BFSB CEO Aliya Allen points out that the experts “drill into us that you can load the dice in favour of developing good strategies by focusing on the core building blocks that often get overlooked.”

Accordingly, BFSB’s upcoming International Business & Finance Summit (IBFS) will have several sessions devoted to the “Building Blocks: Products & Services” considered critical to sustaining the financial services sector.

These include a focus on Wealth Management, Family Offices, Investment Funds and, of course, on Captives.

Carlos Rodriguez Angulo, CEO of ARM RE (Arthur J Gallagher Colombia Re), Colombia and Peter Strauss, J.D., LL.M, Managing Member, The Strauss Law Firm, LLC, South Carolina will speak to repositioning The Bahamas as a Domicile of Choice. Ms. Allen continues, “Within the captive growth of The Bahamas, it is anticipated that substantial gains will be made in related forms of external insurance, the reinsurance marketplace, and expansive efforts will be made to push the marketplace beyond the U.S., into Latin America, and out towards the U.K.”

Peter Strauss will provide an update on the rapidly recognized reputation of this jurisdiction as a centre for captive insurance planning, and how the recognition is garnering attention from across the globe.

Carlos Rodriguez will provide an overview about the strong growth the captive market currently is having in LATAM, highlighting its potential and the profile of companies that will be forming captives in the coming years.

Carlos Rodríguez currently is implementing the regional captive practice for the AJG Colombia Re group in LATAM. He has more than 20 years of experience in insurance and reinsurance and has participated in the creation of multiple captives in diverse domiciles. Previously, he was the Vice President of JLT Re Colombia and the General Manager for Marsh Global.

Peter Strauss has authored three books, “The Physician’s Guide to Captive Insurance Companies”, “Captive Insurance Companies for the Small Business Owner” and “The Definitive Guide to Captive Insurance Companies”, which is currently ranked #1 on Amazon.com for insurance related books.

The Strauss Law Firm is devoted to providing estate and tax planning, asset protection, international business, and captive insurance solutions to individuals, families, and business owners located both in the United States and internationally. They have an impressive number of licensed captive owners in the Bahamas as clients, and contributed in large part to The Bahamas being ranked in captive domicile reports in recent years.

IBFS, successor to the Bahamas Financial Services Retreat that originated in 2004, will be held this year at the Grand Lucayan in Grand Bahama from Feb 6-7. With more than 13 different sessions, the event covers a gamut of topical issues impacting the industry domestically and internationally.

NASSAU, Bahamas -- Ministry of Tourism officials are feverishly working towards staging the second Pure Silk LPGA Classic Tournament - an event officials are hoping will be a shot in the arm for the Bahamian economy. The event is scheduled to be held February 2nd - February 8th at Ocean Club, Paradise Island. Over 120 of the world's best female golfers are expected to play in the tournament.
This year's Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic, which offers a purse of $1.3 million, is the second event on the LPGA's 2015 schedule. Golf Channel will provide 10 hours of live coverage beginning on Thursday, February 5th from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Live second-round coverage on Friday also is 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., while live coverage of the final two rounds Saturday and Sunday will air 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
General Manager of Sports Tourism Development Virginia Kelly says the event promises to be fun for the entire family.
"We absolutely want Bahamians to come. Golf is free. Shuttles have been arranged for transportation to the golf course so you can just come and park your cars. Come on out and enjoy a couple of days in the sun with us," she said.
Ms. Kelly also spoke about the economic value of the tournament.

There will be two teams from the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association (BLTA) departing on Saturday January 31, to participate in the Jr. Fed and Jr. Davis Cup BNP Paribas pre-qualifying events. The tournaments will be held in San Salvador, El Salvador.

Bradley Bain will coach the Jr. Fed Cup team and Ashwood Hall, from Freeport, Grand Bahama, will coach the Jr. Davis Cup team. A total of 18 countries in the North and Central American and Caribbean zone are expected to participate in these pre-qualifying events. Those nations include Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Suriname and St. Vincent & the Grenadines.

