Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good afternoon.

A wise person once said, ?It is important to determine where we are going, but an understanding of where we have come from is critical in analyzing what needs to be done to get there!?

I stand here today as the new President of The Grand Bahama Port Authority Group of Companies, but I am standing on the shoulders of those past Presidents at the helm during my years at the Port, who have paved the way for me to be here today?

Sir Albert Miller
Mrs. Willie Moss
and
Mr. W. Albert Gray

I thank them for the tremendous work that they have done for The Grand Bahama Port Authority Group and the City of Freeport.

* We?ve had some rough patches!
* The island has experienced some challenges and major set backs!
* The world is facing an economic crisis of historical proportions!

And still, in the midst of all of this, we can create opportunities of significant growth and development, by strategically recalibrating our resources and joining forces in economic development.

My role at GBPA will now essentially be the day-to-day operation and leadership of the Group. I am passionate about the things that we should be doing, and so ? now that I am in a position to influence this. I intend to make some things happen!

Vision:
I believe that our goal should be to better the lives of the Grand Bahama community, and by extension The Bahamas, through use of the unique features offered by our island.

In any community, if the basic human needs of its people are met and jobs and opportunities are available, they will be able to provide for themselves and their families. This should be our measure of success!

I believe that if we work together, we can make it easier for our people to achieve this.

Planning for Success:
I have always looked at our role in the community as servants of the people, and we should carry ourselves in a manner that is sensitive to the needs of the people.

* We are a Service organization.
* And to meet the demands of the City, we must also be a High Performance organization.
* And of course, a critical component in the continued internal development of any organization lies in Succession Planning. This will be an essential element of how we move forward in the Port.
*

We must also be transparent in our operations. There are things that we can and will do to improve transparency and accountability.

With the relaunch of GBPA.com on 1st April, you will be able to have a better understanding of who we are, what we do, and what we offer.

The name Grand Bahama Port Authority is a misnomer. Business people do not initially think ?investment? when they hear Port Authority. In this regard, we have created a website called investgrandbahama.com, which specifically caters to investing on Grand Bahama Island. This site is linked to GBPA.com, and is now operational.

By the end of the year, GBPA.com will allow online payment, but for its launch the eServices component of the site will allow users to get immediate responses to queries.

You will be able to download restrictive covenants specific to your area.

The license fee schedule will also be available online.

As a licensee in good standing, if you have a website, you will be allowed to have a link from gbpa.com.

And the site will feature, the latest, news and developments

Partnering for Success:
Stakeholders of Grand Bahama Island must also be aligned with a ?common vision?. If we all seek to bring about sustained economic activity to ensure high quality jobs for generations to come, and a superb quality of life, then our agendas should share a common theme. We should be able to work together and reach across the table to make things happen!

Ladies and Gentlemen, we intend to work closely with you!

This includes The Government of The Bahamas; our partner in the Airport, Harbour and Sea Air Business Centre, the Hutchison Group; the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce; the Freeport City Council and other local government bodies; the Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board and the Ministry of Tourism; NGO?s, other Civic Organizations, and churches.

We are all in this together!

Making it Happen:
We must begin to think outside of that ?proverbial? box? and find unconventional approaches to our problems.

We hear the cries of the people and we understand their plight, but in order to bring ?real? change, we must first address the fundamental problems that affect progress, and take a step-by-step approach in tackling them.

I am proud to tell you about some of the specific things that we intend to do that could have a great impact on the ?big picture?!

Down Town Revitalization:
Our Down Town Revitalization Project will be launched shortly, under the banner, ?Down Town Turn Around.?

This revitalization project will have a major impact on the town centre, and will breathe new life into this once popular native and tourist destination.

The revitalization project will occur in three phases, with Phase I beginning 1st April 2009.

We intend to conduct a full scale clean-up of the area and introduce new landscaping, signage, benches, lighting and other esthetically pleasing features.

Community partnership in this programme has been phenomenal. From the store owners? to the Police? to the NGOs? to the churches? relevant authorities have put forth their ideas, and so we will soon realize the long awaited resurrection of Down Town Freeport.

