Years of Growing with Saint Lucia!

St. Lucia!

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

44

Daher Broadcasting Service ST. LUCIA’S NEWS LEADER Congratulations from Management & Staff of Daher Broadcasting Service (DBS) To the Windward & Leeward Brewery Ltd (WLBL) on the occasion of their 40th Anniversary

Innovation, however, is not solely about new product profiles. It is also about offering solutions to satisfy the new needs and requirements of an ever-changing market. We have started to addressing affordability issues with new packaging and products.

P O Box 1623, Castries Tel: 758 453 2705/2768 Email: dbstv@candw.lc www.dbstvstlucia.com

Channels 2 & 10 Lime: 35 Karib Cable: 46

We offer high quality Screen Printing Services:

T-Shirts, Polo Shirts, Towels, Caps, Tote Bags, Drawstring Bags, Ribbons, Sport Shirts, Uniforms We customize Promotional Items: Pens, Pencils, Rulers, Mugs, Aluminium Bottles, Umbrellas, Key Rings, Insulated lunch Bags, Button Badges, Bottle Openers

Discount on your first Order located in Vide Bouteille, Castries Call us today @ 518-2051 or 715-2292 www.facebook.com/ButtonUp.SaintLucia

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

45

Enjoyment to Life

Bringing Enjoyment to Life with Brands People Love

Cheers to Another 40 Years of Growing with Saint Lucia!

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

46

For us, our products are best enjoyed socially, so we strive to create memorable experiences for our consumers to positively reflect on for years to come.

This has led us to play a part in developing and sponsoring many of the premier events Saint Lucians celebrate annually.

Piton is the official beer of Carnival, we sponsor community carnivals, calypso and soca competitions,

Water and Sewerage Company Inc

The Directors, Management and Staff of the Water and Sewerage Company Inc. would like to extend congratulations to the Windward and Leeward Brewery on the occassion of its

and the Carnival bands themselves. We also mark this momentous time in Saint Lucia, with a limited special edition label for our National beer Piton.

Heineken is the only remaining original sponsor of the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts festival. It was a natural fit to align our international premium brand with an international premium event, and last year we upped the stakes with a special Gold Pass VIP experience that provided a top-quality experience during the event.

We also see our events as a platform for local artists to enter the industry and our Heineken Green Synergy DJ competition and Piton Soca Starz competitions have enabled many artists to continue on to gain regional and international recognition.

P.O. Box 1481, L窶連nse Road, Castries, Saint Lucia Tel: (758) 457 3903 Email: wascot@candw.lc | Web: www.wascosaintlucia.com

T

T C

T H E

TROPHY CENTRE

We Supply, Design & Manufacture P.O. Box 363, San Souci Round About, Castries Tel: (758) 452.4151 Fax: (758) 452.1651 E: the_trophycentre@yahoo.com St. Vincent Tel: (784) 457.0100 Clarke Street, Vieux Fort Tel: (758) 454.5013

Trophies * Pins * Plaques Badges * Medals Cones(Field Markers) Shorts Uniforms * Certificates General Sporting Gear Services: Promotional Items, Screen Printing Personalized Engraving www.the-trophycentre.com www.sportlockaplus.com

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

47

A Look Back in Time While the quality of our products has remained consistent, our processes have changed considerably.

Here’s a quick look back at our last 40 years in Saint Lucia.

Cheers to Another 40 Years of Growing with Saint Lucia!

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

48

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

49

MUST READS

Volume 15

By: Lyndell Halliday

Leading with Emotional Intelligence

E

by Lyndell Halliday BSc., MBA, CPA,CMA

volutionary theory suggests that human emotions are vital to the endurance and dominance of the human race.

Learning how to harness and manage those emotions is a critical and underrated leadership skill. Psychology Today defines emotional intelligence as “the ability to identify and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others.” Its essential three elements are 1) emotional awareness, 2) the ability to harness emotions and 3) the ability to manage emotions. This issue of Must Reads delves into the topic of emotionally intelligent leadership featuring an “oldie and a goldie”: Primal Leadership by Daniel Goolman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee (Harvard Business Review Press, 2002) Primal Leadership by Daniel Goolman, Richard Boyatzis and Annie Mckee Daniel Goolman is a psychologist who has researched and written extensively on the topic of emotional intelligence. His first book aptly titled “Emotional Intelligence” was written in 1995 and is widely regarded as a pioneering work in the field.

This book quickly became a bestseller and the material has been extensively used and quoted in many leadership development courses. Since then, he has written several other books on different areas of emotional intelligence.

In another previous book, “ Working with Emotional Intelligence”, Goolman noted it is not enough to have expertise, experience and intelligence – what matters increasingly are personal qualities such as initiative, empathy, adaptability and persuasiveness. These are all components of emotional intelligence (EI).

Unlike IQ, which changes little throughout adulthood, however, EI is largely learned and can thus be taught and developed.

Specifically Goolman described five major components of emotional intelligence: Personal Competence (self-awareness, emotional awareness, accurate selfassessment and self-confidence); Self-

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

50

Regulation (self-control, trustworthiness, conscientiousness, adaptability and innovation); Motivation (achievement drive, commitment, initiative and optimism); Social Competence (understanding others, developing others, service orientation, leverage diversity, political awareness); and Social Skills (influence, communication, conflict management, leadership, change catalyst, building bonds, collaboration & cooperation, team capabilities).

– distilling it down to identify four core elements: self-awareness, selfmanagement, social awareness, and relationship management. In explaining how to lead with emotional intelligence, the authors introduce the concept of resonance – which they define as driving emotions positively. This is contrasted with dissonant leadership, which is more rational and far less influential.

Four resonant leadership styles are described: 1) Diplomatic, 2. Affiliative, 3.

Coaching and 4. Visionary. The dissonant leadership styles are pacesetting and commanding. The authors use real life stories and examples to illustrate the various leadership styles and to show the difference between effective and ineffective leadership.

In the second half of the book, Goolman et al outline how to go about becoming a more emotionally intelligent leader. They emphasize that becoming an emotionally intelligent leader is a process that will take time. The suggested plan evolves around setting a vision for oneself, self-reflection, building on strengths while minimizing weaknesses, experimenting and fostering relationships.

Some familiarity with Goolman’s previous books is helpful in setting the foundation for Primal Leadership. It however, can be read and understood on its own apart from Goolman’s previous works. In Primal Leadership, Goolman teams up with two other researchers: Annie McKee, a professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Business and Richard Boyatzis – a professor of organizational behaviour at Case Western Reserve University. The core premise of Primal Leadership is that emotions cannot be kept out of the work environment and that leaders who understand this and who learn how to harness their own emotions and the emotions of their followers are more effective. According to the authors, even if leaders manage to do every other thing right, if they “fail in this primal task of driving emotions in the right direction, nothing they do will work as well as it could or should.” They argue that the emotional task of the leader is the most critical role of the leader – i.e. emotional leadership is primal.

The authors cite research extensively – including research from the fields of psychology and neurology- to explain the importance of leading emotionally.

Goolman et al refine Goolman’s earlier expositions of emotional intelligence

Anyone who had worked with people already knows intuitively that emotions are a vital part of leadership. This book, however excels in explaining how best to understand and channel human emotions for maximum effectiveness as a leader.

Leaders at all levels are likely to benefit significantly from a careful study of Primal Leadership. ¤

Lyndell Halliday is an avid reader, lifelong learner and business executive who has served in a range of leadership roles across the Caribbean. He is currently employed as the General Manager of Automotive Art (St Lucia) Ltd. Mr Halliday also lectures Leadership & Operations Management for the Australia Institute of Business MBA programme at the National Research and Development Foundation.

• Access Control • Close Circuit Television Installation (CCTV) • Mobile Patrols

Burglary & Fire Alarm System The two systems offer you three forms of protection:- burglary, fire and emergency. The systems can be installed by two methods, either hardwire or wireless and can consist of one, to any number of keypads, which provides full control of the system’s operation. Various sensors such as motion detectors provide adequate coverage and protection over a specific perimeter area, along with magnetic contacts and glass-break detectors which secure all vulnerable entries & exits. Unlike the above described burglar alarm system the fire alarm system is slightly different.

It comprises of a selected number of

authorities or representatives in the event an alarm signal is received. All emergency alarms are received by our central monitoring station and a team of Dispatchers and a response routine is followed.

Benefits to Users: •

• • • • • •

It protects you and your home or establishments from intrusion, burglary, theft, fire and personal emergencies.

24 hour remote monitoring of your premises providing you with “Peace of Mind”.

Identification of exact point of alarm.

Able to upgrade or expand the system.

Remote assistance in case of personal emergency.

Continuously checks the health of your Security System with daily 24hour test.

Six months warranty.

SENTINEL SECURITY CO. LTD. offers you the comfort of knowing that home is protected and secured at all times.

Left to right front row: Miss Veronica Fanus Divisional Manager - Hewanorra International Airport, Mrs. Esther Eudoxie - Chief Executive Officer Miss Edgitha Joseph: Divisional Manager, George F.L. Charles Airport Left to right Second row: Mrs. Sylvia Anthony - General Manager Mrs. Melissa Cherubin, Accounts Officer Back : Mr. Anderson Melius, Alarms Manager

SENTINEL SECURITY CO. LTD. a home grown company, is one of the leading Security Service Providers here in St. Lucia, and has been doing so for over thirty-one (31) years. We offer a wide range of State of the Art Electronic Security Solutions, and we also proudly provide Aviation Security at the islands’ two airports.

strategically placed smoke or combustion detectors designed to provide early warning in case of a fire. Both systems are programmed automatically to transmit alarm or status messages over the phone line to our Central Monitoring Station.

The fire protection portion of your system is always on and will sound a fire alarm message to the Central Monitoring Station and will uniquely sound at keypad (s) and the external siren.

Products and Services

CENTRAL MONITORING STATION

The company provides the following products and services:

The Central Monitoring Station (CMS) generate remotely providing the preplanned customized response to cater to individual needs. The Central Monitoring system uses telephone lines, computer software and we have trained Dispatchers to monitor our customers’ security systems and we call the appropriate

SENTINEL SECURITY CO. LTD.

• • •

Highly trained Aviation Screening Officers Burglary and Fire Alarm Installation 24 hr Central Station Monitoring and Response

Look out for our Many Road Show Christmas Promotions commencing on November 21, 2015 in the Carellie Area.

Specials on: • • •

Full Alarm System & Monitoring CCTV Also take advantage of our Two in One for the price of 1, Fire and Burglary Alarm System.

SENTINEL SECURITY CO. LTD. SUNNY ACRES, CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA TEL: (758) 452-4242 / Fax: (758) 453-2635 EMAIL: sentinelxpress@hotmail.com BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

51

MONEY MATTERS BUSINESS TECH

The

People’s

Entrepreneur

“

To succeed in business you need a mixture of dedication, discipline, passion and drive.

”

MC receiving his Order of St Michael and St George ‘CMG’ honours at Buckingham Palace, London, UK (November 2010) BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

52

“

It is important to be in the right place at the right time, but you must be observant as well to understand the trends that impact on your core values.

A

”

t 80, Michael Chastanet, mega business magnate, is as optimistic about business as he was when he purchased his first boat that set him on this chosen path. Initially the wooden vessels he invested in with his brother, David, led to the launching of the “Michael David”, a schooner which travelled between the islands carrying flour which helped his mother’s bakery and to support their family of 10.

But as a young man growing up in Saint Lucia, he soon realised that one had to go abroad to source materials to provide for Saint Lucians wishing to do business. Moving his young family from Saint Lucia to Puerto Rico in 1968 was the commitment to expand his shipping business as this was a hub for cargo. It was a big move both personally and professionally but this instilled a work ethic in the family of what it takes to succeed.

“I have no regrets. If I had to do it again, I’d like to do it the same way all over again.” His 6’ 5” body is stretched out on his lounging chair, relaxed, and overlooking a soothing scene of the beach from his double glass office window. But work is never far away as he is also surrounded by files neatly stacked on a side table, some even on his chest as he answers phone calls in quick succession; the phone is a constant companion and his connection with a host of partners worldwide.

MC on holiday in Antibes, France

Chastanet is spontaneous, nostalgic and animated when he talks about shipping and it is clear that of his many endeavours shipping still has a hold on him as much as he has an investor’s love affair with boats. He tells many stories. And they seem more adventure than business. “It is important to be in the right place at the right time, but you must be observant as well to understand the trends that impact on your core values.”

And because of this, business never shuts down for the ever optimistic Chastanet, who at one time was up to seventeen ships. The crew on board were mostly Saint Lucians and the captains and engineers were European as Chastanet offered support to address issues as ships delayed in port cost money.

Gablewoods Mall at Sunny Acres

Over the forty years in shipping with upgrades to second hand steel hulls, purchased to carry various cargo, including containers, coffee, lumber and cement from ports in Africa, Canada, North and South America and all ports in between.

However, with oil hitting $18 a barrel, Chastanet did the maths and since returns on his cargo were not covering the fuel costs, Chastanet retired from shipping.

Chastanet returned to Saint Lucia after fifteen years abroad with fresh eyes to invest and improve business in Saint Lucia; and not before moving between Puerto Rico, Florida and New York with his children, Allen and Feolla – both of them becoming bilingual and fluent in Spanish with an ease of living and travelling to various countries.

Michael Chastanet and family with Sandals’ Butch Stewart

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

53

“

My interest is to take care of our people (employees) and this gives me the deepest sense of satisfaction.

”

Chastanet describes himself as an ‘entrepreneur’; this simply means he has a wide interest in a variety of businesses. He adds, however, he is an entrepreneur who “puts people first”. “To succeed in business you need a mixture of dedication, discipline, passion and drive.” He explains: with these you develop an inner feeling – a gut feeling and intuition - that allows you to take risks and to think outside the box - even when the rest of the world is saying otherwise.”

Mr & Mrs Chastanet at Feolla’s graduation from Manhattanville College, NY 1986

He put this business philosophy to the test in one such partnership with Barbadian partners and this saw the launch of the Carnival Sailing catamarans and Caribbean Metals, both of which continue today. The challenge of doing business in Saint Lucia comes back, he says, to two key factors: no mass market to create volume and the weak buying power. As an investor, Chastanet believes it is the return on the investment which makes the decision if a project is to go ahead.

Business is what keeps Chastanet keen and sharp. He has one eye on developments locally and regionally and the other on the global perspective of market trends. But he also has one heart and one mind focused on doing business that creates opportunities, not just for himself but for all Saint Lucians.

Chastanet defies all the stereotypical perceptions that come with his 80th birthday milestone. As he moves from file to file and continues answering calls, he reaches for a sheet of paper and reads the lyrics of a song – penned for a local calypsonian in which he is portrayed as a greedy businessman intent on having it all and who would do anything to get it all. Chastanet roars with laugher when he is done reading because he knows the very opposite to be true. “The many Saint Lucians who are part of our businesses share in our successes; and I believe that the successes we have is because we respect those who make it happen.” He gives examples of employees who are rewarded as partners in business and who became shareholders. “My interest is to take care of our people (employees) and this gives me the deepest sense of satisfaction.”

