The Belize Chamber of Commerce & Industry, founded in 1920, is the country’s oldest, largest and most inclusive private sector organization. Our membership represents all sectors and sizes of business, from productive to distributive to the services sector, at the micro, small, medium and large levels. It may not be impossible, but it is certainly very difficult to name a sector or business size wherein we don’t have members, either directly or through associations that join the Chamber in order to extend our member benefits to their own members. Directly or indirectly, we represent almost 900 businesses. Today’s Chamber is a critically important organization that works without pause and with relatively thin resources on behalf of the country’s employment and economic growth generators. Our work usually comes to the public's attention when a topic of the moment generates a media-worthy response. However, the Chamber would not nearly be what it is if every battle was fought in the media –or if every discussion was a battle. In an effective economy the private sector has a working, functional partnership with the government of the day. Sometimes that partnership has a disagreement, either at a philosophical level or perhaps about allocation of resources. Sometimes that disagreement spills into the public domain.

However, good public/private sector partners work to resolve disagreements and build trust, because they recognize that the dissolution of that partnership leads to an adversarial relationship, which in turn would put us firmly on the path to economic disaster. Unfortunately, for too many decades the relationship between the public sector and the private sector has been adversarial to some degree, and consequently filled with deeply ingrained cynicism and mistrust on both sides of the table. The inevitable result has been low and slow economic growth, which benefits no one. Yet the pattern of distrust continued, with no perceptible desire to change the status quo despite the damage caused. The situation has now begun a gradual shift, with the Prime Minister’s creation of an Economic Development Council, with the Chamber’s frank talk via its White Paper and other documents about what’s needed to jump-start the economy, and with the discovery by key members of the public and private sector that working together can in fact solve problems. However, that ingrained cynicism remains a severe deterrent to growth. The fact is, working together is imperative if we are to create an enabling environment for business and economic success. What does Belize need in order to see real economic growth wherein jobs are created and wealth trickles down through the layers? We need a healthy and energetic ecosystem dedicated to encouraging entrepreneurship. This requires minimized bureaucracy, financing and investment options tailored to new business development, and favorable taxation arrangements that see everyone paying their fair share, but no one taxed out of existence. Those are the broad-strokes needs, and we can all fill in the finer details of what our individual businesses need in order to thrive rather than merely survive. However, none of this can be fully realized in an atmosphere where distrust rules and apathy becomes the primary emotion. If we as businesspeople wish to see an enabling environment laid down in order to allow us all to develop the economy we know Belize can have, we -each and every one of us- have to become more aggressive in stepping forward and insisting that these needs be met for the private sector as a whole. While we know that special interests will always have their place in developing economies, speaking up for the wider interest has become an absolute imperative. That is what your Chamber does, and it does so best with your active help and support. The Belize Chamber of Commerce & Industry continues to Champion initiatives to create that enabling environment, and daily works to raise the public sector's awareness of the private sector's importance in a developing economy; we continue to Capacitate our members, especially our micro, small and medium enterprise members through training opportunities; and we continually increase our ability to Connect you to those whom you need to know, both here and abroad, in order to develop your markets. Through all of this, we express our gratitude to those members who recognize the importance of our mission on your behalf, and who selflessly contribute to see it through. Let us, as dedicated Chamber members, also remember that none of what we do is possible without the passion and dedication of the Secretariat, led by CEO Mrs. Kim Aikman. This is your Chamber, your investment; it requires your energy and your input in order to move forward. On behalf of your Executive Council, it has been a pleasure serving the private sector this past term, and we wish the next Executive Council success in their work on our behalf.

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Ms. Kay Menzies

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

Theodore Roosevelt

In 2013 the Chamber creatively maximized its limited resources in order to fulfill its mandate to its members. We remain focused on our core reason for existence, which is to Capacitate our members, to Connect our members and to Champion their causes to ensure that we have a viable business eco system. The Chamber continued through its MOU with the University of the West Indies Open Campus in Belize, to offer key training sessions for members. Topics were chosen based on feedback from members on what their needs were and ranged from Records Management to Public Relations and the New Supervisor to name a few. To accommodate for the technological tsunami taking over the world we decided to offer trainings that would teach our members how to use their gadgets to maximize its full potential. Both telephone companies facilitated ‘tech time” events which provided members with innovative ways to use technology to benefit their businesses. Your Chamber is the only recognized Employers Organization by the International Labour Organization (ILO). Through our affiliation we were able to provide to you with a Mediation and Dispute Avoidance capacity building exercise. The ILO also provided training regarding the role of Labour standards in accessing International Markets and supplying the CSME. Recognizing the need for the Youths of Belize, especially the at risk young men to have positive role models, the Chamber partnered with the United States Embassy to bring to Belize renowned motivational speaker, Derek Anderson. His life story of practically raising himself and taking responsibility for his actions despite his circumstances was presented to more than 200 youths, particularly young men. The President hosted a breakfast where Mr. Anderson had the opportunity to meet with the movers and shakers of the Business Community.

