BAHAMAS – A seven-member business development delegation from Rhode Island visited Nassau May 13-15 under the auspices of the Rhode Island National Guard State Partnership Program with The Bahamas.
The United States Embassy teamed up with the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and the Bahamas Development Bank to bring the Rhode Island delegation together with members of the Bahamian business community and government officials.
Delegation members and their local counterparts discussed potential business opportunities and ways to promote and develop enduring business relationships between The Bahamas and Rhode Island. The visit marked the second by a Rhode Island delegation this year.
The Rhode Island National Guard State Partnership with the Bahamas was launched in December 2005 and has generated a series of cooperative initiatives ranging from disaster preparedness to business cooperation and university partnerships.
State partnership cooperation in 2006 provided training for Bahamian prison guards, police investigators, and firefighters and cooperation in disaster preparedness and emergency management.
In February 2007, The College of The Bahamas concluded a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Rhode Island that has led to student and faculty exchanges. This year’s July 4th celebration of American independence at Liberty Overlook will feature fine Rhode Island foods and wines provided by some of the companies that have participated in the State partnership program.
The Rhode Island business delegation consisted of representatives from two engineering and architectural firms, two food and wine companies, a major Rhode Island university, and a business reporter.
The trip was coordinated by Major Michael Manning, the Rhode Island State Partnership Program planning coordinator from the Rhode Island National Guard, and Maureen Mezei, International Trade Director, Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation. Keith Stokes, President of the Newport Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, also accompanied the delegation and was a featured speaker at the Business Development Conference sponsored by the U.S. Embassy, The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and the Bahamas Development Bank.
Rhode Island design and construction participants in this mission included John Grosvenor, President of Newport Collaborative Architects, an architectural design and planning company, and Eric Offenberg of Northeast Engineering and Consultants, Inc.
Grosvenor met with Ministry of Tourism officials to discuss the Bahamian tourism market and assess the potential for design and development projects that could enhance the visitor experience in Nassau.
Grosvenor and Offenberg also met with the Department of Public Works, the Water and Sewer Corporation, members of the Airport Authority, and local developers, to discuss projected local infrastructure projects and local market conditions. Both Grosvenor and Offenberg hope to collaborate with local companies in the construction field.
To meet the needs of the diverse and growing Bahamian food and beverage market, Chris Lee, who heads Sea Fresh, a Rhode Island seafood distributor, met with local fish importers and exporters as well as local resorts to discuss conditions in the Bahamas’ marketplace and explore the possibility exporting some of his products to The Bahamas for the hotel and restaurant sector.
A local resort company has agreed to sample some of Mr. Lee’s products as a first step in a possible supplier arrangement. Likewise, John Nunes, President of Newport Vineyards, the largest vineyard in New England, met with the food and beverage managers at Atlantis Resort and Baha Mar and representatives from Bristol Sellers and Burns House. Mr. Nunes hopes to begin supplying wine to the local market in the coming months.
Building on the recently concluded College of The Bahamas-University of Rhode Island partnership, the trade mission also included an academic component. Dr. Michael Hall, Director of the Masters of Public Administration (MPA) Program at Roger Williams University, met with counterparts at The College of The Bahamas to explore prospects for concluding a Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions to create an exchange program that would offer a Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) through The College of The Bahamas.
He also met with representatives of the Public Service, the Bahamas Union of Teachers, and The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce to discuss possibilities for training and continuing education.
Natalie Meyers, a reporter from Providence Business News, accompanied the group to report on their meetings to the broader Rhode Island business community. She also met with local media representatives.
Rhode Island and The Bahamas share commonalities — financial services, maritime trade, a well established tourism industry, and distinctive cultural heritage — that foster a natural collaborative relationship. The Rhode Island delegation came away from the visit with a belief that the Bahamas offers tremendous potential for trade, investment, and business collaboration.
They were pleased by the warm welcome of the Bahamas business sector and the potential opportunities to establish cooperative business relationships. The U.S. Embassy and the Rhode Island delegation emphasized that they could not have had such a successful visit without the support and engagement of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and the Bahamas Development Bank.
