CaribPR Wire

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Aug. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Seaborne Airlines today made the following announcement regarding Hurricane Danny:

August 21, 2015

Dear Valued Customers,

A major storm is expected to affect travel to, from, and through much of the Caribbean over the next few days.  Please check flight status frequently on seaborneairlines.com or Seaborne’s Facebook page for up-to-the-minute information about your flight plans.

Rescheduling Flights

If your flight is canceled or significantly delayed, you are entitled to a refund.  Even if your flight is not canceled, you may make a one-time change to your ticket without any change fees or bookings fees if you are scheduled to travel

On the following dates: August 22 - 26, 2015
and your ticket was issued no later than: August 21, 2015
You may travel: August 22 - August 31, 2015
Original inventory required? No

To change travel dates or for questions contact our Reservations personnel at 1-866-359-8784 or 787-946-7800 throughout the Caribbean.  If calling from the Dominican Republic, please call 809-200-0331.

Safety is our number one focus for our customers, crew and ground support team at Seaborne Airlines.  Be vigilant, Be Safe and please take care of your families.  You are very important to us.

Seaborne Airlines

CONTACT:  Sandra Colon, [email protected]

GREENSBORO, N.C., June 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ – On June 27^th 2015 Dynamic International Airways will be celebrating its first anniversary since entering Guyana market.

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After our initial bumpy start, Dynamic International Airways was been able to accomplish its goal in establishing itself as the preferred carrier of Guyanese. We have proven sustainability of air service between United States and Guyana as well as progressively increased our customer service levels.

Since inauguration, Dynamic International Airways has been able to expand its non-stop service between New York, NY and Georgetown, Guyana. Service started initially two times per week and expanded to five times per week this coming high season while still keeping its pricing low and affordable for Guyanese and members of Guyanese ethnic in New York.

“Our goal in the first year of service was to establish ourselves as the preferred carrier of Guyanese.  We achieved this by maintaining the highest safety records, delivering the most desirable schedule, and reached highest on time performance standards as well as exemplary customer service. Our goal for the immediate future is to build upon that momentum and expand our non-stop JFK to GEO service by operating daily frequency.  Most importantly continue raising the bar in our safety, reliability, and customer service standards,” said Bill Grey CSO of the company.

“We believe that our coming daily service from Georgetown to New York combined with non-stop service from Georgetown to Toronto, which we intend to start in October of this year, will allow us to provide Guyanese with safe, reliable and affordable service into two of their favorite international destinations. As you probably already know we have directly and indirectly created over 150 new jobs in Guyana with our service to New York by hiring Guyanese based Flight Attendants, local ground handlers, catering providers and we expect a similar positive impact with the launch of our new service to Toronto. Dynamic has proven its intent and dedication to stay, improve and grow international travel to and from Guyana. Expect some amazing surprises for loyal passengers and exciting announcements from Dynamic in coming days.”

About Dynamic

Dynamic International Airways is a US Certificated FAR PART 121 AIR CARRIER. The Airline changed ownership and management in 2013 with the goal of providing high quality, affordable, long haul, point-to-point air service. Dynamic Airways, which is headquartered in Greensboro, NC, offers service from airports in New York, Guyana, Florida, Hong Kong, Palau with its fleet of B767 wide body aircrafts. Recently company has added International in its official name as reflection of its transition into long haul carrier.

For reservations & information, visit www.airdynamic.com, www.facebook.com/airdynamic, www.twitter.com/flyairdynamic, contact your favourite travel agent or call (336) 790-8176.

Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140618/119429

CONTACT: Rosa Avelar, 336-686-0028

RICHMOND, Va., May 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ – Markel Corporation (NYSE: MKL) announced today that Mike Clancy has been named Chief Operating Officer, Markel Claims, effective June 15. In Clancy’s new position, he will be based in Richmond, Virginia and report to Nick Conca, Chief Claims Officer.

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Clancy will focus primarily on accelerating efforts to improve the customer experience and manage the relationship between claims and underwriting teams. To support these initiatives he will be leveraging Markel’s data and analytics capabilities, driving process improvement efforts, and applying technology to make the claims process easier to navigate.

Clancy joined Markel in January 2012 as a Managing Director. In his current role, he has partnered with leadership teams across Markel’s divisions, departments, and the Office of the President to focus on creating business efficiencies and developing tools and resources to support operating discipline.

Prior to joining Markel, Clancy worked for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and was a consultant for Markel. He has more than 20 years of experience consulting to the insurance and financial services industries. He has worked extensively with both carriers and brokers in the insurance space, focusing on growth strategies, the consumer experience, and business transformation. Prior to joining BCG, he held various positions in financial services consulting, including co-founding research and advisory firms in New York and Washington, DC.

“Mike’s strong knowledge of Markel’s business, in all its complexity, combined with his industry expertise, will allow us to improve performance across the entire Claims organization,” said Conca. “I am excited to welcome him to our leadership team and look forward to reinforcing claims services as one of Markel’s core strengths and compelling competitive advantages.”

About Markel Corporation
Markel Corporation is a diverse financial holding company serving a variety of niche markets. The Company’s principal business markets and underwrites specialty insurance products. In each of the Company’s businesses, it seeks to provide quality products and excellent customer service so that it can be a market leader. The financial goals of the Company are to earn consistent underwriting and operating profits and superior investment returns to build shareholder value. Visit Markel Corporation on the web at markelcorp.com.

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Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150528/219171
Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140415/73238

CONTACT: Paul Broughton, 804-527-7618, [email protected]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, May 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Seaborne Airlines and JetBlue Airways, the largest carrier in San Juan, have finalized terms to begin a codeshare marketing relationship, expanding upon the carriers’ successful interline agreement in place since 2013.  The codeshare will help facilitate improved connectivity between two of the top airlines in the Caribbean, subject to receipt of all regulatory approvals.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with JetBlue.  Providing improved connectivity in our common hub of San Juan will add tremendous value to Caribbean residents, visitors, and businesses,” said President and CEO of Seaborne Airlines Gary Foss.  “We are honored that JetBlue, known for outstanding customer service, would recognize the same that Seaborne employees are providing throughout the Caribbean”, Foss said.

Seaborne, the largest regional operator, and JetBlue, the number one carrier by flights and seats at San Juan Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, offer a combined 50 daily flights that connect 22 destinations.  Seaborne will expand the JetBlue network to multiple new destinations, including Anguilla, Dominica, Guadalupe, Martinique, Nevis, St. Kitts, and Tortola.  In addition, the Seaborne Airlines network will also provide JetBlue customers’ access to an expanded presence throughout the United States Virgin Islands and the Dominican Republic.

“Our codeshare agreement with Seaborne makes traveling to the Caribbean easier than ever, and that’s the way a beach vacation or family visit should feel,” said Scott Laurence, senior vice president airline planning, JetBlue. ”Between JetBlue’s leading position as San Juan’s largest and most customer friendly airline, and Seaborne’s extended local reach, this is a win-win partnership for customers and tourism.”

“The Puerto Rico Tourism Company welcomes this new partnership that supports and strengthens our efforts to increase air access to the Island. This new codeshare marketing relationship between Jet Blue and Seaborne facilitates the entrance of more visitors and positively impacts the economic development in the Island”, said Ingrid I. Rivera Rocafort, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company.