Your Chamber weighed in on matters of national importance and hosted mixers to educate our membership on the National Gender Policy and the ICJ referendum. We facilitated a discussion by Dr. Leith Dunn of UWI on the media portrayal of violence and its effects on children and the wider community.

In 2013 the Chamber organized three EXPO’s: the Finance Fair in March, the Expo Belize Marketplace in September and the Christmas Expo Extravaganza in December. All of them were resounding successes thanks to you our members.

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Dr. Leith Dunn

Tech Time facilitated by BTL

Christmas Expo Finance Fair

Your Chamber continues to make interventions on behalf of the private sector on trade related matters. We invited exporters to participate in a trade mission to El Salvador in preparation for the Partial Scope Agreement that the Government of Belize was negotiating with El Salvador. We collaborated with the Directorate of Foreign Trade and BELTRAIDE to organize a National Export Strategy and Partial Scope Agreement consultation for the different sectors. The importance of the private sector cannot be underscored and therefore we invited the Director of the Directorate of Foreign Trade to give us an update on all the Free Trade Agreements signed by Belize. Several forums were organized throughout the year to get feedback from you our members as whenever these agreements are signed it is the Private Sector’s responsibility to execute them. For the first time the Chamber had representation on the Trade Negotiating team specifically in the Salvador PSA that is currently being negotiated. The Chamber was represented at the Regional Congress of Competitiveness in El Salvador which was hosted for all the Central American countries. We continue to work with the relevant Government Ministries to improve the eco system that is necessary to enable businesses to thrive and improve the general quality of life in Belize. We continue to advocate for a comprehensive tax reform to enable our goods and services to be competitive on the global arena. We continue to advocate for E- Governance to improve the efficiency of Government and eliminate as much as possible the subjectivity currently embedded in the services that the private sector has to access. We as the private sector must do our part also to follow the processes and assist in stamping out the corruption that plagues our system.

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the

change that we seek.” Barack Obama

Your Chamber is not immune to the Challenges being faced by most businesses. We continue to struggle to manage our cash flow. The change instituted by Western Union International has had a major negative impact on our revenues. As you know Western Union is a service offered by the Chamber to supplement the membership dues paid by you. We continue to look for other revenue streams that can cover for that shortfall. Our former office located on Regent Street, Belize City is in a serious state of disrepair and the Board of Trustees made the decision to write off the asset and gave permission for it to be demolished since it poses a risk and has become attractive to vagrants. With all the Challenges your Chamber did not falter in providing you the services that we are obligated to provide. The staff at the Secretariat works tirelessly to continue to be relevant to you. Kudos to the Executive Board as they accepted when they took office two years ago to work on a purely voluntary basis forgoing their stipend to ensure that the Chamber can survive. It was not easy as the work of the Chamber required a lot of their time which they took from their individual businesses to provide you with a strong voice. We keep on going and the quote below by President Barack Obama is so fitting; we are willing for the sake of our beloved Country Belize.

“If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress.” Barack Obama

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Chamber Services In 2004, the Chamber initiated the Chamber discount card with 12 member sponsors. Fellow members of the Chamber agreed to offer discounts on goods and services at their business whenever the card was used. To date we now have 22 sponsors to the card, from construction, groceries, accommodation, automobile and accessories, home improvement, cloth and materials, computer and equipments, meats, wine and spirits, and juices, to list some. The card also endorses a company as a member of BCCI in good standing for the year. The special group insurance we negotiated with Sagicor to offer to small and medium sized businesses grew from a group of 7 to 9 companies. Capacitate The Chamber started the year with a fully loaded training calendar of 12 high caliber trainings on its roaster. Three new courses in Financial Management, Marketing and Sales, Communication in the workplace, Mentoring and Coaching for Supervisors, and Leadership were added based on members request in BCCI’s 2012 membership satisfaction survey. Every year, the International Labour Organization (ILO) gives attention to its Caribbean constituents. Belize was no exception in 2013. We had special visit from ILO to facilitate 2 important workshops: Dispute Avoidance and Resolution through Good Management Practices and Enhanced Mediation and Negotiation workshop on June 3rd and The Role of Labour Standards in Accessing International Markets and Supporting the Caribbean Single Market held on June 4th. The sessions were facilitated by Mrs. Anne Knowles, Senior Specialist, Employers’ Activities, Decent Work Team/Office for the Caribbean, Mr. Wayne Chen, President of Caribbean Employers Confederation and Mr. Pierre Francois Recoing, ILO’s Labour Standards Specialist.

