In the recent wake of destruction left behind by hurricane Irene in the southern and central Bahamas, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham called on corporate Bahamas and the public to come to the aid of those who suffered loss. A fledgling Self Starter company decided to answer the Prime Minister’s call.
Bahamas Striping president, Atario Mitchell presented 6,000 bottles of water to his St. Anne’s constituency representative, Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette, MP.
Mitchell said, “I saw this as a time for Bahamians to come together and help other Bahamians in need no matter how big or how small you are. Being a young company, I teamed up with a supplier from the US to join Bahamas Striping in its hurricane relief efforts.”
“We thank Dan Brocksmith of Florida Transcor and also Mr. Preston Edwards, my account manager from our shipping company Betty K Agencies in Miami, who joined us in making this donation of 6,000 bottles of water possible,” said Mitchell.
Deputy Prime Minister Symonette stated that he was happy to receive the donation on behalf of the government and that he was most impressed by the unselfish efforts of such a young man and his company that so recently started through the government’s Self-Starter Program.
“It’s great to see this young entrepreneur, Atario Mitchell, driven by a vision and civic duty to help other Bahamians in need,” said Symonette. He said that Mr. Mitchell is a prime example of what his government’s programs have done in providing opportunities to empower young Bahamians who like hard work and are determined to achieve their dreams.
Mr. Mitchell said he owes his success to the Self-Starter Program and the Bahamian taxpayer and this donation was one of the ways he could give back.
“The Self Starter grant enabled me to bring my entrepreneurial dream to reality. Bahamas Striping now stands as a model of success in our community. We now employ and empower eight staff members,” said Mitchell. Rather than looking at the expense, Mitchell sees the donation as a civic duty. He says it’s simply just the right thing to do and he encouraged other small companies to see how they could help.
“It takes a lot for these communities to recover. They still need help in Cat Island, Long Island, Mayaguana, Eleuthera and even Abaco where I come from. And many of the needy people will need help for a long time,” said Mitchell.
“I hope this modest donation helps to ease the burden of the fathers, mothers, grandparents and children who can’t fend for themselves. Most of all, I wish to thank my suppliers Dan Brocksmith from Florida Transcor and also my account manager Preston Edwards at Betty K Agencies in Florida. As soon as I contacted them, they wanted to help. They shared the vision and made this all possible.”