Along with JetBlue, Seaborne operates as a codeshare partner of American Airlines and Air Europa of Spain.   Seaborne offers interline connecting agreements with Delta Airlines and United Airlines as well.  In aggregate, Seaborne and the carrier’s partners offer non-stop service to 32 destinations in the Americas and Europe from San Juan. Seaborne’s expanding network out of San Juan has helped solidify San Juan’s position as the Caribbean’s largest hub.

About Seaborne Airlines

Seaborne Airlines has been operating in the Caribbean for over 23 years, carrying more than 2.5 million customers safely.  With over 1,500 monthly departures to 16 airports, Seaborne serves San Juan’s Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, St. Thomas airport and Seaplane base, St. Croix airport and Seaplane base, Anguilla, Tortola, Dominica, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin, St. Kitts, Nevis, La Romana, Punta Cana, and Santo Domingo.  All flights operate with two pilots and two engines under Federal Air Regulation Part 121, the strictest code of the US Federal Air Regulation governing air travel.

About JetBlue

JetBlue is New York’s Hometown Airline™, and a leading carrier in Boston, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Los Angeles (Long Beach), Orlando, and San Juan. JetBlue carries more than 32 million customers a year to 88 cities in the U.S., Caribbean, and Latin America with an average of 875 daily flights. For more information please visit JetBlue.com.

CONTACT: Sandra Colon Perez, [email protected]

The codeshare alliance provides daily flights between Madrid and San Juan by passing through Las Americas Airport in Santo Domingo.

MADRID and SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, March 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Air Europa continues its expansion throughout the Caribbean by connecting its daily flight between Spain and the Dominican Republic with its neighbor, Puerto Rico. The Globalia Group Airline and Seaborne, a Puerto Rican airline, have reached a codeshare agreement to cover the route Santo Domingo – San Juan, Puerto Rico, which will allow for daily flights to and from the islands and, as a result, the connection of both capitals with the Adolfo Suarez Airport in Madrid-Barajas.

This will permit Air Europa passengers to fly to Puerto Rico every day, by making a short stop in Las Americas Airport in Santo Domingo. This route will be added to the two direct flights that Air Europa has been operating between Spain and Puerto Rico since June 2014.

“This agreement represents a step forward in our mission to be the go-to airline in flying to and from Europe, America and the Caribbean,”declared Air Europa’s President, Juan Jose Hidalgo.“And I’m sure that with Seaborne we have found a great partner, due to their impeccable trajectory and incredible punctuality index of over 98%.”

Seaborne is a company with over 20 years of experience in the Caribbean and an excellent security and operational performance history. For the Santo Domingo – San Juan route, it has an available fleet of 8 Saab 340B, Swedish-made aircraft that can carry 34 passengers.

“Seaborne is honored to be selected by Air Europa to provide this service,” said Gary Foss, President and Chief Executive Officer of Seaborne.   “It is a vote of confidence in our team of outstanding professionals that has brought service to 16 airports across the Caribbean.   We want to especially thank the Tourism Company of Puerto Rico for their steadfast support of Seaborne”, he said”.

Ingrid Rivera Rocafort, Executive Director of the Tourism Company of Puerto Rico, explains: “Efforts to continue positioning Puerto Rico as the main axis of Caribbean air access and increase flight options for our visitors continue to pay fruit. The alliance between airlines Air Europa and Seaborne, respectively leaders in Europe and the Caribbean, not only open new markets for Puerto Rico. They are also an integral part of our campaign to promote the island as a five-star destination and simplify the travel planning process for potential travelers to Puerto Rico. “

The codeshare agreement between Air Europa and Seaborne will take effect March 29.

CONTACT: Communication Department, [email protected], Enrique Granados,6. Edif. A., 28224 Pozuelo de Alarcon. Madrid

TORONTO, Dec. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – The University of the West Indies today announced that Mr. Charles S. Coffey, O.C., will be honoured as the inaugural recipient of the G. Raymond Chang Award at the sixth annual The University of the West Indies Toronto Benefit Gala on Saturday, March 28, 2015, at the Ritz-Carlton, Toronto.

The G. Raymond Chang Award has been established to honour outstanding individuals who exemplify the leadership and ideals of G. Raymond Chang, O.C., O.J. (1948-2014). Mr. Chang was a recognized outstanding business leader and philanthropist who embodied great humility and commitment to his fellow persons. Chang, who passed away in July 2014, was the Gala’s patron for the past five years.

The UWI Toronto Gala is proud to also award and celebrate other outstanding community leaders for 2015:

Justice Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré, O.Q. is the recipient of the Luminary Award, which is given to people of Caribbean Heritage who are outstanding achievers on an international scale in their respective fields or people who have brought to prominence issues which affect the Caribbean.

She is the first Black judge appointed in the history of Québec. She also holds the distinction of being the first Black dean of a Canadian law school (University of Windsor). A trailblazer in social justice and the first black woman to teach law, at the University of Montreal and at the University of Quebec at Montreal.

The Chancellor’s Award is given to Canadian organizations which have contributed significantly to The University of the West Indies and/or the Caribbean or outstanding organizations owned by people of Caribbean Heritage.

The 2015 honourees are Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival and George Brown College.

The Scotiabank Toronto Carnival is an expression of Toronto’s multicultural and multiracial society. In its 46th year it has become a major international event and the largest cultural festival of its kind in North America. An increasing number of attendees and participants come from the U.S., and overseas. Scotiabank Toronto Caribbean Carnival is an exciting three-week cultural explosion of Caribbean music, cuisine, revelry as well as visual and performing arts.

Since its founding in 1967, George Brown College has evolved to support the labour needs of a variety of key economic sectors. With three main campuses and several other downtown locations, its alumni serve every major industry in Canada. From the Jamaica Project to the Nine Miles of Smiles initiative, George Brown College has played an influential role in education and health care across parts of the Caribbean.

The Vice Chancellor’s Award is given to people of Caribbean Heritage who have gone on to make significant contributions within their organizations and communities. The 2015 honourees are:

• Mr. Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the world renowned Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). He is also a Film Programmer, Film Critic, and modern day cultural philosopher. As he travels the world searching for the films that emote, transform and create discourse, he remains a respected leader in his community, lover of all cultures.
• Dr. Catherine Chandler-Crichlow, a University of the West Indies alumnus and Executive Director of the Centre of Excellence in Financial Services Education (COE). Dr. Chandler-Crichlow has over three decades of talent development experience specializing in the areas of executive and leadership development, curriculum development and implementation, technology-mediated distance learning and program evaluation.

The University of the West Indies Toronto Benefit Gala benefits the University’s Scholarship Fund, that, to date, has awarded almost 200 scholarships. The Patron of the sixth annual Gala will be The Chang Family, with Dr. Sheldon Levy, President and Vice Chancellor, Ryerson University and Dr. Herbert Ho Ping Kong, Co-founder, Centre for Excellence for Education and Practice as acting Co-chairs.

For tickets please order using the online form at www.uwitorontogala.com, or by calling 416-214-7848 or by emailing [email protected].

The University of the West Indies was established in 1948 as a College of the University of London. It achieved full university status in 1962. Today it is the only pan-Caribbean tertiary level institution offering a wide array of diverse and accredited programmes to 45,000 students throughout the region, with campuses in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Anguilla, Antigua, The Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Turks and Caicos.