We also recognized the need to nudge our members to keep them optimistic and buoyant amid the daily social and economic challenges. What could have boosted their adrenaline? Through the happy support of the Embassy of the United States of America, we were able to have the renowned speaker, Mr. Derek Anderson, Former NBA player of the San Antonio Spurs, now author and producer, philanthropist and inventor speak on “STAMINA” on August 8th and 9th to members, students and the general community in Belmopan City and Belize City respec-tively. This motivational speech touched the minds and spirits of over 200 persons in attendance. President’s Circle members also enjoyed the presence of the President, Ms. Kay Menzies and Mr. Anderson at a Breakfast meeting on August 9th. Mr. Anderson shared innovative ways of thinking outside of the box and being successful in ones business and contributing to the community.

On October 21st – 23rd, Mr. Harold Hendrie, Principal Consultant and Trainer of Strategic Alignment Initiatives from Human Capability Dynamics, New York, U.S.A tallied our capacitating courses to 17th for the year. Mr. Hendrie facilitated a 3 day training course in: “HR of the Future” to about 75 persons, members and non members of the Chamber. Over 500 persons benefited directly from trainings that the Chamber organized. BCCI had presence at several informative and consultative meetings as the: Potential of developing the Business Process Outsourcing sector, Food Security Information and Early Warning System in Belize; Accreditation of Medical and Testing Laboratories in Belize; Salvador/Mexico Partial Scope Agreement; Trade with Canada and the Caribbean; CARICOM 5

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Mr. Derek Anderson speaks on “STAMINA” at the Radisson in Bz City

Mrs. Anne Knowles at ILO Workshop

Year Strategic Plan; National Export Strategy; National Trade Information Network; Sustainable Energy Strategy of Belize, Developing Belize’s National ICT and Innovation Policy, to name a few. Connect The Belize Petroleum Association (BPA) engaged the Chamber’s service of a Business Connex on February 28th to inform members of the Chamber of the new initiatives their association have been undertaking. A sensitization presentation was made and a video was shown to illustrate how oil is explored and extracted from the earth. BPA continues to carry out its mission to serve as a unified voice in advocating for the responsible exploration of oil and gas.

Ambassador James Murphy and Mr. Eamon Courtenay, two well versed men in the Belize-Guatemala Dispute were special guests at the ICJ Referendum business mixer held on March 21st to educate members on the referendum. Although Guatemala had backed down and the referendum would no longer be held on October 6th as previously scheduled, members were informed and whenever called upon they could make their decision based on the facts. Being a member of the Chamber, there are exciting opportunities that knock at your door step. Ms. Tiffany Simpson, woman entrepreneur of a small business, Belizean Artwork Publishing, was able to experience that moment. Ms. Simpson was selected as one of the four winners in the Women Innovators Network Caribbean (WINC) “Innovative Women Entrepreneurs Competition” in April 2013. WINC Design Team received 77 eligible applications from around the Caribbean. We were told that the quality of submissions were so high that it was a tough competition for every applicant. Ms. Simpson was awarded the opportunity to travel to infoDev’s Global Forum in South Africa in the end of May 2013 to attend the African Women Entrepreneurs

roundtable programme where she would represent Belize, herself as a woman entrepreneur and her business. The Economic Development Council and the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank, Compete Caribbean, The World Bank and the Caribbean Development Bank launched on June 5, 2013, the Caribbean Growth Forum - Belize Chapter. Belize business men and women showed their support to Growth with a crowd of over a hundred people coming from across the country. The aim of this Chapter was to foster equitable, inclusive and sustainable growth for Belize, through the identification of policies and actions that can contribute to the enhancement of private sector led growth. At the end of the presentation, participants were invited to join one of the Thematic Working Groups, namely: Investment Climate; Logistics & Connectivity; Skills and Productivity. The sole purpose was to prioritize needed actions. They worked for over 5 weeks in consolidating an Action Plan for Belize. The National Gender Policy was a hot button issue in summer. In keeping our members informed, we organized two business mixers to capacitate members on the issue and to answer concerns they had in relation to the topic. The first mixer was held on August 15th where the authors of the National Gender Policy, the National Women’s Commission, made their presentation. The opposing view from the Representatives of the Churches and the legal implications of the written policy was presented on September 3rd.

