WIPA extends its condolences to the family of Richard "Danny Germs" Austin

Sunday, February 08, 2015 | 4:38 AM    

Kingston, JAMAICA – The West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) is expressing its condolences to the family of former WI player Richard Austin who died recently.

The statement said:

It is with deep regret that, we say goodbye, to Richard ‘Danny Germs’ Austin who passed Thursday, February 6, 2015. Austin started his cricket career for his local club, Kensington Cricket Club, then went on to play for Jamaica and the West Indies.

Richard Austin played two test matches and his lone ODI came on February 22, 1989 at the Antigua recreation ground. Austin played 38 first class matches for Jamaica, at an average of 33.82. He also took 73 wickets with a best of 8 for 71.

Austin will be remembered for his contributions to West Indies Cricket as a talented all-rounder – a batsman who could bowl either medium pace or offspin for whichever version he played.

The West Indies Players Association is saddened by the pasting of Richard Austin and we extend our condolences to his family, friends and the cricket community.

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WIPA extends its condolences to the family of Richard "Danny Germs" Austin

Delta airlines extends service between St Croix and Atlanta

Delta Airlines (Credit: Caribbean360 / Bigstock)

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, US Virgin Islands, Wednesday September 10, 2014 - St. Croix’s economy will receive a greater boost now that the new Delta Air Lines service between Atlanta and St. Croix will run longer than originally planned.

The United States Virgin Islands Department of Tourism confirmed that the weekly service, scheduled to return to the Territory December 20, 2014 after a long absence, will operate several months beyond the second week of May, as originally planned, and will instead terminate on Saturday, August 15, 2015.

“Delta’s return to St. Croix is great news and adding more flights will positively impact the local economy,” said Beverly Nicholson-Doty, U.S. Virgin Islands Commissioner of Tourism.

The weekly Saturday service will operate between Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport in St. Croix.

In preparation for the new flights, the Department of Tourism recently spent several weeks in Atlanta and in the Minneapolis feeder market educating consumers, travel agents, tour operators, the media and Virgin Islanders about the Delta service.

“To help attract more people to the Virgin Islands, we’re going back to Atlanta this month to continue spreading the word about travel to St. Croix with Delta’s increased flights,” the Commissioner reported.

The service will operate on MD-88 aircraft with 149 seats, and is backed by a joint marketing strategy between the airline and the Department of Tourism.

Flights are currently available for purchase.

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Delta airlines extends service between St Croix and Atlanta

Kohler extends regional footprint through Tile City

MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica – TILE City and Home Centre has formed an exclusive distribution partnership with American kitchen and bath products manufacturer, Kohler.

The local home improvement store hopes to open a 4,000-square-foot showroom in November. The Kohler Signature Store will be owned and operated by Tile City and will be located beside Tile City’s outlet in Constant Spring, Kingston.Architects are in the final stage of designing the facility, according to Jaleel Handal, Tile City’s managing director.Handal declined to disclose the cost of the new showroom, but told Caribbean Business Report that the investment is of a “reasonable size” and is a worthwhile venture based on consumer demand.“The functionality of the products, along with their unique qualities are in keeping with current trends — people have been asking for Kohler products,” Handal said at a launch ceremony held at Cru Bar.For instance, Kohler’s Moxie showerhead and wireless speaker, which brings electronics to the shower, allowing customers to pair it with devices such as a BlackBerry or iPhone as far as 25 feet away from the bathroom, is expected to be a hit on the domestic market. The product is fully functional outside the shower, and can be used as another speaker.Products such as the Moxie showerhead entice consumers and are sold at the mid-price point, said Jim Lewis, director, emerging and strategic markets of Kohler for kitchen and bath Americas.“Jamaica is the largest market where we didn’t have a direct distributor and Jamaican buyers take style and quality seriously,” he said. “Having products here and in stock is ideal.”The company, which makes 30,000 products, also has distributors in the Cayman Islands, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.If an architect or designer wanted the products, they had to go to Miami for it, according to the Kohler director.Furthermore, Kohler believed the local market had been lacking a high quality plumbing brand, said Philip Almeida, Kohler’s manager of sales and marketing in the Caribbean, Central and Latin America.After meeting with Tile City, it was instantly noted that the local company’s strategy was to also bring high quality to the market and not necessarily volumes, he said.Tile City offers a key differentiator from competitors in that they carry a large inventory of high-end products that many other suppliers can only offer through special orders. Adding Kohler to the mix puts Tile City’s offering in a class of its own in Jamaica, Kohler said.Tile City was founded in 1999 and currently has two showrooms, one in Kingston and one in St Catherine. The company originally sold tiles, but in 2005, expanded through a partnership with the Do It Best Corp, a major US hardware company. Philip Almeida, manager of sales and marketing in the Caribbean, Central and Latin America for Kohler, shows off the Moxie showerhead and wireless speaker, which syncs shower and electronics. Kohler products should be available later this year in Jamaica through Tile City Home and Centre, the sole distributor of the Kohler brand. (PHOTO: JOSEPH WELLINGTON)

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Kohler extends regional footprint through Tile City