Business View Caribbean | September 2022

86 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 9 but also CO2 wise.” Currently in the engineering phase, construction of these new facilities is expected to be complete by the end of 2023. Green initiatives are another ongoing priority for AWM Infrastructure. “We have our own sustainability standards and that means if we can save a tree, we will save a tree,” maintains Bijen. “I mean, if the tree is just a little bit in the way to construct the road and we can divert the road to save the tree, we will do that.” The company has also installed solar panels at their offices and workshop, and is looking into electric vehicle options. With few EV chargers in the area, Bijen is not concerned. “That’s no problem,” he asserts. “I’ll buy them myself and I’ll put a pole at the office and a pole at the workshop, and then you can charge wherever you want. You have to look at that and be creative.” Community involvement is also important for AWM Infrastructure. The company often receives requests from groups like little league baseball, to clean up an overgrown field or other projects that involve AWM’s equipment. “What we do,” says Bijen, “is we give them the machine, the fuel that needs to go in, and we give them the operator.” AWM Infrastructure and the Government of Aruba have what Bijen describes as “a gentlemen’s agreement” to be available in case of major weather events. He explains, “If we know that a storm is coming, my operators who drive loaders for instance, take the equipment home. In the case of trees or electrical poles and lines that fall down and block the roads, they can at least get the roads open for emergency people. So that’s the agreement.” As for the future of AWM Infrastructure, Bijen