Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
GREAT BAY – The St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA), elected a 15-strong new board during its second annual general meeting on September 30. New on the board are Debby Lind-Steyn, Managing Director at Aquamarina, Drs. Francio Guadeloupe, Dean of Academics at the University of St. Martin, Michael Cleaver, CEO at WINAIR, Jeffrey de la Combe, Island Manager at Tropical Shipping, and Jan Peter Holtland, Financial Controller at Windward Roads. The appointments take effect on January 1, but the new board members have already committed to assist the association when and where possible.
Following the first annual general meeting on September 18 at the Princess Port de Plaisance Resort & Casino, the association received new members including The Hillside Christian Schools, The Hard Rock Café, Ballerina Jewelers, MGM Consultants, the Atrium Resort and the Simpson Bay Resort. The total number of new members for 2014 is now 33.
The SHTA still has several events planned for this year, starting with a labor law seminar on October 22, followed by a job fair, and a mixer with Prof Age Bakker of the Cft during the first week of December. The Crystal Pineapple Awards (CPA) gala event will take place on November 21 at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino. CPA was established in 2005 by the SHTA to recognize outstanding performance of those individuals, companies and organization which have made significant contributions to the tourism industry and to the island. The voting process for nominees opens on October 13 on the SHTA website at shta.com/crystal-pineapple-awards.