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Belize Petroleum Association Business Connex

Ms. Tiffany Simpson

Members at the National Gender Policy Business Mixer

Member Importers and Buyers were also connected with business manufacturers and producers in Malaysia and Costa Rica in two separate trade mission meetings, one held on 27th June and the other from 11th – 12th July respectively. The innovative Investment/Finance Business Luncheon was coordinated by Legacy Fund Limited and the BCCI on October 24th under the theme: “How did your investment portfolio perform for 2012?” Mr. Ervin Perez headed this meeting and presented to a full house of business owners and key finance persons. Also discussed was the domestic benchmark for measuring a company’s portfolio and investment performance – The Belize Market Return (BMR). Community Contribution The Chamber opened its arms to participate in the yearly Income Tax Revenue fair which was held on January 14th and 15th, 2013. This fair was held simultaneously in most of the districts of which we participated in Belize City and Punta Gorda Town. This is a fair designed to educate the businesses of the country’s tax system but also includes students from primary and tertiary school levels in the education process. We were able to break down the role of the Chamber and its well known service of Money Transfer via Western Union to the minds of a 7 year old student and rewarded them with stationery prizes for their attention.

We share with you the following graph showing the increase in membership, especially at the upper tier, the President’s Circle tier. The

services obtained at this tier far outweigh the membership fee contributed. Members at this level have taken advantage of our conference

facilities, participation at expo, trainings and advertisement offered at complimentary or very low prices. They committed to being more

involved in taking the lead in policy and law making decisions and in moving the Chamber forward.

Membership Reports

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We also partnered with the National Aids Commission, the Ministry of Health and Scotiabank to promote the Regional HIV Testing Day. This Testing Booths received much more visitors support than in 2012. On June 28th at 5 countrywide stations: Belize City, Orange Walk, Belmopan City, San Ignacio Town and Dangriga Town. It was observed that the testing booths received much more support than in 2012. The CXC committee solicited support through the Chamber for awards to honor the students. We were proud to have GS-COM a proud sponsor of an iPAD tablet and incentivizing the minds of our next generation. The BCCI also participated in several committee programmes in line with Youths, Crime, HIV and AIDS, Refugee Eligibility, Poverty Alleviation and as such to help the community. We are Belize’s leading private sector membership organization, we are your voice! We aim at only the best and to continue: Connect, Capacitate and Champion your needs!

Over a 5 year period, we have seen a remarkable increase in membership and revenue. From 2010 to 2011 there was a

drastic increase. In 2012 and 2013 we saw a stable membership return. Despite that the economy has become more

challenging; our members have retained their confidence in staying with us and strengthening the Chamber.

At the end of 2013, we did a member satisfaction survey. Twenty two businesses participated. Most said that they were

satisfied with the service and the role the Chamber has played in the business community.

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The Chamber represents a wide spectrum of business sectors and offers a wide variety of services to meet their members’ individual

business needs. The most valued service members selected in the survey was for information and general advisory; seconded by

lobbying/advocating which rated the same level as policy making committees and networking events where members’ views and

positions on issues are shared. Trainings and capacitating initiatives ranked third. The services of the Chamber are only

strengthened based on the input of its members. The Chamber is for its members who work and push forward the Chamber to make

a difference in the community!