For Media Information: Ciarlo Communications, Tel: 416-763-3783, Cell: 416-458-5090, Email: [email protected]

LANDOVER, Md., Oct. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – This week the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation launches a year-long project to restore mangroves in Jamaica called the Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves In Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) project.

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The venture, joined with the University of the West Indies-Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory and the Caribbean Student Environmental Alliance, will work with teachers and students from the William Knibb High and Holland High Schools in Falmouth, Jamaica. The project will begin this week with a training session for teachers. This will provide them with information and materials to teach their students about the importance of mangroves for Jamaican marine ecosystems.

Mangrove forests are made of several species of trees and shrubs that grow in the intertidal zone. They provide important habitat for young fish and sea creatures, and help protect the coastline from storms.

Following the educational training sessions teachers and students will go on a mangrove walk to identify the different species of mangroves, observe the negative human impacts to the mangrove forest, and collect young mangrove seedlings called ‘propagules’ for future rehabilitation of a mangrove forest in West Falmouth. The students will plant the propagules in containers and track their growth over the coming school year while learning about mangrove survivability.

The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation and Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory will continue running training sessions throughout the school year, and after several months will help students plant their young mangrove trees along the shoreline. The young trees will be planted in restoration sites monitored by the University of the West Indies.

About the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation

The Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (LOF), founded by Khaled bin Sultan, is conducting the world’s largest coral reef survey and high resolution mapping expedition, as part of its 5 year Global Reef Expedition. The Expedition is helping LOF realize its mission to provide science-based solutions to protect and restore ocean health. As part of its commitment to Science Without Borders®, Living Oceans provides its data and information to leading ocean-focused organizations, governments, scientists, and local communities so that they can use knowledge to work toward sustainable ocean protection. For more information visit www.livingoceansfoundation.org

Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141010/151469

CONTACT: Alison Barrat, Director of Communications, Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation, [email protected], 301 577 1288 x 204

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Sept. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Seaborne Airlines today announced the introduction of a new interline agreement with United Airlines providing customers convenient connections between the networks of United and Seaborne Airlines.  Now customers have the convenience of purchasing a single ticket for United and Seaborne Airlines services, checking baggage at their origination to their final destination, and easy connections at Luis Munoz Marin Airport in San Juan, PR (SJU) to exciting destinations, including St. Thomas, St. Croix, Dominica, Fort de France, Martinique, Point a Pitre, Guadeloupe, La Romana, DR, Punta Cana, DR, Santo Domingo, DR, St. Maarten, St. Kitts and Nevis.

About Seaborne Airlines

Seaborne Airlines has operated in the Caribbean for over 21 years, carrying more than two and a half millions customers safely.  Seaborne operates over 2,100 monthly departures throughout the Caribbean to San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Thomas Seaplane, St. Croix,
St. Croix Seaplane, Dominica, Fort de France, Martinique, Point a Pitre, Guadeloupe, La Romana, DR, Punta Cana, DR, Santo Domingo, DR, St. Maarten, St. Kitts and Nevis.  With service to 15 destinations throughout the Caribbean—two pilots on every flight and a flight attendant, Seaborne is rapidly becoming the preferred regional airline in the Caribbean.

About United Airlines

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of more than 5,200 flights a day to 374 airports across six continents. In 2013, United and United Express operated nearly two million flights carrying 139 million customers. With U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates more than 700 mainline aircraft and, in 2014, will take delivery of 35 new Boeing aircraft, including the 787-9 as the North American launch customer, and will welcome 32 new Embraer 175 aircraft to United Express. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 countries via 27 member airlines. More than 85,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

CONTACT: Sandra Colon Perez, [email protected]

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla., Aug. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The 2014 FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show, the largest cruise and tourism conference and trade show in the Caribbean, will let delegates and exhibitors target about 1,000 cruise tourism stakeholders and 100 FCCA Member Line presidents, CEOs and executives from multiple sectors, including operations, purchasing, marketing, shore excursions and government relations.

“The FCCA Conference and Trade Show is a great opportunity to network with and learn from the FCCA Member Lines’ key players,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line CEO and FCCA chairman. “Attendees have ample opportunities to promote products, develop working relationships and discuss trends with the industry’s most important executives.”

Attendees and executives will congregate in St. Maarten from October 6-10 for a four-day series of meetings, workshops, networking functions and the trade show. The Conference’s business functions will include preset one-on-one meetings that offer a chance to promote a product to or receive individualized input from cruise executives selected by attendees; workshops on current issues with panels of knowledgeable industry professionals and cruise executives, along with the presidents and CEOs heading a roundtable discussion; and social functions that foster networking in a comfortable, engaging atmosphere.

The Trade Show will guarantee exposure from this influential audience through numerous events hosted at the Trade Show, many of which feature cruise executives, and traffic driven by its location, with all attendees entering and passing through to access the Conference’s business sessions and registration. Booths will put an exhibitor’s product, company or destination on the mind of those who decide where ships call and what is sold onboard, and specialized pavilions are available to increase attention and allow a destination or large company to showcase their numerous offerings.

This is one of the best opportunities to increase cruise tourism’s impact by better understanding the industry and promoting products to and forging working relationships with some of the cruise industry’s most important decision makers.

Registration for and more information about the FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show are available here: https://www.regonline.com/fccastmaarten.

CONTACT: Omari Breakenridge, 954 441 8881, [email protected]

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Aug. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Now, it will be easier than ever to make your dream of traveling the Caribbean come true. Seaborne Airlines, the fastest growing airline in the Caribbean, announced that they will be launching the “Fly Anywhere you like for as many times as you like” promotion for $699*.  This promotion offers a customer the option to book as many trips as they like, to travel as often as they like, between September 3^rd, 2014 and November 17^th, 2014. To take advantage of this unprecedented offer, customers must call Reservations to book or to even buy the offer for another individual as a sweet gift **.

“We wanted to give our customers an excuse to see the beauty of the Caribbean by taking multiple trips for one low price.  With just two trips, this can pay for itself.  Whether to sightsee or visit friends and relatives, we hope that many will experience Seaborne’s exemplary service under this promotion.” said Gary D. Foss, president and chief executive officer of Seaborne Airlines.

Reservations can be made by calling: 1-866-359-8784 or 787-946-7800.

With service to 15 airports throughout the Caribbean; connecting service to American, Jet Blue and Delta at San Juan, Puerto Rico; two pilots on every flight; a flight attendant on our new Saab 340 aircraft and the outstanding dependability, Seaborne is becoming the preferred regional airline in the Caribbean.

*Taxes / fees still apply per booking. Certain conditions and restrictions may apply. Passenger cannot have more than two (2) outstanding reservations at a time.

** Must have passport information for international bookings.

About Seaborne Airlines
Seaborne Airlines has been operating in the Caribbean for over 21 years, carrying over two and a half million customers safely.  Seaborne operates over 2,100 monthly departures throughout the Caribbean to San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Thomas Seaplane, St. Croix, St. Croix Seaplane, Dominica, Fort de France, Martinique, Point a Pitre, Guadeloupe, La Romana, DR, Punta Cana, DR, Santo Domingo, DR, St. Maarten, St. Kitts and Nevis.

