CaribPR Wire

Rolando Gonzalez-Bunster, WIN Group, join to develop much-needed hotel

 PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Sept 13 /PRNewswire/ — Argentine entrepreneur Rolando Gonzalez-Bunster, President & CEO of Basic Energy Ltd., as well as numerous other diversified entities, along with Haiti-based WIN Group, one of the country’s largest enterprises, today announced an agreement to develop a 240-room hotel with conference facilities directly adjacent to Port-Au-Prince’s Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport.

 The property, scheduled to break ground by the end of 2010, has an 18-month construction window and will be Haiti’s first airport hotel. The hotel, which is yet to be named, will be independently operated.

 The fully-enclosed, $33 million project will be developed on a 5.3 acre parcel (2.14 hectares), and will be completely self-contained, with on-site power plant, water treatment, sewage, and related facilities.

 Construction will be achieved through a combination of standard construction methods and pre-fabricated processes.  The site allows for future development, specifically commercial office and retail outlets.

 The amenity-rich, seven-story property is being designed by OBM International, a 70+ year-old full-service design-consulting firm with vast experience in the hotel industry.  The property will feature full conference facilities with capacity to accommodate up to 400 individuals for a single event.  It will also include numerous break-out rooms, expanded food and beverage outlets, work-out center, swimming pool, spa facilities and lounges, all within lush, tropical landscaping, and will be built to meet or exceed all international earthquake standards.

 ”We recognize the importance of having facilities that can house individuals during the rebuilding process,” said Gonzalez-Bunster, whose holdings include energy investments in neighboring Dominican Republic.  “It is currently extremely challenging to secure accommodations since so much of the infrastructure was decimated by the earthquake.”

 ”This is such an important project on so many levels,” adds WIN Group Managing Partner Youri Mevs.  “Not only will it provide badly-needed hotel and conference facilities, but will employ hundreds of local workers in desperate need of generating revenue to support themselves and their families.”

 ”We are pleased with the opportunity to be part of such an integral project,” states Douglas A. Kulig, AIA, CEO of OBM International.  “The hotel will be elegant, with a distinct Creole feel, as well as provide an all-inclusive element for its guests from the moment they pass through the property’s entry-gate.”

 ”Our goal is to encourage long-term sustainable investment in Haiti,” notes President Bill Clinton, UN Special Envoy to Haiti and co-chair of the Interim Haiti Reconstruction Commission (IHRC).  “An adequate network of hotels is crucial to the country, and this venture is one example that the numerous facets needed to rebuild Port Au Prince are slowly getting under way.”

 For additional information about the project, please contact Edmund Miller at 305.987.0995.

 About Rolando Gonzalez-Bunster

Rolando Gonzalez-Bunster is President & CEO of Basic Energy Ltd., an international electrical power company. Mr. Gonzalez-Bunster is engaged in diversified agribusiness and is currently a principal in several projects in Argentina, Paraguay and Dominican Republic. He is a partner in Remington Realty, a Texas based commercial real estate holding company and AquaCube, a Scottish manufacturer of portable water treatment and purification plants. Gonzalez-Bunster is a Trustee of the William J. Clinton Foundation and a member of the Clinton Global Initiative.

 About WIN Group

The Haiti-based, Mevs family-held WIN Group is one of the Caribbean’s largest conglomerates with stakes in diverse industries such as warehousing and storage, port operations and ethanol processing. WIN’s holdings include SHODECOSA, the largest privately-owned industrial and commercial park in Haiti, Varreux Terminal, the largest privately-owned general cargo shipping terminal, and WINECO, the largest liquid bulk storage facility, among other enterprises. The fourth generation family has always had a significant impact on the country through its social service-based endeavors, and actively supports numerous organizations providing both immediate relief, and long-term infrastructure development. For additional information, visit www.wingrouponline.com.

 About OBM International

For over seven decades, OBMI has been the premier full-service design-consulting firm in Bermuda and the Caribbean.  Today, with seven multinational offices, projects throughout the world and a diverse team of experts, OBMI is a global leader in architecture, master/town planning, interior design and project management with landmark projects in the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe and the Arabian Peninsula. OBMI currently has design offices located in Antigua, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Madrid, Miami and Trinidad and Tobago, a strategic alliance in the Bahamas and in Muscat, Oman. For more information visit, www.obmi.com.

