 With a proud legacy which spans 50 years of advancing St. Lucia's socio-economic development, invest St. Lucia is recognized today as a purpose-driven, vision-focused, and professional investment promotion agency. Our story began 50 years ago, in 1972, when the National Development Cooperation was made operational and given an important mandate to stimulate, facilitate, and undertake the economic development of St. Lucia. Our job was promoting and facilitating investment, and we were very vigorously involved in doing just that. I think we had properties that we managed, government properties that we managed in Viewfort. We had started to build factory shells for investors. NDC has a proud legacy in terms of what it has achieved, both as NDC and in West St. Lucia. And I hope that it will grow from strength to strength. Prior to NDC, there was nothing really, there was nobody that was doing anything, specifically targeted on development. At that time NDC did virtually everything. We were involved in investment promotion, we were involved in student loans, we were involved in handling governments' investments in various activities in the country, you know, Denry Farm, St. Lucia Model Farms, St. Lucia Fish Market and Cooperation, the fisheries complex. In the 1970s and 1980s, the newly formed NDC was at the forefront of St. Lucia's economic growth as the country pursued a policy of industrial development by invitation. For many, the NDC era was new and exciting, providing avenues to shape the careers of some of St. Lucia's brightest minds. You had investors continuously coming from overseas who were interested in coming to establish themselves here and it was always very extraordinary and always very promising. Then we had the tours, we had exchange programs, we had our solution producers like people like Byron Fools and Rosary who were able to do exchanges, even fruits came on board. We had the exchange with maybe Martinique, Guadalupe, Nomenica, we had that and product development. We had the crafters, we had the artisans, it was awesome. It was really, really interesting to work in the development area. The NDC was not well known in St. Lucia and so we did a lot of PR as far as the NDC was concerned and we got even involved within the schools. We started a debate competition within the schools just so that we can let the name of the NDC out and let people know what it was all about. We got our expertise and our administration skills in that regard with respect to consultancy and whatnot. Mr. Martinique, Kalaigoustav and Charlie Heywood, those who were basically the guys that really molded me into what I am now because those guys, they were basically guys of principle within the profession. We were always a serious group in ensuring that we get work done and when we had projects, we would work all two, three o'clock in the morning and not look for any reward. When I first came out of school, it was my very first job, so I was very, very new to working in the construction sector. So for me it was my introduction to the world of work. Being a young woman in the construction sector in the 80s and into the 90s was, it could be challenging. So it was where I first learned to navigate those peculiarities as a woman in the construction sector. During the period of industrial development, the NDC designed and built factory shells to attract and accommodate investors in the manufacturing sector. This stimulated record levels of job creation as products made in St. Lucia enjoyed preferential market access under various trading agreements. You had a lot of people, especially women and single mothers who were at home looking for jobs. Whenever there was activity in any factory shell, people just deluged to start, where do I apply for a job? They were just people who were looking for jobs, people who perhaps had just left high school, they didn't have any major certificates but they just needed to get something to support their families, to support their children, to send their children to school. The salaries were not great, but at least they were still able to provide the living for their family. I think NDC, to a large extent, was keeping Viewfort together. Viewfort was gelling. For instance, it was a place where a lot of young women worked, coming from Choiselle to the southwest region, wrapping right back around to Denry because of that era when there were a lot of factory shells and the type of work was attractive to women. So it became a hub, but had Viewfort provided then housing, it would have exploded into a real town. The NDC also undertook large-scale infrastructural developments which transformed key areas such as Rodney Bay and Point Seraphine. The initial building structure had become, was not viable and yet there was a big demand for space. So we decided, look, we need to expand it to take advantage of that demand and to make the whole project viable. And we did something quite remarkable. I remember going to the Prime Minister at the time, John Compton, he said, where are you going to get the money to do this? Of course, he had no intention to finance it, but the demand was so high that people were prepared to pay big deposits in hundreds of thousands of dollars to get a space. And we actually, the western end of that building, which you'll notice is very different from the original structure, was built in six weeks. That turned it around and made Point Seraphine a very highly profitable unit for the NDC, of course, for them to empower us to do other things. Rodney Bay development was also a major development fielded actually by Investant Lucia when it was National Development Corporation and it was done as a partnership with Rodney Bay Limited and the National Development Corporation was a very, very integral part of it and it was done through a loan from the Commonwealth Development Corporation. We see what Rodney Bay has done in terms of development, you know, platform and a grounding for development in North, totally transforming it. Throughout