The Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce (GBCC) executive board recently assembled in West Grand Bahama to meet with business owners in Eight Mile Rock regarding their involvement in the GBCC. The meeting, which was held on Thursday evening at Mount Zion Baptist Church, served to inform entrepreneurs in the western district of the GBCC’s objectives for the upcoming year, the benefits of being a GBCC member, as well as encourage them to become members.

“As our name suggests, it is hoped that businesses in West Grand Bahama, Freeport and East Grand Bahama all actively participate in the affairs of the Chamber,” GBCC President Kevin D. Seymour said. “The GBCC is trying to bring the business community together so we can speak to key stakeholders with a single, but amplified, voice. If there were ever a point in time where this is critical, the time is now.”

Addressing the assembly, Mr Seymour and fellow GBCC executive board members outlined the benefits of becoming a chamber member, noting that the organisation provides networking opportunities and hosts various business seminars throughout the year. In addition, the executive members noted, the GBCC represents the business community to the Bahamas government, Grand Bahama Port Authority and other entities regarding any number of issues affecting businesses on the island.

“We want to always be there to be informed, to be educated to be trained so that we can more or less understand what is going on and make some educated decisions as to how that’s going to affect us,” Mr Seymour said. “If you believe something will have an adverse effect on the economy, it’s important to speak out and not simply allow any government to run things over you. You have to be an informed businessperson and consumer.”

Following their remarks, the GBCC board members fielded questions from the crowd. During this portion of the meeting, business owners commended the board on engaging West Grand Bahama in its affairs. A number of attendees also expressed interest in joining the organisation, while others shared some of the challenges businesses outside the port area face.

Mr Seymour said he was satisfied with the exercise, adding that it is important for the GBCC to hear these concerns as it works to address the issues affecting the business community. The chamber president revealed that following the success of the meeting in West Grand Bahama, the GBCC will host a similar meeting in East Grand Bahama this week.

For more than 35 years, the Grand Bahama Chamber of Commerce has existed to sustain, promote and support business development in an effort to encourage growth and expansion in the Grand Bahama economy and within a healthy and clean community environment. It is a voluntary organisation of individuals and businesses that band together to advance the commercial, financial, industrial, civic, interests of the local business community.