Commissioner Buncamper also expresses her appreciation for the founding members namely, the late Vance James Jr., Charles Vlaun, Pieter Kanaar, and Edward Buncamper, and those who are still alive, Joseph Lake Jr., Franklin Brison, Louis Peters, Roy Solomon and Francis Carty.
Buncamper also welcomes the announcement by the current President Glen Carty that the Chamber will be expanding its offices to the ground floor of the current building; is in the process of restructuring and automating its services to facilitate businesses and investors with information online.
"I would like to commend the founding fathers of the Chamber of Commerce, many of them no longer with us today, but they would be proud of what has been accomplished during the past 30-years by the various presidents, boards and the staff that manage the office on a daily basis.
"Today, our island nation is challenged by the most serious economic-financial crisis that the world has known since the 1930s. The Chamber and the Island Government are working diligently with all stakeholders to see us through these difficult times. This working relationship culminated into the Economic Summit on March 5 and now a Task Force will be tasked with developing a workable plan of action to be presented within 30-days.
"To date our island nation has not felt the full effect of the global crisis. We must work enthusiastically together in order to soften the any adverse impact, and position our island nation to take advantage of any new opportunities. The St. Maarten business community has an important role to play by working closely with the Chamber and government in these times of adversity," Commissioner of Economic Affairs Maria Buncamper-Molanus told the Government Information Service (GIS).