MC celebrating New Year’s Eve at KoKo Cabana 2012

MC with ‘Ms Coco Palm’ Patricia Charles

With his Insights into trends abroad, he started warehouses on John Compton Highway. This soon developed on a larger scale when Michael opened the Gablewoods Mall, first in Sunny Acres and then Vieux Fort, both of which still operate today. Perhaps his biggest tenant at the malls was Julie’N Supermarket, which could be considered the “engines” of the malls. When the Barbadians partners opted to leave Saint Lucia, Chastanet had no choice but to buy them out - which was not his initial plan -but 22 years later it turned out to be one of his best investments when he sold out his shares to the Trinidadian conglomerate, Neal & Massy, at the end of 2013. Though this decision caused concern for Saint Lucians, Chastanet, however, saw it as an opportunity and had confidence that he was putting the chain in good hands which would sustain the growth and services provided.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

54

MC in Dublin, Ireland

Taste A Piece Of

Paradise At

Soufriere Estate

Explore the Diamond Falls, Mineral Baths & Botanical Gardens

Soufriere, St. lucia W.I. Tel: 1(758) 459-7155 Email: soufestate@candw.lc Website: www.diamondstlucia.com

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

55

Eight of the ten Chastanet siblings

The opportunity to purchase the Candyo Inn in 2002 was the start of his entry into the hospitality business which seemed a welcomed addition to his portfolio as both Allen, his son, and Feolla, his daughter, are both passionate about tourism and hospitality, and have been involved in this sector for the last thirty years. To date his biggest investment has been Coco Resorts, which includes the 103 room Coco Palm Hotel in Rodney Bay and once again this has brought him close ties with key business partners in Barbados, Dominica, and Jamaica.

Michael and Judy Chastanet & family

Chastanet is among the proudest of Saint Lucians whose opinion of business on island is highly sought after. His endorsements carry a lot of weight and can make or break many a deal. His contributions to Saint Lucia’s business development have been recognised by the Saint Lucian Government with national honours being bestowed on him as a Member of British Empire (MBE) and Order of Saint Michael and Saint George(CMG) which he received from Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace.

The sun is setting and Chastanet takes yet another call. It is for a late afternoon meeting and the guests have arrived. As he gets up to let them in he chuckles with assurance and “spirit”: “I can’t believe I am already 80 years. I feel like I have just started.”

MC eyeing up Grenada’s Medical school BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

56

Michael & Feolla Chastanet at Open Mike recording

We Supply

BEVERAGES DAIRY SEAFOOD SPIRITS

PRODUCE GROCERY MEATS WINES

PLEASE CALL:

custsvc@slu.cpj.com

(758) 458-7551

“Where Service is Just the Beginning”

Premium Purified

Drinking Water The Choice is Clear,

Bridge Street, Castries

DU BOULAY’S BOTTLING CO LTD

452-2280 or 452-2870

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

57

Growing The

Coco Palm

Family

Coco Palm, Saint Lucia’s family owned and managed boutique hotel in the heart of Rodney Bay Village celebrated their tenth anniversary last year. At a formal dinner, eighteen of the original employees were honoured and lauded for their decade of service. The hotel is uniquely Saint Lucian and Caribbean; it fosters a ‘family of employees’ and 150 employees make an integrated, close-knit team. As the Chairman, Michael Chastanet, stated at the dinner, “this is YOUR Hotel”. And judging from the applause, all agreed.

The eighteen honourees received 10th Anniversary pins marking their ten years of service along with 10th Anniversary memorabilia. Celebrations continued with a soiree for key suppliers and business partners at KoKo Cabana and a Carnival Sailing party cruise for team members and their families.

One thing you learn rather quickly about Coco Palm Hotel is: “We’re Family”. This is no idle boast, nor a glib pronouncement.

It is a fact of life which makes the resort a special place for Saint Lucians and visitors alike – A place to “come-back-again-andagain”.

The concept of “family” in hospitality is not new but what is outstandingly apparent is that Coco Palm has taken this to another level where staff and visitors live it – together – every moment they are on property.

Founder and Managing Director of Coco Resorts, Allen BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

58

MC with Coco Palm’s Ernie George and Claudine Gilbert

Feolla and Michael Chastanet at Coco Beauty Clinic

Chastanet, had this dream: To create an oasis in the busy Rodney Bay strip. His model is South Beach, Florida, and borrowed the concept of the “Village”, renaming the strip Rodney Bay Village – and incorporated his own insights. He wanted this oasis to be “apart and different” and “to have the intimacy of a small guest house, the “sexiness” of a boutique hotel, and the facilities and service of a large resort, all with a Caribbean feel and atmosphere.” He added: “When we talk about Family, it means FAMILY COMES FIRST, no matter what else is happening. We are not just family in ownership but in the trust given to each other – staff and guests; without the people – our family members pouring heart and soul into what they do – it would be a different Coco Creole.”

After ten years and looking back Allen says he’s happy as to how far the hotel has come in reaching its target groups but he’s not satisfied! Really? He sits in the airy restaurant with this boyish grin, surveying the property and adds: “not satisfied because there is always room for improvements.” There’s the piped music joyfully sifting through the restaurant – the voice of Saint Lucia’s Dame Sesenne Descartes, Saint Lucia’s Queen of Culture; guests are in the gigantic pool and they can choose to be near the bar and the music or in a much quieter spot at the other end where they can enjoy tranquillity and calm. Either way, they will enjoy the ambiance of coconut trees or palm trees dancing in the gentle breeze, dwarfing the variety of colourful flora. The pool reflects the iconic gingerbread design in the background.

And the Coco Palm family are all around, as if looking for an opportunity to be attentive: the barman smiles to three who

Allen and Julia Chastanet at creole lunch at Sandals Halcyon

Feolla Chastanet hosting UK travel agents at KoKo Cabana BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

59

Feolla Chastanet hosting Trinidad travel agents

Allen Chastanet, Loana Hernandez, Feolla, Claudine Gilbert, Jean St Rose at staff awards

sit wanting to taste local brew; another is fluffing the gigantic pillows on the verandah.

“This is a Caribbean Hotel”, says Chastanet, from oversized room design to historic stylised furniture….and need I say our service is not just about quality but about warmth and being welcoming.”

The dream started with the 20-room Coco Kreole, and then expanded into the 83-room Coco Palm. It includes two restaurants, KoKo Cabana Bar & Bistro and Creole Grill along with the Coco Beauty Clinic. Due to an increase in events and corporate meetings being held on island, the hotel now provides a total of five meeting rooms and convention centres in a variety of sizes.

Claudine Gilbert and Feolla Chastanet

In the beginning Allen was joined by his sister, Feolla Chastanet, Director of Sales and Marketing. Feolla breathes, lives and sleeps Coco Resorts. She started her career straight out of University in New York with the Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) which was a natural fit and allowed her to train and host the travel trade in Saint Lucia. Transferring to the UK office further developed Feolla and she went on to graduate school to study Tourism Marketing at the University of Surrey.

Both Allen and Feolla, having spent time abroad, saw the impersonal service offered at hotels abroad and wanted to ensure Coco Palm guests felt the radiant warm Saint Lucian hospitality. “Today’s travellers want to feel part of the fabric of the environment,” Feolla noted. “To do this, the hotel needed key Saint Lucian industry personnel on the team.” Together they lured two other dream makers, respected professionals in their respective fields: Mr. Jean St. Rose is General Manager.

Saint Lucia-born and bred, St. Rose has dedicated over 35 years in the hospitality business. His experience and training with Steigenberger instilled in him key skills in operations along with German efficiency. St. Rose noted: “The dream was not just to make Coco Palm a home away from home for guests but to provide anyone who comes on property with new experiences that included being embraced as a member of our “family”. St. Rose adds: “Many of our guests ‘squeeze in a vacation’ so every moment must be memorable and it is important we go out of our way; not take them for granted.”

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

60

UWP Party Leader Allen Chastanet

Georges & Jocelyne Coupe, Jonathan Deveaux, Feolla Chastanet at Coco Palm

Investing

in Saint Lucia since 1992

Sandals Resorts International is the largest investor in St. Lucia and the Caribbean employing 14,000 regionally and 1,800 locally.

In 2013 the company reported a direct economic impact of USD72 million to the St. Lucian economy with its operation of 800 luxury rooms and suites on the island.

Reservations: 1800-SANDALS

www.sandals.com

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

61

Coco Palm General Manager, Jean St Rose and Senior Operations Manager Claudine Gilbert receiving Expedia top producing Caribbean hotel award

“

I think we consistently deliver the Coco Palm experience. It wouldn’t be an experience if we don’t go beyond the expectation of a vacation and it won’t be an experience if guest don’t sample Caribbean cuisine or walk to the village to meet Saint Lucians.

”

The other was Mrs. Claudine Gilbert, Revenue and Operation Senior Manager. “When we say a home away from home, we mean it’s personal, that staff and guest acknowledge and happily recognise each other, whether it’s at the front desk or just walking from one end of the property to another; it also means we take time to really take care of each other,” emphasised Mrs. Gilbert, who had worked with some key industry personnel at larger resorts, such as Windjammer and Sandals, along with running her own family restaurant in Castries. “So many of our guests are repeat visitors and we greet them with the magical “welcome home”. They love it because we remember them, we fuss over the little details that some other places take for granted. When they hear “welcome home” they know their stay with us at Coco Palm will be priceless.”

Positioning Coco Palm as a locally owned and managed boutique hotel, and making it accessible to Saint Lucians and Caribbean partners is Feolla’s passion. And she said this has “paid dividends”. Coco Palm has become a preferred choice for many looking to host events or a staycation at a boutique hotel. Regional support has made the traditionally soft months stronger resulting in higher occupancies year round.

Coco Palm has celebrated many accolades over the years – since its opening just in time for Saint Lucia’s hosting of Cricket World Cup - and won the hearts of many repeat guests over the years which could be down to offering an affordable hotel without compromise.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

62

Jean St Rose, Feolla Chastanet and Ernie George celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness in pink

Beausejour, Gros Islet Saint Lucia Tel: 758-452-0676/719-5224 Fax: 758-452-0869 Email: admin@caribbeanstile.com Website: www.caribbeanstile.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/CaribbeansTile Twitter: www.twitter.com/CaribbeansTile

The Directors, Management & Staff of Caribbean's Tile would like to extend best wishes to Mr. Michael Chastanet on the occasion of his 80th birthday. We would also like to express congratulations to Coco Palm on their 10th Anniversary.

The tiles look as good now as they did 10 years ago!

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

63

Perhaps the biggest and most exciting news is the partnership with Swiss investor Daniel Büchler– along with his son Marcel Büchler, the same person who opened Dive Saint Lucia in 2014 – to manage Harbor Club Hotel, due to open for Winter 2016. “It is going to be a step up to Coco Palm and will include a grand conference room, three restaurants and gym facilities on the marina,” according to Allen Chastanet, founding Managing Director of Coco Palm.

This is expected to be completed for Winter 2016 and will again create opportunities for Saint Lucia as a destination in addition to employment opportunities for Saint Lucians.

Coco Palm continues to brighten its star quality. General Manager, Jean St Rose, who from opening day ten years ago also heads up the maintenance department, has overseen room improvements: flat screen TVs, energy saving devices, external painting of the building, new windows, WiFi improvements to name a few. Coco Palm has also introduced an “all inclusive” as a marketing tool enhancement and as another revenue stream.

KoKo Cabana aribbean Bistro & Restaurant was also given a lift with new men and women rest rooms upgraded for the total comfort and experience of patrons. “We have a lot of repeat guests and we listen to their feedback of what would make their stay more enjoyable. This keeps us on our toes,” noted St Rose.

IntoThe

Future Optimism and drive can be considered the keys to the future for the “Family”. Indeed, Michael Chastanet is still at the helm of his investments which include commercial and residential real estate, a television talk show and is a contributing columnist in a local newspaper, as well as being a shareholder and board member to various companies. As Mr. Chastanet is always trying to get things going and being such a business magnate, it was no surprise he was appointed Chairman of National Development Company (Invest St. Lucia) and several banks.

Credited today with creating just shy of 2,000 jobs over his various companies, Chastanet, undoubtedly, has made a monumental contribution to the Saint Lucian economy.

Though still batting illustriously at 80 years - as a businessman, entrepreneur and investor - Michael Chastanet, however, has had to think of a succession plan. His children, Allen and Feolla, along with their mother, Julia, all work in various aspects of business. Allen is currently the leader of the United Workers Party as well as Managing Director of Coco Resorts, and Feolla, is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Coco Resorts; Julia is a partner in Ocean Blue /Savills estate agency. Together with the rest of the family they will be the custodians of the future and the legacies of Michael Chastanet. They must ensure that growth is continuous while holding on to core values such as FAMILY. BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

64

But hospitality is a more dynamic industry and to capture its synergism there is always need to be “people watching” for changing trends. And who better to watch these trends than Director of Sales and Marketing, Ms. Feolla Chastanet.

“The Internet is an unrivalled tool and because we believe in technology, we’re able to sometimes be first in line in attracting new types of travellers into our family – whether it be locally, regionally or internationally. sports enthusiasts or Millennials, for example.”

Leading up to the 10th Anniversary of Coco Palm, the Golden Palm Conference Centre was opened and has taken off as a multi-purpose venue, which is located in the AlFiona Plaza in Rodney Heights.

The latest news is the addition of 30,000 square feet at the entrance of Coco Palm which has been levelled and filled, cleaned and manicured and branded ‘Palm Gardens’. This was the venue for a large wedding recently as a new gazebo and gardens were prepared which opens up another venue for guests planning their events. This further indicates the importance of the events sector which is in addition to the Golden Palm, Palmville, Kreole Conference room along with two additional meeting rooms.

Fun Friday at KoKo Cabana has become a popular venue to kick off the weekend with a barbecue buffet with live entertainment. This is a throwback to the days when Saint Lucians felt at ease to patronize hotels.

Special offers are created for holidays for both Saint Lucians and our guests from abroad who are seeking an escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. “Our future needs to be kept fluid as the landscape both economically and politically impacts what we do along with the changing dynamics of the impact of the internet on business,” notes Michael, “It’s not always about the money but doing what you love. The money will follow.”

CIE

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

65

The Kreole

Flavour

Food & Beverage is, unmistakably, an integral part of Coco Palm Coco Resorts and is part of the winning formula, enticing all whoever enters. It is said that food is enjoyed best when it is prepared with love and caring; and by a chef who not only knows his stuff but also knows how to cross culinary boundaries with satisfactory results. “A chef always has to be aware of the palates of the people he is cooking for.” Culinary wisdom from someone who knows his business. “Chefs receive the same basic training, but a true chef is an artist who will take the same ingredients and give it his own twist.”

Chef Richardson has been with the Coco Palm from its pre-opening days. He is renowned for his “style” given his Trinidadian background and his experiences in Martinique.

