CaribPR Wire

Jay Yeo, President of Solamon Energy, addressing the 2012 Invest Caribbean Now power forum on June 6th in NYC. (Sharon Bennett image)

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. June 22, 2012: The Caribbean region is rich in renewable energy and possesses tremendous capacity for solar, geothermal, tidal and wind projects.

That’s according to Jay Yeo, President of Solamon Energy, which is building the largest solar energy plant in the Caribbean region. Yeo made the observation at June 6th Invest Caribbean Now power forum, hosted in New York City by digital media company Hard Beat Communications and the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

His comments come as the latest “Climatescope,” the first annual report, index and interactive web tool which scores 26 nations on their relative ability to foster low-carbon energy growth in the region of Latin America by the Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank and Bloomberg New Energy Finance, showed Brazil, Nicaragua and Panama grabbing chunks of investment in renewable but the Caribbean region way down the list with the Dominican Republic at 15.

Yeo said investment in renewables, especially solar, will not only lower the cost of energy across the region but helps create 11 times more jobs than natural gas or coal.

“Capital intensive renewable energy is an important vehicle to increase the inflow of capital into the Caribbean and achieve economic growth, said Yeo.

Forum delegates also heard from North American investors, Jonathan Blue, who touted his positive investment experiences, in the Caribbean region; CTO Chairman and minister of St. Kitts/Nevis, Senator Ricky Skerritt; Jean Arnell, vice president of the French Saint Martin Chamber of Commerce; and Lisa Lake, Chief Entrepreneurship Officer of the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship – Caribbean.

One of the world’s most renowned and successful entrepreneurs, Sir Richard Branson, was this year’s inaugural Leadership Award recipient.
“Let’s work together more than ever, from this day forward, to create an entrepreneurial Paradise, in Paradise,” said the Virgin Group and Branson Center of Entrepreneurship founder.

The forum was moderated by W. Dave Dowrich, V Vice President of Risk and Capital Markets in the Financial Institutions Group at Goldman Sachs.

The Invest Caribbean Now 2012 forum was funded in part by The French Saint Martin Chamber of Commerce, (CCISM), One Caribbean Television and Teamsters Local 237, a union of 24,000 New York City employees who work in government agencies and several municipalities on Long Island, while supporting sponsors included the PR Newswire, CaribPR Wire, News Americas Now and Damoola Inc.

CaribPR Wire, NEW YORK, NY, May 4, 2012: The momentum is building to the most talked about Caribbean investment forum that brings together ministers of government with investors in New York City, the investment capital of the world.

Invest Caribbean Now 2012, which will honour world renowned business leader, Sir Richard Branson, is now just 33 days away and tickets are in going fast for the June 6, 2012 emerging market meeting, set for 7:30 to 10 a.m. at the Marquis Ballroom of the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square, organizers say.

The power forum, a partnership between the Caribbean Tourism Organization, the regional tourism arm and digital media company, Hard Beat Communications, will see panellists addressing the question: “Is The Caribbean, The Next China, India Or Brazil?”

Invest Caribbean Now comes as Chinese investment in the Caribbean continues to boom in this free trade region that is politically stable and boosts attractive tax incentives, a highly literate work force and an established tourism market, and which the International Monetary Fund and World Bank forecast will see a 3.5 percent growth into 2013, higher than those of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and similar to those of East Asia.

“If you are  a private equity investor, investment banker, financier, real estate developer, hotel chain executive, lawyers, architect or entrepreneur, looking to grow your money and do business in an emerging market that is on the up and up, then this is a can’t miss event,” said Felicia Persaud, co-convener of Invest Caribbean Now and CEO of Hard Beat. “To book last minute seats to the event log on now to InvestCaribbeanNow.com.”

Panellists for the annual power forum this June include feature Chairman of Blue Equity, Jonathan Blue; President and co-founder of Solamon Energy Corp, Jay Yeo and Lisa Lake, the chief development director of the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship – Caribbean; Hon. Ricky Skerritt, chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization and Minister of Tourism & International Transport of St. Kitts & Nevis and an official of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration.

Blue, who already invests in the Caribbean, commented: “Our initial entry in the Caribbean market has led us to more progressive and larger scale opportunities in which we are investing or are continuing to evaluate.  We look forward to expanding our Caribbean presence in the very near future.”

“The Caribbean region is rich in entrepreneurial spirit and in opportunities to grow the economy. Tourism has sustained this region for many years. We now need to develop and add diversity to the market by investing in the skills of entrepreneurs in the Caribbean and to help them scale their businesses and employ people while to competing in a global market,”    Lake added.

The forum will also include an interactive question and answer segment as well as a one hour match making/networking session to allow for attendees to do business.

For exhibitor and additional sponsorship opportunities email Joe Bernstein at [email protected].

Invest Caribbean Now 2012 sponsors include La Chambre Consulaire Interprofessionnelle de Saint-Martin, (CCISM) and One Caribbean Television while supporting sponsors are the PR Newswire, WSEE TV, CaribPR Wire, News Americas Now, Damoola Inc., The Museum of American Finance and The Affiliated Lawyers of the Americas.

Additional information on the event can be found at InvestCaribbeanNow.com, the event’s pages on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Invest-Caribbean/100002110419705 and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/InvestingCarib. When tweeting about this event, use #InvestCarib.