Building Expo: Int’l companies prepare to open local offices
President, Dr Irfaan Ali shakes hands with Sales and Marketing Manager, Kadesha Walker as he visits the Free Form booth at the International Building Expo (Adrian Narine)
President, Dr Irfaan Ali shakes hands with Sales and Marketing Manager, Kadesha Walker as he visits the Free Form booth at the International Building Expo (Adrian Narine)

AMONG the over 350 booths on display at the International Building Expo currently ongoing at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, several international businesses are using the opportunity to launch their business in Guyana.

Approximately 25 international companies from Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Lucia, Suriname, United States of America (USA), Canada and Ghana are participating in the event, which began on Friday and will run until Tuesday.

One of the businesses on display at the Expo was out of Kingston, Jamaica, and produces polystyrene foam used in construction and for construction purposes, including aesthetics such as moulding.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle at their booth at the Expo, Sales and Marketing Manager, Kadesha Walker, noted that the company felt it was an important step to attend the Expo.

“It’s the biggest Expo as it relates to building in the Caribbean and as a construction-related company, it is ideal for us. We get to meet the Guyanese people, and then we get to network with other builders and people that can support what we do,” Walker said.

The Building Expo was done to create an avenue for companies to showcase innovative products and techniques in the construction and housing sectors.The Expo has returned after five years and is dubbed the blueprint of the future infrastructure.

The Expo is being held under the theme: “A New Frontier for Building a One-Guyana”.

Walker was impressed with what she described as a wonderful reception at the Expo.

“The reception has been really, really great. Persons are really receptive to our products, especially the building systems and the mouldings, it’s a great hit. ‘Free Form Factory’ very soon we will be coming to Guyana, so we are looking forward to being able to provide here with all the benefits that Free Form Factory has to offer,” she noted.

Walker shared that she sees the company’s products bringing many benefits to the construction industry in Guyana, which is ideal for and benefits construction in tropical climates.

“Our product acts as a building system that provides you with a cooler home when you’re building and at a lower cost. The message we want to send is that you don’t have to continue to live in a hot home, you can use a polystyrene foam to cool your home,” Walker said.

The Saint Lu Woodworking Ltd booth at the International Building Expo (Adrian Narine photo)

Meanwhile, Dream Vu Homes, a construction company from Canada, has been in Guyana since last year. However, the company officially launched its business at the Expo given the platform’s opportunity to market the business.

“We wanted to launch our brand here because a lot of Guyanese don’t know about Dream Vu Homes in Guyana, so this is a good way of getting our name out there and getting the brand name on solid foundation. The traffic here has been extensive and with many interested parties stopping by, and we’re here to facilitate them in getting them a nice home,” Dream Vu Chief Executive Officer, Omar Malik, shared in a sit-down with the Guyana Chronicle.

The company is involved in the construction of modern contemporary homes, and is currently working on a number of the government’s young professional homes being built.

The company is also working on a luxury gated community.

“We heard about the economy and the oil boom and the need for housing, so where there’s a need, there’s a demand and, obviously, we’re bringing a solution,” Malik said.

A few booths away from Dream Vu, Saint Lu Woodworking Ltd has its booth. Saint Lu is in the business of kitchen decor and was encouraged by the interest generated at the Expo.

“It has been a wonderful experience. The turnout has been amazing, a lot of persons are learning and are being impressed by the modern stuff that we have to offer, so it’s been really good,” commented a Customer Service Representative for the company.

“We’ve basically been trying to transform or change the normal kitchen layout to a modern thing to bring things up a notch. The response has been great. A lot of persons have been saying this is wonderful, this is nice and they want this. So it will be a good thing in terms of change.”

The company decided to be part of the Expo because it is currently setting up an office in Guyana, and believes that it will be able to offer a unique product to the market.

“We will be returning to open our office, so we are going to be coming back. I believe that we came here to start and tell people of what we’re bringing to the market so that they can look forward to it,” she noted.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.