Flipping Grand Bahama

And for those interested in what the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce had to say at the 16th Annual Business Outlook here is the President, Barry Malcolm: Then from the Grand Bahama Shipyard we have the CEO and Chairman Carl-Gustaf Rotkirch: We do hope you have enjoyed the Outlook and that it gave some hope for this island.

On our regularly scheduled day we continue to bring you the speeches from the 16th Annual Grand Bahama Business Outlook hosted by TCLGroupLtd on Thursday February 27th, 2014. Today we have the Minister of Tourism, Hon. Obie Wilchcombe: Ms. Agatha Marcelle, Director, National Training Agency: Mr. George Gobin, Microsoft Country Manager for Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Belize and the Turks and Caicos Islands: More to come on Friday. Enjoy!

It's Friday and I've decided to add another day to my blog. Its now done on Tuesdays and Fridays. And for today, I have some news from the 16th Annual Grand Bahama Business Outlook which was held on Thursday February 27 at the Grand Lucayan Resort. The theme this year was "Charting the Course for Growth in Grand Bahama 2014". There were a number of good speakers but as I have been noticing, the numbers attending have dwindled yet again and the number of speakers have done so as well. I'm beginning to feel that for the organizers, the TCLGroup must have a hard time each year with Grand Bahama which I don't feel happens in other parts of the country. I could be wrong though. I have attached speeches from the three last speakers for you my readers to consider beginning with the Minister for Grand Bahama, Dr. Michael Darville. Also speaking was Ms. Sarah St. George, Vice Chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority. All videos were produ...

There are some buildings that only look abandoned. This one was one of them. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of her sad face prior to the work that is presently being done to revive her former glory. It was once our very own Lowe's Pipe and Steel. Question is, what happened? It has been closed though for some 20 years at least. But Im told the building on Yellow Pine Rd was bought by Coca Cola and will begin with a fresh start. More good news. Like the Spinx we shall rise out of our ashes. The old Home Depot on West Sunrise Highway, is now the home to Freeport Ship Services. We still have the wonderful old staples in the industrial park - Bahamas Oil Refining Company (although its just a bunkering company now), Freeport Harbour, Freeport Container Port, Bahamas Rock (where once sat the Cement Company), Polymers, Grand Bahama Shipyard and Grand Bahama Power Company. Along with the Grand Bahama Port Authority and the hotels, these are are major employers and ...

A couple of weeks ago, I posted this picture on my blog to show some of the eye sores in Freeport, because this one was clearly seen on Queen's Highway. This area is the mean light industrial area and a mean road that shows off what is on offer. To my great surprise last week, I discovered that it is under transformation and according to a gentleman I found working on the inside, it is going to be an interior decorating center with upholstery being done on one side. This again is a sign of hope that things can and will get better. There are a number of other business changes that I have heard of in the last two weeks which will all make grand announcements when they do. I look forward to reporting on them all. Below is the transformed building as I cannot contain my excitement for any good change that comes about on this island. By the way, writer/historian Peter Barrett has a campaign going on to save a historical building...

Its Tuesday and Im still excited about what I saw on Saturday. I had hoped to just talk about some of the new businesses in Grand Bahama and to promote the work they are doing as a way of saying the hope of/and for  Grand Bahama is still there and getting stronger. But, Fidelity Bank held a free Women's only seminar and almost all of the women in Grand Bahama seemed to be ready for this. I went and was shocked at first the amount of women in vehicles travelling in the same direction I was to get there, and the jam at the gate to the hotel parking when I was almost there. So I decided to try another parking lot very near by, but that was full and I went around to the Port Lucaya parking lot and there was a security trying to stop women from parking there because it was for their clients only. So yes, I lied and said I wanted to go shopping just to park and got a nice spot and made that long walk back to stand on a long line of women to get into the conference room. Someone s...

Hope! Many things are said about hope: Hope reigns eternal. Hope is the last to die. At the end of last week's post it appeared that there would be no hope but there is always .... hope. In the midst of the water and food shortage following the hurricanes in 2004 and the damages from the hurricane in 2005, there was hope. Then the economic destruction of 2008/2009 was no surprise but just another blow to this small island. By 2010, that glimmer of hope still held and even in 2014 the people are still hoping. Some question in the midst of rising fuel costs, and persons being left in the dark because of lack of jobs and high power bills, what is there to be hopeful about? Hmmm..... We have arrived at that junction where just the thought of being alive is something to be grateful for... and yet.... Where to from here! Where to from here? Its time to wake up the sleeping giants in the island. The retired from ages past were put back to work but the young people co...