“I would say my speciality is French Caribbean cuisine. French training is very detailed in its preparation and I don’t deviate from that; but I also love and understand Caribbean food and have learnt to adapt for the best results but always try to stay true to the Caribbean.” Talk about culinary cutting edge! Talk about bringing taste buds alive! Talk about eating experiences of delight and enjoyment and satisfaction and Chef Richardson gives KoKo Cabana and Creole Grill a flavour that combines all the appetising flavours and aromas that is Caribbean food and cuisine.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

66

“Chef Richardson says: “We cater to our guests, groups and diners from the area which is a wide scope to appease various palates. But, at no time do we compromise our quality of food which is embedded in the ‘experience’ only expected of Coco Palm/Resorts and its restaurants.”

Many guests are known to start off trying to describe their pleasure the results of Chef Richardson’s talents, but wanting to savour every bite can only manage Hmmm! Hmmm! Hmmm!

“What I always strive for is to leave clients mesmerised. For example, you can take a simple ingredient that is used regularly and yet prepare it in such a manner that you can get five different results.”

Events have also become an integral part of the business mix and only recently Coco Palm introduced the all-inclusive plan to meet the changing profile of our guests. The deciding factor – no matter the type of guest - is usually food with menus tailor made to tastes from conservative to eclectic to unusually out of this world.

For example, seasonal menus are always “something special” from the Chef and reservations for limited spaces, particularly on Old Year’s Night are sold before you can say Chef!

HOME FURNISHING MADE EASY

STERLING INSURANCE SERVICES ST. LUCIA LIMITED

Service • Integrity • Sincerity

For Stability in Insurance Broking Consultancy and Risk Management Services

HIRE PURCHASE NOW AVAILABLE

• motor • marine • aviation

• property • liability • employee benefits

www.stluciainsurancebroker.com

FROM THE BRANDS YOU LOVE Tel: 1(758) 452-5558/453-2746 Fax: 1(758) 452-5585

WWW.MEGAJSLU.COM

K&D Investments Building, Bois D’ Orange, Gros Islet P.O. Box GM699, Castries, St. Lucia, W.I. E-mail: sterlingservices@candw.lc BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

67

Judy’s signature is quite evident: from the red and yellow colours on the building to the landscape and layout of the property. She has aimed to make everything harmonious with “chi” (or the flow of energy) to assure both guests and team thrive. Judy just enjoys it when everything harmoniously comes together for all the right reasons. Indeed, her handiwork can also be seen on most of the properties that Mr. Chastanet owns including the new Palm Gardens, where a romantic gazebo and garden were created for a wedding. But this is just one of Judy’s talents. She arrived in Saint Lucia in 1957 as a nurse escorting a Saint Lucian patient from England; has operated a shop on Mongiraud Street in the 1960’s, and was involved with the opening of the Saint Lucia Red Cross and the establishments of various charitable organisations.

A licensed realtor with a passion for property – selling, staging, decorating, building, renovating - Judy currently manages the Savills estate agency of the UK along with Allen’s mother in-law, Jane DuBoulay, locally, through OCEAN BLUE Property Consultants, Ltd. As a Feng Shui master, Judy can often identify the reasons why a property is for sale - whether financial or personal reasons - and applies her cures to ensure buyers enjoy a happy home or prosperous business endeavour.

Ocean Blue opened in 2011 on a commitment to professionalism and customer service. “Our experience, relationships and intimate knowledge of local market conditions are our strategic strengths and we will help make the dream of home ownership a reality for individuals, families and businesses,” Julia reassures, stating that Ocean Blue offers “a team of professional sales agents with legal assistance to assure smooth transactions.”

Whether it’s a first-time buyer in the process of setting up that dream home, or looking for a vacation home or rental, Ocean Blue will work with you all the way. Start the process by visiting the up-to-the-minute website, only a click away. There you will find information on properties for sale and rent.

If everything seems perfect at Coco Palm, there’s a method and science to it. Thanks to Feng Shui master, Mrs. Julia “Judy” Chastanet, mother of Allen and Feolla, who has worked in various aspects of the business while holding her family together.

Feng Shui is the practice of the ancient Chinese philosophy of how humans interact with their environments; our surroundings, therefore, affect our physical and mental health, our relationships, and our success.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

68

With so much left to do, she definitely stated before fifty family members who gathered for her last birthday in April 2015: “My family keeps me young and with this latest enterprise at Ocean Blue we are kept abreast of the latest sales and properties on the market. I enjoy seeing the value for money on offer compared to other islands and countries and it is really a buyer’s market.”

Given the Chastanet’s work ethic, it doesn’t look like Judy will be putting her feet up anytime soon.” That we know. Go, Judy!

“WORKING TO BUILD A STRONGER NATION” Your home is the biggest investment you will make in your lifetime.

Caribbean Metals Limited ensures that your home will be secure from foundation to roof, with our commitment to the strength and quality of the products we sell.

Is it time to replace your leaking/outdated roof? Or you’re searching for a top quality – yet affordable METAL ROOFING SYSTEM? Our roofing systems are designed especially for those who want the very best in modern roofing and are tested in the harshest environments from sun, rain and winds.

CARIBBEAN METALS LTD VISIT OUR OFFICE AT UNION INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, UNION, ST LUCIA TEL: 1(758) 450-2249 • FAX: 1(758) 450-2989 VIEUX FORT TEL: 1(758) 454 (EVER)3837

EMAIL: cmetals@candw.lc WEBSITE: www.caribbeanmetalslimited.com www.facebook.com /caribbeanmetalslimited

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

69

Receives Further Financial Strength Upgrade

A

.M. Best Company has reaffirmed the Financial Strength rating of Caribbean Alliance Insurance Company Ltd. as A (Excellent) Stable.

A.M. Best is a U.S. based financial rating agency that focuses on the insurance industry. A.M. Best’s Financial Strength Ratings represent the company’s assessment of an insurer’s ability to meet its obligations to policyholders. The rating process involves reviews of a company’s balance sheet, operating performance and business profile, including comparisons to peers and industry standards and assessments of an insurer’s operating plans, philosophy and management.

For further information on A.M. Best, please visit their website www.ambest.com Caribbean Alliance is the only General Insurance Company to have achieved this rating across the whole of the Eastern Caribbean.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

70

Caribbean Alliance Managing Director, Ernest Letby confirmed they are very pleased to have had our rating reaffirmed for the second year to the highest rating in the Caribbean as it distinguishes us as a leader in the Caribbean within the General Insurance Market.

Caribbean Alliance continues to operate on the Islands of Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St Maarten, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Turks and Caicos.

Caribbean Alliance, with its head office in Antigua is now a truly Pan Caribbean Insurer with a Financial Rating to match.

Saint Lucia Insurances Ltd. 48 Micoud Street, P.O. Box 1084, Castries • +1 758. 458. 7900 Linmore’s Bldg., Theodore Street, P.O. Box 283, Vieux Fort • +1 758. 458. 7930 Shop 43 Baywalk Mall, P.O. Box RB2737, Rodney Bay, Gros Islet • +1 758. 458. 7950

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

71

ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTALFOCUS FOCUS

Guyana, CARICOM Sign 6 Million Project With Italy to Combat Climate Change

T

he Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and Francesco La Camera, Director General of the Ministry of Environment of Italy, signed a €6 million project to assist Guyana and other CARICOM Member States to mitigate climate variability and change.

The project which was negotiated between the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (5Cs) and the Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea of Italy, aims to address several issues affecting CARICOM States under the rubric of Climate Change, inclusive of mitigation, adaptation and vulnerability.

Specifically, it aims to help CARICOM Member States to adapt to climate change, by lessening their vulnerability to sea level rise and climate variability; identifying and implementing the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs); reporting and assessing of the Member States INDCs and the development and dissemination of renewable energy sources and technology.

It also seeks to transfer scientific and technical knowledge, experiences and technology, facilitate the exchange of experts, scientists and researchers; enhance the capacities for the implementation of mechanisms under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its related instruments, and to promote joint ventures between the private sectors of the Parties.

The estimated timeframe for the project is five years. It was signed in the presence of the Chairman of 5Cs, Dr. Leonard Nurse, and the Executive Director of 5Cs, Dr. Kenrick Leslie, along with other dignitaries in early December 2015. ¤ Courtesy: Inews Guyana BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

72

Jamaica set to Benefit from IDB Green Bond

J

amaica is the only Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country that will benefit from an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) multimillion-dollar-funded regional Energy Efficiency Green Bond Facility.

The IDB which approved funding for the facility has also approved a programme to receive up to US$217 million in additional funding, as one of eight projects worldwide in the first round of allocations announced by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in early November.

The programme which will ultimately provide an alternative financing mechanism for energy efficiency projects through the issuance of green asset-backed securities (ABS), will also contribute to the development of capital markets in the region, fostering socially and environmentally responsible investments.

The approval of the programme furthers the IDB’s commitment to supporting Latin American and Caribbean countries in the implementation of their proposed Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).

According to the IDB, Mexico will be the first country to implement this programme, followed by the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Colombia.

The IDB’s loan of up to US$400 million will be complemented by a loan of up to US$50 million from the China Co-Financing Fund, administered by the IDB, in connection with the first utilisation of the facility in Mexico. ¤

L-R: Ashok & Monica Vaswani and Shoba & Sachin Narhari

Saint Lucia’s Authentic Indian Dining Experience Delivered Offering selections from the original cuisine of India, “Zaika…the taste” has amplified the Indian dining experience in Saint Lucia with its authentic Indian restaurant in the Center of the Rodney Bay Marina.

The restaurant officially opened its doors on November 23rd 2015 and has already created waves on the taste buds of adventure diners from around the world and residents of Saint Lucia.

Investors Sachin Narhari and Ashok Vaswani explained that the authenticity behind the restaurant goes as deep as their own bloodlines.

Both individuals have been living in Saint Lucia for a combined 35 years and are nationals of the island – making the near EC$1million investment a local one.

Vaswani, is the proprietor of the “Flavours of India” restaurant in Vieux Fort and he explained that “Zaika…the taste” is designed to deliver the Indian dining experience in a manner that is fitting to the Indian culture.

Zaika, Narhari explained, means “taste or flavour” in English, and the restaurant’s official name is stirred as “Zaika… the taste”.

With their partners Shobha Mathur and Monica Vaswani, the two have truly delivered an excellent authentic dining experience BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

73

and ambience designed to maintain a presence in both the minds and taste buds of its patrons.

Nestled comfortably in the busy tourist area of the Rodney Bay Marina, the restaurant fits perfectly with the existing complement of eateries in the area, bringing something different and we dare say authentic to the space.

Shobha Mathur explained that all the spices used in the restaurant are imported directly from mother India and we will continue to receive authentic and original spices from reliable sources. She also advised that all meals are prepared by native Indian chefs under the guidance of our Executive Chef Devendra Singh Kathayat who brings some 15 years as a Chef, Regional Chef and Executive Chef in India. He is well known for catering to the Indian President, the Prime Minister’s Residence and Celebrities.

“When people think of Indian food they mostly assume that it is always spicy but this is not true. At Zaika we prepare our Indian dishes best suited to the taste requested by our guests. Guests always have the option to request how spicy they wish to have their food prepared. Food can be done as no spice, mild spice or spicy.” Mathur said.

As far as décor, Sachin Narhari cited the Indian architect Paras Narhari who ensured that even the bolts and door handles were as authentic as they could possibly be, with most of the restaurant and what sits within it being shipped directly from India.

Included in the flamboyance of it all is a photo corner complete with Indian dress and other paraphernalia for patrons to use and take a “selfie” to further cement their Indian dining experience.

On the subject of food and variety, it is understood that unlike most Indian restaurants which offer cuisine from particular zones or parishes in India, “Zaika…the taste” has sought to offer a little bit of everything from everywhere. This means that locals and visitors alike can savour the culinary delights of all that truly represents India – from breakfast, to lunch and of course dinner.

Zaika Thali A popular choice is our “Zaika Thali Platter” which is available for both lunch and dinner. The Thali is a traditional way of serving Indian cuisine in which the entire meal is served in the form of a platter at the same time. Three to five small bowls (Katori) with a variety of curries are placed along the rim of the Thali with a portion of Basmati rice, authentic to India’s fertile lands placed delicately in the centre. Along with the Basmati rice, a staple of Indian food, Roti/Naan (Indian bread) is also served.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

74

The Thali also includes a Papadum (a thin Indian wafer), Raita (yogurt with herbs and spices) and a dessert. The Thali is one of the most delicious and inexpensive dishes you will experience if you travel to India. To fulfill our efforts of giving you the true experience of India, Zaika offers the traditional Indian Thali.

To make your experience even more memorable, we offer you the Royal Thali, served to the Kings and Queens of India. Please note that this dish is served for dinner only.

There is even a buffet section that caters to those who might only be interested in experiencing the ambiance rather than the cuisine – much like the “continental” breakfast that is also available for those dining early and the almost “global” section of the menu that is designed to tap into the taste buds of almost anyone at anytime.

“Zaika…the taste” is open seven days per week and has already taken steps to exceed the expectations of its guests by including open-air dining around the pool tucked away neatly at the side of the restaurant.

“Fine dining by the pool” is how investor Ashok Vaswani puts it, with a fully stocked pool bar to complement the outdoor experience.

He explained that even with the already extensive offerings, plans are already underway to include a first class grill in the pool area as part of efforts to cater to a wider audience.

Already the establishment has some 16 locals under its employ and with the expansion plans, this number is expected to climb considerably.

So when planning to enjoy an authentic Indian dining experience be sure to visit “Zaika… the taste” at the Rodney Bay Marina.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

75

Sagicor Life Inc Positioning for Further Growth and Expansion Sagicor Life Inc has a strong and proud heritage and an exciting future ahead. Established in 1840, the company has grown to become the leading indigenous financial services company throughout the Caribbean region.

Sagicor’s phenomenal growth and success over the years can be attributed to its core values and its corporate governance philosophy. These have been backed by the soundness of its financial strength and the wise financial thinking of a diverse and visionary team of dedicated professionals who have inspired the trust of an army of loyal customers, spread across the world.

As Sagicor looks to the future it is strategically gearing and positioning itself to extend its reach in the markets in which it operates.

This included the recent establishment of Sagicor Life (Eastern Caribbean) in Saint Lucia. As a result, the company has been carefully recruiting a team of new talent across the region to strengthen its human resource capital. The company is now pleased to introduce a number of key management appointments in Saint Lucia.

LEATHON B. KHAN B.Sc., ACII

General Manager and Principal Representative Jamaican- born Leathon Khan is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus.

He has had a successful career in the fields of Banking and Insurance across the Caribbean including Jamaica, Trinidad and Saint Lucia over the past 30 years.

Leathon is qualified as an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute of London (ACII) and holds the title of Chartered Insurance Practitioner.

Leathon started his insurance career in 1987 as a Life Insurance Underwriter in Trinidad with Life of Barbados. He then moved to Western General Insurance Company, also in Trinidad, where he served as Underwriting Manager before returning to Jamaica in 1989.

In Jamaica, Leathon transitioned into the Insurance Broking sector as an Account Executive with Eagle Insurance Brokers, a subsidiary of the Eagle Financial Network, Jamaica’s largest financial conglomerate at that time.

