Brooklyn, New York – Laparkan has been lauded for the service it has provided over the past 30 years which has helped to maintain a vital link between the Caribbean region and its Diaspora in North America.
The accolades came at the official opening last Saturday of the company’s new 12,000 square foot warehouse and office located at 416-428 Stanley Avenue in Brooklyn, East New York.
Some 150 customers, community and business leaders, diplomats and local elected officials attended the formal opening ceremony and ribbon cutting which coincided with the launch of this year’s Caribbean American Heritage Month celebrations here.
Guyana’s Ambassador to the United States, Bayney Karran in the feature address said that “without a doubt, the opening of a second warehouse here in Brooklyn is an important step in the evolution of your company. This facility will make it possible for you to offer more of the reliable services for which your company is known, to customers in Brooklyn and the wider New York area, which is where the largest concentration of the Guyanese and Caribbean diaspora is located.”
Ambassador Karran noted that to any service provider in today’s competitive business environment, customer convenience is a watchword and the fact that Laparkan has been increasing its range of services over an expanding network of locations for three decades surely is an indication of the quality of its service, commitment and customer loyalty.
“Many of us who know Laparkan as a Guyanese brand name, and who associate that name with forwarding small items of personal freight, are probably unaware of the facilities you operate in Panama, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname, and of your network of agents in the other islands.
“Likewise, the logistics and air carriage services which you offer to your commercial clientele might still be relatively unknown to the general public. Indeed, some may be surprised to be told that a company known primarily for shipping barrels is today assisting commercial customers in the Caribbean to transport their goods to any port in the world, and that in perishable seafood alone, you deliver one million pounds per year for exporters in the Caribbean to reach markets here in North America,” Karran said.
He added that it is probably no accident that the growth and development of Laparkan has coincided with the expansion of the Guyanese economy and with the development and growth of Guyana itself.
“Laparkan provides a vital link between the Caribbean diaspora and their homelands as well as between the Caribbean private sector and the consumers in the Diaspora. I trust that this facility will allow Laparkan to fulfill this mission in a more effective manner and I wish your company continued success,” the Guyanese diplomat concluded.
Also speaking at the event were Mr. Lennox Price, Consul General of Barbados, Mrs. Nan Ramgoolam, Consul General of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr. Roy Hastick, President of the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Mr. Kevin Price of the New York City Police Department.
Laparkan Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mr. Glen Khan welcomed guests to the formal opening ceremony which also featured cultural presentations by Verna’s Impressions Dance Theater, Jamaican saxophonist Douglas Guthrie of Inner Circle fame and popular Trinidad and Tobago pan man Dane Gulston .
The new facility was blessed by Rev. Terry Lee and customer testimonials given by Mr. Ovid Holder (Guyana) and Mr. Michael Smith (Jamaica).
