Flipping Grand Bahama

Yes, Grand Bahama is still under reconstruction and the new government elected has a tall order to fill. Listening to Governor General Dame Margueritte Pindling give her speech from the throne on Wednesday was most inspirational for The Bahamas and especially for people in Grand Bahama. I don't remember a time when we were singled out as it was done in this speech. Here is just a portion of what she said that got a lot of interest:  My Government will stimulate the local business environment. My Government will strengthen the Fresh Start and Jump Start initiatives established during its last term in office.  My Government will establish a One-stop-shop to improve the ease of doing business .  My Government will grant tax inducements or incentives to Bahamians comparable to or in line with those given to foreign investors.  My Government will review and give consideration to the ownership of taxi license plates by persons who have been l...

So I was going through my Facebook feed this morning and came across a post congratulating this letter and I decided to have a look. I think it's a wonderful addition not only to the editor of The Tribune to whom the letter was written, but to go further. It's from Chris Pane, a businessman in Grand Bahama following the recent General Elections which ousted the Progressive Liberal Party for the Free National Movement and speaks to a better day for Grand Bahama: THE Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) has been seen off in spectacular fashion, ending ten years of inept governance and corruption. # The arrogance of Perry Christie and many other ministers is a stark reminder that those elected work for the people, not the other way around. New Free National Movement (FNM) ministers take note. # With a sensible and talented Cabinet in place, Prime Minister Dr. Minnis has the tools to deliver initiatives that could transform the fortunes of the country. With the sagging GDP ...

So, just thought I'd drop new mugs right there, but all I really wanted to know from all readers is.... What do you think will make Grand Bahama "Grand" again? I have talked forever about the topic and during the recent general election campaign, I have asked the candidates vying for seats in Grand Baham their thoughts on this question which some interesting answer. But now I want to know, what are your thoughts. Please do comment.

The Grand Bahama Port Authority has just announced their entrepreneurial incentives once again to revitalize downtown with promises for expansion later. For a year, if you qualify, you can get a business license to operate in the downtown area for free.  According to the release, the target is on entrepreneurs who think outside the box. President of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, Limited Ian Rolle is quoted as saying, "whilst the economy is making a small but steady progress, increased diversity and innovations within the city's small business sector would definitely add value for residents and to the local economic landscape." He later announced a "Business Innovative & e-Commerce" workshop to be held by the Invest Grand Bahama Small Business Bureau, which will focus on encouraging business diversity and innovation, which he said at present is lacking in our small business sector.  This workshop is expected to take place on June 8th at the G...

Just yesterday I was in the Grand Bahama Port Authority licensing department and not for the first time I saw the report card they have on display for everyone to take one. It features all the good things they have done over the years.. things they promised to do and accomplished with a comments section to show how it was completed. These were no years attached to any but it would be interesting to see what they have done recently? This is not to say that I don't feel they have done anything, but simply to show an update. We have a new bridge to East Grand Bahama, and the launch of "My Grand Bahama" to help in the once failing customer service aspect of our tourism industry as well as many other seminars and workshops.  But what was promised really in the last amendment to the Hawksbill Creek Agreement and how has the synergy been between the Government and the Grand Bahama Port Authority? Was the Ministry for Grand Bahama a great improvement for the people of thi...

With a new government are we expecting more unlikely surprises? First, it was a record election that was completed earlier than expected, the landslide was not foreseen and the Ministry for Grand Bahama going to Sen. Kwasi Thompson also a surprise. None of these were bad surprises, just surprises. Now to rebuild and hopefully with better ways of doing things. A CPA to balance books, our very own Member of East End, who is the Deputy Prime Minister K. Peter Turnquest says he will change the way the money is handled. This is something the country needs and we can't wait to see. What does this mean for Grand Bahama? Well, we promise to have a word with the new Minister for the island to find out. Many changes are expected and the way of the past is expected to change, despite the fact that the majority of the cabinet members are old/career politicians. Hopefully, there will be a push to have things changed. We are looking for a great ease of doing business in Gran...

