Jeffrey B. Butler Sr.

Jeff Butler Opens Butler’s Food World

admin — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:06:10 +0000

Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas – Finally,after twenty eight (28) years, I have decided to separate our Retail operation from our Wholesale operation. Today we have finalized the blue prints for the layout of our new 20,000 sq ft. Supermarket located in the Home Center Building in the heart of Freeport.

This store, fashioned after a combination of US and Canadian Supermarkets, will carry the tradition of Butler Specialty Foods featuring goods from over 20 countries with emphasis on top Quality brand name products. Fresh Produce, Organic Products, Fresh Meats, Gourmet Foods and Health Foods.

Our reputation for quality, selection and availability will be maintained as we expand into general groceries with better pricing and a larger more diverse selection of goods. Most of our purveyors have been with us for over twenty (20) years and most have become personal friends. As we ship and install the new equipment we will need to discuss the various inputs and contribution of each primary vendor. We will need product display units and end caps for your/our specialty items, along with promo units and items provided by your manufacture or distributors.

Most importantly we will need to discuss with each primary vendor the terms of our initial start up orders.

This is not a second outlet for Butler Specialty Foods. All retail products will be transferred from Butler Specialty Foods on Yellow Pine Road to the Home Center Building Butlers Food World.

Butlers Specialty Foods on Yellow Pine Road, with its large warehouse, coolers and freezers, will become a holding and receiving facility for the new Supermarket while transitioning to a Wholesale Only Outlet catering to our hotels, restaurants, convenience stores and service stations here on Grand Bahama Island.

Our on Island retail inventory presently stands at over six hundred thousand (600,000. Plus) An additional 1.5 million in inventory of dry groceries, meats, poultry, dairy, frozen foods, produce, house wares, etc will be required to open the new facility.

As most of you know, Grand Bahama does not have a decent upscale professionally run Supermarket, and Butlers Specialty Foods has simply out grown itself. This is a golden opportunity to bring to Grand Bahama Island the shopping experience enjoyed by those around the world. We can’t do it properly without your input, co-operation and support.

We look forward to discussing this new venture with you in the very near future.

Sincerely;

Jeffrey B. Butler, Sr

CEO/Owner

Video: Jeff Butler on Improving Grand Bahama

admin — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:56:08 +0000

Part 1

Part 2

Butler shares ‘Destination West End’ vision with residents

jeff — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:11:18 +0000

["Butler shares 'Destination West End' vision with resident,"By BARBARA WALKIN, Senior FN Reporter (Tuesday, May 25, 2010)] West Enders turned out in droves Saturday afternoon to hear local businessman Jeff Butler Sr. plans and vision on reviving the economy of the once thriving settlement.

A native of West End, Butler hosted the first Jeffrey Butler Sr., Family Fun Day and a town meeting later in the evening, where he got the opportunity to speak to members of the community one-on-one.

In an interview with The Freeport News, Butler explained that the fun day was the kick-off for ‘Destination West End,’ which is a program he initiated to “bring West End back to its glory days.

“This is the capital of Grand Bahama, this is the only settlement with water on three sides and all of that beautiful ocean, history and view is owned by the people of West End,” he added, noting that the plan is to work with the residents and business owners.

“We are not here to take anything or to dictate, this will be a joint effort together with West Enders.”

Butler said that the first phase of the program is to get West End cleaned up.

“We are going to encourage the business people and owners to rejuvenate their own businesses by fixing up their restaurants, water sports, sport fishing and bone fishing areas,” he disclosed.

Butler also noted that there are plans to reopen the once popular bakery in the village and hire three or four bakers to facilitate the business.

“So there are quite a few plans on the agenda and we are looking forward to this exciting venture,” he added.

Butler noted that the entire community needs to be involved with this project. “What we are trying to do is get total community involvement. Everybody needs to take part and understand that this is not a one man show, and I am not coming down here to do nothing for them but to give them opportunities.

“It is as simple as that,” said Butler. “The old world politics and the way we used to do things in the past is just not right in my opinion. We are self-sufficient, we always have been and we can be again.”

Butler said that he is just the catalyst in the cause, but he will revitalize West End.

Activities at the Park got underway around 3:00 p.m. with live entertainment by ‘Little Joe’ Cartwright, there were food stalls, conch salad, a sweet treats stall and straw and shell products made by vendors in West End.

Butler noted that throughout the day he spoke with residents, who are excited about the plans and they are willing to get on-board to revive their community.

