Not even the untimely advent of COVID-19 has altered external perception of Guyana as currently the choice Caribbean destination in which to do business, the tantrums of the virus having failed to extinguish the prevailing high hopes for the growth of the country’s economy on the back an emerging oil industry.
On Tuesday, September 1, another business enterprise with strong Guyanese connections will put down its marker here. A brief on the new company’s plans to offer its business consulting services here, seen by the Stabroek Business, says that EBS (Guyana), a sister company to the Bahamas-based Business Solutions Ltd (EBS Ltd), will be seeking to add value to its clients here by offering what it says is a suite of services that includes “unmatched customer service.”
The company brief details the services which it will be offering locally, listing among them business consulting, including supporting new enterprises seeking to roll out business plans, and existing ones seeking to expand or restructure. Additionally, EBS (Guyana) says that it will be seeking to serve as “independent project managers” for business ventures in order to ensure that these are launched as planned. EBS will also be seeking to work with local businesses that may have already registered an international footprint but are now looking to increase external market share, as well as local businesses that are seeking access to international markets for the first time.
The brief also indicates that the company will shortly be launching a funding facility for local small and medium-sized enterprises.
Earlier this week, Guyanese-born Felicia Boyle-Bazard the “lead consultant’ to EBS (Guyana) spoke with the Stabroek Business from The Bahamas, indicating that while the investor team was acutely aware of the fact that a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic might be threatening, its decision to launch here now was driven by the “strong belief” that given Guyana’s positioning for significant economic takeoff, continually upgrading the level of the country’s business management capabilities must be high on its list of priorities. “Businesses need to be restructured and strategic business planning implemented. We strongly believe that the services that EBS (Guyana) Inc is equipped to offer are needed in Guyana at this time,” Boyle-Bazard told Stabroek Business. She said that the company intends to pursue its mission in Guyana, taking into account, on the one hand, “safety considerations” and on the other “our determination to work with Guyanese businesses.” The decision on the timing of the launch she said had taken account of “data from health and economic experts from around the world as well as based on local observations.”
Boyle-Bazard, who says that EBS (Guyana) is looking forward to engaging local Business Support Organizations (BSO’s) concerned with the growth of local businesses, said that the new company is intent on contributing to the competence and effectiveness of local businesses concerned with raising their standards and enhancing their competitiveness in both local and international markets.
She also told the Stabroek Business that EBS (Guyana) will be particularly keen to work with emerging local businesses seeking to access or expand external markets. The company, she said, wants to help small and medium-sized product producers in order to help them reach the “demanding standards” that will increase the likelihood of their access to external markets.
Born at Good Hope in Berbice, Boyle-Bazard attended Berbice High School and the University of the West Indies. She originally migrated to St. Vincent and the Grenadines but currently resides in The Bahamas. She holds both graduate and post-graduate qualifications in Business and Accounting and worked with the prestigious accounting firm Deloitte & Touche, before eventually joining forces with her current partners.
The offices of EBS (Guyana) will be situated at Lot 263 Thomas Street, North Cummingsburg in Georgetown. In the absence of an actual launch ceremony, the management of EBS (Guyana) will have an unveiling of its Website and Social Media Platforms on Tuesday, September 1, at website www.ebsguyana.com; Facebook and LinkedIn: EBS (Guyana) Inc. A social media infomercial will be conducted with HGP Nightly News via Zoom on Tuesday September 1.