So, it's been five days since the general elections in The Bahamas and great revelations all over the country. How does a country feel about the people they have elected to power at any point in time? Will a people unify to tell someone they don't want them? The landslide victory for the Free National Movement was a surprise for many. For some, it was a delight to see their party win by such a huge margin. But there are some who worry that such a large margin is a cause for grave concern that without a proper and good opposition, tyranny can ensue. There was a prediction that the FNM would win and then there would be a riot. But, we know the people of this country are not particularly violent in numbers unless greatly provoked. We have not seen any rising up for years and certainly not over elections since the early days. What does it all mean for Grand Bahama and Freeport in Particular? So one has adequately addressed the changes brought on by the recent amendmen...

At four we are in the heat of a very interesting election season which thankfully ends tomorrow. There has been so much said. There has been a lot of character assassinations. There has been a lot of concerts. There have been some promises.... hmmmm by so many parties. There have even been some independents whose messages has gotten lost and certainly have not been heard due to the loud megaphones of the major parties. There has even been a call to spoil the ballot. There are calls to make sure you bring even land papers to be able to vote to make sure you are not stopped from exercising your constitutional right. It has been an interesting month, to say the least, and in Grand Bahama, there have been some improvements for some persons by an opposition candidate... the first to be seen..... as normally it's the Governing party candidate who would use the Governments (our) funds to make improvements to look good to be re-elected. Things that make you go "hmmmmm...

Bahama Reef Condominiums under repairs.  How long does it take to get over the destruction of a hurricane? There are many aspects of recovery and although sometimes we have money right away to throw as the problem, the psychological aspects of it stays much longer. In Grand Bahama over ten years ago three devastating hurricanes hit the island after three years of lull and before that a forty year break. The generations the have experienced the hurricanes Frances, Jeanne and Wilma had never really seen such powerful storms and the recovery with no water for weeks after, much less power, etc, was unheard of in this paradise. Felix in 1999 which was a really wet hurricane came close but did not hit the mark. Then came Matthew last October. In some persons minds they are tired of hearing of an excuse called Hurricane Matthew but there are people still having nightmares from the storm. There are people who thought they got over it well... and were not affected but a li...

After four years and 206 posts (this being 207), there is much to digest from the past, as we are always going forward. This blog was intended for locals to wake up and change their futures. It has garnered a lot of attention elsewhere as it is on the worldwide web.  We've always encouraged others to do what they can with what they have to make the future brighter for themselves and their communities, their countries and ultimately the world. We have also looked at ways in which it can be done, but it has not focused as much on foreign investment although it asked for tolerance for others who live and want to live among us. This year, we want to DO something, and not just talk (write), so in this fourth year, we are looking to host a marathon on the island. The purpose is to bring others here for a great event to experience what we have to offer and hopefully to help us with ideas on making it better with them. We thrived with foreign investment and were ar...

The dawning of a new day. A day filled with hope. Just being alive and breathing can give you a purpose even if you are flat on your back. Listening to inspirational stories of many persons who made it without limbs or even being able to get out of bed, has brought home the thoughts that even with insufficient populations there is something that everyone can do to bring about a change for the positive. What is on your agenda? How do you intend to carry it out? For those looking for things new ideas as entrepreneurs, here we have another set of ideas for you that could work in an island nation. Here I went to Pinterest and got this list from the Thrifty Garden publication on making money from home: Well, you can try Blogging and with the right directions you can make money doing it. Something that lots of people need but few know where to find, offer proofreading services. You can offer this through advertising at home and through looking for such services online. ...

New spot in Freeport and its right on the beach. Manta Ray Restaurant near Island Seas offers a great afternoon and it seems populated mainly by tourists with a sprinkle of locals. This is a locally owned business, and so is the conch shack just a few feet away on the same property. Looking for somewhere to go, this is now one of those on offer. Yesterday's post made it seem as if there are no places to go, but if you check Trip Advisor out it says we have 126 restaurants. I've looked down the list and discovered that have about five still on the list are closed, but they didn't include this gem. So we have more than sufficient amount of restaurant and have added such specialties. There are four fine dining restaurants: Flying Fish:  http://www.flyingfishbahamas.com/ Dolphin Clubhouse:  http://www.dolphincovebahamas.com/ Churchills Restaurant:  http://www.grandlucayan.com/dining/ East Restaurant:  http://pieroneandeast.com/ which is n...

