Business View Caribbean | August 2022

46 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 8 such as hikes and other group events. On the sustainability front, S.E.L. Maduro and Sons is also working towards reducing its carbon footprint by incorporating renewable energy technology in an upcoming office facility. “We plan on using solar, not just to be green, but because it will save us money,” says Elens, “because, let’s be honest, electricity on the islands is costly and using solar will save us a lot of money in the long run.” The company is using innovation to modernize and enhance efficiency through integrated shipping technology platform ZIM line, as well as LTL (Less than truckload) shipping techniques, which lower costs and improve efficiency for shipping companies. Although S.E.L. Maduro and Sons works closely with the island government and local authorities, Elens is quick to distance it from any affiliation to the government or political factions. “We are fully independent and talk with whichever and other stakeholders and, within a few weeks, drafted a framework that allowed ships to arrive and complete crew changes.” Through this intervention, S.E.L. Maduro and Sons and other ABC Islands agencies oversaw thousands of crew members coming to the islands, allowing them to take daily flights into Amsterdam and onwards to their homes worldwide. Elens acknowledges with pride, “By taking the lead in spearheading this initiative, we were able to send crews home who would have otherwise spent months floating around the Caribbean.” S.E.L. Maduro and Sons has 35 employees spread across the three islands, with two in Bonaire due to the small size of the island. “We have trained most of the people working for us,” says Elens, “although some have worked for us for around 40 years, considering our long history.” As with any business, the company does face the usual employee churn and uses various methods to retain staff, including teambuilding activities