Port Antonio, Portland – Paul Martin, the branch manager for the Portland branch of the Jamaica National Building Society, has been returned unopposed as the head of the parish’s Chamber of Commerce for a second one-year term.

Martin will be assisted by first vice-president Fitzaudy Wright, the branch manager at BNS Port Antonio, and local accountant Bent Kristensen who has been elected second vice-president.

The four directors who fill out the Chamber’s executive are Vassel Brown, Desmond Goulbourne, Marie Simpson and Lloyd Redwood.

In Martin’s first term, the Chamber helped provide German and Italian classes for tourism workers, teachers were given refresher courses via the computer, and work began on improving the physical environment of Port Antonio.

The freshly re-elected Chamber president, in outlining an eight-point plan for this year, said that he has even more plans to improve the physical appearance of Port Antonio and another training programme for members of the town’s hospitality industry. In addition, he intends to focus on boosting the business grouping’s membership, change the image of the Chamber to make it more visible, as well as strengthen existing partnerships with statutory and civic organisations in an effort to expand the town’s businesses and create new ones.

But at the top of his list is the Business Investor Seminar, which will be held on June 29, 2004 during homecoming week under the theme “Developing Portland through Investments”. The goal of the conference is “to highlight the investment opportunities in Portland and to enlighten participants on investment strategies”.

The government, through the Port Authority of Jamaica, has invested heavily in Port Antonio with a multi-million dollar marina as the focal point of the development of the West Harbour. Portland-born Jamaican/Canadian billionaire Michael Lee Chin has also indicated that he is ready to pump significant capital into the area.

Lee Chin is now moving to have a master plan developed for the area, and this will include a new hotel at Titchfield as well as plans for Navy Island and Folly. But he has consistently stressed that Port Antonio will only be returned to its former glory if there is collaboration between the business community and the government.