The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

GB Express in Freeport will remain in operation, according to co-owner Bob Clutter, who revealed yesterday that Department of Customs officials have now agreed to a system that would reduce costs for the company and their customers.

The company - which has been operating in Freeport for 22 years providing air courier service between Grand Bahama and Fort Lauderdale, Florida - had been losing “gross amounts of money” over the past three years because of the new Department of Customs policies related to air freight, company officials have said.

Mr Clutter told The Tribune that following discussions, customs officials have implemented a system that now allows air couriers to clear parcels on the same day for their customers.

Under the previous policies, it took about two to three days before a parcel was cleared to leave the air freight area which required more labour, resulting in high costs for the company and its customers.

Earlier this month the company issued a notice to customers that it would be shutting down its operation on Grand Bahama on July 31.

After hearing news of the impending closure, Deputy Prime Minister K Peter Turnquest said the company would certainly be missed. He also indicated government’s commitment to facilitating the ease of doing business in Grand Bahama.

“We are working with the business community, the courier industry and the wider community to facilitate the ease of cross-border trade with a focus on compliance and professionalism,” he told The Tribune.

Mr Clutter is pleased they are now able to remain in operation in Grand Bahama, where they employ a staff of seven Bahamians.

“GB Express Freeport will continue in operation,” he said. “The system that were able to get (Department of) Customs to agree for us and all couriers to operate with by will now let us get the parcels through to our customers on the same day.

“The customers are not going to have to wait two to three days to get the release from customs. The one thing the customer needs to have is the proper invoice for their product when it arrives at the airport.”

Mr Clutter said the process in place for the last three years had made it difficult for business because it was labour intensive and not cost-effective.

“We have been fighting with it... because the number of hours that had to be spent clearing one invoice or one little parcel exceeded the cost or the revenue that that piece generated,” he said.

He also said: “The new system that we’ve been doing for the last three weeks since our last conversation with (Department of) Customs has been working, and Airport Freight has started showing some compassion to the customer base and understanding that we are all human,” he said.