Business View Caribbean - Mar 2024

ranging from educational institutions and community centers to specialized health facilities and essential service buildings like fire stations. Frankie Ali, the driving force behind CSS Ltd., offers an insightful glimpse into the company’s operational ethos and strategic choice to collaborate exclusively with government entities and their subsidiaries. Ali explains, “Our main core business is government and government agencies. We don’t get involved in private housing or private construction. All our construction is for the government or any agencies, commercial buildings, and state-owned.” This specialization has enabled CSS Ltd. to accrue a wealth of experience in constructing facilities vital to the community’s infrastructure and catering to a broad spectrum of public needs. “Over the years, we have constructed many schools, community centers, fire stations, and hospitals—not big hospitals, but health centers that do many surgeries and surgical procedures,” Ali elaborates. His emphasis on the variety and scope of projects undertaken by CSS Ltd highlights the company’s adeptness at navigating the complexities and regulations of public sector construction. A GLIMPSE INTO SIGNATURE PROJECTS In the evolving landscape of construction, where innovation meets tradition, CSS Ltd.’s portfolio stands out not just for its breadth but also for its depth, particularly in projects that veer away from their usual focus on public service buildings. Ali draws attention to several exemplary endeavors that depart from CSS Ltd.’s typical projects. The first project Ali highlights is the restoration of the Parliament of Tobago, also known as the Red House. “It’s a historical building and one of the seven wonders in Trinidad and Tobago. It is historical because it has a complete slate roof. Slate is not commonly used in Trinidad. But what happened is that it was built in the 1940s by the British. They used slate brought in from Ireland for refurbishment works. And all the timber was brought in from Guyana and the United States, meaning we use southern yellow pine and greenheart, a hardwood,” he explains. 51 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 11, ISSUE 03 CONSTRUCT ION SERVICES AND SUPPL IES LTD