Company owned towns
Freeport is a company owned town. When it was established it was not a unique concept.
Business visionary Wallace Groves, tired of his life in the United States moved to The Bahamas first moving and taking over the lumber business in Abaco then moving to Grand Bahama.
He shared his vision and got others to see something what there only stood many pine trees.
He enthused other business people and even the Bahamian government that approved his vision and began what became known as the first company town in The Bahamas.
Now this came about in the mid 1950s, but it was back in 1903 that Milton S. Hershey broke ground n the first company town that began his chocolate empire.
In an article from Forbes Magazine, it was stated by Croft Associate Professor of History and International Studies at the University of Mississippi, Oliver J. Dinius that employers had practical reasons for company towns. It was said that in response to the industrial revolution, they needed large work forces and early company towns were often in ares rich in natural resources and in remote places.
Through the years many other company towns sprung up in the United States including Corning, the global high-tech glassmaking corporation, in New York and this one was said to have emerged as the towns benefactors contributing millions of dollars to help build a new library, apartments and recreation facilities.
Groves was noted for his ideas and hopes and dreams for Freeport, but what were they and did they die with him?
If they they, other investors came along and more people were even born here since then, so what ideas came out that could turn this place around?
The ideas are not held by one or two persons but there is a need for more people to get together in forums to begin to talk about a collective move forward.
Freeport still has potential. That is something everyone agrees on this fact.
Listening to a radio program me recently I found there is a young man who owns a company who wants to help young people to develop themselves and their business ideas with some seed money. This is a wonderful idea. For those interested check it out on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007147208670&fref=ts
Let's all get together until Superman gets here and try to make it better … so much better that other investors will fight to get a piece of the pie.
Business visionary Wallace Groves, tired of his life in the United States moved to The Bahamas first moving and taking over the lumber business in Abaco then moving to Grand Bahama.
He shared his vision and got others to see something what there only stood many pine trees.
He enthused other business people and even the Bahamian government that approved his vision and began what became known as the first company town in The Bahamas.
Now this came about in the mid 1950s, but it was back in 1903 that Milton S. Hershey broke ground n the first company town that began his chocolate empire.
In an article from Forbes Magazine, it was stated by Croft Associate Professor of History and International Studies at the University of Mississippi, Oliver J. Dinius that employers had practical reasons for company towns. It was said that in response to the industrial revolution, they needed large work forces and early company towns were often in ares rich in natural resources and in remote places.
Through the years many other company towns sprung up in the United States including Corning, the global high-tech glassmaking corporation, in New York and this one was said to have emerged as the towns benefactors contributing millions of dollars to help build a new library, apartments and recreation facilities.
Many such towns began and then receded back into the federal concerns, but today there are some that still remain.
One such is the Durango, in Colorado which was former mining town and railroad center that was said to have flourished during the late 19th century. Jeff Soule, Director for International Programmes and Outreach for the American Planning Association said that it was an example of a town designed for a specific purpose that evolved over time.
Today Durango is said to be a vibrant tourist destination, and “one of the great historic main streets in the country.”
Now, what would make one company town such a success story and others now non-existent?Groves was noted for his ideas and hopes and dreams for Freeport, but what were they and did they die with him?
If they they, other investors came along and more people were even born here since then, so what ideas came out that could turn this place around?
The ideas are not held by one or two persons but there is a need for more people to get together in forums to begin to talk about a collective move forward.
Freeport still has potential. That is something everyone agrees on this fact.
Listening to a radio program me recently I found there is a young man who owns a company who wants to help young people to develop themselves and their business ideas with some seed money. This is a wonderful idea. For those interested check it out on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007147208670&fref=ts
Let's all get together until Superman gets here and try to make it better … so much better that other investors will fight to get a piece of the pie.
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