Business View Caribbean | September 2019

60 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN SEPTEMBER 2019 W ell known for its legacy of commercial excellence and innovation in Dominica, A.C. Shillingford Co. Ltd. began as a drugstore in 1908 under the proprietorship of Mr. Arthur Shillingford. Through the years, the company has earned the moniker, “The Phoenix” because of its propensity to rise back up in spite of the disastrous winds of nature and financial turbulence. Today, A. C. Shillingford operates three busy supermarkets in the town of Roseau and one gas station. The company is also in the shipping business, as agent for King Ocean Services (an importer of goods, mostly, from the U.S.), and as an agent for New India Assurance Co. Trinidad & Tobago (T&T), Ltd., which provides all types of insurance for the people of Dominica. The building where the company’s present-day, main office is located was first constructed in 1938 and housed a drugstore downstairs and an upstairs ballroom, where gentlemen could only enter wearing a tailored coat and tie. A lifelong entrepreneur, Mr. Shillingford owned both of FORD CO. LTD. RISING LIKE “THE PHOENIX”