In order for the revitalization project to be successful, there are still some underlying issues that must be addressed. Vagrancy is one of the major problems!

But I will share a story with you about how we can put a dent in some of our social problems when we work together.

In one of the Down Town Revitalization Project meetings, the issue of vagrancy came up, and one of the participants, in conjunction with the Grand Bahama Christian Council offered to operate a Halfway house, if we agreed to contribute the building and water.

Well, we have identified one or two buildings that we own, and are currently determining its suitability. If one of the buildings is appropriate, then they will have the building and the water!

I am also delighted to see how, as a result of the Down Town project, we will be able to address a major social issue that has plagued the Grand Bahama community for many years!

Retail License Fee Discount:
The world is experiencing hard economic times, and so are we! Effective 1st March 2009, to assist retail licensees, we will introduce a reduction in license fees by 50% for early payments within 3 months after billing, until March 2010.

Scholarship Programme:
We would like to assist our young Bahamians by offering full scholarships in niche careers that have an impact on our island?s continuous growth and development. One of the areas that quickly come to mind is land surveying ? a very lucrative field where there needs to be more Bahamian participation.

We will encourage our young people to obtain the skill, contribute to our economy, and in turn, create wealth for themselves.

We will also award scholarships to the ?top graduating student? in each high school on Grand Bahama Island, who meets our scholarship criteria. We will encourage the students to spend the first 2 years at The College of the Bahamas.

Small Business Development:
It is fairly well established that small businesses are the engine of the local economy.

We have joined forces with the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce, BAIC, the Bahamas Development Bank, The College of The Bahamas, and other entities to establish The Grand Bahama Business Support Organization.

Its facilities will become known as ?The Enterprising Centre?. The mission of this organization is to provide persons seeking to operate or currently operating a small enterprise with valuable resources to make their business a success.

We have committed to contribute to this organization.

Making land affordable:
Many have projected doom and gloom for 2009, and while things are tough, we need to think of ingenious ways to invigorate the consumer market, and help those who would like to acquire land.

It?s time to address the needs of the market, and although there is still no comparison between the cost of property in Freeport and Nassau, we must remain committed to ensuring that land is affordable.

Build Now Programme:
We have heard many in the community say that they would like to be able to build as soon as they purchase the property, irrespective of the sometimes ?7-year? payment plan.

Considering the economic times, we will offer a ?Build Now? Programme, that will allow qualified persons to build their dream homes right away.

This will stimulate development and the economy, and allow potential homeowners to occupy their homes before 7 years. Property owners will be allowed to use the equity in the property for mortgages, and the property will be paid for during construction draw downs.

Education Programme:
We are committed to identifying buildings in populated subdivisions, where kids can walk or ride their bikes to seek homework assistance or participate in other learning programmes. We will partner with community leaders, churches and non-profit organizations to make a difference in the lives of our young people who require that extra care and attention.

We will make financial contributions to, and continuously enhance the programme to touch the aspects of education that we can assist in improving.

Best New Tourism Product Award:
We intend to work with sector partners to enhance our tourism product. GBPA will introduce a 'Best New Tourism Product Award' programme, focused on improving the tourism product. New and existing tourism-related businesses with innovative new products and services will be able to receive an award that will assist in improving their offerings.

A Challenge to All:
Just as I have stated an immediate plan of action for the Port, I challenge you all here today to become a part of the solution, by joining forces to remedy some of the challenges that we now face. In the words of Barack Obama, ?We?re the change that we?ve been waiting for?!

With that said, I?ll ask members of our Team to stand, as we will be aggressively working alongside the people in this room, and in the community to make things happen!

This is a New Day!

Past developments have laid the foundation for our future.

Some new developments are in full force!

We have budgeted in this fiscal year to develop a new Fish Market.

We have also budgeted to develop an Arts & Craft Centre.

And, we will aggressively seek new business opportunities.

We, the stakeholders of Grand Bahama Island, are all in this together.

The times are demanding us for ?real? action

? it cannot be business as usual!?

Let?s go and make it happen!

May God continue to bless Grand Bahama and our great nation, The Bahamas!

Thank you!