West End Town Hall Meeting – May 2010

jeff — Tue, 25 May 2010 21:05:18 +0000

Addressing the concerns in the West End

jeff — Tue, 11 May 2010 21:14:58 +0000

May 6th, 2010
To the Editor;
Dear Sir,
Please allow me the opportunity to respond to your article of Wednesday May 5th reference statements made by Obie Wilschcomb, MP for West End & Bimini.
My first reaction was , here we go again, grand standing for the sole purpose of being in the news. However, after further reflection I thought it prudent to respond because most of what I read, was utter nonsense.
To begin with, Mr. Wilschcomb has no portfolio for anything in the Government and as the Member of Parliament for West End & Bimini perhaps he should (for the first time) concentrate his efforts towards helping the good people of West End & Bimini.
There are a great many people unemployed in both towns unable to pay rent, mortgage, power, phone and even groceries so why is Mr. Wilschcomb attacking the Government for an incident that happened in Freeport. He needs to redirect his energies and focus on what is important for his constituency, something he apparently has never done.
On the subject of the incident in Freeport, I would add that what happened to our three good Bahamian men was a tragic loss of life and my prayers then and now go out to the family and friends of the three we lost. The Government has done what it had to do on behalf of all of us. That is to commission an independent source, recommended by the world’s best independent consultants. While their findings may not be what the families or especially the opposition want to hear, the Government has the responsibility to have the matter investigated. To the credit of the Government, they chose to have an independent world renowned body locate and put forward an individual whom they felt was the most qualified to provide the Government with the best possible unbiased information and data related to the accident and the circumstances leading up to the horrific accident.
I would remind the readers that this is no small undertaking, not to mention very expensive. I would point out that as a pilot flying my plane in and out of Grand Bahama for over thirty years I have not once seen a tornado near my Island. We have always been very concerned with hurricanes but not tornados.
If Mr. Wilschcomb feels the need to be in the news, fine, let him do so by joining me in rebuilding West End thereby endorse and support my initiative called “Destination West End”.
We have a large group of West End businesses and business people, PLP’s and FNM’s and non voters alike fully involved in this restructuring effort. I could go on and on about what we are accomplishing but that is for another time. My point is that Obie needs to pay attention to those who voted for him and let Mr. Ingraham and his worthy Cabinet do the job that we elected them and pay them to do. A Member of Parliament’s first job is to support the constituents that elected him and quite frankly there is little evidence that any effort has been spent or even focused in any way on West End or Bimini.
Thank you Mr. Editor for allowing me the privilege of commenting on this article and I welcome the views of my fellow Bahamians. May the souls of our brothers lost to the tornado, rest in peace.

Jeffrey B. Butler, Sr
For a better West End

Butler Open Air Meeting

jeff — Fri, 07 May 2010 21:37:27 +0000

West End Open Air meeting 8.5 X 11[1]

Receivership Benefits Lawyers and Receivers at the Expense of Shareholders and the Bahamians Public

admin — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:08:30 +0000

To The Editor

It has been too long now for Grand Bahama to be in such an economic slump. One of the detrimental issues affecting our economy is Receivership.

First it was the Grand Bahama Port Authority. When the receivers took over the GBPA, Freeport came to a standstill. The shareholders and the various Chairmen had their hands tied while the receivers, that cost millions, “babysat” Freeport. The only ones making money were the receivers and the lawyers. I have a problem with this.

Here we are again several years later, another lawyer goes to a judge, ex parte (basically in the middle of the night) with no notice given to the second party. The lawyer convinces a Judge that there is an “emergency” and that receivers must be appointed to control the Grand Bahama Yacht Club and Marina, along with other assets of the New Hope Holding Company. Basically, they get an injunction that seizes all management and control from the shareholders. (Can one assume that these lawyers already have their receivers picked out and are ready to start making big money at the expense of the Bahamian worker?)

Again, for the next few years the lawyers and their receivers financially “rape” the shareholders while the employees and the community, including venders and other support industry, goes by the wayside.

The results of this action are that over 65 Bahamians out of jobs, and the remaining staff are unpaid for the past three months. A leading Grand Bahama restaurant, — referred to as “…best Grand Bahama has to offer in fine continental dining” by Caribbean Travel and Life — has closed, the property is in disarray.

This was all unnecessary.

The three partners, while disagreeing on who owns what and who spent what on what could still come to some voluntary agreement using a third party — other than the receivers — to continue the operations and keep our Bahamian people employed.

The worst thing about this unnecessary legal action is that there were several millions of dollars either on deposit or pending on the sale of condos and yacht slips at the GBYC.

This revenue would have kept everyone employed, the property up to standard, and added several hundreds of thousands of dollars in stamp taxes to the Bahamas Public Treasury. This Yacht Club & Marina was a thriving business with lots of ongoing events, mega yacht rendezvous, and large groups of boat owners and vendors holding their club events at the Yacht Club. I know because I keep my boat their and I visit the marina every day.

These events created jobs for Bahamian entertainers, Junkanoo groups, various restaurants and caterers, landscapers, marina staff, and many others. All of this boating activity, which has now stopped, also generated thousands of dollars collected by Bahamas Customs. Taxis and local vendors, shop owners all made money from these boaters and perspective condo owners.

As far as I know the management never missed a payroll and we vendors got paid in full and on time. Since the receivers took over the property has come to a stand still, no dock slip sales, no condo sales or construction, very little dockage or fuel sales and we all know that these receivers have no experience in selling condos, boat slips or managing a marina.

It is high time that Lawyers in this country are held responsible for their actions and Judges need to hear both sides of the argument prior to making these detrimental decisions. As we can see the results of their actions has been extremely detrimental to the good people of Grand Bahama.

The people of GBI deserve better……
Jeffrey Butler

The People’s Advocate