Left to Right seated: Mr. Gershan Major, First Vice President, Bahamas Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Khaalis Rolle, President, Bahamas Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Magic Enterprises; Her Excellency Nicole A. Avant, United States Ambassador; Mr. Steve Stoute, Translation LLC. Left to Right standing: Mr. Philip Simon, Executive Director, Bahamas Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Barry Malcolm, Managing Director, Scotiabank Bahamas Ltd; Mr. Ian Thompson, Business Manager, Retail Credit, Bank of The Bahamas Ltd; Mr. Dionisio D'Aguilar, Immediate Past President, Bahamas Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Gregory Butler, Director of Youth, Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture; Mr. Randy Butler, CEO, SkyBahamas Airline; Mr. Mike Bryan, Vice President and Senior Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; Mr. Timothy Zuniga-Brown, Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy.
Nassau, Bahamas - The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and U.S.
Embassy co-hosted the 6th annual Bahamas Business Education and
Development Seminar at the British Colonial Hotel on May 5, 2010 at the British
Colonial Hilton. Her Excellency
Ambassador Nicole Avant invited NBA legend and successful businessman Earvin “Magic”
Johnson, top-ranked music executive Steve Stoute and Federal Reserve Vice
President and monetary policy specialist Mike Bryan to speak at the conference,
which attracted over 300 participants.
Businessman and NBA legend Mr. Earvin "Magic" Johnson and U.S. Ambassador Nicole Avant at the press availability held immediately following Mr. Johnson's keynote address at the Bahamas Business Development Seminar on May 5.
Mr. Johnson, who is leading the #1 brand
in Urban America as the Chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises,
addressed the conference’s theme of “Business Unusual: Creativity and Innovation” throughout his
keynote remarks. He told small business
owners and aspiring entrepreneurs that “Success calls for hard work and no
excuses.” Mr. Johnson captivated the
audience while describing his journey towards creating a multi-billion dollar
empire which includes 100 Starbucks, 13 24-hour Fitness Sports Clubs,
Canyon-Johnson (a billion dollar real estate fund), Yucaipa Johnson, (a $500 million
dollar private equity fund), MAGIC Workforce solution (a staffing company) and
SodexoMAGIC (a food and facilities management company). Mr. Johnson encouraged audience members to
believe in themselves, create solid, tested plans and “create an atmosphere for
volume.” His words electrified
conference participants, who publically thanked the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce
and the U.S. Embassy for enabling small-and-medium-sized business owners to
learn from Mr. Johnson’s incredible experiences.
Marketing and music executive Steve Stoute addresses business professionals at the 6th Annual Bahamas Business Development Seminar. Mr. Stoute is the founder and chief executive officer of Translation LLC.
Marketing and music mogul Steve Stoute delivered
a frank and refreshing message to Bahamian businesses: don’t be afraid to take risks. Mr. Stoute, the founder and chief executive
officer of Translation LLC, is the driving force behind one of the leading and
most influential brand marking firms in the country. He recounted his own
success story, starting as an aide to top stars. He told the audience “starting at the bottom
gave me a good vantage point; I could see what the guy ahead of me was doing
wrong and improve on it.” He encouraged
entrepreneurs to “get up every day and knock on the same doors until one of
them opens up.” Mr. Stoute expressed his
interest in doing business in The Bahamas, and encouraged Bahamian government
leaders to focus on easing the path toward small business growth and foreign
investment.
Mr. Khaalis Rolle, President, Bahamas Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Businessman and NBA legend; U.S. Ambassador Nicole A. Avant and Bishop Neil C. Ellis, Sr. Pastor, Mount Tabor Full Gospel Baptist Church pose for a photo.
Vice President and senior economist at
the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank Mike Bryan presented an overview of the global
financial crisis that provided his audience with a better understanding of this
financial phenomenon that has been consider the worst recession since the Great
Depression of the 1920s. Mr. Bryan also
presented a lecture on the global financial crisis to students at Sojourner
Douglas College later that evening.
Seminar participants agreed that this
year’s event was the best yet and provided an excellent venue for
businesspersons and potential entrepreneurs to get a broad overview of business
opportunities in The Bahamas, and how to successfully run their businesses in
challenging economic circumstances. The
conference stressed the importance of diversifying the Bahamian small/medium
business sector, especially in downtown Nassau, in order for the Bahamian
economy to strive and survive.