Barbados TravelAdvisor

Published on: 11/15/2009.


by MARIA BRADSHAW

WHEN IT COMES to building innovation, construction magnate Bjorn Bjerkhamn stands tall among local developers.

Through his Jada group of companies, Bjerkhamn has managed during his 40 years in the construction businessto transform Barbados' landscape into a mecca of modernity and luxury with unrivalled architectural designs.

They are all his blueprint for taking the country he holds dear boldly through the millennium.

It was no empty boast when he candidly professed to the SUNDAY SUN during an exclusive interview at his Spring Hall, St Lucy office his dream for his adopted homeland.

"I want to see Barbados become to the Caribbean what Monaco is to Europe," he said.

Rarely seen and very seldom heard in public, he is too busy engaging in his many projects but he took time from his packed schedule to speak to the SUNDAY SUN about his many projects.

His Jada Group of companies has become the most sought-after construction group on the island.

Over the years Jada has undertaken a range of big and small projects, including the recently opened Halls of Justice on Whitepark Road,St Michael, the Grantley Adams International Airport, the exclusive gated community Millennium Heights, the Fairmont Royal Pavilion Hotel and Port St Charles Marina, to name a few.

Presently, the company's two major projects are St Peters Bay, a set of luxury multistorey condominiums at Road View, St Peter, and the Port Ferdinand Marina which just got underway at Six Men's also in the same parish.

"Barbados has been very good to me over the years. I have achieved a lot and my vision is to try to give back as much as I can," said Bjerkhamn.

He praised his "young team" of professionals, saying that he has been able to attract people of like mind, full of energy and ideas. "Their vision is similar to mine. They want to develop Barbados. Without them I would not have been able to do what I do."

And unlike many of his counterparts who are waiting out the recession, Bjerkhamn is audacious in thinking and moving forward at full speed.

Upsetting

"We did very well during the boom years. All the major players, and there were a lot of them, had a ten-year run where all of us made money. What I find particularly upsetting is to see those people who made a lot of money, put it in their back pockets and send home so many people, and are waiting until the recession is over.

"We are not doing that. We are taking what we made during those times and ploughing it back in order to keep the employment levels for as long as we can. There are a lot of people who don't want to take the risks but we have faith that the economy will recover,"he said.

So confident is he that sales for his two multimillion-dollar projects - St Peters Bay and Port Ferdinand -will not begin until after the two projects are completed.

That is just the way this businessman operates -no big fuss.

And Bjerkhamn reveals that there are many more projects to come. "I have to be thinking six and seven years ahead,"he said.

And what about the critics who say companies like his are taking up too much land for construction? This astute businessman estimates his land acquisition is a mere drop in the bucket.

So far, he said, his personal developments only amount to around 20 acres. "How much is that worth in the whole scheme of things?" he asked.

And he is not above fiercely negotiating in order to fulfil his vision.

Over at St Peters Bay,he acquired the small village next door to the development but rebuilt houses nearby for the householders.

Eye on Kings Beach

And he admitted that he may try to acquire the other properties along that stretch, including the controversial former Kings Beach Hotel, which he has bid for.

"We will see how that goes," he chuckles.

But the future looks bright and rewarding as long as he continues on his developmental path.

"At the end of the day we are doing what we are doing now with the expectation that years down the road all will come back in.

"Barbados right now needs those people who made lots of money during the good years to plough some back into the economy to keep employment levels high and bring in foreign exchange," he reiterated.

He pointed out that both big and small companies stand to benefit in one way or another from his projects.

But it is not all work for Bjerkhamn even though he is always on the go.

When he is not at Jada planning and organising he makes sure to spend every minute of hisleisure time with his wife, children and grandchildren.

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