the years, the agency has leveraged its assets to drive national development. This includes lands vested to the corporation in 1972. A significant land portfolio in the south of the island attracted the attention of the investors behind one of the eastern Caribbean's oldest medical schools. Spartan Health Sciences opened its doors in Viewfort in 1983, impacting surrounding communities in a significant way. You can measure that impact based on the amount of rental properties that developed around the fact that there was a medical school and it's similar to other parts in the world where you have university communities. Along with the vesting of lands to the NDC came the responsibility to manage these assets in a manner which would facilitate socioeconomic advancement. This at times proved challenging. It was a constant trial and demand on the capacity of the organization to deal with squatter problems, monitoring lands, trying to prevent further squatting and getting involved in a lot of domestic issues between squatters. So it became a burden to the organ and it's not concerned to me. I thought that it was diverting away from the main purpose of the organization and I also felt that these lands could be put to better economic use if people had actual ownership of them in that they could mortgage them, they could leverage them for their own advancement. A proposal was pitched to the then Prime Minister that lands should be transferred to the occupants at discounted prices. This was eventually embraced by the government. Residential land development would also form another key component of the NDC's contributions to St. Lucia's socioeconomic development. The government invested 6,000 acres of land in the NDC and being such a major land owner, we had to try to make lands available to persons, not just for industrial development but for residential, agricultural and as such the NDC got involved in a lot of residential development so Black Bay, Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3 was developed. We started a housing development very close to the brewery. We also did three phases of residential development lots at Latuni. While the NDC had carved out a decades-long legacy of development, the 2000s ushered in a new era. The manufacturing industry had declined and the agency now had to reprioritise the use and management of key assets such as factory shells. Just the recognition of the need to invest in co-invest, in providing the physical space for an institution of that nature, the role it plays with regards to economic development, supporting industrial development, the NDC at the time had the foresight to meander its limitations with the use of the factory shells at the time to allow for the Bureau of Standards to be anchored there and grow. The new century also presented an opportune moment to expand, diversify and modernise the agency. One of the first things we did was to reorganise the physical space. First of all in terms of appearance as an investment agency, so the facade you see there in terms of the entrance as the reception area, this is something that we brought on to bring it up to a more international level. So we created the department physically as well. We restructured the office so that there was actually a unit whereby the investment portion of the agency would become more visual, engage more staff and give them the equipment and a comfortable working environment. Transforming the NDC into a modern organisation with targeted goals and inspiring confidence in Senusia as an investment destination. I recall that we had begun working with the Senusia Tourism Authority at a tourist board as it was called then. A new logo was being put in place. They were softening again the image of the pitons, a nice wavy sort of character and a number of other government agencies' entities would buy into that and I was happy that we were leading the charge and in fact we became the first agency to sort of move in adopting the new logo and to put our own brand to it. On the international scene we became more prominent in WIPA which is the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies. We became more prominent and occupied seats at the highest level and that and we leveraged that sufficiently. We were instrumental in the formation of the Caribbean Association of Investment Promotion Agencies and then we had a strategic alliance with Jam Pro of Jamaica and through that we were able to get investments. In the early period I think there was a lot to do with viewfort and lands and land development in the south of the island. In the period 12 to 16 we were more focused on investment in the St. Lucia and the development in that period of particularly the hotels sector and so there was definitely a transformation from land management as an institution to investment promotion. By 2012 the NDC had been formally rebranded to Invest St Lucia a name which reflected the agency's advancement into the 21st century but while the agency's name and image have changed our focus has always remained the same stimulating economic growth and job creation. Through the decades Invest St Lucia has fulfilled this mandate by facilitating the growth and expansion of some of the biggest names in local business. We approached NDC Invest St Lucia at the time the general manager and he saw something in me which he equated to the success of St Lucia and he leased a factory shell to us knowing fully well I didn't have the finance so what he did he commuted the terms from $10,500 per month he offered us to pay five, then seven, then nine and then ten so he got back the money in long term. IGY's relationship with Invest St Lucia has been pivotal in getting us to where we are today. In 2006 IGY acquired the marina and from that day really is when the relationship started in terms of assistance in terms of just simple things of guiding a new foreign company into St Lucia and how to do business, the ease of doing business the concessions that were available and the benefits