Leathon relocated to Saint Lucia in 1993 to take up a new assignment as Managing Director of the newly established Agostini Insurance Brokers (St. Lucia) Ltd. Here he served for 10 years between 1993 and 2003. During this time he was very instrumental in the rapid growth and development of the Insurance Broking sector in Saint Lucia.

In late 2003 Leathon made a bold move to the ECFH Group to establish EC Global Insurance Co., a new local general insurance company. He served as CEO for over 10 years and prior to his departure, spearheaded its transition to an Agency operation through Bank of Saint Lucia.

With his new appointment as General Manager and Principal Representative for Sagicor Life Inc in Saint Lucia, Leathon now holds the unique position in the market as someone who has headed up an insurance brokerage firm, a general insurance company, a life insurance company, as well as overseen the establishment of an insurance agency.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

76

JOSEPH DOLOR LUTCF, FSS

Agency Manager

Joesph Dolor started his career in the Life Insurance industry in 1998 as a part-time insurance salesman with the American Life Insurance Company (ALICO). In 2003, after a 3 year hiatus, he made a decision to return to the life insurance Profession and started his career as an entry level Life Insurance Sales Representative with ALICO. He then embarked on an aggressive professional development campaign that saw him completing nine insurance courses with The American College earning himself two professional designations; Life Underwriters Training Fellow (LUTCF) in 2008 and the Financial Services Specialist (FSS) in 2009.

Dolor also made his mark as one of the top performing Life Insurance Salesmen by winning several company and industry production awards that culminated with his 2006 membership qualification to the prestigious Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT).

In March 2006 he was promoted to Unit Manager and then Agency Manager In April 2012, at which time he assumed responsibility for ALICO’s individual life Insurance portfolio.

Mr. Dolor joined Sagicor’s Management Team as Agency Manager with effect from September, 2015.

PAMPHILE WALLY FCCA, MBA Head of Finance

Pamphile T. Wally has over 27 years of experience in the accounting field including over six years in public accounting with then accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand Chartered Accountants and subsequently KPMG Chartered Accountants.

Much of Mr. Wally’s work experience has been in the telecommunications industry where he spent seventeen and a half years in the Finance Department of Cable & Wireless St. Lucia Limited and Cable & Wireless’ Regional Office.

He completed the ACCA programme in June 1995 and an MBA with Durham Business School in January 2008.

Mr. Wally joined the Sagicor Management Team as the Finance Manager for the newly formed Sagicor Life (Eastern Caribbean) Inc with effect from September 7th, 2015. In this role, he will oversee the accounting function for the Eastern Caribbean grouping including reporting on the Company’s performance as well as the management of the daily operations of the Finance Department.

Mr. Wally is a member of the local arm of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of the Eastern Caribbean (ICAEC).

JOANNA BISCETTE B.Sc., MSc Human Resource Manager

Joanna Biscette possesses years of experience within the Sales and Human Resources fields.

Joanna commenced her career in the Human Resource Department at Renwick & Company as a Human Resource Officer. During this period, she facilitated and executed a number of activities in relation to employee relations, recruitment and selection, training, talent management and payroll. She also worked within the Sales department for a short stint where she acquired valuable knowledge on the intricacies of selling and the construction field.

More recently Joanna worked with Sea Island Cotton Shop as the Human Resource Manager at the Company’s Massade, Gros Islet Head Office.

Joanna holds an Associate Diploma in Human Resource Management from the Association of Business Executives (ABE) in London, a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management from the University of Leicester and a Master of Science in Psychology, with specialisation in Organisational Psychology from Walden University.

Joanna will be responsible for the human resources function in the Eastern Caribbean effective, November 1, 2015.

As Sagicor now celebrates its 175th anniversary, the company continues to look beyond the horizon with confidence and optimism, as well as with a feeling of pride for the outstanding milestones it has accomplished.

Today, Sagicor offers a wide range of financial services including life and health insurance, annuities, pensions, mortgages, property and casualty insurance, banking, as well as investment services. Sagicor now operates in 22 countries in the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United States.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

77

ECONOMY & TRADE

Saint Lucia to Benefit from XCD$20M

Aid for Fishing and Tourism

T Lucia

he British Caribbean Chamber of Commerce in Saint Lucia has welcomed an allocation of more than £5million (XCD$20m) of Britain’s Government aid for support and improvements towards improving the fishing industry in the Caribbean, to include Saint

The announcement came at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference in Malta late last year.

The allocation is geared towards helping the maritime economy including tourism, shipping and fishing, Downing Street has confirmed.

According to British Prime Minister David Cameron, the funds are part of a 26million (XCD$105m) regional package to ‘make the most of natural maritime advantages’.

I

John Kennedy, President of the British Caribbean Chamber of Commerce in Saint Lucia welcomed the announcement saying that their role as a chamber is to highlight the need to support a strong bi-lateral bond between the United Kingdom and Saint Lucia, both through this kind of support and through commerce, investment and enterprise. But for commerce to succeed, there needs to be business development and a business base – people need to have something to sell to create wealth.

“I know, from my own Company’s experience, based near Canaries, that there is untapped potential in this industry and Canaries is one of the poorest communities on the Island. Capital input wisely deployed will bring new opportunities that can be life-changing for that community. “The British Caribbean Chamber of Commerce in Saint Lucia will continue to lobby for other initiatives as part of its general campaign to get new capital steams into the Saint Lucian economy.” ¤

Lord Howard To Lead Trade Mission To Saint Lucia In February n February Lord Howard of Lymphe will lead a trade mission to Saint Lucia.

The announcement comes after round table discussions on the enhancement of bi-lateral trade and commercial links between Britain and Saint Lucia in London late November where Prime Minister, Dr. Kenny Anthony was in attendance.

John Kennedy, President of the British Caribbean Chamber of Commerce, Mandish Singh, Chairman and George Alcindor, Deputy Chairman also attended.

The mission will comprise a selection of investors who will benefit from this showcase into what the Island has to offer.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

78

Lord Howard welcomed the Prime Minister’s commitment to promoting business on behalf of his people and making himself available to those promoting two-way commerce.

The round-table discussion set as a priority the desire to plug new investors into local talent, particularly in the fields of architecture and construction and announced that work would begin on drawing up an inventory of such service providers.

It was also agreed that Lord Howard would write to the British Chancellor of the Exchequer with a view to opening discussions in extending Export Credit Finance to the region. ¤

Japan Signs LUCELEC EC$14M Fishing in Major Project with Energy Deal Saint Lucia

S

t Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) has taken a historical step in assisting with the design of a viable energy transition strategy for the country.

The power company is also getting ready to begin the process of constructing a 3.2-MW solar power plant.

In Early January, LUCELEC signed an agreement for the development of an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) with the Government of Saint Lucia. It will make provision for a team of independent consultants from Carbon War Room (CWR), Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) and DNV GL, to assist both parties in designing a viable energy transition strategy for Saint Lucia.

A

major fisheries infrastructure project has gotten underway in Saint Lucia.

The EC$ 14M project is being funded by the Government of Japan under the Technical Cooperation Agreement signed in 2014 between Saint Lucia and Japan.

The Minister responsible for Fisheries, Moses Jn. Baptiste, has said that fisheries landing facilities in Vieux Fort, Dennery, Castries, Gros Islet and Anse le Raye will benefit from upgrades of fishing machinery and equipment.

Saint Lucia will benefit from the installation of two submerged Fish Aggregating Devices (FADS), off the west coast of Saint Lucia, solar powered ice machine at Dennery, and freezing equipment at the Vieux Fort Fishing Complex.

The fishers of Gros Islet will benefit from a new ice plant and major repairs will be done to the ice making capacity in Anse le Raye.

The Saint Lucia Fish Marketing Company will also benefit from new equipment.

Meetings are already being conducted with fishers of the fishing communities where it is expected that normal operations will be affected due to the upgrades.

All major works are expected to be complete by May 2016. ¤

The team will develop a plan for how best Saint Lucia will be able to move its energy sector to give effect to the goals and objectives of the National Energy Policy.

The plan will determine how best to integrate the optimum mix of renewable energies into the national energy grid, at the least cost, without compromising the stability and reliability of the electricity system. It will determine what improvements need to be made to the electricity infrastructure (transmission and distribution systems) on the island, and how best to ensure that LUCELEC remains viable, given that the electricity system underpins Saint Lucia’s economy.

The process will also allow for public input into the strategy.

In addition, LUCELEC Managing Director Trevor Louisy announced the company’s intent to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for what will be its first major renewable energy project on the ground, the construction of a 3.2-MW solar farm to be located at La Tourney in Vieux Fort. The project will form part of a power complex the company is proposing to develop. ¤ BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

79

ECONOMY & TRADE

IMHO: I n part one I listed a whole host of frameworks designed to regularize the world of the Creative Industries.

These however are mere tools – what are we supported to do with all these laws and conventions?

First a definition of “we” – “We” will break down into the: a.

Creator of the works b. Agencies c. Consumer

A. Creator of the Works First as a writer I guard my intellectual property with great zeal. Control is paramount to me. I do not take part in every offer just “because”. Questions must be asked:

Who controls the copyright on this project?

If there is a financial aspect to the project how does it break down? How much must I invest and what will be my pay back? How are sales verified? Is the percentage break down fair?

Also I SIGN NOTHING until my lawyer has reviewed the clauses in any contract I am offered.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

80

Intellectual Property (2)

Even with all these precautions, artists still get caught in legal red tape. It will soon be two years since Sunshine Bookshop closed down and the local writers find have ourselves caught in the quagmire that comprises of the Courts, Lawyers, Liquidators, Management and Owners; with no end in sight and stock yet to be returned to their rightful owners.

Maybe all you wish is bragging rights.

Bragging rights are sometimes even more valuable than money and so you may decide take part in competitions run by the Private Sector or by the Government, for even if you get a small monetary prize, the chance to place the WINNER on your CV, may in the long run be more beneficial to your product. Historic examples illustrate the point – the Government of Saint Lucia at different points in time has run competitions, these are the winners: Sir Leton Thomas: Music for the National Anthem Fr. Charles Jesse: Lyrics to the National Anthem Mighty Pelay: Writer of the National Pledge.

But each scenario must be examined and decided upon. Is your place in history worth more or less than money?

B. Agencies Principle among the agencies is Government.

It is quite possible to register a company at the Registry of Companies – many of us have done so. As mentioned in part one there are a number of laws to facilitate persons. IMHO more laws are needed.

Consider the following:

Dawn French is a prolific writer who has appeared in numerous publications over the years including “Creation Fire” in 1990 published by CAFRA and “Women’s Future” in 2000 published by UNIFEM. She is the Saint Lucia National Arts Festival 2013 Winner of the Literary Arts for Fiction; her works are available online.

• • •

A few years ago I tried to register a TV Show – not possible.

A friend of mine tried to register a Computer Game – not possible.

Also there is no facility to register computer programs, plays/scripts, photographs, fashion designs, recipes and the list goes on.

High level persons at the Ministry of Commerce have confessed to me that the laws are behind the curve. Though confession is good for the soul we need action! With the formation of the Ministry of Creative Industries, collaboration is needed and the laws created that will protect artisans. The other agencies of Government also have a role in the non-traditional area of creative industries, among them: • • •

Courts Opens First Optical Store in Saint Lucia

Small Enterprise Development Unit (SEDU) now the Small Business Development Centre Trade Export Promotion Agency (TEPA) and Saint Lucia Bureau of Standards (SLBS)

As the writers and others battle for control of their work; the musicians seem to have their framework in place with ECCO the Eastern Caribbean Collective Organisation for Music Rights the non-government agency. As their website states: When music is played in any business, and is audible to members of the public or members of staff, then you are required to obtain copyright clearance for the public performance that you are giving. ECCO provides this clearance by means of our public performance licence .

IFRRO, the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations

Think of IFRRO as ECCO for writers.

Their website at http://www.ifrro.org/ explains: IFRRO, the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations, is the main international network of collective management organisations and creators’ and publishers’ associations in the text and image spheres. We work to protect and enable easy legal access to copyright material.

There have been some preliminary discussions on establishing an office here in Saint Lucia but so far only discussions. Stay tuned for an update.

C. And then there is the Consumer.

It is 2015 and material of all sorts is available for download and stream in a variety of formats from DVD to AVIs and beyond.

We all love a freeness – so it really is a personal decision as to what we will pay for and what we will not pay for. Nuff said on that – however many online publishers of material give the creator the option for a locking mechanism; it is for us, the artist to decide how we approach the model. Less money and more control? Or more money and less control?

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO) it will always be about control.

Watch out for the wheelers, dealers and schemers – these vampires will suck us dry if we don’t keep a look out. Limited as they may be in Saint Lucia – use the tools available. ¤

L

ocal furniture and electrical super store Courts, opened its new Optical Store on January 15, 2016.

The new optical store seeks to make a strong and differentiating statement in the local market whilst offering a new approach to the business of optics.

With the company’s entry into the world of Optics, Courts plans to become leaders in the supply of optical services and trendy fashion eyewear products in Saint. Lucia.

Unicomer OECS Director of Sales, Mr Johnathan Johannes, in his at the opening ceremony, spoke of Courts’ commitment to the overall economic development of the nation.

“Today marks the culmination of an idea that began about 2 years ago. An idea about a new and exciting business venture for Courts in St. Lucia – the creation of an Optical brand… Offering leading eye care services in the world’s best brands in eyewear, at affordable prices, with easy access to credit.”

The honourable Minister for Commerce, Business Development, Investment and Consumer Affairs, Emma Hippolyte, praised the company for its confidence in the economy and investing in the country.

Among the specially invited guests at the event was the Honourable Minister for Health, Wellness, Human Services and Gender Relations, Alvina Reynolds, Representatives from Allied Health Services as well as the Executives of the Unicomer OECS Group.

The Courts Optical Store is located at the Blue Coral Mall. ¤ BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

81

ECONOMY & TRADE

Jamaica’s ATL Automotive Now Regional Dealer for BMW and MINI

I

n December 2016, ATL Automotive announced that it was set to sign an agreement week after being named Regional Master Dealers for BMW and MINI in Jamaica and eight countries throughout the Caribbean.

The regional appointment, a first ever for a Jamaican automotive company, followed a nine-month tender process that saw ATL Automotive overcome international bids from across Europe and the Americas.

The company will take direct control of the sales and after sales of BMW and MINI in Jamaica on February 15, 2016 and, effective April 1, play a regional management role in an additional eight countries — Trinidad and Tobago, The Bahamas, Cayman, Curacao, Barbados, Aruba, Saint Lucia, and Suriname.

“This is a tremendous moment for ATL Automotive and perfectly caps a year of long-term strategic planning that saw us make

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

82

bold decisions, with our customers at the centre, on where we saw the future of the automotive industry going,” a company news release quoted Adam Stewart, Chief Executive Officer and Deputy Chairman.

ATL Automotive explained that BMW/MINI Jamaica will be operated as an entirely separate company. “ATL Autobahn will be celebrated with the construction of two world-class, state-of-theart sales and service facilities in the country’s capital Kingston, and for the first time ever, Montego Bay,” the company said.

