Business View Caribbean | Jan 2019

49 of starting, in earnest, the drawings of the new terminal.We’re looking at doing that in short order to accommodate current growth and future expansion, as well. Because the Marriott now has a 12-story building in progress and there are others coming, we need to keep ahead of it.We are a major employer, not just by number (354 employees), but by the significance of the work we do and the important role it plays on the main economic driver, which is tourism.” BVC: How is the Airports Authority governed, and do you have the freedom to make decisions? Smith: “In the strictest business sense, we are a subsidiary of government, in that the Airports Authority is a statutory body corporation that is owned by the TCI Government.We have a Board that we report to and the Board is then responsible for ensuring the Airports Authority operates in the best interests of all.We have regular internal audits, plus an annual external audit that we publish on our website. It’s always in the public domain. In addition, there are various aspects of the Public Service that the government may, from time to time, impose on the Airports Authority to follow. Bringing in investments is also part of our role.We are free to engage in financing (we negotiated a $70 million loan that is almost paid off), although it does need the blessing of the government, which is the parent company, so to speak. “And it is incumbent upon us, working with the Hotel and Tourism Association and Tourist Board, to develop new routes, which makes sense because they have a vested interest in tourism, and they all bring different benefits to any