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Neil Hartnell

Stories by Neil

BAHAMAS 'NOT DONE VERY GOOD JOB' OVER TRADE NEGOTIATIONS

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Both the Government and the private sector have done a poor job in preparing for, and negotiating, international trade agreements affecting the Bahamas, the Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation's (BCCE

Customs: Gov't targeting 'best practices' goal

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Government is targeting a Customs regime that meets "international best practices", a minister yesterday saying there was "no evidence" that the agency's operational/institutional weaknesses had deterred forei

NEW ATLANTIS DEBT FOR EQUITY SWAP 'MOVING VERY FAST'

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor One or more fellow Kerzner International lenders will join Brookfield Asset Management in taking over ownership of the developer's Paradise Island resorts in a revised 'debt-for-equity' swap, Tribune Business can

BABY BOOMERS LANDING ON ENTREPRENEURIAL FEET

By Simon Cooper Res Socius Although I'm not near retiring by a long shot, I was encouraged by an article I read in USA Today. The piece analysed the demographic spread of start-up entrepreneurs in the US, and came up with conclusions that few expected. T

BAHAMAS 'NOT DONE VERY GOOD JOB' OVER TRADE NEGOTIATIONS

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Both the Government and the private sector have done a poor job in preparing for, and negotiating, international trade agreements affecting the Bahamas, the Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation's (BCCE

ATLANTIS 'VERY CONFIDENT' ON PRE-RECESSION TREND

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor While Atlantis's performance for March and April 2012 has matched pre-recession levels, Kerzner International (Bahamas) top executive yesterday said the resort - although "very confident" -wanted to "see what happ

Customs: Gov't targeting 'best practices' goal

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Government is targeting a Customs regime that meets "international best practices", a minister yesterday saying there was "no evidence" that the agency's operational/institutional weaknesses had deterred forei

NEW ATLANTIS DEBT FOR EQUITY SWAP 'MOVING VERY FAST'

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor One or more fellow Kerzner International lenders will join Brookfield Asset Management in taking over ownership of the developer's Paradise Island resorts in a revised 'debt-for-equity' swap, Tribune Business can

BABY BOOMERS LANDING ON ENTREPRENEURIAL FEET

By Simon Cooper Res Socius Although I'm not near retiring by a long shot, I was encouraged by an article I read in USA Today. The piece analysed the demographic spread of start-up entrepreneurs in the US, and came up with conclusions that few expected. T

ATLANTIS 'VERY CONFIDENT' ON PRE-RECESSION TREND

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor While Atlantis's performance for March and April 2012 has matched pre-recession levels, Kerzner International (Bahamas) top executive yesterday said the resort - although "very confident" -wanted to "see what happ

Customs: Gov't targeting 'best practices' goal

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Government is targeting a Customs regime that meets "international best practices", a minister yesterday saying there was "no evidence" that the agency's operational/institutional weaknesses had deterred forei

BAHAMAS 'NOT DONE VERY GOOD JOB' OVER TRADE NEGOTIATIONS

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Both the Government and the private sector have done a poor job in preparing for, and negotiating, international trade agreements affecting the Bahamas, the Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation's (BCCE

NEW ATLANTIS DEBT FOR EQUITY SWAP 'MOVING VERY FAST'

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor One or more fellow Kerzner International lenders will join Brookfield Asset Management in taking over ownership of the developer's Paradise Island resorts in a revised 'debt-for-equity' swap, Tribune Business can

BABY BOOMERS LANDING ON ENTREPRENEURIAL FEET

By Simon Cooper Res Socius Although I'm not near retiring by a long shot, I was encouraged by an article I read in USA Today. The piece analysed the demographic spread of start-up entrepreneurs in the US, and came up with conclusions that few expected. T

ATLANTIS 'VERY CONFIDENT' ON PRE-RECESSION TREND

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor While Atlantis's performance for March and April 2012 has matched pre-recession levels, Kerzner International (Bahamas) top executive yesterday said the resort - although "very confident" -wanted to "see what happ

Customs: Gov't targeting 'best practices' goal

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Government is targeting a Customs regime that meets "international best practices", a minister yesterday saying there was "no evidence" that the agency's operational/institutional weaknesses had deterred forei