Existing BMW and MINI customers will have their serviceinclusive packages and new car warranties continuing to be fully honoured.

ATL Automotive was formed in 1997 as the authorised new car distributor for leading car giant Honda, and while serving Jamaica for over a decade, has set the benchmark for automobile sales and service in the island. ¤

FAO Concerned About Regional Food Insecurity

In the wake of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) concern over regional food security, the organization has said that it is on the cassava bandwagon since it feels that cassava is one of the most climate resilient crops.

A

publication by the United Nations organization has painted a damning picture of the Caribbean’s efforts to address food security and nutrition.

‘State of Food Insecurity in the CARICOM Caribbean’ is the title of a 2015 publication by the FAO, released on October 16, World Food Day, which also was the agency’s 70th anniversary.

The publication outlined the alarming statistics, that with the exception of Haiti, in all 13 other Caribbean countries, citizens eat much more than they need, on average, on a daily basis. This is of major concern to the FAO. “We say food insecurity is not about how much calories, how much energy you are able to consume. Food insecurity is also about eating poorly, it is also about eating regularly and it is also about your food system and it being unstable and disrupted, to a great extent,” said FAO co-ordinator for the Caribbean region, Dr J.R. Deep Ford, to the Gleaner during a recent visit to Barbados.

“We’ve lost our productive capacity in a lot of our countries. The truth is that we used to produce more fruits and vegetables per capita, in the 1960s and ‘70s, than we do now. Which means that we are producing maybe more, but we got higher populations.

But in those days, we produced a lot more per person than we do right now.”

This preference for imported foods has and is being fuelled by subtle changes in consumptions patterns over the decades, which have now become a way of life for many.

“St Lucia, for a long period of time, consumed more poultry meat per capita than anywhere else in the world - believe it or not. And they say that we produce all the poultry we need.

This is the greatest fallacy that you can imagine because all the poultry that they are producing are all eating imported corn,” Dr. Ford disclosed.

“So poultry that we talking about, that we produce, is an imported product. So that, too, is part of the food dependence and our countries have gone from being about 50 per cent import dependent to being about 80 per cent import dependent, and this is the crisis we face for the future,” Ford admitted.

The issue of stability has been influenced by natural disasters, which has wreaked havoc with traditional crops, such as banana, and spurred a refocus on traditional foods such as roots and tubers, which have greater climate resilience.

This is why FAO is on the cassava bandwagon because it feels that cassava is one of the most climate-resilient crops.

Three areas that the FAO will be focusing on over in the next two years is nutrition, disaster risk management and climate change, and policy. ¤ Courtesy: Jamaica Gleaner BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

83

ECONOMY & TRADE

Family BusinessSuccessful or Explosive?

M

any of the businesses that you transact with are small businesses that have been operated by the same family for years and often several decades. The person you deal with may be the son or daughter of the owner, who took over the business from their mother or father, many years ago. When you consider opening your own business, should you choose members of your own family or is it better to break ties from those close to you for your business to grow to be more successful?

Whether you employ or are employed by family members, the involvement of working with family so closely needs significant consideration as to the benefits and the downsides of working with people that you think you know so well. Successful people will take the time to list the positives and negatives about working closely with people you know, because any problem that exists within the business may be blown up out of proportion and become a significant family problem, overnight.

Looking first at the positives, you can almost always expect trust to be at its best from close members of your family because you will have a shared history

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

84

and know each other well. However as much you trust an employee taken into your business through the interview system, you will never know enough about their background to be able to trust those 100% with your life.

There are always exceptions to every rule, as there may be with the trust issue, and occasionally with commitment, but surely family members will have a bigger obligation to the business because you can all see, feel and touch the results of your devotion in terms of how you feed your families, what special treats you are able to provide for your children and know that those people will be committed to work with you 24/7. If there is chaos or crisis in the business, it is your family that will set everything aside to help you.

Because of your shared history, it is easier to communicate all of your thoughts and decisions with family members, compared to people just turning up to work. Those same close families will have a good knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses as you will of theirs.

The biggest problem with working in a family business is that when you disagree on either your approach to something or decisions that have to be made, you are taking those problems home with you.

Your family will be there, whenever you

Samuel Rosenberg is the Founder and CEO of Axcel Finance Ltd., the leading regional microfinance institution. Share your thoughts and email your questions to srosenberg@axcelfinance.com

need to discuss any work situations, and you will not be able to bounce ideas with people who are not biased because of their own family business relationships.

There will be a full range of family pressures put upon you and other members of the business in a variety of ways. Where you make a decision that is good for the business, but not so attractive for your family, they may try and talk you around into making the wrong decision. They may encourage you to employ people that do not meet your selection criteria and you may find it very difficult to fire close family members without ostracising a complete section or side of your family because of your actions, whether they agree with you or not.

The good news is that working in a family business provides you with a long-term tradition and understanding with your customers, but you will be prepared to draw a line between family and business roles, be prepared to discuss everything in detail and have written plans to avoid any problems that may arise in the future.

The commitment and trust for family members will always put you and your business first.

at Auberge Seraphine Ideally Located, close to town and overlooking Vigie Yacht Marina

Reflections Restaurant features a varied menu of Caribbean and International cuisine, served with care by friendly & efficent Staff.

Enjoy a day at the pool side or check into Auberge Seraphine for the evening Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner Happy Hour & 1/2 5:00pm - 6:30pm Tel: 758-453-2073 for Reservations

Advertising Specialties & Promotional Products

AMS

* Special Events * Calendars

* Corporate Gifts * Holiday Give Aways

* Personal Diaries * Much More........

We’ll Put Your Name Upfront Tel: 758 453-1149 • Fax: 758 453-1290 P. O. Box 2003, John St, La Clery, Castries, St. LuciaBusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

85

IN THE KNOW

Is Everyone an Entrepreneur?

I

By: Sir Richard Branson

s the world becoming more entrepreneurial? It seems to me that it is. When I started on my career more than 40 years ago, if someone called me an “entrepreneur,” he was insinuating that I was unreliable. There’s quite a contrast with the present day: The Branson Centres of Entrepreneurship in South Africa and the Caribbean, which we opened in 2006 and 2011 respectively, have helped over 4,000 budding entrepreneurs to access the skills and support they needed to launch their businesses – 4,000 people who were excited about their plans and proud of their new careers.

price. You won’t need to pay a crippling interest rate on a loan because you can raise money on various crowdfunding sites. (Or through government grants or other schemes: In a little over two years, Virgin StartUp has helped the British government to provide loans for more than 800 new businesses in the UK; more than eight million pounds, almost US$12 million, has been distributed.)

Technology seems to be driving this new wave, decreasing the cost of starting a business and democratising the process.

Entrepreneurship is no longer a path only taken by the independently wealthy or those with ready access to funding.

Here’s what I mean:

This last factor, social media, is an important facet in the new entrepreneurial spirit. Platforms from Facebook to Twitter to Pinterest have had a profound impact on how brands are created and marketed.

Let’s say you want to make handmade shoes and sell them at your own shop. The cost of starting up such an enterprise is a small fraction of what it used to be, say, 50 years ago. You don’t need to rent a storefront to be able to sell your shoes because you can open an online store for free.

It’s less likely that you’ll overspend on raw materials since you can contact suppliers around the world and shop for the best BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

86

Finally, you won’t need to pay for advertising, since you can build excitement about your brand for free on social media.

The marketing we relied on to launch the Virgin brand was very similar. As I’ve mentioned before, Sir Freddie Laker, my mentor, advised me to make myself the face of the company back when we were starting up. This was great advice! Our team dreamed up adventures for me to go on and stunts to perform, and the news coverage constituted a form of free advertising. It gave Virgin a human dimension that was easy for our customers to relate to.

Building a personal brand has never been easier than it is now.

Everywhere on social media, chefs, musicians, gardeners and even scientists are launching their own brands. People are much savvier about how their image is portrayed.

But does this mean that everybody creating a personal brand on Instagram is an entrepreneur? Not exactly. It does indicate that entrepreneurial thinking is being applied across a wide range of industries. And because of this, there is better understanding of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship, and the stigma has fallen away.

While not everyone wants to become an entrepreneur, the millennial generation, which is now a major force in the global job market, clearly desires many of the benefits that one might associate with entrepreneurship. About a year ago, The B Team, a group of business leaders of which I’m a member, released a “New Ways of Working” report detailing a shift in attitude toward employment, primarily driven by millennials.

Overall, our research found that rather than traditional perks like pensions and long-term job security, this generation tends to value opportunities to travel for work, the freedom to talk openly on social media, the chance to work remotely and have the option of flexible hours, and doing work that makes a positive impact on people’s lives. Even higher pay is no longer a deciding factor for many such workers.

Retaining top talent has always been tricky, and companies need to realign their approach to make the most of this entrepreneurial shift. While some businesses may not be able to offer employees all of these benefits, they might consider at the minimum providing a platform for the entrepreneurially-minded to flourish, since you need a healthy collection of “intrapreneurs” in order to keep innovation flowing.

The report also found that 92 per cent of 21-24 year olds who were surveyed believed that entrepreneurship was vital to the new economy and job market.

When I was a 21-year-old entrepreneur, the consensus among my peers was certainly nowhere near this emphatic! The change in attitude is wonderful to see.

While we may not all be entrepreneurs yet, our society is certainly becoming more entrepreneurial. Having more job creators, problem-solvers and intrapreneurs can only be a good thing for all of us.

Taiwan has a NEW Female President

T

aiwan has elected its first female president in a landmark election.

The official Central News Agency said that Tsai Ingwen, leader of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won the presidency with 56.1% of the vote, after eight years under the government of the pro-China Kuomintang (KMT) or Nationalist Party.

The DPP took 68 of the 113 seats in Taiwan’s parliament compared to the KMT’s 35.

At a post election news conference, Tsai underscored Taiwan’s commitment to democracy, calling it a value “deeply engrained in the Taiwanese people.”

“Our democratic way of life is forever the resolve of Taiwan’s 23 million people,” she said.

(Richard Branson is the founder of the Virgin Group and companies such as Virgin Atlantic, Virgin America, Virgin Mobile and Virgin Active. He maintains a blog at www.virgin.com/ richard-branson/blog. You can follow him on Twitter at twitter. com/richardbranson. To learn more about the Virgin Group: www.virgin.com.)

The Nationalist Party candidate in Taiwan’s presidential election, Eric Chu, conceded defeat on January 16, and congratulated Tsai Ing-wen on her victory.

(Questions from readers will be answered in future columns.

Please send them to RichardBranson@nytimes.com. Please include your name, country, email address and the name of the website or publication where you read the column.) ¤

The new president will take over from Ma, who will step down on May 20 after serving two four-year terms.

The election also marked the first time that the KMT has lost control of the island’s legislature.

Saint Lucia has held diplomatic relations with Taiwan for the past 13 years with a fully-fledged Taiwanese embassy in Gros Islet.

Saint Lucia opened its embassy in Taipei, Taiwan in June, 2015.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

87

IN THE KNOW

White Concrete By: Brian Ramsey

R

ecently when returning home at night I was struck by how bright the street appeared.

This is an area with which I am intimately familiar because it is the street on which I live and yet that night it seemed so bright and I could see everything very clearly. The brightness of the area seemed so odd to me that after I had parked the car, I came back outside and began looking for the reason; was it the moon, was it the street lights, what was it. After looking for some time it dawned on me, it was the concrete.

For the last few weeks the regional corporation had been doing work on the street and so the drains were new and the driveways were new. All were new with white concrete. The effect was so astounding that several weeks later after rain had fallen for several days and cars had been regularly entering the driveways, I went out into the street on a moonless night with very few stars visible and only the street lights for illumination and still the area was bright with excellent visibility. The cause of the brightness was definitely the new concrete. The fact that the concrete was new and so almost white in color caused the available light from the moon, the stars and the streetlights to be reflected back into the air thus improving visibility allowing me to easily see everything in the immediate vicinity.

There is often the view throughout the Caribbean that the cleaning of drains and driveways that are outside the immediate boundaries of one’s home is the responsibility of Government and so they must clean it and if they d not clean it then it will remain that way and the most that we will do is write letters to the editors of the newspapers and BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

88

complain. Yet the persons who suffer from the unclean drains and driveways are the same homeowners and conversely the persons who benefit from the clean drains and driveways are the same homeowners.

In the tropical climate that we live in it is inevitable that moss and grime will accumulate on driveways and drains. As I have sought to show at the start of this article having entryways that look like new greatly enhances the visibility in the area thus making it easier to see if there is an undesirable individual lurking in the vicinity. Consequently every homeowner should regularly clean the drains and driveways by scrubbing off the moss and grime buildup to give them that new white concrete look.

There is an allied benefit to maintaining the outside of each person’s yard. A grimy appearance invites undesirable persons as they think no one cares about the area and they further think that people will lock themselves away in their house and so will not venture into the street at night thus they can attack a house and the others will stay in their castle. This thought process has been developed into a scientific criminological theory called the Broken Windows theory. The theory was introduced in 1982 and posits that creating an atmosphere of order and lawfulness, prevents more serious crimes from happening. In the original article published in March 1982 in Atlantic Monthly, two examples were given that gave rise to the name of the theory and these were “Consider a building with a few broken windows.

If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it’s unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside” also “consider a

pavement. Some litter accumulates.

Soon, more litter accumulates. Eventually, people even start leaving bags of refuse from take-out restaurants there or even break into cars”. Since its first articulation the theory has been tested through both scientific observation and implementation

by Police Forces in various places including Netherlands, Massachusetts, New Mexico and New York City. In each case it has been found that maintaining a clean orderly appearance aids in reducing crime.

There is therefore an undoubted security benefit in maintaining the areas outside the immediate boundaries of our property and where possible we should always seek to make the concrete look like new white concrete. ¤

Brian Ramsey has a B.A. in Accounting & Management, along with an M.B.A. in Finance and over 29 years in the Caribbean security field. He is the Regional Development Director for Amalgamated Security Services Limited which operates in Grenada, Barbados, St Lucia, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago and is the parent company of Alternative Security Services (St. Lucia) Limited. He can be contacted at bramsey@assl.com.

Traditional

Salesman:

Although they may not be lugging round a suitcase of catalogues anymore, most sales agents will certainly churn out a well-researched ‘buy now’ campaign on the spot. That much hasn’t changed!

There will always be the natural salesman with the inherent ability to sell ice to Eskimos as the old adage goes. But, with modernised operations and new business practises, the value of such an important role is losing favour.

A not-so-positive stigma surround Sales Persons especially telesales personnel, which usually leaves most persons cringing at the thought of receiving another unsolicited call. With less investment made on other means of promoting the business like advertising, their role is made more arduous and less attractive.

So if a Sales Agent is more than just a Sales Agent, why not make his role worthwhile? Ensure he is appreciated and has all the tools needed to be successful, as his success is undoubtedly the company’s success. A positive return on investment is determined by quite a few factors which can accelerate the revenue generating process if done correctly.

T

M i s u n d e r s t o o d

Promote a strong brand identity, use effective advertising and maintain a viable market with the help of the sales team.

