The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

The drive to revive Grand Bahama's economy can only "go full steam ahead" if the initiative obtains full support from the Government, a member of the committee leading the effort said yesterday.

Elbert Hepburn, Elnet Maritime Company's chief executive, told Tribune Business he sits on three committees on three Revitalisation and Expansion of the Economy of Freeport (REEF) committees and "spearheads" its maritime group.

"What the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) is going to be doing is engaging small businesses, as well as aspiring entrepreneurs, to find ways that we as an island can go and help these companies to become better companies locally and shop-at-home methods," he said.

"In Grand Bahama we worked on a lot of things. I can tell you personally that they put some of the top business people on this committee, and some people from Nassau as well. They want to get this economy up and running. The last time we did an initiative like this was when Hubert Ingraham was the prime minister, and from that came the Freeport Container Port and the Grand Bahama Shipyard.”

Mr Hepburn added that it was vital “for the Government to work closely with us. We cannot achieve success unless the Government is a full partner with us. If we get that we can go full steam ahead. The GBPA is doing their part as always, and we just need the Government".

Brent Collins, Power Equipment’s chief executive, said: “I haven’t heard anything about REEF yet as far as any feedback, but with all of the other things they tried to do last year I don’t know if any of that panned out, with them just trying to put together a committee for small business loans to get companies revitalised.

"But with the REEF, I don’t have anything or any feedback or opinion on it. We are just still really trying to keep our doors open, so we are focusing on sales and management and recovery of our business.

"I had to stop focusing on all of the crap with COVID and the lockdowns, and who’s getting money and who is not getting money. I had to turn all of that stuff down because it is too distracting at this point and time now.”