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Former Commissioner of St. Eustatius Carlyle Tearr has been appointed new Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of St. Eustatius and Saba. Following the election held on December 13, 2016, the Board members of the Chamber of Commerce held its first meeting for 2017 on Thursday. The first task of the new Board was the election of officers.
The meeting was convened at the Teleconference Rooms at Government Service Caribbean Netherlands RCN on both islands, and was called to order by returning member Ebelene Schmidt-Hinds, who conducted the proceedings leading up to the election of the Chamber’s executive.
Newcomer to the Board Fernando V. Simmons, who won his seat replacing former Chamber President Nicolaas “Koos” Sneek, will be the youngest member to sit on this Board. Simmons is an Information-technology professional. Educated and trained in the Netherlands, he returned to Statia in 2009. One of Statia’s young entrepreneurs is a staff member at St. Eustatius Telephone Company EUTEL.
Hermanus “Hemmie” van Xanten was appointed to the Board, as there were no other candidates for Saba’s seat, which became vacant by Kelly Johnson’s resignation. He is a former educator who has worked in the Netherlands, Africa, and the Far East. On Saba, where he has resided for the past 17 years, he has worked in the school system and for the local and Dutch Governments. He now owns and operates a boutique hotel on the island.
New Chamber President Carlyle Tearr brings much skill and talent to the Board. After returning from his studies in the Netherlands, he worked for 20 years at Caleb Brett, one of NuStar’s affiliates. He served for 12 years at management level. He also served as a Commissioner of the Island Government of Statia.
At present, Tearr is actively involved in various business ventures, including building Statia’s fishing industry, and in private aircraft refuelling. Prior to becoming Commissioner, Tearr also served as Commerce Chamber President.
Wolfgang Tooten was reinstated as Vice-President. He is the owner of Scout’s Place and has been involved in various business ventures on Saba, including dive tourism. Tooten also served as Vice-President under Sneek. Schmidt-Hinds, who has previously served as Board member, will continue as Public Relations Officer. The composition of the Board remains at five members: two on Saba and three on Statia.
In his address to the new Board, President Tearr said he looked forward to a good working relationship between the members of the Board, and the individuals and entities served by the Chamber. He further stated that working together for the business community, and to promote the islands should be uppermost in the minds of members.
The Board plans a number of activities in the coming year, such as upgrading of the Chamber website, trainings and seminars for the business community, and travel to trade missions. The business hours of the Commerce Chamber‘s office on Statia have recently been expanded. The office is now opened during weekdays from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Executive Secretary Petronila Lara Reyes and Sjudi Redan are available to assist anyone needing help with registration and information. Sharmina Jones keeps watch at the office on Saba where the business hours remain 9:00am to 1:00pm.
The Daily Herald.