Plans call for new jetties and increased depth, along with state-of-the-art container terminal facilities to be jointly developed

 PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, March 16 /PRNewswire/ — Responding to the desperate need for new and expanded port infrastructure to serve earthquake recovery efforts, as well as to address the long-term shipping needs of the country, Haiti-based WIN Group and South Florida-based Sante Holding today announced having reached an agreement to re-develop Terminal Varreux, S.A. in Port-Au-Prince, the largest privately-owned shipping terminal and port facility in Haiti.

 The fourth generation WIN Group is one of the Caribbean’s largest conglomerates, with stakes in multiple industries.  Sante Holding is headed by Charles Towsley, former director of the Port of Miami, and one of the maritime industry’s most respected professionals.

 Sante’s team is partnering with the Rovirosa family, well renowned marine port operators, who currently operate terminals in the Port of Miami and Port Everglades, Florida.  The Rovirosa’s will ensure that all areas of expertise are represented in this new U.S.-Haiti private sector partnership, and will develop, manage and operate the new modern container shipping terminal facility at Terminal Varreux. 

 Terminal Varreux currently consists of multiple berths connected to liquid and dry bulk pumping pipelines. The facility was damaged during the recent earthquake, but quickly repaired in order to allow crucial tanker shipments of fuel to Haiti, as Terminal Varreux receives and stores more than 70% of Haiti’s fuel.

 The redevelopment plans include a new port, additional jetties and a state of the art 150 acre terminal open to all maritime lines looking to efficiently service Haiti.  The expansion will include a modern container and break-bulk shipping terminal and ancillary facilities to service both the short and long-term shipping needs of Haiti.  The agreement also includes remediation and expansion of existing piers. 

 Under the terms of the agreement, WIN Group will retain control of the dry bulk, liquid bulk and petroleum operations, while the new facilities will be operated by the new joint venture.  Feasibility plans are currently being completed with specific project time-frames due to be announced shortly.  

 ”Once completed, this project will not only support Haiti’s ongoing relief efforts, but lay the foundation for the overall modernization of the country’s shipping industry,” said Youri Mevs, managing partner of WIN Group.

 ”The creation of the new port facilities will greatly increase the capacity of Port-au-Prince to accommodate the on-going demand for relief and recovery cargo into Haiti,” adds port development expert and Sante Holding CEO & Chairman, Bruno E. Ramos, AIA.  “Long-term, this is an ideal facility to serve projects such as the West Indies Free Zone, WIN Group’s $45 million industrial park to be developed along with the Soros Economic Development Fund near Port-au-Prince’s impoverished Cite Soleil neighborhood, a project temporarily halted because of the earthquake.

 ”We are extremely pleased to have entered into this agreement with Sante Holding,” concludes Mevs.  “WIN Group’s localized expertise, coupled with Sante’s vast experience in port development and operations, along with the pro-business, pro-private sector movement orchestrated by the Haitian government and encouraged by international finance institutions, creates the ideal launching pad for addressing Haiti’s long-term infrastructure needs.” 

  About WIN Group

The Haiti-based, Mevs family-held WIN Group is one of the Caribbean’s largest conglomerates with stakes in diverse industries such as warehousing and storage, port operations and ethanol processing. WIN’s holdings include SHODECOSA, the largest privately-owned industrial and commercial park in Haiti , Varreux Terminal, the largest privately-owned general cargo shipping terminal, WINECO, the largest liquid bulk storage facility and now, the under-construction West Indies Free Zone, a $45 million, 1.2 million square feet manufacturing park in northern Port-au-Prince , among other enterprises. The fourth generation family has always had a significant impact on the country through its social service-based endeavors, and actively supports numerous organizations providing both immediate relief, and long-term infrastructure development. For additional information, visit www.wingrouponline.com.

 About Sante Holding Corp.

Sante Holding Corp., a Florida based company, along with its subsidiaries and affiliate companies  are  a diversified marine transportation company. The company services and operations encompass expertise and experience in port design, development, management and ship operations at major port facilities world wide. Their container shipping company Sante Shipping Lines offers quality container shipping services for our customers while following established port requirements and maintain dependable transit schedules. Customer satisfaction is our first priority, realizing this can only be accomplished by conducting our business with reliable service, attention to documentation and security. We also regard the protection of the environment as a guiding principle.