BAHAMAS 'NOT DONE VERY GOOD JOB' OVER TRADE NEGOTIATIONS

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Both the Government and the private sector have done a poor job in preparing for, and negotiating, international trade agreements affecting the Bahamas, the Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation's (BCCE

NEW ATLANTIS DEBT FOR EQUITY SWAP 'MOVING VERY FAST'

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor One or more fellow Kerzner International lenders will join Brookfield Asset Management in taking over ownership of the developer's Paradise Island resorts in a revised 'debt-for-equity' swap, Tribune Business can

Water Corp needs 'top up' to $20m subsidies

Water Corp needs 'top up' to $20m subsidies By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Water & Sewerage Corporation will "definitely need" an increase to the existing $20 million taxpayer subsidy allocated to it for the 2011-2012 fiscal year, its gene

Redesigned BTC store beats goals

Redesigned BTC store beats goals The Bahamas Telecommunications Company's (BTC) re-opened store on Pioneer's Way in Grand Bahama has "exceeded all targets" after its retail transformation. "We set targets for Grand Bahama and all of our targets have exce

URCA 'u-turn' over third cellular player

URCA 'u-turn' over third cellular player By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Bahamian communications regulator has reversed course by deciding not to reserve space in the key 700 MHz radio frequency spectrum for a third cellular operator, while

Love Beach development enjoys solid Open House

Love Beach development enjoys solid Open House Damianos Sotheby's International Realty has reported a successful open house at the Columbus Cove development on Nassau's Love Beach. The realtor linked with the project's developer to sponsor the event with

Minister opens agriculture Expo

pic #0178 (BIS Photos / Raymond Bethel)

Getting new staff totally on board

Getting new staff totally on board By Ian Ferguson When an individual begins a relationship with an organisation for the first time, there are some high expectations that circulate in the minds of these employees. Likewise, the company has some high hop

Redesigned BTC store beats goals

Redesigned BTC store beats goals The Bahamas Telecommunications Company's (BTC) re-opened store on Pioneer's Way in Grand Bahama has "exceeded all targets" after its retail transformation. "We set targets for Grand Bahama and all of our targets have exce

Broker 'optimistic' doctors' captive issues resolved

Broker 'optimistic' doctors' captive issues resolved By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A Bahamas-based insurance executive is "optimistic" that differences with the regulator over a captive insurer providing coverage to 70-80 Bahamian physicians

Bahamas can take $5-$10bn premium 'captive' with focus

Bahamas can take $5-$10bn premium 'captive' with focus By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Bahamas could attract between $5-$10 billion in premium income within five years if it made a concerted effort to re-establish itself as a captive insura

Minister opens agriculture Expo

pic #0178 (BIS Photos / Raymond Bethel)

Getting new staff totally on board

Getting new staff totally on board By Ian Ferguson When an individual begins a relationship with an organisation for the first time, there are some high expectations that circulate in the minds of these employees. Likewise, the company has some high hop

GB Power launches client reconnections

GB Power launches client reconnections The Grand Bahama Power Company (GBPC) yesterday joined its Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC) counterpart in launching a residential customer reconnection program. All residential customers who have had electric

URCA: BTC cell monopoly 'rare'

URCA: BTC cell monopoly 'rare' By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor While conceding that the Bahamas Telecommunications Company's (BTC) ongoing cellular monopoly was "increasingly rare", the industry regulator has rejected Cable Bahamas' urging that

1,200 room loss left Bahamas as 'most exposed' in Caribbean

1,200 room loss left Bahamas as 'most exposed' in Caribbean By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Royal Oasis and Nassau Beach Hotel closures left the Bahamas as the "most exposed destination by far" in the Caribbean when the recession hit, the

Colina Holdings profits 'moderated' at $5.6ms

Colina Holdings profits 'moderated' at $5.6ms BISX-listed Colina Holdings (Bahamas) last night said it achieved "moderated" net income of $5.6 million for its 2011 financial year, as its performance was impacted by the slow economy and cut in the Bahamia

Gov't: No success on new Royal Oasis deal

Gov't: No success on new Royal Oasis deal By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor The Government's efforts to encourage a deal that would see Grand Bahama's still-closed 840-room Royal Oasis resort change ownership have yet to bear fruit, the minister