CONTACT: Sandra Colon Perez, [email protected], +1-866-359-8784 or +1-787-946-7800

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, July 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – Gary Foss, President and Chief Executive Officer of Seaborne Airlines, announced the appointment of airline industry veteran Hector “Tato” Montanez as the regional carrier’s new Director of Marketing and Sales. In his new position, Montanez will be in charge of overseeing the airline’s marketing and sales initiatives in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

Montanez brings with him more than 25 years of experience working for American Airlines, where he oversaw sales and marketing, operations, e-commerce and distribution, new product development, key account management and customer service for Puerto Rico.

“Seaborne has a great story and a great future in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and throughout the Caribbean. I am honored to be part of Seaborne Airlines’ evolution and look forward to helping in the development of the airline’s regional strategy,” Montanez said. “With service to 18 airports, we hope to make Seaborne a household name throughout the Caribbean.”

“Seaborne is honored to have someone of the caliber of Hector join the team, after so many outstanding years working in sales and marketing for American. The expert team of professionals that we have been assembling in recent months will undoubtedly fuel our company’s growth plans for the region, where we are already the fastest-growing airline in the Caribbean,” said Foss.

Montanez, who will be based at Seaborne’s San Juan Headquarters, also brings with him experience with working with other airlines gained during his tenure with an airport handling company that provided ground services to various carriers, such as Aeropostal Airlines, AirFrance, British Airways, LACSA and VIASA.

Montanez has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Inter American University, Metro Campus. He lives in San Juan with his wife Wendy and children Bianca and Jan Luis.

About Seaborne Airlines

Seaborne Airlines has been operating in the Caribbean for over 20 years, carrying over two million customers safely. Seaborne operates over 2,100 monthly departures throughout the Caribbean to San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Croix, Vieques, Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Dominica, Martinique, Guadeloupe, La Romana, Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, Santiago, St. Maarten, St. Kitts and Nevis.

CONTACT: Press Contact: Sandra Colon Perez, [email protected]

CaribPR Wire,London, 17 June, 2014- CentralNic plc, (AIM:CNIC), the Registry Service Provider powering the sale of domain names through online retailers globally, is pleased to announce that it has acquired the business and certain of the assets of Internet.BS Corp (“Internet.BS”), registered in The Bahamas – the leading retailer of domain names in the Caribbean and one of the world’s top thirty domain name retailers (or “registrars”).

CentralNic listed on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange in September 2013 announcing its mission to enter markets in the Caribbean and Africa, both supporting local Country Code (“ccTLD”) operators with a world class registry solution, and ensuring that those Country Codes were made available to local populations through modern retail interfaces tailor-made for domestic markets across the two regions.

“The acquisition of Internet.BS’s business shows how serious we are about the Caribbean region,” said CentralNic CEO Ben Crawford. “Together with our existing registrar technology that powers retailers like buydomains.london and www.la, we now have a powerful multi- domain registrar in the Group with Internet.BS, which already serves customers in eight languages and multiple currencies, and which we can deploy to enable individuals and businesses in the Caribbean and Africa to get online.”

The news follows last year’s announcement that CentralNic has partnered with the respected Africa.com, to support its development of a pan-African domain registrar.

CentralNic’s Registry service Provider division is supporting such quality new generic TLDs as .website, .college, .press, .host,. .wiki, .bar; DotBrand TLDs such as .etisalat and .theguardian, as well as the country codes .pw and .la.

For further information:
Mohammed Al-Ammouri (ccTLD Relations) +971 507 611 894
Ben Crawford (CEO)
+44 (0) 203 388 0600

Dr. Ma Lin, Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Municipal Government, second from right and Mr. Cao, Pengcheng, Vice Chairman of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development were among the panellists on the “Bejing-Caribbean Tourism And Investment Opportunity” panel at Invest Caribbean Now 2014. (Sharon Bennett/ICN image)

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. June 10, 2014: The prospects are good for Beijing and the Caribbean region to enhance cooperation in developing tourism and boosting their respective economic and social progress.

That’s the view from Dr. Ma Lin, Deputy Secretary-General of the Beijing Municipal Government, who brought welcoming remarks to delegates at Invest Caribbean Now 2014 and who was also part of the “Bejing-Caribbean Tourism And Investment Opportunity” panel at the summit on June 4^th in New York City.

Dr. Lin called for a deeper understanding of Beijing and the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF), so that they can “enhance exchanges and cooperation and promote common development.”

He noted that the rapid growth of outbound tourism from China has made it a rising industry. In 2013, the number of outbound tourists reached 93.4 million, spending 117.6 billion U.S. dollars overseas in total. It is expected that by 2020, the number of China’s outbound tourists will increase by over 200 million, offering huge potential.

“Therefore, there are good prospects for China and the Caribbean region, especially Beijing and the Caribbean region to enhance cooperation in developing tourism and boosting their respective economic and social progress.” Dr. Lin addressed the over 200 delegates gathered, who included several Caribbean ministers of governments as well as top US and Caribbean companies like Merrill Lynch, the World Bank Group, Goldman Sachs, OPIC,  Bright Capital, Aegis Capital, Medici Group, Adiuvo Partners LLP, The Lugano Group, The Woody Wilson Fine Clothing of Beverly Hills, Global Med Choices, American World Clinic; MPowered, Aspenall Energies,  Sandals Resorts International, DHL Caribbean, HBO Latin America, One Caribbean Television, First Citizens TT, InvesTT, interCaribbean Airways, Bright Capital and Sir Richard Branson’s, Carbon War Room.

Meanwhile, Mr. Cao, Pengcheng, Vice Chairman of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development, urged Caribbean ministers of tourism and leaders to join the WTCF as a first step in order to enhance their brand promotion to Beijing and Chinese tourists.

He agreed with Dr. Lin that due to inconvenient transportation and lack of information exchanges, most citizens from Beijing are unaware of tourism in the Caribbean region, and only a small proportion of China’s outbound tourists visit the Caribbean region.

But he said that through closer collaboration and membership within the WTCF and promotion at the annual expo in Beijing in September, the Caribbean tourism destinations can help boost promotion for their tourism sectors and attract more tourists from Beijing and China.

At present, the Caribbean region accounts for only a small proportion of Chinese overseas visits, and no Caribbean cities or organizations have joined the WTCF.

The panel included Mr. Richard Nixon of  NATCOM International and past Chargé d’ Affaires at Embassy of Grenada to China, who urged the Caribbean region to do a better job of packaging its projects for promotion in China, and Li Li, managing director of the Chinese American Business Development Center, who reiterated that the first step towards any real tourism promotion in Beijing and China must be through membership in the WTCF which will enhance promotion on a global level.

The panel was moderated by Arthur Piccolo, chairman of the New Sports Group.

Invest Caribbean Now was founded in 2011 by Hard Beat Communications CMO, Felicia J. Persaud. The 2014 ICN summit was presented under the theme, “Advancing Wealth.”

ICN 2014 also hosted several panel discussions including ‘Global Trends & The Caribbean;’ ‘Introducing The New Trend In Tourism – Medical Tourism;’ ‘Introducing A New Trend In The Caribbean  – Clean Energy’, and the “Caribbean Diaspora as a source of investment.”

