“It’s a hardware home center located in the British Virgin Islands specializing in building materials, home goods, and similar items,” explains Michael Thomas, the company’s Managing Director and son of founder Clarence Thomas. The business operates as a comprehensive one-stop destination serving everyone from weekend DIY enthusiasts to major resort developers across the Caribbean’s sailing capital. CTL has established itself as a crucial community infrastructure provider, particularly evident during Hurricane Irma in 2017 when their Fish Bay location became the island’s primary supply hub for reconstruction efforts. Their main Tortola store features a drive-through lumberyard and over ten specialized departments, while a smaller Virgin Gorda location focuses on essential hardware and plumbing supplies. With the BVI government projecting tourism revenue to reach $410.77 million in 2024 and ongoing infrastructure investments, CTL’s role in supporting residential and commercial development continues to expand throughout the 35,000-person territory. A FAMILY AND COMMUNITYCENTERED APPROACH CTL operates under a philosophy that maintains its status as a registered corporation within the British Virgin Islands while preserving the intimate connections that define family enterprises.This dual identity shapes every aspect of their operations, from employee retention to community engagement during the territory’s most challenging periods. “This business was started by my parents and remains a family-based business, but it’s an actual corporation set up within the territory, and we are still run by the family with lots of involvement by the family,”Thomas explains.The company’s approach to workforce development reflects this family-oriented structure, with many employees remaining loyal for decades. “A lot of the employees have been with us for over 20 plus years making them essentially family.” The depth of CTL’s community integration became most apparent during Hurricane Irma’s devastating impact in 2017. While many businesses shuttered or relocated, CTL’s Fish Bay store survived 225-mileper-hour winds and immediately reopened as the island’s primary supply center.“During the hurricanes when everything went sideways in the BVI, the one company that stood the test and basically was at the forefront of the rebuild was CTL,”Thomas states. 39 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 12, ISSUE 08 CARIBBEAN TRADING LIMITED (CTL)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5MjAx