FREEPORT, Grand Bahama, December 13, 2023 — Acting Chairman of The Grand Bahama Port Authority (GPBA) Sarah St. George recently said that Grand Bahama is “on the cusp of unimaginable economic success.”
“We’ve crossed the threshold, the train has left the station,” Ms. St. George said, adding: “The ground is broken. The shiny ceremonial shovels have morphed into bulldozers. And with blessings, we should witness a multilayered explosion of growth in the next 18 to 24 months, more exciting than anything we’ve seen in the last 25 years.”
Ms. St. George was addressing the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce (GBCC) 2023 Business Excellence Awards luncheon, held at the Pelican Bay Hotel on Wednesday, November 29.
Guest speaker at the event, which was held under the patronage of Ms. St. George, was Ms. Martha Castex-Tatum, Councilwoman and Vice Mayor Pro-Tem of the City of Houston, Texas.
“I’m excited, and we should all be excited,” Ms. St. George declared, “Especially after all we’ve been through, it makes us proud to be Grand Bahamian. This is where the fun begins. And for those of you who’ve been reading the stories, I’ll just say we must be doing something right, because I can assure you no-one wanted to buy the Grand Bahama Port Authority in the middle of Hurricane Dorian.”
Delineating some of “the powerful tourism, industrial and other breakthroughs for Freeport”, Ms. St. George cited the following:
- Carnival’s magnificent Port
- Celebration Key, which can take Two XL class cruiseships and 10,000 passengers daily to within a 1,000 feet of our shore on a seaside pier.
- Freeport Harbour’s Billy Cay expansion,
- GB Shipyard’s Two new XL and Mega XL dry docks, capable of lifting the very largest cruise ships in the world, and making us once again the premier Cruiseship repair facility of the Americas
- Weller’s Six Senses Luxury Hotel providing a five star best-in-class eco-sustainable resort. All of which totals an estimated $1.5 Billion.
- Plus another $600 million in mid-size and smaller investments on the cards. Such as Bahamas Minerals, Bahamas Homes, Bahamas Distilling, Xquisite Yachts, Lucayas Solar Power, Doctor’s Hospital, Heroic Concrete Products, a new Ernst & Young office, Western Atlantic University School of Medicine, Clean Marine. And of course all your ventures!
It’s hard to envision this level of growth, But we need to be ready for it. As James said, we need to upgrade, and plan. Our Customer Service must not just be up to scratch, it must be First Class! As you once said Mme Mayor, it’s the attention to detail that makes the difference. Striving for that quality of Excellence.
Referring to the luncheon’s theme; “The Currency of Success is Excellence,” Ms. St. George noted, “Whereas Success, in and of itself, can be fleeting or finite, Excellence from which that success flows is infinite. Warren Buffet once said: ‘Beware the investment activity that produces applause; the great moves are usually greeted by yawns!’ And Aristotle said; Excellence is an Art acquired by training and habit. So we don’t have to come out of the gate a champion.
“Our aim is to do something today that makes us better than yesterday. It doesn’t have to be Big. If Success is having, then Excellence is being. You might say, Success is external recognition, whereas Excellence is a measure of our own inner potential. I haven’t dealt with the ‘Currency’ aspect of today’s theme, but Madam Vice Mayor I was interested to see that the Houston Branch of the U.S Federal Reserve has the second largest currency vault in the country, and we’d certainly like a tour of that!
Madam Vice Mayor, I know you went through the catastrophic flooding of Hurricane Harvey in Houston, so you understand what we went through in two Category 5 Hurricanes; Matthew in 2016, then Dorian in 2019, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. To borrow from Joe Girard; ‘The Elevator to Success was Out of Order. We had to use the Stairs… One step at a time!’ And it required enormous tenacity, hard work, grief and acceptance of a painful truth that there was no magic shortcut, no quick fix. But here we are! Just like Gloria Gaynor’s classic hit, we grew strong, we learned how to get along! Of course we felt impatient, but as Cowper tells us: “God works in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform; he plants his footsteps in the Sea, and rides upon the Storm”.
Continuing, Ms. St. George added, “In our rapidly changing world, we face constant challenges and uncertainties. Inflation, cost increases, rising oil prices, evolving eco-mandates. However, it’s during such times that market leaders emerge. The nominees we honour today, and those in other fields here, have not only weathered the storm, but embraced change, adopted new approaches, and found creative solutions. Their success reminds us that with perseverance, and forward-thinking, we can overcome most obstacles thrown our way.
“And even without obstacles, again Warren Buffet said: ‘Successful investing takes time, discipline and patience. No matter how great the talent or effort, some things just take time’, and to emphasize the point he added: ‘You can’t produce a baby in one month by getting nine women pregnant!’
“Interestingly, the first organization of businesses where the term ‘Chamber of Commerce’ was documented was in 1599 in Marseilles France, a vibrant trading port in the Middle ages, and where the real-life Pierre Picard, immortalized by Alexandre Dumas as the Count of Monte Christo was wrongly imprisoned in the dungeons of Chateau d’If. Dumas also wrote The Three Musketeers in which D’Artagnan’s famous line is: ‘All for One, and One for All! That is our Motto’. A motto that’s still a Hallmark of many institutions.
“So, by combining efforts with like-minded others, we can surmount the turbulent economic seas prevalent today. And we are a small, close-knit community. The Chamber fosters economic growth, entrepreneurship, networking, and knowledge-sharing among its members. And we, at the GBPA, embrace and mirror those efforts through initiatives here and overseas. We both drive innovation, support local businesses, and attract new ones to our region. It’s the collaboration of stakeholders that creates a flourishing business ecosystem. Like the Three Musketeers; the Chamber, the GBPA, and the Government share one over-arching goal, and that is a thriving Freeport and Grand Bahama. We don’t need Active Intervention, so much as Inventive Interaction.
“Moreover, it’s important to acknowledge the role of the entire business community in our collective success. From employees to suppliers, to customers, partners, NGOs, Government agencies; Behind every successful entrepreneur or business, there are countless individuals who work tirelessly to support and facilitate that vision.
“So, as we celebrate the awards today, let’s also continue to be the good corporate citizens we strive to be. We know businesses have a responsibility to contribute to the well-being of society, championing job opportunities, local initiatives, social causes. I believe we all do our utmost to make a lasting impact on the lives of those around us.
“In conclusion, again I’d like to express my gratitude to the Chamber. Recognizing and honouring excellence in our business community is such a positive affirmation. I’d also like to say Congratulations once again to all the Award nominees and recipients.
“As this 50th Jubilee year draws to a far more encouraging close, let’s celebrate our shared heritage, our shared dreams, and our shared resolve to build a better Bahamas. Today’s theme is a constant reminder of the limitless potential that lies within us. So may this ceremony inspire us all to strive for greatness, and to work together to build a prosperous future for our small, but mighty, island Grand Bahama. And Last but not Least – I know it’s a little early, but I’d like to wish everyone a Very Happy Christmas!”
