SAINT LUCIA HOLDING ITS OWN
February 28, 2008
EDWARD HARRIS AT LARGE!
SAINT LUCIA HOLDING ITS OWN
AS A PREFERRED INVESTMENT DESTINATION!
No one could be happier than Ed Harris to witness the state of investments in St. Lucia today. Many saw me in a negative light that I was being over optimistic but I was always confident about St. Lucia and its time has come. The interesting thing about investors as long as good governance is encouraged in a country and there is reasonable stability, investors will pursue their dreams.
The magic at work for St. Lucia as it attracts foreign direct investment is that investors fall in love with St. Lucia and decide here is where they want to do business and fulfill their dreams in the sun. The celebration of St. Lucia’s 29th Anniversary of Independence was not the usual school children rallies and military parade, etc., it was a celebration of expansion. Reaching for new heights in the economy will trigger off all the things that are expected to happen in an economy that is soaring to new heights. Today you hear of investments in the billions. We no longer hear of millions when investment in the tourism sector is discussed, we are in the billion dollar era. Our 2008/2009 Budget will definitely be in excess of a billion EC dollars and if all goes as projected a US billion dollar budget will be reality within 3 to 5 years.
Investments in commercial and touristic properties are showing up all over the island. Labour is being brought in to help out with the construction boom taking place. It is obvious that St. Lucia’s time has come and there is no stopping us now.
There are so many projects in the pipeline as Brother George would have said. Today, we hear about the redevelopment of the Castries Waterfront, Rodney Bay Mariner Project, Tunnel through the Barre de L’ Isle, Hess Oil Refinery, Deep Water Port in Cul de Sac, Ritz Carlton, Westin, Le Paradis, Raffles, Beaches, Signature Golf Courses by the best known names, infrastructural development, new road route to Vieux Fort, additional flights from the USA and Europe, expanded relationship with Caribbean Airways, etc., etc.. I feel it wouldn’t be long below a solution is found for LIAT.
Saint Lucia Nice! The economic prospects for the future looks great and what is interesting, it is just the beginning of a long road of economic progress. These are exciting times. It is a great time to be living in St. Lucia.
While the real estate industry in the USA is in crisis, St. Lucia is booming. I had the privilege of participating in a 3 day investment conference where overseas based Investment Brokers were introduced to St. Lucia. They were addressed by the movers and shakers in the St. Lucian society. I was amazed at the developments that are in the pipeline and wondered on many occasions if the presenters were referring to St. Lucia. But it was real, I was experiencing the coming together of the dreams of many who dared to dream. As I listened to the presenters, I was blown away and experienced the WOW effect. The question that came to my mind repeatedly was – what will St. Lucia be like in the next five years? It was very enlightening to discuss with the Brokers what they do. Many operate diversified investment consulting businesses, offering Insurance, Tax Planning, Estate Management, FOREX trading, Futures, Stocks, Bonds, Donation Programmes, Land Bank, etc. I was so impressed with this group of Brokers that I arranged for one of the Brokers to address the Monthly Networking Meeting of the Realtors Association which was held on Wednesday, 27/2/08.
The most outstanding moment was when I met with a young man, just 21 years old who left school about 3 years ago to gain some experience in services offered by his dad’s brokerage. He moved on to the FOREX business on his own, making lots of money by going to work on his computer from 4.00am. He is not a part of the organized system as he seeks to maximise his returns. There are privately owned companies offering 10 – 14% return on investment per month when they are raking in 40 – 100% per month on the investors’ money. This young man is enjoying a level of financial independence that gives him the opportunity to enjoy the finer things of life. I wonder how many of our young people are trying to learn about this interesting field of business. While we have an active Eastern Caribbean Securities Market in place enough is not being done to inform and educate the citizens of the region to actively participate. The process of informing and educating citizens on investing must be continuous, not only by publication in the media but by bringing people together and involve them in role play.
St. Lucia is poised to achieve economic success at a scale never experienced within the OECS sub region. We have seen the progress made by Barbados in recent years, let us be ready to achieve even greater successes.
Here is my selected Motivational Quote for the week:
SUCCESS IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK
Every situation, properly perceived, becomes an opportunity.
But you have to act on them if you’re going to be successful.
Distant pastures always look greener than those close at hand,
but real opportunities are right where you are.
You must simply take advantage of them when they appear.
You can start where you are at any time.
Success is all around you.
It’s not in your environment,
it’s not in luck or chance,
or in the help of others.
Success is in yourself alone.
You don’t need more strength
or more ability or greater opportunity.
What you need is to use what you have.
Learn to seize good fortune,
for it is always around you.
You must go to success,
it doesn’t come to you.
Open your own doors to opportunity.
Copyright 2008 www.yourdailymotivation.com
Keep the Faith, God is in Charge, Dream Big and Expect Miracles all the time!!!
Edward Harris
Biblicist, Freelance Journalist, Author, Business & PR Consultant, Realtor, Sales & Marketing Specialist, Networker, Private Sector Advocate, Motivational Speaker
Email: eaharrisdestiny@gmail.com
Websites: http://www.Edwardharris.ws http://www.stluciasimplybeautiful.com http://www.stluciarealtors.com http://EdwardHarris.myvisalus.com