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Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chambers response to PM On 26th August, the Chamber issued a release vigorously calling on both the Government and the Opposition to ensure a fully functioning PAC. It outlined the functions of the PAC according to the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives. The Chamber’s fundamental concern was that the reports were thoroughly reviewed and reported upon and that corrective measures regarding resource expenditures were taken by Government and all its departments. The BCCI called on government to restructure the PAC with the inclusion of the social partners. BCCI Collaborates with Social Partners On 11th September, the BCCI, the Council of Churches, NTUCB and the Social Partner Senators: Senator Mark Lizaraga, Senator Fr. Noel Leslie and Senator Ray Davis met for the first time to discuss issues of national priority. As a result of this meeting subsequent meetings took place forging forces together to publicly state the social partners’ position on several matters. Joint Press Releases were written starting with the inactive PAC. These releases drew the attention of several members of the House of Representatives and on 25th October Government Members of the PAC House Committee invited the group to meet and discuss numerous concerns that were publicly expressed. First Joint Statement On 8th October, the Social Partners issued our first joint communiqué to the nation stating that like many Belizeans we were concerned that the PAC in its composition was not representative of the need for proper accounting of the use of the country’s financial resources. It informed that the Social Partners were collaborating to develop mechanisms that could be adopted to address the shortcomings in the system. The release assured the public of the team’s relentless commitment to the labour of “National Interest” and encouraged the media and public to join the pursuit of reform and continue the necessary dialogue on governance and fiscal responsibility. The communiqué categorically stated that the team could not support the PAC’s unilateral public hearings and clarified that although the respective Senators/representatives had been in attendance at these hearings they were merely observing and not endorsing the hearings. The statements advanced in the media, suggesting that the Social Partners were fully on board with the PAC public hearings were grossly inaccurate. The Social Partners could not and would not, in any way shape or form; legitimize “The government investigating itself”! The Social Partners emphatically stated that they refused to lend credibility to such a charade and that as a grouping we firmly believe that good governance and fiscal responsibility were critical to our continued development. PAC Composition In November a joint press release congratulated the government on its efforts to restructure the PAC and responded to the proposals from the Clerk of the National Assembly dated 29th October. The PAC composition proposed by the Government did not receive full agreement from BCCI and NTUCB. Instead we proposed a nine member PAC i.e. four members from GOB, two to represent the Opposition and three from the Social Partners. Within this proposed structure it was suggested that Government and the Opposition representatives be permitted to have an alternate to sit on the PAC in the event a member must recuse himself due to conflict of interest pertaining to matters being discussed. The release supported the proposal for quorum to be changed from three to five and that all reports of the PAC that are to be taken back to the House should include a minority opinion if there was one. It was our view that in order for the PAC to properly function it must take on the characteristics of a Special Select Committee.

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Nationality and Immigration

Fraudulent acquisition of Belizean Nationality On 8th October, the BCCI issued a release stating its grave concern over the allegations of corruption and reported breaches of procedures occurring within the Ministry of Immigration and Nationality. A Belizean passport was issued in September 2013 to a South Korean national who was incarcerated in Taiwan since July 2013. It was disconcerting that a person could obtain Belizean nationality and a Belizean Passport while sitting in a jail cell in Asia. This incident had disgraced Belize internationally and had compromised the credibility of our nationality, casted doubt on our national security and had injured our national pride as Belizeans. The release called upon the Prime Minister, the Senate, and the Commissioner of Police to take immediate steps to address the serious matter. We expected a full criminal investigation conducted and that the PM would convene a commission of investigation comprised of non-political men and women of integrity who would review the actions of the Minister of Immigration and the Immigration Department without fear or favour. We joined with the rest of our fellow Belizeans in insisting that no preference was given to the Minister who was at the middle of this scandal and that all persons who had participated in or facilitated the issuance of this fraudulent passport would face the full legal consequences of their actions. National Scrutinization Committee (NSC) On 31st October, after deliberation the BCCI responded to an invitation by the Minister Godwin Hulse. The Chamber believed it should be a part of the transparency and accountability process. In principle it agreed that the NSC mechanism could be helpful to the process, however it would participate only after it had reviewed the proposed amendment to the Immigration Legislation along with the attendant Terms of Reference for the committee. The Chamber was concerned that the NSC would have the benefit of knowledge of all that had transpired in the breach of immigration procedures in order to allow for the implementation of adequate control systems, so as to deter future infractions and that quorum consists of at least two of the Social Partners. The BCCI suggested that the signatory on behalf of the committee be one of the Social Partners and that the signatory was to be appointed on a rotating basis. Application notices it was suggested should be published in the local newspaper and Government Gazette, the cost for which can be included in the application fee. As much as is possible, the process was to be objective, with minimum bureaucracy.

