The Virgin Islands has a new Internet website dedicated to news and information on business and career employment in the territory. Called "Doing Business in the Virgin Islands," it's the creation of management consultant Carmelo Rivera.
The site is the latest addition to the OnePaper Inc. network of community on-line publications, which also include St. Thomas Source and St. Croix Source. It can be accessed at www.onepaper.com/vibusiness or through the OnePaper home page at www.onepaper.com.
Rivera, commissioner of labor in the Schneider administration, said his goal is to develop a site which "anyone interested in doing business in the Virgin Islands can use" to advertise their products and services.
Internet users can access current information about business opportunities, tax and other economic development incentives, available resources, office space, employment opportunities, paperwork procedures, in-the-know people and links to other sites, he said.
"This is a work in progress," Rivera said, "and the main objective is to be comprehensive, useful, instructive and targeted to the needs of entrepreneurs."
Rivera invites anyone with information of interest to the businesses community to send it via e-mail to [email protected]. Press releases, commentaries, announcements, speeches, schedules, survey findings, pictures and, of course, advertisements are welcome, he said.
"Making information readily available is a big part of being business friendly," Rivera said. "There should be no mystery on how to launch a business, learn about licensing, explore jobs, etc., in the territory. With current technology and a click of a button, people interested in these islands should be able to cut through the red tape and get information quickly."
Rivera said there are plans for the website to become part of the wider Internet community with hyperlinks to other sites in the territory. He can be reached by telephone at 692-2123.