GoeOrbis - Barbados

March 22 – I visited GeoOrbis for my first vocational visit in Barbados. I spent my time discussing the GIS projects GeoOrbis does for their clients with Managing Director Craig Batstone and GIS & RS Coordinator Renee Babb. GeoOrbis has constructed a vehicle tracking GIS application for many companies and government departments to utilize on the island. For commercial endeavors this allows companies to streamline their efficiency. While ambulances and emergency vehicles are the most widely used service vehicle GeoOrbis tracks for the government offices.

GeoOrbis has also supplied all of the aerial imagery for the recently published road atlas of Barbados.

Craig showing me some of GeoOrbis’s aerial imagery.

Monica Holzmer

International Business in Barbados

March 23 - I met with two business-oriented organizations to discuss the international investment climate in Barbados.


Janette Babb and Ezra Catwell represent Invest Barbados. Invest Barbados is a government body charged with attracting international investments into the country, particularly the “off-shore” – a term they avoid, preferring “international business company” – companies that are registered in Barbados . Companies registered in Barbados as Barbados corporations are able to avoid higher taxation in other (home) countries, especially the United States and Canada.

The organization is also involved in the registration of maritime vessels under the Barbados flag, again for tax avoidance purposes. The two officials pointed out that Barbados is a “low tax, not a no tax” country. The ship registration business is growing – Barbados maintains four offices around the world to facilitate the process.

Barbados is an attractive venue for banks, trusts and especially insurance companies. Most of the international insurance companies registered in Barbados are American, although there has been a slight decrease since a change in U.S. law that applies an excise tax on premiums paid to “foreign companies.”

When asked is American tax laws are beneficial to the Barbados economy, all I got was a smile.

I later met with Henderson Holmes, Executive Director of the Barbados International Business Association, sort of a chamber of commerce for the international companies that are registered on the island. This is a member-funded organization that works to ensure the Barbados government does not pass legislation that hurts the international business companies.

Henderson too allowed that stringent U.S. laws are the reason companies register as Barbados corporations – there are in excess of 3000 of them currently. He just wrote an article in the publication pictured above entitled, “President Obama’s New US Policies – A positive spin for Barbados.” (He’s not expecting an invitation to the White House….)

I appears that every time the United States passes higher corporate taxes or more restrictive regulations, more Barbados corporations are created. Perhaps some of out legislators should come here and research this. Wait, what am I suggesting, members of Congress traveling to resort destinations?

Rick Francona

Soul Mates Barbados and Bay + Wellington Creative Services - Barbados

March 22 - I had a short visit with Sue Wellington, event coordinator and wedding planner. She owns two businesses: Soul Mates Barbados and Bay + Wellington Creative Services. Soul Mates Barbados, focuses on wedding planning. Wellington Creative Services focuses more on corporate and product launches, award banquets, meetings, seminars, customer appreciations, fairs, tradeshows, and many more events.

Her business is growing and in 2007, she was able to add Beverly to her full time staff. Beverly was hard at work during the visit, but I managed a photo with her near the end.


Sue wants to connect and talk about event standards and education on the island. There is a lack of event education and would like to integrate event standards and teach other upcoming event planners the tools for success.

Shelly Kane

Innotech Construction - Barbados

March 22 - I had several vocational visits in Barbados, the first of which was to Innotech, a major construction company. Martin Da Silva, the CEO, met with me. Their main sector is hotels and condos, which are prevalent in beautiful Barbados. There is growing interest in building right on the coastlines - Innotech is researching how to build structures that can hold up to the Atlantic waters and with respect to the surrounding environment.

Cary from Foundation Technologies, Inc., Martin from Innotech, Phil from Innotech, and Frank from Foundation Technologies, Inc.

That day Mr. Da Silva was meeting with two sales reps from Foundation Technologies, Inc a US company from Georgia, to learn about the newest technology in concrete helical pilings and tie-backs. These products would be very useful in marine construction and are new to Barbados.
The meeting was very interesting and familiar. I often meet with sales reps about the newest technology in flooring, lighting, wall covering, or fabric back home.

Heidi Ellis

George Washington slept here - in Barbados?

March 22 - A little known fact: George Washington lived in Barbados for a short period of time. The team visited the house that is now the George Washington House museum in Bridgetown, Barbados.


The museum account: The young George Washington and his ailing brother Lawrence resided in this historic plantation house, also known as Bush Hill House, for two months in 1751. Barbados was the only country ever visited by the future “First Father” of his country and Bush Hill House the only house he ever lived in outside of the continental United States. The visit is a little known but very important chapter in the life of the then unknown 19 year old man, who would go on to become, as later described by Light-Horse Harry Lee, “first in war, first in peace, first in hearts of his countrymen.”

The bedroom used by George Washington, where he contracted and survived smallpox.

Dining room

Card table

Barbados Defense Forces

March 22 - I visited two of the three Barbados Defense Force installations today as a guest of Colonel Alvin Quintyne, Chief of Staff of the BDF. The visit was arranged by Rotarian Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Willie Kriton, the former deputy chief of staff of the BDF.

First stop - the Barbados Coast Guard. The BCG has three (two shown here) new 140-foot patrol craft housed at a new facility, HMBS Pelican to complement its small fleet of rigid hull inflatables and smaller harbor patrol craft. The vessels are used for drug interdiction, coastal defense and search and rescue. The 200 strong force appears well-trained and disciplined.

The commander of the coast guard is Lieutenant Commander Sean Reece, a graduate of the US Army parachute school at Fort Benning, and participated with US forces in the invasion of Grenada in 1983.

We then toured the BDF headquarters facility at Saint Ann's Fort in Bridgetown. The land forces regiment, formerly part of the West Indies Regiment of the British Army, has fought around the world. It also participated in the 1983 U.S.-led invasion of Grenada.

The "Pentagon" equivalent - the headquarters of the BDF staff.

The command post and operations building. In national emergencies, this is where the coordination between agencies occurs.

Medical unit - also supports civilian medical emergencies, mass casualty events in the Caribbean and is deployable to other nations if needed...

...and has a new hyperbaric chamber, one of only a very few in the region. Patients are brought here from other Caribbean countries for treatment.

Heading up the hill to the old signal area and Officers Mess for lunch with the officers where I made a presentation on issues in the Middle East.

Rick Francona

The Law and Saint Vincent

March 21 - On St. Vincent, I again lived with an attorney, Simone Truchot.

She worked for Mustique and was, like all the other people we met, very interesting. She had previously moved to St. Vincent to work as a magistrate and held that position for several years. She explained that corruption and political dealings behind the scenes almost made her walk out many times. But she stated that she did not give in to the pressure and people soon learned that she was a fair judge and respected her for that, even if she had an armed guard outside her home due to death threats.


She arranged for me to tour the prison on the island. That was the highlight of all my vocational visits. Parts of the prison were built in the 1800s and it was amazing that it was still being used without much renovation. However, I have to add that St. Vincent is getting ready to move all the inmates to a new prison that was being finished while we were there. The second in command gave me the tour and as we walked around, all the inmates seemed very happy to see him and all greeted him, um, warmly?

I met a man on death row who immediately began telling me that he was ready to die if that meant he did not have to continue to live in that cell as he was. I was speechless.

After the tour, I met the equivalent of the warden and after I was introduced as an attorney from the United States he asked if I was a human rights attorney. I said oh, no, not at all. He replied, "good, because that is a human rights nightmare back there." Again, I was speechless.

All in all, St. Vincent was wonderful and in my opinion the most interesting.

Lillah McBride