The Chamber calls on Members of the House of Representatives to Conduct Themselves with

Dignity

The Chamber issued a release on 25th September, noting its concern about the continued unchecked practice of members of the House of Representatives displaying shameful behavior in parliament. The disrespectful behavior was described as unbecoming of leaders of our 32-year-old democracy. The BCCI reminded the members of the House that the nation expects them to conduct themselves with the decorum and maturity implicit in the title of Honorable and further reminded them that it is a privilege to represent the people of Belize in the House. Members of the House are public figures in leadership positions and as such are role models for all citizens. The release called on the Speaker of the House to maintain order in the House so that the real business of the day could indeed be carried out in exemplary fashion and to ensure that the lewd behavior previously displayed is never again repeated.

The Chamber Urges Unified Effort Towards Economic Growth

On 25th January the BCCI expressed a strong desire for the Trade Unions and the Government of Belize to come to an understanding that would be beneficial and sustainable to the Belizean economy and taxpayers over Public Sector wages dispute. The Chamber’s position was that any Public Sector salary increases awarded in the absence of growth in the economy would result in increased cost of living through higher taxes thus negating any salary increase. In the interest of fairness contemplated increases in compensation should be tied in with performance improvements and efficiency increases. The Chamber could not condone the idea of general Public Sector wage increases that may serve to simultaneously reward unproductive or counterproductive work. The chamber advocated for greater job creation to address the 16.1% unemployment rate. It encouraged Private Sector-led economic growth in which tax revenues came from an expanded GDP and where the emphasis was on fiscally sound, balanced budgets. The Chamber encouraged government to exercise fiscal prudence and focus on sustained economic growth.

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Crime Affects Business

On 16th January, the BCCI issued a release expressing grave concern about the rise in violent acts in Belize such as the quadruple murder of men from George Street and the attack against the home of the former Prime Minister calling on Government and citizens to adhere to the rule of law and protection of our citizenry demanding that Government implement a zero tolerance to crime and known criminals. The BCCI renewed its recommendation that GOB sanction a wholesale implementation of the Crooks Report rather than a piecemeal implementation of select recommendations. It was imperative that serious and urgent measures were implemented to curb the crime situation so that Belizeans were given a renewed sense of safety and security. It was time for the authorities to govern and not engage in amicable discussions. The Private Sector demanded that the Government made sufficient allocation to the police, the office of the Director of Public

Prosecutions and the Judiciary to ensure that those offices were sufficiently staffed and trained to investigate and prosecute criminal

acts. It was only when we could increase our conviction rate that persons would be deterred from engaging in criminal activity. The

release ended by asking for swift action to finally curb the criminal scourge that had besieged our beloved country, especially Belize City.

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The Belize Market Place phenomena stems from centuries of commercial practices. Scientific evidence suggests that Mayan settlements of the Classic era (about A.D. 300 to 900), travelled throughout the Country of Belize looking for possible marketplaces where they could congregate on a regular basis to barter goods. Today, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, adds an exciting twist to this traditional practice, by making hundreds of phone calls, sending thousands of emails and flyers, conducting massive media campaigns, and putting in thousands of labor-hours, taking it to another level, in this era of mass globalization and market integration. The Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry has over the years been recognized for organizing one of the largest expositions in the nation, the “Expo Belize Market Place” and has now ventured on to pioneering the first “Finance Fair” and organizing its second “Christmas Expo Extravaganza”. The first Finance Fair took place on March 15 and 16, 2013 at the Hour Bar Field in Belize City, with its primary focus of uniting the financial institutions and the “big ticket” item stores, into a single location and setting the stage for customer loyalty and repeat store visits. Over the course of seventeen years, the Expo Belize Market Place has gained much popularity and exploded from twenty booths to an astounding 200 booths. This year the Expo took place on September 14 and 15, 2013 and boasted an unprecedented 18, 000+ visitors. The Christmas Expo took place on November 30 and December 1, 2013 at the Princess Hotel’s Kings Room. The event was well attended and was broadcast on LOVE TV. The Market for this Expo has augmented, triggering the Chambers’ next strategic step of finding a grander venue to accommodate more exhibitors as the demands continues to escalate. Nevertheless, Christmas Expo is promising and on the right path to success. Among the three EXPO’s hosted by BCCI, the Expo Belize Market Place “Holds the Spot” as being the biggest and best attended event catering to all ages. Thousands of visitors are welcomed with the sight of huge branded tents, colorful banners ensuing purchases, the overwhelming scent of the ever-popular BBQ and sausage on a stick delicacies. Visitors walk around the grounds on the lookout for “The Next Big Hit” product and services. Small, Medium and Large enterprises take the opportunity to “flex some muscles” and showcase their goods and services, ensuring customers are satisfied by great deals. The simple notion of supply and demand, is one of the most fundamental

concepts of economics and it is the backbone of a market economy, and

as long as this notion stands true, The Belize Chamber of Commerce and

Industry continues to use the Expo as a Channel to Connect its members

and fulfill its Triple C Philosophy which is to Connect, Capacitate and to

Champion.

