Tuesday, 25th November 2013 (North Side, Anguilla) —Last week on Wednesday, 20th November, we were treated to another delightful evening event at The Old Factory complex. The Anguilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ltd (ACOCI) held a Business After Hours social networking reception to introduce people to some of the local commercial enterprisesthat are Chamber members. This event was hosted by the management and staff of establishments housed in the historic building that used to be called the Old Cotton Gin, which later was the island’s first general store.
The venue’s setting encompassed a nice mix of beautiful art, fine wines and delectable hors d’oeuvres along with Cuban cigars, and a design centre with an inviting free standing hammock to relax in, and sofas and chairs to recline in too. Our elegant hosts for the evening were Mr Scott Hauser, who owns the majority of the businesses in the complex, Mr Adrian Kobbé and Mrs Marisol Alfaro, who have two other commercial endeavours adjoining the same property. They along with their staffs welcomed us most graciously.
Several companies were showcased including the Professional Services Group owned by Mr Hauser, which comprises Anguilla Properties, an affiliate of Sotheby’s International Realty, along with FedEx Express and Xerox.The latter two businesses are located in the Hallmark Building on the Old Airport Road. The Old Stone Cellar Art Gallery and The Valley Bistro are also located in the complex and they too are a part of Mr Hauser’s entrepreneurial portfolio.
As well, The Old Factory accommodates GUM/KO International Ltd and Kobbé Design Ltd whose proprietors are Mr Kobbéand Mrs Alfaro.For those who are unfamiliar with GUM/KO, they are land and property agents offering luxury properties in collaboration with other realtors such as Anguilla Properties| Sotheby’s and Island Dream Properties, which is a villa rental and real estate company owned and managed by Ms Jackie Pascher.Each of these offices is independently owned and operated although the realities work together in conjunction with one another to sell real estate on Anguilla.
Amongst the business associates present, we were honoured to have the distinguished Dr Franklin Lloyd, who is the property owner of The Old Factory Complex.Dr Louis Bardfield of Anguilla Vision Center, who also is a Chamber member and Director of the ACOCI Board, was present.The engaging husband and wife two some, Mr Daryl Thompson who owns Alloyd Enterprises Limited, and Mrs Vanessa Croft-Thompson who is a talented poet and songstress, were there with their young son. Vanessa entertained us during the social gathering with her earthy tones singing with the accompaniment of a dynamic musician, Mr Asher Brooks on the keyboard.
I also noted the presence of Mr Alan Gumbs, owner of Koal Keel and The Place, a beach front restaurant at Rendezvous Bay. As well, one of our community’s healthcare providers, Dr Patvin Adams of the Family Health Centre located in the Fairplay Complex, was on scene. Mrs Deborah Ottney-Wynter and Mr Orrett H. Wynter, our illustrious duo architects who edit, photograph and publish Design Anguilla magazine were in attendance. Of course, I cannot forget to mention my friend and the Director of Alliance Insurance Services Limited, Ms Sandra Lovell, Ms Heather Wallace who has Essential Office Supplies,nor Ms Shorna Hughes of Professional Digital Services (Anguilla) Ltd, a division of the Professional Services Group. There were many other well-known personalities too numerous to name, but each of you knows who you are.
All who attended appeared to have had quite an enjoyable eveningmixing and mingling, chatting and sipping on tantalising drinks. And in spite of the heavy downpour of rain that occurred suddenly later on, several individuals stayed much longer to relish the relaxing ambiance of The Bistro’s Passion Fruit Lounge. Everyone of us, I presume, had a great time and I trust will return on her/his own initiative at some future date to have the pleasure of visiting the business establishments at The Old Factory.
For that reason, especially, we must give our deepest thanks to the very talented organising endeavours of Mrs Lily Warning-Moses, Administrative Assistant of the Chamber of Commerce, and Ms Jen Liebsack who does marketing for Mr Hauser’s businesses, for their diligent team work to put on such a wonderful business social affair.Least we not forget to mention, we also thank Mrs Eve Wallace-Webster who assists Mr Hauser, for her gracious welcoming speech to all who attended.
The Chamber’s Events Co-ordinator, Mrs Wilma Davis-Broaden, graced us with her Southern hospitality, as the Master of Ceremonies. We equally express gratitude to Mr Carlton Pickering, Sr., Vice President of the ACOCI Board of Directors and Executive Director (Ag) as well as owner of Kreative Communications Network, for his encouraging words telling us to continue our entrepreneurial initiatives.To Mrs Melinda K.M. Goddard, Principal of ClienTell Consulting LLC, we appreciate your enthusiastic energy to promote “A Vision for Prosperity” – and presenting once again to the Chamber membership the Anguilla 44 concept to create an increase in the number of visitors to our island and thus provide full employment 44 weeks of the year.
We are heartedly grateful to Messrs Hauser and Kobbé, as well as the staff of The Old Factory Complex establishments, for putting on this event which gave us an abundant opportunity to get out and about, and change from our ordinary daily routines. It is inspiring to connect with business colleagues and associates and to see how we are developing commerce in spite of the downturn in the economy.We are all doing our best to maintain innovative and enterprising levels of quality, excellence and service in various island-wide private sector partnerships.
As an incentive to entrepreneurs, executives, investors and managers, I personally would like to encourage every business in operation on Anguilla to take advantage of membership in the Anguilla Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Join ACOCI today and reap the rewards of marketing and promoting your company through participation in the Business After Hours programme. For further details, please contact the Chamber on 264 497 2839 or visit the website at www.anguillachamber.com.
If you want to learn more about some of the companies mentioned in this article, please visit their website links:
• Alliance Insurance Services Limited, www.aisanguilla.com
• Anguilla Properties | Sotheby’s International Realty, www.anguillaproperties-sothebysrealty.ai
• Design Anguilla, www.designanguilla.com
• GUM/KO International Ltd, www.gumko.com
• Island Dream Properties, www.islanddreamproperties.com
• Kobbé Design Ltd, www.kobbedesign.com
• Professional Services Group, www.profgroup.com
Remember we must all be the instruments of change that we wish to envision and do whatever we can to move ourselves and Anguilla forward.May God continue to bless us and guide us in creating a viable and sustainable economy for everyone on Anguilla!
Kay M. Ferguson is a long-time resident of Anguilla whose entrepreneurial skills include freelance writing and editing, conference and event planning, fundraising, office administration, and website development. She has worked on a consultant and contract basis with a number of private sector businesses and projects in the Caribbean, North America and UK. Kay writes regularly as a columnist for The Anguillian and has recently published an article in Design Anguilla. As well, she performs community service giving back, paying forward and being of service to others.
To link with Kay, callhermobile 1.264.476.8735 or US landline 1.206.388.4848. You can e-mail her atanguillawriter@gmail.com. Send an e-message viawww.facebook.com/kaymferguson orwww.linkedin.com/kay-m-ferguson. Tweet#@kaykayferguson.