to making the marina more feasible more attractive for sailors, for locals like ourselves to enjoy the facility. When I came here the process was very easy the collaboration between the different ministries was seamless and especially between Invest St Lucia and Ministry of Tourism. When we decided that we were going into the manufacturing sector truth is none of us have any experience in that sector and so we said well we have to get help we need somebody who can guide us along our journey. I wouldn't imagine getting as far as I did without Invest St Lucia assisting us and if I have to do it all over again I will be knocking at Invest St Lucia's door to do it all over again. We spent a lot of time trying to go out and grow the ICT sector and the BPO sector and we were very successful in that regard. You know it was one of the areas to mop up a lot of the unemployment in our community and we were very very successful in doing that in viewport in particular but castries was not isolated we had major growth in the north as well. So we started our operations here in St Lucia in 2004 and from the very get go we've had a really fruitful and beneficial relationship with Invest St Lucia they have really been the bedrock of a lot of the things we've done here and we credit them with the expansion we've been able to do in St Lucia. Now we're venturing into our third year in St Lucia and I'm proud to say that we have over a thousand agents working for us in St Lucia we're in three buildings we're about to move into a fourth and have potential on a fifth building and all of that has been driven by the support and direction of Invest St Lucia. Invest St Lucia has also become a trusted source for information and support relied upon by both the public and private sector. He said we are closing down a big part of our business in Aruba and we would like to bring this business to St Lucia but we need concessions. When they applied to government, government turned them down and felt that they had enough concessions they were there long enough they didn't need any more concessions I had a good relationship with Dr. Antti I said Dr. Antti listen to me I'm on that board, I see what's happening I see the kind of employment, the figures there give them, consider giving them the concession he said you're putting me in a spot but he took some time, he went back to his cabinet they approved it that's one of the best decisions they made because these people added 40% to their turnover It is extremely helpful when you know that there is a resource you can access quite easily it's a telephone call away, an email away who can advise you and guide you otherwise it would be very difficult to operate and that is what I see Invest St Lucia for wherever we need assistance especially at government level definitely an organization like Invest St Lucia can play a critical role in creating an enabling environment in the business community facilitating investment through means of creating access to concessions and other things that will help a business person get started and of course continue a successful enterprise I think we have really developed into one of government's strong strategic partners for the development of the economy so there are a lot of sectors that government leans on the advice of Invest St Lucia to help develop whether it's a restructuring of a sector or getting into a new sector I think we've become a well-trusted partner for central government and for cabinet in terms of things such as the CIP program we assist the CIP office with certain policy initiatives economic substance, the youth economy in terms of you look at incubation and acceleration the BPO sector Outside of contributions to major sectors such as manufacturing, business process outsourcing and tourism, Invest St Lucia has also played a role in supporting the creative industries The laptop that was provided by the NDC laid the foundation for the career that I have today I use it to record and also to create and edit productions productions that you know and love such as Freaky Girls, Sully, St Lucia We Love, Glow Coco the St Lucia rhythm and songs that launch the careers of some of your favorite artists Stupid with Helicopter and Water Ninja Dance Karate Marianne Sheetan Superman HD DJ Iwa Kaka Ambi, Monks and so many more Desperately I needed financial support to procure my tools that would have taken me to the next level and fortunately there was this grant from NDC that I applied for via the CDF and I received it and ever since, you know my career has bulged and went leaps and bounds because I really needed that very important boost, that particular juncture Beyond growing the economy and supporting key sectors we've also maintained an unwavering commitment to creating impact where it matters most the lives of our people It's the stories of the lives we've touched that continue to guide in St Lucia's focus as an agency The energy between the agency and its clients is very welcoming They treat each client with fairness I recently purchased land from St Lucia The agency made it very easy for me Purchasing land They guided me through every step until the end when I was ready to build I'd like to carry burden for people and then when I get that job as though that was a good prayer The crew I work with, Femme Rhan that's the best crew I've ever worked in my life Yep, and I feel so good about that Stories like that of a single mother who became a proud home owner through our collaboration with sister agencies and a host of corporate sponsors I'm feeling really like a big relief like everything just come out like today everything just just a relief I'm excited, I'm happy These are the stories which have always driven the work of our staff, past and present Over the years I got to understand the impact that invest St Lucia has on St Lucia and the economy and on the lives of St Lucia So for me it was very gratifying to know that the contributions that we make at invest St Lucia or that I make at invest St Lucia