It could mean the difference between bonuses across the board, or remaining in the red! ¤

By: Kezia Preville

he role of a Salesman is simple; to sell a product or service. However, there is a multifaceted dimension to this role. Besides product knowledge, a traditional Salesman knows his market and competitors. As the face of the company, he connects with clients and at times develops a more personalised relationship depending on the situation.

One could always tell a lot about a company by its Sales Representatives and make a decision to accept the offer or not, simply based on that interaction.

These quintessential Brand Ambassadors promote a company’s image and possess the innate ability to persuade its clients.

Lightning speed knowledge of product and service offerings comes with the territory and is deeply appreciated by customers and serves to promote customer loyalty.

Additionally, there is no better jargon buster. A good salesman is

knowledgeable. A great salesman has the patience and attention to detail that is necessary to thrive. They are your friends and confidant. They know when your kids are sick and sympathise when you suffer a loss. A genuine connection makes the job worthwhile. Plus, if there is a major issue with a product, a Sales Agent will act as your Arbitrator and make it right.

They gain insights into motivations for purchasing habits and utilise it as a tool for success.

The role of the traditional salesman has however evolved over time, with some interactions being of a completely virtual nature. It could even be argued that the traditional Salesman is slowly losing his place in the hierarchy of the management process. What’s more lamentable for some, especially new entrants, is that the role is being undermined by low salaries, seemingly impossible targets and a commission structure which only favours the business company.

Kezia Preville is the Business Development Manager at Regional Fire & Security Ltd which operates offices based in St. Lucia, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago; the location of its parent company. She currently manages the St. Lucia office and can be contacted on info. stl@1rfsgroup.com or (758) 451-3473 for more information

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

89

IN THE KNOW

Hot HEAVY AND

Co

N

By: Pilaiye Cenac

u

r

t

s

h

i

P

ew year, same old thing: googly-eyed competitors will continue to try to entice your hard-earned customers. Keeping the courtship alive even after the customer has engaged with your organization is important for securing loyalty. Invest the time and effort in getting to know your customers to understand who will have eyes only for you in 2016.

Not all customers are created equal. What must you know about a customer to determine whether a mutually beneficial relationship is possible in 2016 and beyond?

of the size of the organizations you serve e.g. regional/local, number of branches and employees. Identifying the gatekeeper is significant.

• Who they are

Understanding how consumers use your products/services can lead to product/ service extensions and more business.

Demographic information (sex/gender, age, marital status, education, occupation) is basic but remains key. Know where your customers/clients are located: miles away from you or right there in your neighborhood. Know how long they have been customers.

Having an understanding of their interests can help in refining your targeting ability. If you operate B2B, you should have an idea BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

90

• Why they buy Understand the customers’ pain. Are they buying from you because you provide the cheapest option, because of the quality you offer or because they have always dealt with you and are unaware of alternatives? This information can assist in determining market positioning, perceived brand strength and weakness. Are they purchasing for resale, for export?

• When they buy A customer who buys from you as a last resort (when his/her regular supplier is out of stock) obviously differs from someone who makes every purchase from you. Also, is there an increase in purchasing during a particular time of month or year? This could point to untapped opportunities.

Pilaiye Cenac is an entrepreneur. Her qualifications include a BSc. in Psychology and Sociology and an MSc. in Marketing.

She is also a PMP and a published writer.

One of her companies, In Tandem, focuses on low cost approaches to enriching the customer experience. She can be contacted at pilaiye@gmail.com.

• How they buy Some clients/customer purchase face to face, over the phone, via your website: this should be easy enough to track. Are they using a middleman? Are they buying in bulk or small quantities?

Understanding how they buy can offer more opportunity for revenue generation, greater customer satisfaction and loyalty.

• How they feel/think about you If your customers/ clients enjoy dealing with you, think your products/services are superior, you still need to be aware of this to determine how to continue to impress them and even move to exceeding their expectations. It’s even more important to understand their dissatisfactions: Is it a hassle getting in touch with you? Is your quality inconsistent? Is dealing with you a ‘necessary evil’?

• What they expect from you Expectation determines satisfaction. If your clients/customers expect prompt service, quality products based on past experience or your marketing messages, they will most likely be disappointed if they do not receive those. If they have low expectations of your organization, they may be easily impressed with substandard goods and services.

• What they think about your competitors

It’s important to understand whether your customers/clients are engaging with your competitors, why and how. Do they think your competitor has a better product/service but purchase from you because your prices suit their budget? Also, their dissatisfaction with your competitor is knowledge that can help you serve them better.

So it’s time to continue the courtship. While you figure out how to obtain this information from your customers while keeping your competitors at bay, take some time to consider some customer trends expected in 2016: • M obile will continue to grow and support on this platform will improve.

• C ustomers will continue to insist on having multiple channels (e.g online, mobile, physical, social, call centers) to interact with organizations and will demand a seamless experience across channels.

• M ore customers will require organizations provide them with the tools to solve issues themselves. Self-service will become more popular in some industries. ¤

Happy customer courting for a merry new year!

University of Guyana Wins ‘100,000 Strong in the Americas’ Funding for Study Abroad with Support from Exxon Mobil

N

ine new winners have been announced to receive funding grants as part of “100,000 Strong in the Americas Innocation Fund” sponsored by ExxonMobil to support University Partnerships and new study programs.

The announcement was made at a recent event with Vice President Joe Biben, together with the White House, U.S. Department of State, Partners of the Americas and NAFSA: Association of International Educators..

Among the nine winners was the University of Guyana in partnership with Texas Tech University and their project titled “Enhancing the Capacities of Undergraduates at the University of Guyana and Texas Tech University to Support the Oil and Gas Sector.”

The total amount awarded to the University of Guyana and Texas Tech University is US$25,000.

According to a release from the U.S. Embassy in Georgetown, the University of Guyana and Texas Tech University established a study abroad program to enhance the capacities of undergraduate study with a focus on the sustainable development of the oil and gas sector.

Students from both countries will study together in a course that emphasizes service learning and hands-on projects. Students will explore issues of sustainability, social justice, and transparency in the oil and gas sector as well as participate in field trips and guest lecturers that address engineering ethics, resource economics, and ecological conservation.

“We have to invest in the greatest natural resource we all have – in our people…this investment in our young minds is critically important,” Vice President Biden stated at the event.

The goal of 100,000 Strong in the Americas, President Obama’s signature education initiative in the Western Hemisphere, is to increase the number of U.S. students studying in the Western Hemisphere to 100,000, and the number of Western Hemisphere students studying in the United States to 100,000 by the year 2020. The initiative is aimed at enhancing hemispheric competitiveness, increasing prosperity, and preparing a more globally competent workforce.

The objective of the current competition, generously supported

by ExxonMobil, is to increase study abroad in engineering, physics, geology, and geophysics. ¤ BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

91

IN THE KNOW

St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce

Elects New Executive

T

President: Esther Browne-Weeks

1St Vice President: Lanfraze Cherubin

he St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture has elected Mrs. Esther Browne-Weeks as the new Chamber President to serve the institution.

Mrs. Browne-Weeks takes over from Mr. Gordon Charles of the JQ Charles Group of Companies who served the traditional two terms as President. Joining Mrs. Browne-Weeks on the oldest and most recognizable private sector organization on the island is a mixture of new and old Directors.

The complete Board of Directors are: President: Esther Browne-Weeks Eastern Caribbean Financial Holdings Ltd.

2nd Vice President: Geraldine Pitt

1St Vice President: Lanfraze Cherubin Windward and Leeward Brewery Ltd. 2nd Vice President: Geraldine Pitt Cable & Wireless Immediate Past President: Gordon Charles J.Q. Charles Group of Companies Member: Martin Dorville – Consolidated Foods Ltd. Member: Trevor Louisy – St. Lucia Electricity Services Ltd. Member: Karen Peter – Caribbean Metals Ltd. Member: Sue Monplaisir – 1 Audio Inc. Member: Ross Gardner – Carasco and Son Ltd. Member: Anya Whitfield – MediaZone Productions Inc. Member: Thecla Fitz – Lewis Industries Ltd. ¤

Karolin Troubetzkoy Named CHTA Acting President

A

Saint Lucian hotelier, Karolin Troubetzkoy, has assumed the position of Acting President of the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association, CHTA.

The then President, Emil Lee stepped down from the position last November after being sworn in as Minister of Labour, Health and Social Affairs in the St. Maarten government. Troubetzkoy, whom CHTA’s membership named president-elect last summer, had been scheduled to assume the President’s position in June 2016.

PHOTO: Emil Lee and Karolin Troubetzkoy.

(Photo courtesy of CHTA)

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

92

“It is with a heavy heart that I leave my CHTA post as President, however I am proud of the advancements the organization has made during my tenure,” said Lee. “I am confident that Karolin Troubetzkoy will perpetuate this momentum going forward in the creation of a new CHTA engaged with the membership.” ¤

Essential Hardware Ltd. Opens Branch at Baron Foods Limited Bois D’ Orange Blazing the Trail in Cuba

B

aron Foods Limited, a leading manufacturer in Saint Lucia, is closer to expanding its export market to neighbouring Cuba.

This comes after the recently concluded Havana International Fair, FIHAV 2015 in Cuba.

Chief Executive Officer of Baron Foods Limited, Ronald Ramjattan, accompanied by Chef Didier Le Berre, made a presentation of the use of the firm’s wide array of herbs, spices, condiments and other products in various cuisines to a new customer, TRC Caribe.

E

ssential Hardware Limited - a member of the Gafsons Group of Companies with operations in Guyana, Barbados, Grenada and St. Lucia, opened a new Branch at Bois De Orange, Gros Islet in the building formerly occupied by Monplaisir Supplies Ltd.

Since 1999, the Gafoor Family of Guyana began investing in Saint Lucia, producing Galvalume Steel Roofing Sheets, offering substantial saving to contractors and homeowners.

As a result of contractors and homeowners’ requests for other building materials and hardware products, the investors decided to expand the business to accommodate the various requests with the establishment of Essential Hardware Limited in 2001.

In 2005, Essential Hardware Limited expanded its operation to include its first branch in Cul De Sac, Castries.

Ramjattan, who is also President of the Saint Lucia Manufacturers Association, says the company is blazing the trail to Cuba, leaving other Saint Lucian companies to follow.

Baron Foods Limited already has plants located in three Caribbean countries, manufacturing over 150 products while working with distributors in the Caribbean, Europe, Canada, the United States and Asia. ¤

Over the years, the management of the Company did not go fully into Hardware and Household Products, until September of 2015 when the Vieux Fort/Laborie Highway Branch was established as a full service Hardware outlet.

The Company’s entry into the North with the Bois De Orange Branch is intended to provide for customers in that part of the island.

Initially, the branch will offer materials including construction materials, cement, paints, floor tiles and lumber and will gradually expand based on customer demands. ¤ BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

93

IN THE KNOW

5 Strategies Successful Brands Are Already Using That Can Get You More Ideal CustomerS

O

By: Hannah Fitz

ne of the biggest challenges of small business owners, is getting more ideal customers through their doors and keeping them. I am sure you can relate to having the type of customers that you wish you could replicate and get more of! The problem is most us, is that we are afraid to draw a line in the sand and make it clear that our products and services are not for everyone.

Before you think about diluting your product quality or price to try to serve everyone and anyone, here are some strategies you can use create a brand that attracts the right customers to your business. #1 Clarify Your Purpose: Having a clear definition of why your company exist (your reason for being) and how it is providing a valuable and solutionoriented product or service is important.

Think of your company as a fixer. What are you fixing or making better for your customer? Your brand needs to be solving a problem for a specific group of people, in order to attract them. It is important that you set a clear purpose and values (that you actually live by and believe in) so that like-minded people can clearly identify with you. #2 Know Your Customers: Successful brands invest a lot of time, effort and money in getting this process correct. Your ability to accurately identify who your customers are is a key factor for attracting and keeping your ideal customers. Take time out to find out from your current customers what they like about your business and what they wish you were BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

94

doing better! Look beyond the features and tap into the emotional benefits. If you understand that you are not just selling a product but solving a problem, customers will not only keep coming, they will send more people in their network to you. #3 Create Products/Services That Actually Solve Problem: Another way to get more customers that you really enjoy selling to, is to ensure that you are selling a product/ service that does what it says it does and solves the customer’s problem.If customers are getting results with your products and services, there is a strong likelihood that they will recommend it to other like-minded people. Referral is a strong source of business, try your best to keep your promise. #4: Positioning, Positioning, Positioning: this is a critical strategy that successful brands use to attract more ideal customers. Having the right image to match your positioning, will ensure that your ideal customers will immediately recognise you as the brand that can solve their problem or meet their desired standard. If you don’t brand yourself, the market will brand you. But go beyond the design element of your brand and think of it as a person with a message, movement and culture. People like to feel a part of something and creating a brand that makes people feel like they’re part of some kind of “club” is key. #5: Don’t Sell, Tell: According to Linkedin “storytelling may be the number one business skill of the next five years.”

The best brands tell captivating stories.

Creating a story around your brand is

a great way to get customers engaged and emotionally connected to your company. Your story isn’t just what you tell people or create in content; it is how they perceive your brand based on what you are putting out into the market. The employees you hire, the type of paper and colours you use for your collateral material (brochures, business cards, instore design etc) are all part of your brand story.

Building a brand takes time and consistent effort. As a business owner it is very important that you believe in what you are selling. Often the culture of a small business stems from the personality of the founder. The key is to ensure that you are able to match up your passion with the desires of your ideal market. Today, it is not products that sell, its passion, purpose and connection. ¤

Hanna Fitz is the founder and Chief Brand Strategist at Seashell Consulting Inc. She has worked with a number of companies in the Caribbean and Europe to find solutions to their #1 problem “getting more customers”. She has a first class honours degree in Corporate Management from Anglia Ruskin University, a LL.M in International Commercial Law from Northumbria University, Certificate in Managing Luxury brands, Certified Project Manager and Inbound Marketer. Follow her on Twitter @HannaGFitz.

YOUTH IN FOCUS

Saint Lucian to Receive Young Leadership Award from Her Majesty The Queen

Branson Centre Seeks Start-up Entrepreneurs for Its Training Programme

Entrepreneur programme manager at the BCoEC, Melissa von Frankenberg (right) and Lisa Lake, CEO at the BCoEC (back left) address new registrants on Branson Centre Caribbean Online Training Platform.

R

By: Karena Bennett

ichard Branson and Virgin Unite-founded Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship - Caribbean (BCoEC) is again recruiting potential and startup entrepreneurs for Cohort 11 of its Official Entrepreneur Programme.

S

aint Lucian native, Tevin Shepherd is one of 60 young people from across the Commonwealth who will be recognized as exceptional leaders in their countries.

He along with 59 others will receive a prestigious Queen’s Young Leaders Award, which will be presented by Her Majesty The Queen in 2016.

The 22 year old from Canaries has been selected for his work highlighting life-changing opportunities for young people.

Shepherd’s project dubbed “ProjectCan” aims to engage young people in education, entrepreneurship and leadership. Since 2013 the project has introduced student councils in secondary schools and numbers have risen from 10 per cent to 80 per cent.

