BVCOCT

38 39 andDonna Karan built their luxurymansions here,and we provided the shipping services for all thematerials, through their contractors.We have a lot of residents building homes for their families,andmany tourists that visit,love the place,andwant to buya piece of real estate.Eventually,theywill build a residence,or get into a business,or open a resort,or something.” All Turks&Caicos ports are owned by the govern- ment.Simmons says,“I just wrote thema letter,advis- ing themof our two newvessels that will be commis- sioned next year.I alsomentioned there are upgrades needed at the port of Providenciales.That is something the government and the Director of Ports are giving their undivided attention to,because theywant the infrastructure in place prior to commissioning our vessels.The importation of goods from foreign coun- tries toTurks&Caicos is of paramount importance to the government because that is howtheygenerate revenue.There is an import duty taxon everything that comes into the country.” Five years down the road,Simmons wants tomake sure CES andTropical Shipping have the proper logis- tics in space to support the trade.It’s awaiting game, as to howgrowth evolves,but if the economy stays strong,and customers increase their demands,more vessel transport maybe necessary tomeet the require- ments.Being a long-term,established business on the Islands is a definite advantage,however,as Simmons admits,“You can’t take anything for granted.Wemain- tain a verygoodmarket share,andwill continue to do whatever is needed to take care of our customers.” Strategic,long-term relationships are invaluable to CARGO EXPRESS SERVICES LIMITED PREFERRED VENDORS n Cairsea www.cairsea.com n Caicos Caribbean Lines www.shipccl.com Cairsea provides customs brokerage, freight handling and delivery services in Providenciales and other islands of the Turks & Caicos Islands. They are the only freight agents with a customs bonded warehouse on the airport. This means we can settle the customs and freight charges and clear your goods to you as soon as they arrive. Caicos Caribbean Lines provides the most reliable, complete and personal cargo shipping services to Turks and Ca- icos Islands, Panama, Nassau, and other destinations. Their Caicos management team and agent Carisea have been successfully serving the Islands for more than 30 years each. Caicos and Cairsea provide a complete menu of cargo han- dling and shipping services including bonded cargo. n Grace Bay Club wwww.gracebayresorts.com Originally opened in 1993 as a 21- room boutique property, the Grace Bay Club now encompasses seven buildings: the Hotel for guests 12 and over; the Villas, which has family-friendly suites; and the Estate, a resort-within-a-resort with home-size spreads. Occupying 1,100 feet of prime oceanfront real es- tate on Turks & Caicos’s award-winning shoreline, and with 11 acres to spread out over, Grace Bay Club is where the upper crust trades wingtips and stilettos for barefoot beach luxury. Cargo Express Services.Graceway IGA,one of the biggest supermar- ket chains inTurks and Caicos,is a very important customer.CES also works closelywith theTurks&Caicos IslandsAirportsAuthority.And theypartner withTurks&Caicos power supplier,FortisTSI,on a regu- lar basis for business. Simmons adds,“During hurricane season,we consider ourselves a carrier for the power company should there be the need for recovery after a disaster.Andwe partner verywell with the Department of Disaster Management and Emergencies–a government division that has us included in their Business ContinuityPlan (BCP).That’s import- ant to us,sincewe’re in the hurricanezone.If anything goes wrong during an emergency,we are into their BCP,in case recovery services are necessary. “To sum it up,CES has beenwell established inTurks and Caicos for over 21 years.Tropical Shipping has been in the industry in the region over 55 years.We are a freight-forwarding company,we are customs brokers,we are also a bonded carrier.Becausewe are a global car- rier,we are one of the only shipping lines inTurks&Caicos where customers can source their cargo fromanyarea of theworld.Andwe have agents all over the globe that can accommodate cargo coming to theTurks&Caicos Islands.”