News Americas, MIAMI, FL, Fri. Nov. 17, 2017: The Caribbean is ripe with opportunities and has three of the pre-conditions that must exist for success in business.
That’s the word from former Caribbean billionaire and founder and chairman of Portland Holdings Inc., Michael Lee-Chin. Lee-Chin made the remarks as he opened the 41stst annual CCAA conference on the Caribbean and Central America at the Hotel Colonnade in Coral Gables, Miami, Wednesday evening.
Addressing delegates at the opening reception, Lee-Chin identified the three preconditions as:
1: “A difference between perception and reality” in order to create wealth;
2: Ineffectiveness and;
3: A lack of equity capital.
“The Caribbean is a treasure throve given these three preconditions,” the Jamaican-born, Canadian business man said.
He also said the Caribbean has the perfect time zone and needs to capitalize on this fact especially as it relates to ICT opportunities.
ICT and medical tourism are both untapped sectors, Lee-Chin added.
The business magnate set the tone of the conference which continued Thursday with Jamaican economist and diplomat, Dr. Richard L. Bernal, telling panelists at a session on Caribbean business opportunities that the region’s people must change the “mindset that we are small.”
“Small is where we do business from not where we do business in,” Bernal said. “The Caribbean is poised and ready … there are opportunities not barriers.”
He also agreed with Lee-Chin that off shore health care is a great untapped option and added that the region must exploit its natural resources of wind and solar “to give us an energy advantage.”
CCAA-41 wraps up in Miami today with presentations by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Adam Goldstein, President and Chief Operating Officer of Royal Caribbean International.
CCAA – the Caribbean-Central American Action “aims to educate citizens of the United States and the nations of Central America and the Caribbean about each other’s societies, cultures, history, social and economic institutions, artistic, scientific and other achievements, commercial, educational and other opportunities, and national goals and concerns.”