The Award is part of The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme, which celebrates the achievements of young people who are taking the lead in transforming the lives of others and making a lasting difference in their communities.

The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme was established in 2014 by The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust in partnership with Comic Relief and the Royal Commonwealth Society in recognition of The Queen’s lifetime of service to the Commonwealth. Over the next three years the Programme will support thousands of young people to achieve their goals. ¤

At the same time, the Centre will be reviewing submissions from Cohort 10 later this month, adding to the 86 entrepreneurs the non-profit organisation has supported in growing and scaling their business for positive economic impact since its establishment in 2011.

Just last year, BCoEC launched the region’s first non-academic online entrepreneur skills training programme, Branson Centre Caribbean Online, with hopes of targeting entrepreneurs from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St Lucia and British Virgin Islands.

Start-up entrepreneurs seeking help with their business model will benefit from an online programme that utilises a mix of technology-driven tools and in-person interaction to deliver one-of-a-kind practical business training to entrepreneurs over a 12-week period, completely free of cost.

The online training programme offers three valuable facets to entrepreneurs: an online community which connects entrepreneurs in a shared learning environment, excellent networking opportunities, and most of all, a condensed business plan known as a business pitch deck which can be used to present their business in a bankable way once the training is completed.

Registering on the virtual platform and completing the 12week training programme is the first step in gaining access to the Branson Centre’s full suite of accelerator support services.

Thereafter, participants’ entrepreneurial skills will be tested through submissions of pitch videos and business pitch decks to BCoEC. So far, the BCoEC has supported more than 600 Jamaican entrepreneurs in taking their business models off the ground. ¤ BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

95

TOURISM FOCUS

SLHTA Declares 2016 “Year of Environment”

T whole.

he St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) has declared 2016 the “Year of the Environment” to highlight the importance of its members acting to conserve the island’s fragile ecosystem for the long term benefit of the industry and destination as a

Karolin Troubetzkoy, President of the SLHTA, who also serves as Acting President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, pointed out effective environmental conservation was not just a good thing to do but was essential for their industry: “Our beautiful environment is what draws visitors to St. Lucia, and the money tourists leave behind is a major contribution to our Government’s ability to better provide for the health, wealth, and education of our people. So, we cannot afford to not be environmentally active.”

Troubetzkoy further commented that “SLHTA wants to guide our members to develop meaningful environmental practices and engage with their teams to embrace these practices and make them their own. We want to achieve better balance and harmony with nature when it comes to recycling and reusing materials. We know that ‘going green, makes green’ and we do see huge cost savings through environmentally sound practices on water and electricity use alone.”

Troubetzkoy recognized that many hoteliers already have embraced “green” practices. “SLHTA members are taking really BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

96

useful and interesting environmental conservation measures and we urge them to share these experiences with other members because the more of our hotels, resorts and businesses become sustainable, the better it is for us all,” she exhorted.

“With SLHTA’s incoming President Sanovnik Destang committed to green practices in his own resorts and having achieved Trip Advisor’s Green Leaders Platinum status, I know that this initiative will be in excellent hands going forward.”

The SLHTA will soon publish a Guide to Environmental Best Practice Recommendations which was prepared by the SLHTA’s Environmental Committee.

Troubetzkoy added that the SLHTA would work closely with the Ministry of Tourism, Saint Lucia Tourist Board, the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology to develop an environmental action plan island wide.

According to Troubetzkoy, the aims of the Year of the Environment include: more sustainable use of water and energy, better pollution controls and more effective conservation and use of natural resources plus an action plan to reduce the use of plastic and styrofoam. “We are emphasizing better attention to our environment because it is the right thing to do, and because, for the health of our people and our industry – it is the best thing to do,” she stated. ¤

F

SLHTA and Springboard Collaborate on Food Safety & HACCP Training

ood safety is fundamentally about protecting food from anything that can cause harm, illness or injury to our guests, our general consumers and ourselves. It requires effectively implementing of Food Safety and HACCP measures through all the steps from farm to table. With our arrival statistics confirming that more people are travelling to Saint Lucia than ever before, visitors’ expectations are that all of our hotels and eating establishments are meeting international standards for Food Safety.

This is an increasing priority for the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Industry particularly given the now regular Food Safety audits being undertaken by the Environmental Health Department, together with the subsequent publication of the results in the national press.

With this in mind the SLHTA, through the Tourism Enhancement Fund, has collaborated with Springboard Training & Development Centre to roll out Springboard’s Level 2 Food Safety, Sanitation Standards and HACCP Training Programme to over 250 employees in SLHTA Member Properties.

This type of training is internationally recognised as being mandatory for Food Handlers working in bars, restaurants and kitchens. It is widely acknowledged that poor hygiene &

sanitation practices by Food Handlers are the most likely cause of food safety incidents in the Hotel & Tourism industries. It should be recognised that effective Food Safety and HACCP measures cannot be effectively implemented unless those involved in handling food on a day to day basis are fully engaged and understand the risks to themselves and the organisation.

The Training Programme was very well received by all those who participated and the successful candidates received their Level 2 Food Safety & HACCP Certificates.

However there is no room for complacency in this area and it is imperative that we make every effort to maintain high food safety standards. In fact, following the roll out of the Level 2 Food Safety Training Programme a number of hotels have taken the next step and have asked Springboard to undertake Food Safety audits, assist in developing Food Safety & HACCP Standard Operating Procedures and to make recommendations for improvement at their respective properties.

If you were unable to participate in the initial roll out of this training programme and are interested in future sessions or are in the process of developing your Food Safety & HACCP strategy then please contact Springboard directly at springboardstlucia@ gmail.com or telephone +1 (758) 450 0198. ¤ BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

97

TOURISM FOCUS

CTO Declares 2016 ‘The Year of Romance in the Caribbean’

25th Anniversary of St. Lucia Jazz Festival Launched

T

he annual Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival, now in its 25th year, raises the curtain on April 29, 2016 with a line-up that blends island culture, famed musical talent and eclectic musical genres.

The line up will feature Internationally renowned performers include singer/songwriter Shaggy, 10-time Grammy winner George Benson, legendary Kool and the Gang, soft rock duo Air Supply, reggae pop singer Omi, French zouk masters Kazzav, jazz saxophonist Donald Harrison Jr., and two-time Grammy nominee Joey Alexander.

Local superstars performing on mainstage include legendary jazz guitarist Ronald ‘Boo’ Hinkson, R& B Crooner Irvin ‘Ace’ Loctar and Groovy Soca phenomenon Teddyson John. Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries Minister Lorne Theophilus., has remarked that this year’s festival commemorates 25 years of star-studded musical performances that have commanded world attention over the years.

“We are honored to continue the tradition and take great pride in providing a platform for internationally acclaimed musicians, as well as showcasing Saint Lucian artisans, entertainers and cultural enthusiasts during the two-week celebration.”

The ten- day festival runs through May 8, features a multitude of musical performances and art showcases throughout the island.

Locations span from Saint Lucia’s iconic Pigeon Island National Landmark, where main stage events will kick-off on Friday, May 6, to various other venues island wide.

With a continued emphasis on the arts component of the festival, a tribute to Sir Derek Walcott – one of Saint Lucia’s two Nobel Laureates will be presented through the play Omeros and produced by London’s Shakespeare Globe Theatre. An Arts Village with a dedicated site in the north of island will feature literary, visual and performing arts, while the fashion show, “Hot Couture,” will return with a spotlight on Saint Lucia and the region’s cutting edge style. The Festival is presented by the Saint Lucia Tourist Board. ¤ BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

98

W

ith the start of the New Year comes the launch of a new initiative by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) – 2016 The Year of Romance in the Caribbean – which celebrates everything romantic about the region.

The CTO and its member countries and hotels will highlight the Caribbean as the leading choice for a romance vacation for consumers and travel planners selling the region, throughout the year.

Secretary General of CTO, Hugh Riley said that with over 30 destinations to choose from, the Caribbean region provides the perfect backdrop for a romantic getaway highlighted by pristine beaches, secluded accommodations, an abundance of land and water activities, top-notch spa services and personalized attention that meets the needs of the most discerning traveler.

She added that “The Year of Romance in the Caribbean” will spotlight the romantic features of the region beyond the traditional times of year such as Valentine’s Day, and should be easily embraced by all of the member destinations 365 days a year. .

Throughout the year, CTO in cooperation with its private sector partner the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association; will assist member countries with ideas that can be implemented around the theme of romance to appeal to consumers, travel agents and tour operators.

Innovative ideas will be developed around inviting celebrity couples to get married in the Caribbean, first-time or secondtime marriages and the renewal of vows, and gift registries of romantic vacations in the Caribbean, among others.

The CTO envisions “2016 The Year of Romance in the Caribbean” as a catalyst for sellers and promoters of weddings and honeymoons, bridal publications and websites as well as wedding planners and service providers at the destination end. ¤ Courtesy: Caribbean Tourism Organization

Sandals Invests

TaiwanWaives EC$10M to Open 3 New Restaurants Visa Fees for Saint Lucians

A

new EC$10M facility seeks to increase the employment and economic impact in St. Lucia’s tourism industry.

Sandals Resorts in Saint Lucia recently added some 50 new permanent employment positions in its Food and Beverage department with the recent opening of three state of the art gourmet restaurants at the Sandals Grande Spa & Beach Resort property.

The new eateries at Sandals Grande bring the complement of Restaurants at that property to 12 and more than 20 between the three Sandals Resorts in the island.

Chairman of Sandals Resorts International Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart said that St. Lucia continues to be a very important destination for the Sandals brand and the company’s continued investment in the island’s tourism offerings is in keeping with the Resort chain’s philosophy to the continuous growth of its own brand thereby expanding the individual destination’s value and standing on the international tourism market.

“Saint Lucia is a beautiful island and what makes it even more beautiful is the people. This island is very dear to us and we are happy to continue to expand here and create the employment opportunities that empower the average citizen,” the Chairman said.

The Sandals Chairman also saluted the strength and commitment of the some 14000 Sandals team members across the Caribbean, to whom he credits the brand’s continued growth.

General Manager for Sandals Grande Winston Anderson said the property has recruited, trained and selected some of the very best young people in Saint Lucia to carry lead this newest extension of the property. ¤

T

he Republic of China (Taiwan) has made it much easier for Saint Lucians wishing to travel to the Asian island.

In early January the Taiwanese Embassy launched a free e-visa service for Saint Lucians.

The e-visa, an alternative to the usual paper-based visa, will be issued free of charge to Saint Lucians after relevant information has been submit¬ted and approved. The visa will be valid for three months and is a single-entry visa for a maximum of 30 days in Taiwan. It cannot be ex¬tended.

While a visa application fee usually applies, the embassy has indicated that the e-visa fee will be waived for Saint Lucians.

The visas are granted for tourism and business purposes, as well as for visiting relatives and attending international conferences or sporting events in Taiwan. Foreign nationals who have been invited to attend international conferences or ac¬tivities in Taiwan are also eligible for an e-visa.

Any applicant who intends to travel to Taiwan for other pur¬poses such as employment, study, residence with family or for Mandarin language courses must submit an application for a related visa at the Taiwan Embassy in Saint Lucia.

Applications will be made available on the website of the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the ROC (Tai¬wan). ¤ BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

99

HEALTH & WEALTH

m

d

i

c

i

n

e

By: Dr. Takira Glasgow

“Personalised medicine is an exciting and evolving medical field with numerous applications.”

T

his branch of medicine became possible with completion of the map of the human genome in 2003, nearly 20,000 genes.

Personalised medicine has been referred to as precision medicine, genomic medicine or individualised medicine; healthcare specifically tailored to a person’s genetic or molecular make-up.

The human genome project was completed in 2003 at which time millions of dollars and many years had been spent to generate a human genome sequence.

Presently this can be done for US$5000 in one or two days and improvements in both speed and cost are still being targeted. In addition, genomic data has increased over the past twelve years and there are thousands of genetic tests available to determine inherited susceptibility.

Personalised medicine can be both predictive and preventative and can save and prolong lives by detecting predisposition to disease. Genetic profiles may identify persons at high risk of disease, as in the case of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (abnormally thick heart muscle) which can cause sudden death, familial hypercholesterolaemia (high cholesterol) and breast cancer, to allow early treatment. For example, the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutations are associated with 85% (versus 13%) chance of breast cancer and 60% (versus 1.7%) chance of ovarian cancer. Even if there is no known cure, this knowledge can inform prevention strategies such as increased screening, or as in the much-publicised case of Angelina Jolie, increased prophylactic surgery.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

e

|

100

Research and medical experience have shown that some patients do not respond to certain medications and experience side effects of medications. In fact, 75% of the patient population may not do well on a particular cancer treatment, 70% on a particular Alzheimer’s drug and 43% on a particular medication for diabetes. Genetic and molecular screening have been used to choose the correct treatment to increase patient adherence and confidence, and to reduce what is characterised as “trial and error” prescribing that patients may mischaracterise as experimentation. In other words, patients may be classified genetically according to a likely favourable response to a medication.

Cytochrome P450 gene variations can cause medications to be metabolised at undesired rates, either leading to toxicity, drug interactions or therapeutic failure. Well known medications such as Plavix are used after heart attacks and strokes and also prevent clots in cardiac stents; genotyping has been increasingly recommended to determine which patients have the genetic variation that decreases response to Plavix.

Warfarin is also a medication used to prevent thrombosis. Genetic testing to target the safe use of warfarin reduced hospitalisations due to complications by 30% according to more than one high quality study.

Diagnostic tests using genetic information can help physicians to determine the most effect available treatment for patients, particularly for cancer. In addition, genomic sequencing of tumours with identical mutations has allowed expansion of the use of certain treatments. This has been applied to treatment of:

• Breast Cancer • Colon Cancer and Metastases • Melanoma Skin Cancer • Non-small Cell Lung Cancer • Refractory Hairy-cell Leukaemia • Paediatric Neuroblastoma, • Thyroid Cancer Non-oncogenic related applications include epilepsy, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, cardiac disease, infectious disease and periodontitis.

The introduction of new genetic profiling technology requires training of medical personnel in procedures, benefits and availability. Research is ongoing to allow diagnostic ease of use within the next few years. Personalised medicine requires protocols and safeguards to protect the privacy of genetic registries and to prevent discrimination in employment and insurance coverage. There are also beneficial cost implications of early detection and prevention of disease.

Pharmacogenomics can further improve the safety and efficiency of health care systems and will eventually reduce the costs of treatment and improve the quality of life of patients. ¤

Dr. Takira Glasgow is a medical doctor with her office at Tapion Hospital. She also serves as the Treasurer of the SLMDA with memberships of the SLDHA, AACE and CES.

Zika Moves Across the Caribbean

Poses Threats to Population and Tourism Industry

C

aribbean nations are on the alert as the Zika Virus spreads through the region.

The virus, carried by the Aedes Egpyti mosquito, has been moving across the region for several months.

The first transmission of the virus in the Caribbean was detected in December 2015, while countries in Central America reported transmissions in November 2015.