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2013 was a year of transition. We started in February with a re-structuring of the duties of current staff members to accommodate the work load of the organization as we were unable financially to replace those that had resigned late in 2012. We had to also endure the drastic decrease in income due to the new rate Structure that was introduced by Western Union International; the full effects of which were felt in 2013. In order to fill the income gap we made the decision to rent half of our conference room to Atlantic International Bank which needed additional office space; this is an extension on the current rental agreement that we share with Atlantic International Bank and we are appreciative of the working relationship we have with them. Even though our staff was not given monetary compensation for their hard work and dedication; they were able to attend several trainings to enhance their capacity as individuals and as employees of the Chamber. Our CEO, the head of this vibrant TEAM was able to lead us through this challenging period as we huddled together through the trial time and forged on through 2013. In order to keep our strong TEAM together we needed to work hard but we also needed to find time to honour, appreciate and bond with each other. The staff was very creative in finding ways to have a good time without having to delve into the Chamber’s coffers. We had various pot lucks which were very much enjoyed by all. Valentine’s Day, Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day were all celebrated and small gifts which were well received and appreciated by staff. Our Staff trip this year was to Robert’s Grove in Placencia and despite the rain a good time was had by all who made the effort to attend.

This year, after being asked by WU sub-agents to bring back the WU Dinner/Dance, we did so at the Belize Biltmore Plaza on December 7th. A good time was had by all who attended and a Western Union award was given for the best overall sub-agent as well as a small gift for all who attended. An award was also given by the Secretariat for the “Employee of the Year” voted on by peers, which was won by Mrs. Venesia Neal – Senior Accounting Clerk.

We, as a committed staff, will continue to work hard and look forward to the year 2014 with renewed hope realizing that only with our perseverance will the Chamber continue to be the “Voice of the

Private Sector”!

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Robert’s Grove

Mrs. Venesia Neal

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In 2013, the BCCI-Western Union launched a three (3) phase Treasure Chest Loyalty Program: Bronze, Silver & Gold Chapters. The winners were awarded prizes for Mother’s Day, Back to School and within the Christmas Season. We received sponsorship from seventeen (17) companies, who in return received ample opportunities in networking and promotion of their business to our database of BCCI Members, Western Union Customers and Non-Members. Grand Prizes offered: A Round Trip to the Continental US courtesy of United

Airlines, A Full Overnight Package compliments of Dream Valley, A Dive Tour of Hol Chan Marine Reserve including a Hotel

Stay at Casa Arena in San Pedro ,and A Round Trip to La Ceiba Honduras courtesy of Tropic Air. Other Prizes included: Appliances from Courts Belize, Gift Baskets from Grace Kennedy Belize, Gift Certificates from Mel’s Magic Touch, San Cas and

Sharon’s Point of Beauty to name a few

Treasure Chest Loyalty Program

Sub Agents added to the BCCI Western Union Network in 2013

St. John Credit Union (with branches in Belize City, Belmopan and Dangriga) Gee Pees Internet Café Seine Bight C & A Pawn Plus Limited Benque Viejo Business Information Service & System

Punta Gorda

In November 2012, Western Union International reduced the

Consumer Fee earned on each transaction sent by a Sender and

paid out to a Recipient within the Belize- United Sates Corridor.

Even though the number of transactions performed by the BCCI

Western Union and its Sub Representatives continued to increase

in 2013, the reduction in Base Compensation in late 2012 resulted

in a 50% reduction of the BCCI Western Union 2013 Revenue. The

2013 Outbound transactions, whose prices remained constant thus

offering more returns, also continued to decline, assumed to be as

a result of customers identifying other reasonable means of sending

their monies out of the country.

As a consequence of the reduction in Sub Representative Transfer

Charge Shares, Atlantic Bank Limited voiced concerns on their

ability to remain an alliance. The BCCI Western Union Network also

incurred the lost of two (2) of its Sub Representatives: Papi’s Home

Center in Belmopan and Quick Stop Personal Finance Center.

Reduction in Representative Base Compensation

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