By BARBARA WALKIN
FREEPORT, Grand Bahama, March 6, 2024 — More than 50 percent of the executive and Board of Directors of the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce (GBCC) for the 2024-2025 term are women, following the Chamber’s election on Wednesday in Freeport.
Incumbent President James Carey reclaimed his position unopposed and will now be supported by Glennett Fowler and Lisa Turnquest, who were named first vice president and second vice president, respectively.
The remaining GB Chamber executives are: Patra Albury, treasurer, and Atyia McIntosh-Davermand, secretary.
Serving as first-year directors are Jecholiah Braynen, Donna Jones, Nevar Smith and Wendell Smith Jr. The list of second-year directors includes Marvin Basden, LaShawn Dames, Mick Holding, Ineka Johnson, Sonia Knowles and William Sweeting.
The GBCC’s installation banquet is set for March 23.
Carey, who will be serving his final term as president, said he is ready to continue to expand the organization’s reach to businesses in the outlying communities in east and west Grand Bahama, promote the importance of good customer service being provided by all businesses on Grand Bahama and encourage an amicable relationship between the government and Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA).
“We will continue to advocate for the government and GBPA to meet at the table to chart the way forward for Grand Bahama,” Carey told the crowd.
“Our focus as we head into this new term remains driving membership in the eastern and western districts. While it was not realized as planned last year, it is an initiative that will be pursued.
“Under my presidency in 2023 through 2024, there were areas or subject matters that my board and I sought to focus on and were intentional in prioritizing for the benefit of our members and the community as a whole,” Carey said.
Those, Carey added, also included bringing awareness to the use of digital technology to senior citizens through workshop training. However, he noted that not all the chamber’s goals were realized, such as holding a regular monthly meeting with the Minister for Grand Bahama.
“Regrettably, we were not able to focus on some of our long-standing concerns, specifically the monthly meeting with Minister for Grand Bahama Ginger Moxey,” he said.
“There have been some challenges and at least one of our members and subsequently its employees were adversely affected. I speak of the PharmaChem Technology closure,” he said. “However, I remain hopeful that this is a temporary situation and the unemployment void created by this closure will be filled in the near future.”
Thanking the existing members for their support, Carey welcomed two of the organization’s newest members – Weller Development Partners/Six Senses Grand Bahama and Executive Financial Solutions (EFS).
Weller Development’s $250 million beach-front Six Senses Grand Bahama development in Discovery Bay, Lucaya, is set to begin construction within months.
Weller’s Vice President of Operations, Matt Reinzo, and EFS’ Financial Coach and Accountant, Marlique Ambrister, were on hand to receive their companies’ membership certificates.
As he has in the past, Carey again called on member businesses to participate in the GBCC.
“I wish to encourage you to continue to support your chamber; remember we are all in this together,” he said.