The first half of the event included remarks by Claire McLeveighn who brought greetings on behalf of New York State Governor, Andrew Cuomo; an opening address by ICN founder and chairman, Felicia J. Persaud; a keynote address by Harvard graduate Dr. Isaac J. Newton, of Paramount Communications Consultancy; an investment announcement on the Caribbean Market Village of  St. Lucia and a focus on ‘Advancing Wealth In The Caribbean With Technology,’ from Trinidad-born, LA resident, Anthony Wellington Phills, branding specialist of Disney’s ‘Million Dollar Arm’ and founder of Caribbean Commerce Magazine/Media, Calypso Cloud and Blinglet Inc.

See photos from the event here.

SOURCE: Invest Caribbean Now

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kathy Bronson

Communications Coordinator

Invest Caribbean Now

[email protected]

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. May 27, 2014: “Advancing Wealth” is the theme of the fourth edition of the New York Summit, Invest Caribbean Now, the biggest investment forum on the Caribbean outside the region, set for June 4, 2014 at the prestigious Harvard Club of New York.

Now in its fourth year, the Summit brings together heads of state and ministers of governments, private sector leaders from around the world including China, Russia, Africa and the United States, NGOs and investors to network and focus on the varied opportunities in the Caribbean.

Invest Caribbean Now 2014 will focus on transformation: unlocking the competitiveness of the Caribbean economy through alliances while focusing on new and innovative engines of growth that can increase the region’s bottom line, its infrastructure and its human capital.

The summit will do this through several panels beginning with the ‘Global Trends & The Caribbean’ panel featuring  Janine Craane, Managing Director and Global Institutional Consultant, Merrill Lynch; Ambassador Jamie Vargas; Sergio Millian, President of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce; Anthony A. L. Adjasse, President / CEO, Allied African Nations Chamber Of Commerce; Larry Lee, President, China Daily and moderator Valence Williams, Vice President of AEGIS Capital; as well as the’ Bejing-Caribbean Tourism And Investment Opportunity’ panel featuring Dr. Ma, Lin   Deputy Secretary-General of Beijing Municipal Government; Cao, Pengcheng, Vice Chairman, Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development, Li Li, managing director, China American Business Development Center, Richard Nixon, NATCOM International and past Chargé d’ Affaires at Embassy of Grenada to China and moderator Arthur Piccolo, Chairman, New Sports Group/Bowling Green Association.

Additionally, the first half of the event will include a keynote address by Harvard graduate Dr. Isaac J. Newton, of Paramount Communications Consultancy; a spotlight on specific investment opportunities in  Trinidad & Tobago with  Minister of Trade, Industry, Investment and Communications, Vasant Bharath; an investment announcement on the Caribbean Market Village of  St. Lucia and a focus on ‘Advancing Wealth In The Caribbean With Technology’ with Trinidad-born, LA resident, Anthony Wellington Phills, branding specialist of Disney’s ‘Million Dollar Arm’ and founder of Caribbean Commerce Magazine/Media, Calypso Cloud and Blinglet Inc.

The early afternoon session will focus on two new sectors that can empower Caribbean economies using its abundant sun, sea and sand natural resources. Colin Childress, CEO/Founder, Global Med Choices, Turks & Caicos; Dr. Paul Angelchik, Founder and CEO, American World Clinic; Donna G. Miller, Founder/President/CEO, Life Guard International – FlyingICU/Fixed Wing Air Ambulance; Patrick Goodness, CEO, The Goodness Company, Costa Rica and moderator Christopher Chaplin, Vice-President, Invest Caribbean Now/Hard Beat Communications, Inc., will discuss how the region can grow its economy with medical tourism  while Ambassador Angus Friday, Grenada’s Ambassador to the US; ‎Diana Jensen, Senior Manager, Renewable Energy at the US’ Overseas Private Investment Corporation; Mark Austin, Venture Partner, Bright Capital; Raul Slavin of  Aspenall Energies; Jacques-Philippe Piverger of MPowered and moderator Justin Locke of Sir Richard Branson’s, Carbon War Room will focus on how governments can save on their energy bills by switching to clean energy.

ICN 2014 will conclude summit discussions with a focus on  ‘The Caribbean Diaspora as A Real Source For Investment’ with  Qahir Dhanani, Private Sector Development Specialist, the World Bank Group; Leigh Moran, Program Manager, International Diaspora Engagement Alliance” or “IdEA;” Brian Lilly, Founder, One Caribbean Television; Dr.  Marlyn Morris, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Caribbean Council For Economic Development and Irwine Clare, Advisory Board Member, Jamaica Diaspora USA, NE & CEO, Caribbean Immigrant Services and a special announcement and sneak peak at his tropical collection with Woody Wilson of Beverly Hills, designer to stars like Brad Pitt.

This year’s Invest Caribbean Now will wrap up with a high powered networking reception that will include remarks by Hollywood actor Malik Yoba, the exciting presentation of the ICN Leadership Award to Hon. Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, OJ, CD, Hon. LLD, Chairman of Sandals Resorts International and the presentation of corporate awards to DHL Caribbean, HBO Latin America, One Caribbean Television, First Caribbean and interCaribbean Airways.

For more log on to ICN’s summit page at Investcaribbeannow.com. This year’s Summit will be live tweeted at twitter.com/InvestingCarib using #investingcarib. Additionally fans can follow the summit at Facebook or facebook.com/investcaribbeannow

ICN PARTNERS

Presenters for ICN 2014 include: Hard Beat Communications, The Caribbean Tourism Organization, One Caribbean Television, The Woody Wilson Collection of Beverly Hills, The PR Newswire, the Caribbean Commerce Magazine, Blinglets, The Caribbean Council for Economic Development, the World Tourism Cities Federation, China Daily, InvesTT, the Chinese Business Development Center, the Sino-American Friendship Association, Martinique Promotion Bureau- CMT USA,  CaribPR Wire, News Americas Now, the Jamaica Observer, CaribSeek, WINN-FM and GCaribbean Magazine.

SOURCE: Invest Caribbean Now

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kathy Bronson

Communications Coordinator

Invest Caribbean Now

[email protected]

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. April 14, 2014: Russia can learn a lot from the Caribbean on branding itself as an inbound tourism destination after Sochi.

That’s according to new Invest Caribbean Now President, Sheila Newton-Moses, who along with Invest Caribbean Now Founder and Chairman, Felicia J. Persaud, were the lone Caribbean representatives at the invitation only Global Russia Business Meeting held from April 6-7, 2014 in Valencia, Spain.

Newton-Moses was among a six-member panel entitled “Unlocking The Tourist Potential” at the event and told delegates gathered from around the world that Russia has to work on creating a brand that is beyond the current political image its known for around the world.

“In the Caribbean we have mastered the art of tourism and it is a billion dollar industry,” said Newton-Moses. “Russia needs to learn from the Caribbean and look at marketing its culture and history globally to transcend and repair its current image.”

The Global Russia Business Meeting brings together a host of eminent business leaders to discuss Russian firms’ role in the global economy annually and is organized by Dr. Frank Richter of Horasis: The Global Vision Community. Similar exclusive investment summits around the world on China, India and the Middle East are also held annually.

Invest Caribbean Now’s historic appearance at the five-year-old global investment event comes ahead of the presence of Russian investors on the summit’s ‘Global Trends and the Caribbean’ panel that is set for June 4th, 2014 from 11:30 a.m. at the prestigious Harvard Club in New York City.