Representing The Bahamas on the three-member Jr. Davis Cup team are Oneal Mortimer, Donte Armbrister and Ahmad Thompson from Eleuthera; and the three-member Jr. Fed Cup team members are Elana Mackey, Lauryn Daxon and Sierra Donaldson. Age requirement for this event is 12-16 years of age.

On the boys' side, Mortimer, 15, is presently enrolled at a tennis academy, Armbrister, 13, is a student at Temple Christian School, and Thompson, 15, is a student at Central Eleuthera High School. On the girls' side, Mackey, 12, is a student at Nassau Christian Academy (NCA), and 15-year old Daxon and 14-year old Donaldson  are both students of Queen's College.

This year, the BLTA is sending two relatively young teams off, in that only one player, on both squads, has participated at the Jr. Fed Cup/Jr. Davis Cup level before. However, all the other players have gained some international exposure, having played on junior national teams prior to this event.

Both national teams have been training for the past several weeks on strengthening their "individual games" and developing their "doubles games", as the "doubles" is most times the deciding factor in which country wins or loses a match. These players are rapidly becoming some of the bright talents to watch in tennis in The Bahamas. Both squads will stage a final practice session this Thursday at 5 p.m. at the BLTA's National Tennis Centre.

The two three-member teams return home on Sunday February 8. The BLTA looks forward to good representation from the two junior national tennis teams.

A Franklin, Tennessee, couple who founded a network of substance-abuse treatment clinics has funded a special, targeted scholarship that will allow students from a high school in The Bahamas to attend Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU).

Michael and Tina Cartwright, who have a second home in The Bahamas, wanted to help students from L.N. Coakley High School in Great Exuma develop expertise through higher education that in turn would help benefit others on the island of Exuma. The Cartwrights, who both attended MTSU, established a $600,000 scholarship fund that will cover tuition, housing and other expenses for four L.N. Coakley students to live and take classes on MTSU's Murfreesboro campus. The scholarship will renew after the first group of four honorees graduate from MTSU.

Michael Cartwright, chairman and co-founder of American Addiction Centers, made the scholarship announcement with MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee, a native of The Bahamas.

"Tina and I understand the value of higher education," said Cartwright. "We approached President McPhee to establish a pathway that could recognize and reward future leaders who could return to Exuma as leaders and will help spur economic development on the island."

Jerome Fitzgerald, Bahamian minister of education, science and technology, said he was "humbled" by the Cartwrights' donation. "I applaud your initiative and fully endorse this endeavor that will greatly benefit the students of Exuma, the island of Exuma and, by extension, our country," he said.

McPhee said the Cartwrights wanted to make a targeted gift with an institution they trusted would help mold students into leaders for Exuma.

"Michael and Tina wanted to invest in MTSU, a known entity to them, to help people that they knew could benefit from mentoring, guidance and direction for this archipelago," said McPhee. "Our university will help prepare and educate the students selected for this honor to become leaders and influencers on the island. The Cartwrights hope that the recipients of their award will return to their home communities and contribute to the economic, social and cultural growth of Great Exuma."

McPhee said students must complete two experiential learning or community service projects in Great Exuma as a requirement of the award.

"Tina and I wanted to give something back to the people we've come to know, love and respect during our time in The Bahamas," said Cartwright. "MTSU offers a unique experience to transform the lives of those selected for this program."

Cartwright, a noted behavioral health entrepreneur, oversees a company that operates six inpatient substance abuse treatment centers across the United States. The company traded publicly on the New York Stock Exchange late last year as AAC Holdings Inc., based in Brentwood, Tennessee.

"We are proud of the Cartwrights and appreciate the confidence they have placed in MTSU to effect change in a community that they value," said McPhee. "Their gift is a significant financial contribution that over time will transform the lives of the recipients and the community of Exuma."

McPhee has made targeted international enrollment a strategic priority for the university. MTSU's international student enrollment has doubled from 396 to 789 in five years, and it had 335 students studying abroad last summer.