"It has always been our commitment to provide local job opportunities related to the Diageo USVI distillery," said Dan Kirby, Vice President of Supply for Diageo USVI. "In fact, we have committed via contract with the USVI legislature and ultimately the people of the US Virgin Islands to create 40 to 70 jobs once the distillery is built of which 80 percent are local hires."
Throughout the construction phase, which has begun with preparing the land for construction, Diageo USVI has said there would be jobs available through our major suppliers Veolia Water Solutions and Technologies, Tomsa, J. Benton Construction, and their subcontractors.
"As members of this community, Diageo USVI understands the importance of local job opportunities and has strongly encouraged its vendors to use local labor and services as much as possible during the construction phase," said Kirby. "We are proud to say that fourteen of the fifteen contractors that are working on the Diageo USVI project to date are local business owners."
Diageo USVI representatives had productive meetings with a group of Senators and contractors on Monday, August 17(th) in St. Croix. The group, in cooperation with members of Governor John deJongh's Administration, has agreed to meet again this Friday to further discuss ways to make sure that the local construction community has the opportunity to help build this great new distillery.
Diageo USVI recognizes the importance of oversight of the contractors who hire subcontractors. The company will advertise in local media to announce opportunities to bid on the various subcontracting jobs as part of a transparent bidding process overall.
"Diageo USVI is proud to work side-by-side with the deJongh Administration and to build this world class distillery on St. Croix, which over the next three decades will generate many millions of dollars and help strengthen this great island community," said Kirby. "Diageo USVI has made a promise to do just that, and it is a promise we will keep."
About Diageo
Diageo (Dee-AH-Gee-O) is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of beverage alcohol brands across spirits, wines and beer categories. These brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Smirnoff, J&B, Baileys, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, Crown Royal, Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.
Diageo is a global company, trading in more than 180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and the London Stock Exchange (DGE). For more information about Diageo, its people, brands, and performance, visit us at Diageo.com. For our global resource that promotes responsible drinking through the sharing of best practice tools, information and initiatives, visit DRINKiQ.com.
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Contacts:
Janet Dembeck, MJD Communications, 340-514-0811
Zsoka McDonald, Diageo, 203-229-4730