Russian investments in the Caribbean have been growing in recent years while tourists from Russia are also increasing to the region especially to Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
This year’s fourth Invest Caribbean Now summit will also feature numerous global professional investors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders including a delegation from China; the Industrial Commerce Bank of China, American CryoStem Corporation, Lugano Group, Damoola, Merrill Lynch, Nomura, Aegis Capital, Island Global Yachting, Blocadi Capital, K&L Gates, True Value Building & Hardware Ltd & Emerald Vista and representatives from Sir Richard Branson’s the Carbon War Room.

Also attending will be Caribbean government ministers and dignitaries from across the region; chairman of the billion-dollar, privately-owned Jamaican-based empire that today includes 24 Caribbean properties, Appliance Traders Ltd. and The Observer media company, Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart; Sergio Millian, President of the Russian American Chamber of Commerce; Colin Childress, CEO/Founder, Global MedChoices, Turks & Caicos; Paul Angelchik, M.D., Founder and CEO, American World Clinic – Barbados; Anthony A. L. Adjasse of the Allied African Nations Chamber Of Commerce; Jamaica’s Ambassador to the UN, Courtney Rattray and several CARICOM consuls general to New York; Hollywood actor Malik Yoba, Hollywood fashion designer, Woody Wilson; Qahir Dhanani, private sector development specialist of the World Bank Group; Leigh Moran, manager, International Diaspora Engagement Alliance” or “IdEA,” a partnership of the US State Department and USAID; Brian Lilly, founder of One Caribbean Television and CEO of Lilly Broadcasting; Caribbean scholar Dr. Isaac Newton; Anthony Phills, founder of the Caribbean Commerce Magazine/Media and Blinglet Inc. and Irwine Clare of the Jamaica Diaspora, North East among others.

Multiple Award Emmy winning TV Anchor, Ernie Anstos, will emcee the Summit while One Caribbean Television weatherman, Joey Stevens, and his famous side-kick, Bob, will wrap up the event by hosting the ICN Awards Reception, set for 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Limited early bird tickets and table of 10 are available through April 30^th by booking here or at investcaribbeannow.com/earlybird.

Partnership sponsorship and advertising opportunities for this event are available by contacting [email protected] or [email protected] or by logging on to ICN’s summit page atInvestcaribbeannow.com.

An exclusive Diamond Dinner has been added to this year’s summit for only 20 people who will include Malik Yoba, Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart and Woody Wilson among other top Chinese, Caribbean and Russian delegates. Only ten tickets remain available and can be obtained by contacting Joe Bernstein at [email protected].

ICN PARTNERS

Presenters for ICN 2014 include: Hard Beat Communications, The Caribbean Tourism Organization, One Caribbean Television, The Woody Wilson Collection of Beverly Hills, The PR Newswire, the Caribbean Commerce Magazine, Blinglets, The Caribbean Council for Economic Development, the Chinese Business Development Center, Woody Wilson Fine Clothing, CaribPR Wire, News Americas Now, the Jamaica Observer, CaribSeek, WINN-FM and GCaribbean Magazine.

Follow The Summit |Twitter | Facebook

SOURCE: Invest Caribbean Now

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kathy Bronson

Communications Coordinator

Invest Caribbean Now

[email protected]

Emmy award-winning TV anchor Ernie Anastos.

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. April 7, 2014: New York Hall of Fame Broadcaster and winner of more than 30 Emmy awards and nominations, Ernie Anastos, is set to emcee the biggest investment summit on the Caribbean outside the region, Invest Caribbean Now (ICN) 2014.

Anastos, the distinguished and popular anchor for the FOX flagship station WNYW-TV in New York, will serve as host of the fourth summit that is being presented under the patronage of Hollywood Actor Malik Yoba and set for June 4th, 2014 from 11:30 a.m. at the prestigious Harvard Club in New York City.

This year’s summit will feature numerous global professional investors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders including a delegation from China; the Industrial Commerce Bank of China, American CryoStem Corporation, Lugano Group, Damoola, Merrill Lynch, Nomura, Aegis Capital, Island Global Yachting, Blocadi Capital, K&L Gates, True Value Building & Hardware Ltd & Emerald Vista and representatives from Sir Richard Branson’s the Carbon War Room will also be in attendance.

Also attending will be Caribbean government ministers and dignitaries from across the region; chairman of the billion-dollar, privately-owned Jamaican-based empire that today includes 24 Caribbean properties, Appliance Traders Ltd. and The Observer media company, Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart; Sergio Millian, President of the Russian American Chamber of Commerce; Colin Childress, CEO/Founder, Global MedChoices, Turks & Caicos; Paul Angelchik, M.D., Founder and CEO, American World Clinic – Barbados; Anthony A. L. Adjasse of the Allied African Nations Chamber Of Commerce; Jamaica’s Ambassador to the UN, Courtney Rattray and several CARICOM consuls general to New York; Hollywood fashion designer, Woody Wilson; Qahir Dhanani, private sector development specialist of the World Bank Group; Leigh Moran, manager, International Diaspora Engagement Alliance” or “IdEA,” a partnership of the US State Department and USAID; Brian Lilly, founder of One Caribbean Television and CEO of Lilly Broadcasting; Caribbean scholar Dr. Isaac Newton; Anthony Phills, founder of the Caribbean Commerce Magazine/Media and Blinglet Inc. and Irwine Clare of the Jamaica Diaspora, North East among others.

Anastos is the first and only New York TV anchor to receive the coveted “Lifetime Emmy Award,” the highest honor given for his outstanding and personal accomplishments in the television industry.

“We are extremely thrilled to welcome Ernie Anastos to Invest Caribbean Now 2014,” said ICN founder and Hard Beat Communications CMO Felicia Persaud. “Ernie is a New York television icon and his immediate acceptance of our invitation to serve as this year’s emcee adds to the global dimension of this year’s summit.”

One Caribbean Television weatherman, Joey Stevens, and his famous side-kick, Bob, will wrap up the event by hosting the ICN Awards Reception, set for 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Limited early bird tickets and table of 10 are available by booking here or atinvestcaribbeannow.com/earlybird.

Panel program sponsorship and advertising opportunities for this event are available by contacting [email protected] or [email protected] or by logging on to ICN’s summit page atInvestcaribbeannow.com.

An exclusive Diamond Dinner has been added to this year’s summit for only 20 people who will include Malik Yoba, Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart and Woody Wilson among other top Chinese, Caribbean and Russian delegates. Tickets are available on an invitation only basis by contacting Joe Bernstein at [email protected].

ICN PARTNERS

Presenters for ICN 2014 include: Hard Beat Communications, The Caribbean Tourism Organization, One Caribbean Television, The Woody Wilson Collection of Beverly Hills, The PR Newswire, the Caribbean Commerce Magazine, Blinglets, The Caribbean Council for Economic Development, the Chinese Business Development Center, Woody Wilson Fine Clothing, CaribPR Wire, News Americas Now, the Jamaica Observer, CaribSeek and WINN-FM.

Follow The Summit |Twitter | Facebook

SOURCE: Invest Caribbean Now

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kathy Bronson

Communications Coordinator

Invest Caribbean Now

[email protected]

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Mar. 24, 2014: The Caribbean region can boost its bottom line by developing a medical tourism product that takes advantage of its brand as a great vacation destination, its proximity to North America as well as its tourism facilities, beaches and of course, the year-round warm weather of the region.

