MARIGOT–Former Territorial Councillor and President of St. Martin Tourism Office Jeanne Rogers-Vanterpool was recently elected President of Fédération de Très Petites Entreprises (FTPE) at a General Assembly in the Chamber of Commerce.
The assembly, chaired by President of FTPE for the Overseas Territories Alan Nagam, was supposed to have been held between September and October 2017, but got postponed due to Hurricane Irma.
FTPE acts as an association under the law of July 1901. Its main missions are to promote the image of companies with fewer than 10 employees, and an annual turnover of less than €2 million; assist in the development of activities in the territory; exchanging information and pooling skills and advantages; implement training actions; provide restructuring aid for companies in difficulty, to be at the service of regional development, to be attentive and at the service of these principals, and to defend their interests in any place and in any circumstances.
Eight items were on the agenda: report on FTPE’s activities in St. Martin and St. Barthélemy; financial report on the annual accounts for 2015 and 2016 (2017 is still in progress); approval of the 2018 budget; renewal of the mandates and members of the Board of Directors; projects and prospects for 2018/2019 activities; draft resolutions and other business.
Regarding the renewal of the Board of Directors, Angèle Dormoy who had just been elected President of the Chamber of Commerce, stepped down as President of FTPE, which left the position vacant. There were two candidates for the post; Jeanne Rogers-Vanterpool and Beatrice Potony.
Jeanne Rogers-Vanterpool obtained more votes (24) than Potony and was duly elected President of the St. Martin and St. Barthélemy’s FTPE.
Jeanne Rogers-Vanterpool is a St. Martiner, coming from a family of entrepreneurs. She herself has been an entrepreneur for more than 20 years. She runs the family business that operates and manages two garages, tyre sales, assembly and repair shops in St. James and Hameau-du-Pont.
She is also well known for having presided over the destiny of the St. Martin Tourism Office for a whole term. At the last Territorial Council elections, she led the New-Direction list.
Vanterpool congratulated her opponent and thanked those who supported and trusted her. She said she intends to adopt the same philosophy as former President Angèle Dormoy and is already acting as a facilitator and federator of this association, which, given the economic fabric of St. Martin and St. Barthélemy, will have to adapt to her true role, to her true mission as a “tool” to help the development of these two territories. It will be necessary to increase the number of members to “influence” decisions and policy guidelines on youth training, the creation of activities and employment.
As for the roadmap, Vanterpool indicated it is already well drawn out, since she intends to extend the various “projects” in which the commissions have already invested themselves, and in particular, to reflect on the criteria that could help local companies obtain contracts more easily, as well as creating exchanges between small companies and elected officials in the context of the different phases of the “re-construction” of St. Martin post Irma.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/74504-jeanne-rogers-vanterpool-elected-president-of-very-small-enterprises
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