To date, the virus has been transmitted in Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Venezuela and recently Barbados.

What’s even more alarming is risk that the virus could pose to pregnant mothers and their unborn babies.

On 28 November 2015, the Ministry of Health of Brazil established a relationship between an increase in cases of

microcephaly in newborns and Zika virus infections in the country’s north-east region.

Microcephaly is a rare condition in which newborns have smaller than normal heads and their brains do not develop properly.

According to a preliminary research analysis carried out by Brazilian authorities, the greatest risk of microcephaly and malformations is associated with infection during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Tourism will likely take a hit in the coming months as US Authorities advise against travel to the region.

On January 15, 2016, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a travel warning for the Caribbean region advising its residents to deter from travelling to the region.

The CDC specifically cautioned pregnant women not to travel to those areas as Zika has been linked to a serious birth defect.

PAHO/WHO urges women who are pregnant to consider postponing travel to areas where the virus transmission is ongoing.

For those planning to become pregnant they are asked to seek prenatal care in order to receive information and proper monitoring of their pregnancy, as well as following their doctors’ recommendations.

There is no vaccine or specific treatment for Zika virus infection. Therefore, treatment for everyone, including pregnant women, is directed at alleviating symptoms.

The most common symptoms are slight fever and exantema, or rash. Zika also can cause conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, and general malaise, which begins two to seven days after the bite of an infected mosquito.

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

101

MAJOR MOVES

Gary Brown is the new Chief Executive Officer of CIBC First Caribbean.

Prior to this role, Brown was Global Head of Corporate Banking with the bank’s parent company, CIBC. In that capacity, Mr. Brown had responsibility for corporate and institutional banking activities at CIBC, including lending to large corporates, real estate finance, global banking, international lending and certain non-core portfolio activities.

From 2004 to 2013 Mr. Brown was President and CEO of CIBC World Markets Corp., the bank’s U.S. broker-dealer and responsible as U.S. Region Head for all business and governance functions under a U.S. regional management structure.

Mr. Brown began his banking career in 1976 with The Chase Manhattan Bank, becoming a lending officer in the Commodity Finance division.

The new CEO has stated his intention to build on the strong recovery which the bank has been seeing over the past two quarters, with its highest net income in five years being recorded in the third quarter of 2015. ¤

Seasoned Hospitality Executive Wilbert Mason is the new General Manager of The Landings St. Lucia.

Mason, who spent much of his career managing luxury resorts in the Caribbean, assumes his BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

102

new role from Chair of the Executive Committee Kathy Taylor who had been serving as the general manager on an interim basis.

Mason, a Certified Hospitality Administrator (CHA), is a native of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and holds a Master’s Certificate in Food and Beverage Management from Cornell University, a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Hospitality from Utah Valley University, and a Master of Business Administration from Regis University.

“My goal is to inspire The Landings St. Lucia team members to provide guests with personalized service of the highest caliber. From pre-arrival arrangements to dinner reservations at the resort and around the island, I look forward to engaging with our guests and working alongside our staff to create truly unique guest experiences. As I always say, happy employees make happy guests.” ¤

New F&B Director The Landings St. Lucia appoints Eric Toles.

As hospitality industry veteran Eric Toles as Director of Food and Beverage.

After working for three years with the exclusive Cotton House Resort on Mustique in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the internationally respected wine and spirits consultant, Toles returns to the island of St. Lucia to assume this position at the leading luxury resort.

Toles, who previously worked at the upscale Jade Mountain Resort on St. Lucia, has studied wines for close to two decades and looks forward to revitalizing the wine experience at The Landings by introducing globally diversified wine selections. “The Landings is the perfect setting in which to host an international wine-maker dinner series, featuring notable wine makers from around the world,” said Toles. ¤

Mr. Henri-Jacques N. Mangal appointed Corporate Secretary & Legal Officer of 1st National Bank St. Lucia Limited, effective January 2016.

Mr. Mangal, a former employee of 1st National Bank St. Lucia Limited, is currently a practicing Attorney having been admitted to practice in the Saint Lucia and Grenada circuits of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.

A graduate of the St. Mary’s College and Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, he commenced his legal education at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws Degree. He then completed his in-service training at the prestigious Law Firm of Clarke Gittens Farmer in Barbados prior to concluding his legal education at the Hugh Wooding Law School, where he obtained the Legal Education Certificate.

Immediately preceding his appointment, Mr. Mangal was an Associate Attorney at the Law Firm Chong & Co. where his practice primarily consisted of Civil Litigation. He has a keen interest in Corporate Law, Intellectual Property Law and Legislative Drafting. ¤

John Suranyi Appointed as CEO Digicel Play Caribbean John Suranyi, the man leading Digicel’s charge into the lucrative cable market, is no neophyte in the highly competitive industry. Suranyi has more than 30 years’ experience in the cable and satellite

MAJOR MOVES industry across a number of Fortune 500 companies in the United States.

Prior to joining Digicel, he was President of DIRECTV, the largest satellite pay television provider in the United States, with more than 16 million customers and more than US$16 billion in revenue.

As President, Suranyi was responsible for sales, marketing, operations and supply chain management. He was successful with driving growth and consistently exceeded financial and operating goals in a highly competitive marketplace.

Suranyi joined Digicel in January 2015 as Chief Executive Officer for Digicel Play, Caribbean. He is responsible for growth in the areas of Fibre to the Home (FTTH), Cable TV and Broadband across all of Digicel’s Caribbean markets. ¤

Mr. Fernan Cools began his career in the tourism industry as a Luxury Vacation Reservations Specialist at Unique Vacations Ltd., where he obtained 7 years of insurmountable experience and knowledge working under the umbrella of Sandals Resorts.

Having the opportunity to work, become familiar and personally experience all 21 Sandals, Beaches and Grand Pineapple Resorts has fully equipped him for his duties and responsibilities.

He later moved on to embrace the challenge of being the Assistant Reservations Manager of Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain Resorts. He was then presented with the opportunity for the post that he currently holds as the Operations Manager of Palm Haven Hotel. Mr. Cools is very dedicated to his post and rises every morning with anticipation and enthusiasm of the workday ahead. ¤

Devendra Singh Kathayat Executive Chef Devandra has a professional degree in Food Production, Catering and Nutrition. Working for 15 years as a Chef, Regional Chef and Executive Chef in India, he is well known for catering to the Indian President, the Prime Minister’s Residence and Celebrities. His experience also includes working with five star hotels and successfully opening and managing several chain group of restaurants. His specialty is in Indian cuisine but he is a master of Chinese, Italian, Lebanese and Mexican cuisine as well. ¤

Pradeep Mathur – Restaurant Manager Mr. Mathur was previously employed as a Regional General Manager in a three star hotel group in Jaipur, India, before moving to St Lucia. He has over 25 years of experience in the hotel and restaurant industry at all levels with a specialty in Restaurant Management and Marketing. He is a graduate in Arts from the University of Rajasthan, India and also has a Diploma in Hotel and Tourism Management. ¤

Professor Olivia Saunders comes to the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College with some 29 years of experience as an educator and experience in the financial services

sector.

She is being seconded from the College of The Bahamas where, As Dean, she has held responsibility at different times for Business, Education, Hospitality, Nursing and Technology.

She is also a consultant in the area of social-economic development and has made significant contributions to the national development discourse.

Her particular area of interest is in alternative economic systems that serve humanity, having co-edited the book, “The Bahamas in the 21st Century” as well as published “Tomato Economics” Professor Saunders was also team leader for the University Transition Secretariat, which was tasked with the responsibility of designing the roadmap for the transition to University.

“I am looking forward to working with the College community and the people of Saint Lucia in creating a first-class tertiary institution that leads and facilitates national development.” ¤

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

103

HEALTH & WEALTH

events 2016

CARIBBEAN TRAVEL MARKETPLACE 2016 January 21th-23th, 2016 – Atlantis Paradis Island, The Bahamas Caribbean Travel Marketplace affords tourism suppliers the opportunity to meet faceto-face with wholesalers from around the world selling Caribbean vacation travel over the course of two days of business meetings.

For further info: www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com

16th ANNUAL CARIBBEAN ENERGY CONFERENCE January 28th -29th, 2016 • Hyatt Regency Trinidad, Port of Spain Trinidad Now in its 16th year, electric industry executives gather at Platts Caribbean Energy Conference to network with colleagues and hear details on the latest power initiatives.

The Conference will cover fields like diversified energy matrix, fuel price, choice, technology options.

For further info: http://www.platts.com/events/2015/pc502/index

ST. LUCIA BUSINESS AWARDS 2016 January 23rd ,2016 – the Johnson Centre in Rodney Bay, St. Lucia The St. Lucia Business Awards is organized by the St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce. They reward excellence in various categories, and target all businesses, large and small, celebrating the achievements of the private sector.

For further info: www.stluciachamber.org

48th CARIBBEAN HARDWARE & CONSTRUCTION TRADE SHOW February 5th – 7th, 2016– Puerto Rico Convention Centre (PRCC), San Juan, Puerto Rico Manufacturers and suppliers of construction products and material, electrical products, hand tools, construction material, power tools, paint products will be present. Exhibitors will come from USA, Canada, Mexico, Columbia, Panama, Korea, Tortola, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

MIAGREEN EXPO & CONFERENCE February 9th – 11th, 2016, Miami Airport Convention Centre This is a one-stop, all-inclusive interactive conference and marketplace to provide the US, Latin America and the Caribbean with access to the ever growing, green, renewable & sustainable markets.

For further info: www.miagreen.com

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

104

NEW COMPANY REGISTRATIONS COMPANY

NATURE OF BUSINESS

DIRECTORS

1964 Investments Ltd.

Real Estate Investment

Miles Holdings Inc

7th Heaven Club Ltd.

Bakery and Confectionery

Daniel Buchler

Asset and Close Protection (A.C.P) Services Inc.

Security Protection Services

Sian Lamontagne, Albert Daniels, Royalla Lamontagne

Century Property Holdings Ltd.

Property Holding

Mark D. Maragh

Empire Motors Inc.

Buying and Selling of Used Vehicles and Other Services

Nathaniel Lambert

Fenix Group Inc.

Holding/Investment Company

Marve Felix, Erica Faedra Joseph

Iceman Inc.

All Forms of Business Except Financing, Leasing and Banking

Norman St. Edward, Carleen Kate St. Edward

Italian Food Express Ltd.

Restaurant

Arlette Hippolyte, Stefano Di Vittorio

JP Momentum Inc.

Customer, Email and Chat Support, Web Design and Consultancy

Linke Jn. Paul

Novel Development Ltd.

Resort Development

Mohammed Abdul Alim Chowdhury

Our Toy Boat Tours Inc.

Boat Tours

Alvin Phillip

Papillon Adventures Inc.

Water Sports

Nelber Xavier, James Luquet, Anne Luquet

Property Race Inc.

Real Estate and Media

Anselm Mathurin, Deborah Barley-Mathurin

RDM Corp Sec Services Inc.

Directorship and Secretarial Services

Rhory McNamara, Suzanne Lionel-Nervais

Renegade Distillers Inc.

Distillation of Alcohol

Michael Snader, Melissa Curley

Ride St. Lucia Ltd.

Boat Tours

Nathan R. Fisher

Royal Resort Development Limited

Resort Development

Mohammed Abdul Alim Chowdhury

SMC Plus Ltd.

Merchandising, Except Finance and Banking

Giancarlo Cattoni, Sarah Dunn

The St. Lucia Association of Beekeepers (S.L.A.B) Ltd.

Beekeeping Association

Earl Gajadhar, Lucianus Emmanuel St.Croix, Sylviana Geoffray, Claude Edwin, Walter Edwin, Wayne Athanase

Tropical Shipping St.Lucia Ltd.

Cargo Transportation Services

John J.Fiser, Robert M. Chapman, William H Gerald III

Vaughn A.Lewis Institute for Research & Innovation Inc

Developing Research and Innovation Projects for the Sustainable Development of Saint Lucia

Verne Emmanuel, Khrystal Lucien, Merle St. Clair Auguste

Verdant Investment Inc.

Land Surveying/Real Estate and Other Services

Lennon Verdant

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

|

105

ADVERTISER’S INDEX COMPANY

Page

1st National Bank

11

AMS

85

Auberge Seraphine

85

Auto Master

85

Axel Finance

02

Bank of Saint Lucia

24

Button Up

45

Caribbean Metals

69

Caribbean Tile

63

CFL

67

CIBC First Caribbean

43

CIE Group

65

Cool Breeze

09

Coco Palm

63

Daher Broadcasting Services

45

Digicel

05-15-16

Digicel

ISBC

Du Boulay Holdings

57

Ernst & Young

102-105

Exel Signs

29

Fast Casgh St. Lucia Ltd.

13

First Citizens Investment Services

21

Grant Thornton

41

Guardsman

43

Harris Paints

ISBC

Home Services

01

Joseph’s Shipping

63

Koko Cabana

66-68

Hot Sports Auto Rental

17

LIME

ISFC

Ocean Blue

69

Paradise Springs

19

Sagicor

23-76-77

Sandals

61

Sentinel Security

51

Soufriere Estate

54

St. Lucia Insurances

70-71

Sterling Insurance Services

67

Terra Caribbean

23

The Trophy Centre

47

WASCO

47

Windward and Leeward Brewery Zaika

BusinessFocus Jan / Feb

33 73-75

|

106

DEDICATED INTERNET ACCESS (DIA) Reliable, high quality internet connectivity for your business

Internet access and its applications is serious business, whether you are using professional internet access or conducting transactions over the internet. If you need absolute, guaranteed reliability and security, a Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) is the right choice for your business.

You’ll get a fully dedicated connection, over an unshared and uncontended line, directly into the Digicel Business network. The Digicel Business network meets the most stringent corporate security requirements for link encryption, information integrity and confidentiality, ensuring that your information is always protected.

Digicel Business management of the Wide Area Network (WAN) and Global Internet Peering (GIP) provides enterprises with maximum control over service resilience and quality, translating directly into a commercial advantage. Our engineering and operational experience has led to a consistent and proven record of delivery of carrier grade reliability and performance that is assured through our Service Level Agreement (SLA).

Why Digicel Dedicated Internet Access?

Greater Connectivity

Flexibility & Reliability

DIA is delivered seamlessly on Digicel’s Backbone Network to your premise(s) Dedicated connectivity with high availability and low latency.

Easily upgradable to higher speeds

Digicel Business architecture can provide fully diverse paths for a fully redundant ‘Always on’ Service DIA is delivered via a fully resilient internet backbone with best in class IP peering

To get the technology you need to keep you ahead, Contact Digicel Business at 1 758 724 6001 or digicelbusinessslu@digicelgroup.com Complete solutions for your needs WWW.DIGICELBUSINESS.COM

Digicel’s DIA offers dedicated, guaranteed bandwidth for highpriority business applications

High Security

Customer Satisfaction

The dedicated link to your premises is using secure encryption mechanism ensuring a secure transport at all times World-class network quality and reliability supported by a proven pedigree of service with the world's premier carriers Leading Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) guaranteeing delivery and service availability