Mango provider eyes staff, retail 'ramp up'

Mango provider eyes staff, retail 'ramp up' By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Transfer Solutions Providers (TSP), the Mango card provider, yesterday said it was planning "within two-three months" to ramp up staff levels to 20-25 employees and ope

TELL, BUT DON'T SELL, YOUR FIRM'S STORY

By D'Arcy Rahming The first time I tried to use Facebook Ads in one of my businesses a couple of years ago, I lost a lot of money. I mean, everything seemed to be going so well. A lot of people were expressing interest in my page judging by the number of

Bahamas ranked in bottom three of finance centres

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor A former Bahamas Financial Services Board (BFSB) chairman yesterday said a report that ranked the Bahamas a lowly 75th out of 77 global financial centres would "not impact" this jurisdiction's core private wealth

COLINA GENERAL HAD $2M ASSET DEFICIENCY

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Colina General Insurance Agency had an almost-$2 million balance sheet solvency deficiency when it was acquired by its sister company, BISX-listed Colina Holdings (Bahamas), in early December 2011 for just $1, Tri

MORE BAHAMIAN HOMEOWNERS IF SMALLER LOTS SIZED PERMITTED

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor More Bahamians would be homeowners today if the authorities had acted on a 1984 report by now-Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham advocating that houses by constructed on lots under 5,000 square feet, the Bahamas Real

HUTCHISON CHIEF: GRAND LUCAYAN IN 'PERILOUS POSITION'

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor All Grand Bahamians need to realise the Grand Lucayan resort is in a "perilous position", a senior Hutchison Whampoa executive told Tribune Business yesterday, adding that the Hong Kong-based conglomerate was "fra

ROBERTS EARNS TOP DESIGNATION

Larry Roberts, chief executive of NAI Bahamas, the commercial division of Bahamas Realty, has achieved the SIOR office designation awarded by the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors. SIOR is a Washington DC-based international organisation of more

URCA names its new chief

The Utilities Regulation and Competition Authority (URCA) has appointed Kathleen Smith as chief executive with effect from April 2, 2012. The appointment, which is for a five-year term concludes a competitive search begun in June 2011. Mrs Smith is an app

Grand Bahama company unveils distribution deal

Grand Bahama-based Paint Fair has launched its distributorship of International Paint, the industrial protective coatings brand, in the Bahamas along with specialised training for its team. In a launch attended by Minister of Public Works and Transport, N

Bank warns on provisions rise

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Bank of the Bahamas International has warned investors it may have to increase loan loss provisions further during its financial year's second half, its managing director telling Tribune Business it was "grappling

CABLE PRESSURED BY 18.5% COST RISE

Cable Bahamas last night unveiled a 2.5 per cent net income increase for 2011 to $20.483 million, as it warned that rising costs continued to "challenge" its financial performance. Unveiling an improvement upon its 2010 bottom line of $19.991 million, the

Crossing the generation gap

By Ian Ferguson Much has been said and written on the differences between the four generations present in today's workforce. A number of titles have been given to them, but for the purpose of this discourse, we will refer to them as Traditionalist, Baby

Competition fears on Super Value's City Markets 'deal'

By NEIL HARTNELL Tribune Business Editor Rival food retailers have voiced fears that allowing Super Value to acquire City Markets' remaining stores would create a "virtual monopoly" in the New Providence supermarket business, with an estimated 60-80 per

CABLE PRESSURED BY 18.5% COST RISE

Cable Bahamas last night unveiled a 2.5 per cent net income increase for 2011 to $20.483 million, as it warned that rising costs continued to "challenge" its financial performance. Unveiling an improvement upon its 2010 bottom line of $19.991 million, the

Crossing the generation gap

By Ian Ferguson Much has been said and written on the differences between the four generations present in today's workforce. A number of titles have been given to them, but for the purpose of this discourse, we will refer to them as Traditionalist, Baby

Grand Bahama company unveils distribution deal

Grand Bahama-based Paint Fair has launched its distributorship of International Paint, the industrial protective coatings brand, in the Bahamas along with specialised training for its team. In a launch attended by Minister of Public Works and Transport, N