What was it about the "good ole days" of Grand Bahama that people want to return to? When we hear about them we here about all the restaurants, the nightclubs, events. Someone pointed out recently a book entitled "Inside Grand Bahama" by Dan Buettner in which tell about what to do in Grand Bahama and where to go. It was written in 1990. In the section under activities, a friend noted that while in 1990 there were 16 night activities/clubs open, today there are only two.  Wanna count:  In the 1990s, we had Panache in Holiday Inn; Sultan's Tent in Princess Hotel; Palace II on East Sunrise Highway; Electric City on East Atlantic Drive; Freeport Inn (Old Folks Home/Safari); Capt Kenny's on The Mall Drive (old Sir Winston Churchill Pub); Pub on the Mall, The Brass Helmet at Unexso; Britannia Pub; Pusser's in Port Lucaya; as well as Casinos at the Lucayan Beach Hotel and at the Princess; one Cinema theatre, one Theater for plays and the Bowlin...

The Grand Bahama Port Authority is really going all out this year as they are not only hoping to bring in investors but also to create more investors/entrepreneurs at home.  This is a very favourable turn of events with the new Business Development Department. This conference would be the third event launched by the Port this year, the first being the My Grand Bahama Campaign, then the Customer Service Workshop and now the Economic Empowerment Development Conference.  As the world turns and the seasons for each place, especially Grand Bahama, is just about complete with its valley times for now, we are moving closer to the mountain and looking forward to some mountain top experiences. Here it's about setting a stage for all players to be ready. Grand Bahama will flourish with more residents. But for more residents, we need more money making reasons for people to travel and to live here.  If, for those who believe in Bahamians only, we cannot organi...

So again listening to the great Napolean Hill I picked up on something that seems to be slipping by in our culture and in our world at the moment ... the whole idea of giving more of yourself without expecting much in return. His idea was, "Going the extra mile promotes you". How many times a day do you hear "that's above my pay grade" or "I'm not paid to do that"? This is the idea that has to be changed on a whole and head back to going that extra mile as good Christians. The Bible admonishes us to go above what is asked of us. If it's above our pay grade, one day it will be within our pay grade or even below our pay grade as we are promoted. When working for a company, one is apt to think that we are doing them a favour by showing up. Does that mean that in reverse they are doing us a favour by paying us? Something else I've learned along the way, you get paid what you negotiate. If you say you will take anything, remem...

When this blog began, the purpose was to get the people of this island into that positive mindset to make all the necessary changes. One of those changes that were so badly needed was to offer better customer service and just recently the Grand Bahama Port Authority has taken up an initiative that is putting us on a great new path. First, through the Business Development Department a customer service training programme was offered to students in the schools to start this project off right. The next generation should have it down pact by the time they are meeting and greeting their customers. Then to give ownership to the project they offered the community a buy in and then introduced the My Grand Bahama Project which was introduced last week. To put the icing on the cake they are now offering customer service training to the public. Well this writer can tell you through listening to some of the things that are being said, and the messages people are leaving with, this island is ...

Just whe n you thought things were at its absolute worst, something else happens.  Hello again and thanks to all who have continued to look out for these posts. I do apologize again for the break but there has been a lot going on ... not all positive in this small island community. A lot of good has happened and looking at Christmas it appears that a lot of people had a fairly ok Christmas ... the lights were put up despite the work still going on from the damages of Hurricane Matthew. But... there are people still out of work and one of the bigger hotels still have yet to re-open. Then came the report that they will not re-open. A release from  Sunwing Travel Group said this: On October 6th of 2016, Hurricane Matthew caused significant damage to the Memories Resort and forced its closure. Despite an immediate response from Sunwing Travel Group and the Government of The Bahamas to secure alternative accommodations, protect flying, and expedite the necessary ...