That’s according to Dr. Paul Angelchik, founder of American World Clinics, and Collin Childress, CEO of Global MedChoices. Their comments come as both prepare to discuss the potential of medical tourism for the Caribbean in-depth at a panel at Invest Caribbean Now 2014.

ICN, the biggest global investment summit on the Caribbean outside of the region, is set for the Harvard Club in New York City from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. this June 4^th under the patronage of Hollywood Actor Malik Yoba.

“The opportunity for the Caribbean in general is that it carries a positive connotation in the view of many for having friendly people, natural beauty and a reputation as an enjoyable, upscale destination with great visitor amenities in many locations,” commented Dr. Angelchik. “I have no doubt that the Caribbean can be a major region for MT activities if there is follow through on the initial buzz of enthusiasm that has defined the industry to date.”

“Creating the opportunity for economic diversification through introducing a sustainable development and growth industry, such as medical tourism, to the Caribbean can help soften the impact of cyclical North American economic downturns in tourism on the Caribbean market and leverage the supply and demand issues that are driving patient flow offshore from Canada and the US,” added CEO Childress.

In 2011, the total impact of the medical tourism industry contributed 9 percent of global GDP (over $6 trillion USD) and accounted for 255 million jobs in the world. In the next decade, medical tourism is expected to grow by an average yearly of 4 percent, contributing up to 10 percent of future global GDP ($10 trillion). Eventually, by 2022, it is estimated that 328 million jobs will be created in the medical tourism industry: equal to 10 percent of jobs in the world.

WHO’S WHO FOR ICN

Invest Caribbean Now, the brainchild of Hard Beat Communications CEO Felicia Persaud is committed to advancing wealth in the Caribbean. ICN matches investors with projects in the Caribbean while bringing investors to the region and introducing them to sustainable investment opportunities there.

This year’s summit will feature top delegates including a delegation of Chinese investors from China, Caribbean government dignitaries from across the region, including Premier of Nevis, Vance Amory; New York City elected officials; chairman of over two dozen companies throughout the Caribbean, North America, Russia, China, Africa and Great Britain, including Sandals Resorts Chairman, Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart; Qahir Dhanani, World Bank Group; Ambassador Richard Bernal, Executive Director, Caribbean, Inter-American Development Bank; Leigh Moran, representing the  US State Department/USAID ‘IdEA; ‘ Sergio Millian, President of the Russian American Chamber of Commerce; Anthony A. L. Adjasse of the Allied African Nations  Chamber Of Commerce; Jamaica’s Ambassador to the UN, Courtney Rattray; Hollywood fashion designer, Woody Wilson and  numerous global professional investors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders.

Special partnership and co-branding opportunities for this prestigious event are available by contacting [email protected] or logging on to ICN’s brand new website at Investcaribbeannow.com.

Limited early bird tickets to the summit are available by booking here or at investcaribbeannow.com/earlybird

An exclusive Diamond Dinner has been added to this year’s summit for only 20 people who will include Malik Yoba, Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart and Woody Wilson among other top Chinese, Caribbean and Russian delegates. Tickets are available on an invitation only basis by contacting Joe Bernstein at [email protected].

ICN PARTNERS

Partners for ICN 2014 include: Hard Beat Communications, The Caribbean Tourism Organization, One Caribbean Television, The Woody Wilson Collection of Beverly Hills, The PR Newswire, the Caribbean Commerce Magazine, Blinglets, The Caribbean Council for Economic Development, the Chinese Business Development Center, Woody Wilson Fine Clothing, CaribPR Wire and News Americas Now.

Follow The Summit |Twitter | Facebook

SOURCE: Invest Caribbean Now

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kathy Bronson

Communications Coordinator

Invest Caribbean Now

[email protected]

Xiaoguang Liu is consul in charge of economic & commercial affairs of the Consulate General of China in New York addressing delegates at Invest Caribbean Now 2013. (Hayden Roger Celestin image/ICN)

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Sun. March 2, 2014: The biggest investment summit on the Caribbean held outside the region annually, returns with a bang this Caribbean American Heritage Month to the U.S. Diaspora.

Global investors, business leaders and dignitaries from China, Russia, Africa, Dubai, the United States and the Caribbean will come together for Invest Caribbean Now 2014, (ICN) summit during Caribbean Week in New York this June 4, 2014 at the prestigious Harvard Club of New York City from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

ICN returns with a revamped agenda and a focus on advancing wealth in the Caribbean region. The summit will kick-off with a panel on Global Investment Trends & The Caribbean with representatives from China, Russia, Africa, the U.S. and Dubai.

Also on the agenda this year will be a focus on medical tourism as an economic earner for Caribbean nations with CEO of Global Med Choices, Colin Childress, and Dr. Paul Angelchik, founder of American World Clinics. ICN will also spotlight on the Emerging Relationship Of Chinese Tourism & Investments In The Caribbean;  IT and Clean Energy in the Caribbean and The Caribbean Diaspora: A Real Source For Investment?  with the World Bank Group’s Qahir Dhanani, the US State Department’s IdEA’s Leigh Moran and Irwine Clare, advisory board member of the Jamaica Diaspora USA, North East.

Harvard, Princeton and Colombia graduate and Caribbean-born scholar, Dr. Isaac Newton, will deliver the keynote address on the issue of economic development and investment outreach while bridging the wealth gap to the people of the Diaspora and the Caribbean while this year’s project focus will be on the Caribbean Market Village, a brilliant, new innovative $30 million resort project/theme park set to be built in Dunnery, St. Lucia.

The summit will wrap up with the launch of the Woody Wilson Tropical Collection for the Caribbean. Woody Wilson is a renowned designer to stars like Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Terrance Howard among others.

Immediately following the Summit, ICN will present its 2014 networking awards and cocktail reception from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Harvard Club’s Cambridge Room, where a Hollywood celebrity will join delegates and honorees who will include the 2014 Leadership Awardee, Gordon, Butch Stewart, chairman of Sandals Resort.

A special addition to the ICN Summit of 2014 is the Diamond Dinner event for 20 individuals to network and do business privately. Attendance is by invitation only  from Joe Bernstein at [email protected].

ICN Founder and Chairman Felicia Persaud, CMO of communications consultancy, Hard Beat Communications, says the 2014 Summit will be the best and biggest in the event’s four-year history because of the new team and board that’s been put in place to run the event and to market the Caribbean to the world.

ABOUT ICN

Invest Caribbean Now has as its main focus wealth creation for the region by capitalizing on global trends and indigenous creativity while managing scarce resources intelligently and building sound economics, investment in human development, and a strong alliance with nature.  In the past three years alone, over 600 investment bankers, private equity investors, Chinese and U.S. government officials, Caribbean ministers of governments and premiers, hotel developers, architects, real estate developers, financial advisors, entrepreneurs and the media have attended the event.  Past ICN honourees have included billionaire Sir Richard Branson and billion-dollar company, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

PARTNERSHIP

For special partnership and co-branding opportunities for this prestigious event, contact [email protected] or log on to ICN’s brand new summit page at Investcaribbeannow.com.

TICKETS

Early bird tickets are going fast but a few limited seats for the June 4th summit are still available at investcaribbeannow.com/earlybird.

