Local entrepreneur and the other member of the Williams dynamic duo Bizzy Williams has thrown his support behind Butch Stewart and Sandals/Beaches at the expense of local tycoon Bernie Weatherhead. Bizzy Williams letters to the local newspapers have gone under the radar this week but given the importance of tourism, the washpan of concessions to Butch Stewart and the success of Bernie Weatherhead as a homegrown businessman it is worthy of discussion.
Read Bizzy’s letter to the traditional media:
Opportunities with Sandals/Beaches
My loyalty to Barbados and the people of Barbados has no bounds. My track record is transparent. I have many hard-working Bajan friends who share my feelings about our country and its people who are busting their brains to find ways to get our rock out of this recession. “Bernie” Weatherhead is one of them. I have admired his work and continuous investment to expand his business enterprises in Barbados. To demonstrate, we recently placed most of Williams Industries Insurance business with his Sun General company. I shop at his I’mart and Hallmark stores. I attended the reopening function of the failed Almond Resort in St Peter and I listened carefully to what he said and what our Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy said in their speeches. I commend “Bernie” for what he has achieved.
I have not invested one cent in Sandals. I have no reason whatsoever to be biased one way or another, but I feel obliged to sacrifice my friendship with Bernie in favour of my loyalty to Barbados if I am forced to choose. Barbados needs the power of the marketing juggernaut and the quality of the Sandals / Beaches brands in the US market especially, to put Barbados back up there as the most desirable destination in the Caribbean. And in my view, Barbados has to send a clear message to the world that when we commit to a business agreement we abide by our commitment.
http://www.barbadostoday.bb/2014/03/29/opportunities-with-sandalsbeaches/
Nostrowhat | April 2, 2014 at 12:09 PM |
The fact is most of these guest do not venture out of their hotels as they have it all there. Why do you think Sandals is building 8 restaurants – for the people to go down to Oistins – no, to feed them all when they are hungry!
“Sandals is building 8 restaurants”
This must be great news for the locally owned restaurants in the Gap that struggling to make ends meet now
@Nostrowhat
Exactly what I said in my post “to cater to visitors who are looking for that type of experience”
I am not an advocate of all-inclusives for Barbados but It makes sense to have a couple like Sandals or Almond who like the all inclusive experience. But it really is up to the market to decide how many and there must be a level playing field for all types of hotels not just Sandals.
Then there was Maloney’s letter to Barbados Today waxing lyrical about Sandals. Obviously timed to follow-up Bizzy’s comments. When Ma
loney spent a little time at Sandals LaSource in Grenada, was it at his own expense, or has the deal with Butch already been made? Talk about “I’m bending down Butch, come and get me!”
Saw Bizzy on the news tonight mangling the English language as usual. Why is it these guys always want foreigners to own Barbados? They seem to think that Bajans are not good enough to do great things. Time for these sell- outs to STFU. It is fairly obvious the agenda these guys have: Block locals and sell to foreigners. Methinks the Williams brothers have become totally irrelevant.
@ Starboy
There are a set of Bajans who would do ANYTHING rather than see the majority reach our true potential.
They appoint their moron kith and kin to senior positions which they are CLEARLY incapable of filling……
When this become glaringly untenable, they bring in UNKNOWN foreigners to fill these positions rather than risk having talented black Bajans excel and show them up for the jokers they are…
When they get old and realize that the businesses are threatened, they seek FOREIGN buyers rather than even holding on to ownership since it would mean black Bajans taking over the management for survival.
…It is no coincidence. These people are more concerned about ‘keeping blacks in their places’ than they are in any business successes that upsets their social status quo.
There are of course a few exceptions, however any kind of statistical analysis of boardroom appointments will easily confirm the clear bias.
…of course if we had a REAL university, such statistical studies and the obvious conclusions would have been put to us like they were long ago…but since our “champion of equality” took up position there and became pals with these same scamps, this is no longer a priority for him…
It is for this reason that a meritocracy will not be supported in Barbados …..and without a meritocracy we will continue to have square pegs in wrong holes …and to see the appropriate results…
Does a statistical analysis of top people in Bizzy’s businesses suggest merit based appointments? Obviously based on his methodology he now needs to woo people like Butch Sewart….
Trust Bushie….
The REAL talented people in Barbados are hidden away doing shiite in many of these organizations and deliberately prevented from emerging for fear that they outshine the wrong people.