as an individual do have impact on the livelihoods of St Lucia The role that invest St Lucia plays in the country in terms of development is something that's very rewarding and accomplishment so you want to see yourself as part of that knowing that you were responsible or actually part of what has been done here in St Lucia in terms of sustainable development And while we've attracted millions of dollars in revenue to our shores our continued investment in the people of St Lucia has yielded the greatest return Perhaps the best testament to this is our own staff many of whom have grown significantly over years of fulfilling service Twelve years is a large chunk of anybody's career development It's taught me to be nimble It's taught me to take things as they come to address challenges to know my limitations know what I can do and what I can't do where to ask for help and those are qualities that are helpful in both a professional and a personal setting Invest St Lucia has allowed me to develop in my career The requirements of the agency has changed over the years as has the field of information technology So that has allowed me to go my career so that I can apply to the requirements of Invest St Lucia Throughout the decades Invest St Lucia has continued to make the adjustments necessary to position the organization as the leading investment promotion agency that it is today Our staff are proud to have witnessed and contributed to the agency's transformation A lot of changes are good things though especially out in the south of the island, I've seen the residents gain something they have something to show that they are part of the inclusion When I first came in they only had Phase 1 which is the existence of the clay tires and everything So a couple of years after I think some 85 or something like that there will be Phase 2 There will be an open area to be a ship to be docked and already had no fence at that time After 9-1-1 they put a fence to put a restriction area When I joined it was the focus was yes it was investment but it was primarily the industrial estates, factories garment different products and the development of residential lands Since the company has rebranded into investment the company has been more involved in foreign direct investment as well as assisting local entrepreneurs When it was the national development cooperation the main focus was V4 and the new frontier for development and seeking investors for factories and lands but with the rebranding and investment, the whole dynamics has changed There is more focus on foreign and local direct investment I think the investment department is more keen now and more directed in terms of investment, promotion and development of the economic growth of Senlosha in total And as we look to the future we recognize the need for investment to continuously reassess and redefine our focus to meet the needs of our economy and our people The areas of manufacturing as well as elements of our food security and the opportunities where we can derive from our cultural manufacturing as well It doesn't take away from our continued focus on tourism but with the efforts that our parent ministry have embarked upon in terms of the village tourism and bringing the benefits of tourism to everybody significant work is being made there but the lesser identified sector of manufacturing presents the greatest opportunity as well as our food production and security I think is important that we diversify as much as possible I would love to see more entrepreneurs in Senlosha I would also love to see us take great advantage of the oceans around us I think we've sort of marginalized the potential in that area by just focusing on the autumn I think the blue economy offers a lot more I think investment now is looking at the possibility of looking at that on a more holistic scale I think the focus should really be on the diversification of the Senlosha economy and I think investment in Senlosha has the biggest part to play in that the other focus also on tourism is not a bad thing what I think we need to do is to expand the tourism industry so that it touches more of the other sectors there are a lot of vulnerable people who need their investment education and generally our professionals our potential investors need proper education and investment there are people who have assets who can invest but they do not have their proper mindset they do not have the understanding of the regional well the national regional and is the national environment when it comes to investment more and more our investment has to focus on building smarter greener economies and societies so we need smart infrastructure we need greener you know ancillaries to tourism theme parks you know products that are more reflective of the natural values of Senlosha the natural attributes of Senlosha so our culinary offerings food and beverages even the materials and the you know what we use you know in our spas the spa treatments you know the products that we sell as souvenirs you know all that should be part of a natural Senlosha brand above all we are excited about the opportunities to continue our tradition of facilitating projects which focus on job creation and socio-economic advancement investment Lusha showed us the opportunities that exist on the island they were the primary guidance in selecting the location of the hotel they were the primary guidance of the needs and the necessities of the local market this is how we were able to identify a particular niche where our project will operate and have its success investment Lusha plays a key role in terms of our expansion right now they have helped us facilitate by securing land for our expansion needs which is almost 7 acres of land and with that they are also helping us seek the necessary approvals prerequisites that we need to facilitate this expansion we are we remain guided always by what investment Lusha represents to you adaptive innovative helpful hope opportunity progress transformational life changing