ICN PARTNERS

Partners for ICN 2014 include: Hard Beat Communications, The Caribbean Tourism Organization, One Caribbean Television, The PR Newswire, the Caribbean Commerce Magazine, Blinglets, The Caribbean Council for Economic Development, the Chinese Business Development Center, CaribPR Wire and News Americas Now.

Follow The Summit |Twitter | Facebook

SOURCE: Invest Caribbean Now

CaribPR Wire, PORSTMOUTH, Dominica , Tues. Feb. 25, 2014: Dominica hotelier, Gregor Nassief, is urging St. Vincent & the Grenadines Prime Minister, Ralph Gonsalves, to step aside as chairman of the shareholder’s committee of regional airline LIAT, in a fourth open letter to the shareholders. Nassief insists that since Gonsalves believes LIAT can never be profitable, then the airline urgently needs a new chairman and ‘general’ who can find a new approach for taking LIAT and the Caribbean aviation industry forward without a perpetual and unfair burden on the treasuries of St. Vincent, Antigua, Barbados and Dominica. The open letter follows.

February 25, 2014

Honourable Dr. Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Dear Prime Minister Gonsalves:

Re:  Run it like a business before it goes out of business

On the televised program Time to Face the Facts on Sunday, February 23^rd, I appealed to you to step aside as Chairman of the Shareholder’s committee of LIAT.  As mentioned on the program, given the respect and admiration I have for you, particularly on your stance and leadership on issues such as reparations and the cholera outbreak in Haiti, it was personally difficult for me to do this.  But it is necessary.

LIAT has moved from an operational meltdown in the Summer of 2013 to a financial meltdown a mere 7 months later.  LIAT drains our treasuries, operates inefficiently and stifles competition.  The source of LIAT’s problem is its financial unsustainability and as with everything else at LIAT, no one is accountable.  As Chairman of the Shareholder’s committee, the buck stops with you.

LIAT needs to fight the battle of its life to transform itself to be financially viable and sustainable.  But you believe, and have stated so publicly, that LIAT can never be profitable.  This battle, therefore, needs a different general.

Unsustainability

LIAT has lost ec$120m in the last four years.  Last month, LIAT could not pay both the lease on its aircraft as well as its payroll.  So it chose one and delayed the other.  A leased ATR gives 36% more seat capacity than its closest Dash 8 equivalent but is double the (lease) expense.  In 2015, repayments will begin on LIAT’s recent loan of us$65m to purchase new aircraft.   So monthly cash outflows go up even more.

And the new inflows to cover this?  Inter-island tourism is down 60% in 7 years and LIAT’s load factor is running at about 55%.  The fantasy (aka “business plan”) is that the load factor will go up to 75%.  The fantasy is also that LIAT will fly its way out of losses by expanding to new destinations – Jamaica, Haiti, Aruba, Panama, and eventually to cities in North and South America.

LIAT employs 850+ people, flies 22 destinations, operates between 10 and 12 aircraft from 2 hubs (3 if you count Trinidad) to move 800,000+ passengers a year to generate massive losses.

So it’s bail out time again.  Call on shareholders, and call on other good neighbors so that we can continue to drain our treasuries, operate inefficiently and stifle competition.  And for you this is acceptable because LIAT should not be run like a business and can never make a profit.

Our fragile economies can no longer support perpetual bailouts.  If we do not take the bull by the horns LIAT will go out of business – it will employ no one, fly nowhere, operate no aircraft and use no hubs.  But alas, it will generate no losses and competitive players will fill the gaps because LIAT, the airline unfairly propped up by perpetual subsidies, will not be there to run them out of business.

LIAT must therefore immediately begin a journey towards financial sustainability to save itself.  But if the leader does not believe in the journey, then the journey will never begin.  It is on this basis, with full respect and admiration, that I ask you to step aside as Chairman of the Shareholder’s committee, so that a new mandate to make LIAT financially sustainable can be ushered in.

Sustainability

The new chairman of the Shareholder’s committee needs to believe that the battle can be won.  And what needs to be done is not rocket science.

Appoint a Chairman and a Board capable of turning around the financial fortunes of the company and running a top-notch airline.  Give them the authority and autonomy to do what needs to be done.  Allow them to appoint a CEO and restructure the management team as necessary.   Allow LIAT to become a real business free from political interference tasked with a perfect safety record, high employee satisfaction, great customer service and solid financial performance.  A fierce focus on the company’s finances with adjustments made to yield (including renegotiation of government/airport taxes), network efficiency and operating costs will be required.  The resulting operation will have fewer employees, fewer destinations and fewer aircraft.  It will be profitable, dependable and it will deliver great service.  Like any airline, unprofitable routes will continue only with guarantees from the interested party/government.  But at least then, the taxpayers will know what they are paying for, and can make that decision.  And other/smaller airlines will take up the slack.  Competition will flourish, as will LIAT, and the Caribbean will finally get the airlift network it needs.

With a restructured board and executive, confidence in the airline’s financial performance will be established and other Caribbean governments may even want to invest.

At the right time, joint venture the company while maintaining a minimum 50% shares among shareholder governments.  The two best run airlines in the world (Singapore Airlines and Air Malaysia) are run like a business and are profitable and remain owned 50% or more by the State and 50% or less by private interests.  Like LIAT, they were bleeding losses and their shareholder governments could no longer manage the bailouts.  So they took the tough decisions, appointed the right board and executive team, and turned the airlines around to the benefit of all stakeholders.

Yes, it will be painful, but it is necessary.  And most importantly it will pull LIAT back from the financial cliff and put it on a course to long term financial sustainability.

Please consider that I am a hotelier from an island that is almost 80% dependent on LIAT for airlift.  Cut one route to Dominica, and we/Dominica will suffer.  But if my option is (a) to continue to have all the LIAT routes we have today with an airline that is prone to poor service, ad hoc cancellations, occasional and irrational pilot strikes and constantly at the edge of a financial precipice due to insurmountable financial losses – OR – (b) an airline with fewer routes but with good service, dependable schedules and solid financial performance, then my choice is definitely the latter.  And other airlines, once permitted, will take up the slack.

In Summary

Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”  And then finally, he invented the electric light bulb.

We have lived through and exhausted the many ways that LIAT won’t work.  It is time to try the way that will.

I appeal to you, Prime Minister Gonsalves, as well as the other Shareholder Prime Ministers, to mandate a new approach for taking LIAT and the Caribbean aviation industry forward without this perpetual and unfair burden on our treasuries.

It is time to run it like a business before it goes out of business.

Respectfully Yours,

Gregor Nassief

Owner/Director – Secret Bay

Executive Chairman – Fort Young Hotel

cc:        Honourable Dr. Baldwin Spencer of Antigua and Barbuda

Honourable Freundel Stuart of Barbados

Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica

p.s.       As we again desperately seek additional funds for yet another bailout, make it the last please.  Don’t put the money into the black hole of an unsustainable business model.  Instead, use it to restructure the airline, rationalize its operations and place it on a solid long term footing.  In other words, make it the last bailout!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Mr. Nassief’s full letter is also available at http://www.scribd.com/doc/209141390/Letter-to-LIAT-Chairman-of-LIAT-s-Shareholders-Committee-February-25-2014-from-Dominica-Hotelier-Gregor-Nassief