Business View Caribbean | November 2020

84 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN NOVEMBER 2020 a separate kitchen that my wife and I and our family have learned to deal with. We’re a family kind of company and the business is always all around us.” The local supply chain has been operating at full tilt, with building stores keeping a good stock of high quality products on hand. While larger commercial projects, such as hotels, order their materials off-island and bring them in, for smaller projects it’s much easier for builders to go to the local building center and lumber yards. And that home-grown economic support is a win-win for everyone. Knoepfel is full of praise for people in the Virgin Islands and their ability to adapt in the face of hurricanes and tropical storms that cause havoc. He shares, “Islanders just get used to it, and COVID is a different kind of pivot. People are getting creative with projects they’ve wanted to do for a long time at their home, like adding a porch, etc., and now they’re saying, “let’s just do it.” One of our clients is a restauranteur and he just wants to improve his house. They had a pool and built a large room on the back of their house overlooking it. But none of our clients are building rental properties or rooms to rent at this time.” Speaking to how JPK is making the best of an imperfect situation, Knoepfel adds, “Because of COVID, the financial market shifted and we shifted as well. We didn’t just shut our doors, we shifted to keep our employees and ourselves working. That’s an important thing. We’re here to stay. This is home.” PREFERRED VENDOR n Hassell Free Building Supplies & Exports, Inc. www.hassellfree.com/international info@hassellfree.com