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66 67 PREFERRED VENDORS n USVI Economic Development Authority www.usvieda.org The USVIEDA is a semi-autonomous government organization responsible for the promotion and enhancement of economic development in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It has five major components: the Economic Development Com- mission; the Virgin Islands Economic Park Development Corporation; the Eco- nomic Development Bank; the Small Business development Agency; and the Enterprise Zone Commission. The purpose of the EDA is to act as an umbrella authority that integrates and unifies the functions of the five agencies under one executive board in order to maximize efficiency and enhance economic development in the Territory. n Universal Business Supplies www.ubsupplies.com UBS offers a convenient way to shop for office and printer supplies, office furniture, office technology, and IT needs, from its distribution centers on St. Thomas and St. Croix. The company was voted Best Office Furniture & Office Supplies in the Territory from 2011-16. n Bonneville Group Virgin Islands, Inc. www.bonnevillepr.net n Marshall & Sterling Insurance www.marshallsterling.com VIRGIN ISLANDS NEXT GENERATION NETWORK Voted Best Office Furniture & Office Supplies in Our Territory for 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, & 2017 BONNEVILLE GROUP VIRGIN ISLANDS Communications, Electrical & Security Systems Telecommunications Highway Utilities Electrical Systems Security Systems St. Thomas 1-340-776-2484 St. Croix 1-340-718-2274 www.bonnevillepr.net ramon@bonnevillepr.net St. Thomas  St. Croix  St. John We are here for you! Highway Utilities cent for wholesale services, so those broadband savings could be passed on to the consumer,” he explains. “I sell at 50 percent from what it was back in the summer of 2016. And that helped other ISPs drop their prices and make it affordable for the end consumers.” As for the future, McGibbon says that viNGN’s number one priority is to have total saturation across the territory, “so that every single home, every single business, every single non-profit, every single person in government has access to broadband services. At the end of the day,” he declares, “this company is a public service to enrich the community.” viNGN ensures that they get the skills they need, anyway. It offers classes on digital lit- eracy in many of the PPCs, which are staffed by volunteers and overseen by a full-time viNGN employee, Anita Davis. “Recently, we authorized a purchase of Chrome Books, so if Anita’s services are required out in the field, someplace else,we don’t have to go to one of the PCCs,” says McGibbon.“She can hand out the chrome books and she can teach courses. And each one of the schools throughout the Virgin Islands has at least 100 megabits of broadband services. So,we’re educating the youth and making sure that the next genera- tion coming up has the computer skills that are required in today’s working environment.” In another move to help more islanders get access to the internet, McGibbon says that viNGN has substantially reduced its prices. “Since I’ve been onboard, we made a busi- ness decision to reduce the prices 50 per-