NFL Superstar Eli Manning was Sir Allen Stanford’s guest at the Stanford 20/20 Cricket Tournament in Antigua recently. Manning was vacationing in Antigua after leading the New York Giants to the Super Bowl victory and garnering the MVP honor, when he was invited to watch the excitement alongside Sir Allen, founder of the month-long West Indies cricket tournament.
Plans unveiled for sophisticated, environmentally friendly global management office complex in St. Croix
February 21, 2008
Today, United States Virgin Islands Governor John P. deJongh, Jr., Lt. Governor Gregory R. Francis, President of the 27th Legislature of the Virgin Islands Usie R. Richards, and Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Port Authority Darlan Brin joined Sir Allen Stanford, Chairman and CEO of the Stanford Financial Group of companies, to break ground on construction of the Stanford Financial Group global management complex.
The Stanford Financial Group global management complex will be located on a 37-acre site at the southwest corner of the Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport and will house the Stanford companies’ worldwide management functions and serve as the head office for Stanford’s operations in the Caribbean.
The business campus will feature 105,000-square feet of office space with an expansive atrium, skylight and water feature. The main building will incorporate St. Croix’s distinctive Danish West Indian style, architecture and elements. It will also include a conference facility that will accommodate more than 200 people. Also included in the complex is a 45,000-square-foot aviation hangar and office, a food pavilion and a lounge area for staff and guests.
The office building will be among the first in the Caribbean to be certified according to standards set forth by LEED (”Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System™”). LEED certification is the benchmark for design, construction and operation of efficient “green” buildings. Local vendors, contractors and consultants will be used for the construction of the complex which will result in the creation of over 500 construction employment opportunities on St. Croix. A substantial number of permanent jobs will become available upon completion of the complex.
“Today is an exciting day for the Stanford Financial Group of companies,” said Sir Allen Stanford. “Not only are we breaking ground on a facility that will house the top-tier team that makes up Stanford Financial Group Global Management, but we are expanding our footprint in the Caribbean with a permanent business home in St. Croix. We are committed to an environmentally friendly development and will do our part to be “green,” and nowhere is that more important than in the Caribbean where the environment is so beautiful and must be preserved and protected at whatever cost.”
Governor John P. deJongh expressed similar sentiments regarding the impact Stanford’s expansion will bring to St. Croix stating, “I see the relationship between Stanford Financial and the U.S. Virgin Islands as positioning the Territory to become a beacon of business opportunity and employment possibilities. I am pleased to be a part of a tremendous day for St. Croix and for Stanford Financial.”
The new, state-of-the-art facility will serve as the base for the corporate support functions of Stanford’s global network of financial services companies, including the Chairman’s office and the business technology, compliance, finance, human resources, investment strategy and legal departments. Stanford will also establish in St. Croix the management offices for the Stanford 20/20 Cricket Tournament and Stanford Caribbean Investments.
The projected completion date of the Stanford global management complex is July 2009.
The Swiss investment company, Mountain Super Angel AG (Open Market Frankfurt, ISIN: CH0033050961, www.super-angel.ch) and her parent company, Mountain Partners AG, have announced that Stanford Venture Capital Holdings has committed to invest in the Swiss company and its funds. Stanford will also nominate one member to each of the Boards of Directors for both Mountain Partners AG and Mountain Super Angel AG. Stanford Venture Capital Holdings is a member of Stanford Financial Group, a global network of financial services companies.
Dr. Cornelius Boersch, Founder and CEO of Mountain Partners, is enthusiastic about this investment from Stanford: “Our team is proud to have Stanford as our third institutional investor, joining Sal. Oppenheim from Germany and Injaz Mena Investment Group from Abu Dhabi. This partnership proves again that our investment strategy as an institutional business angel is the right approach.”
According to L Jack Staley, President of Stanford Group (Suisse) AG and head of Stanford’s European region, the investment is evidence of Stanford’s commitment to the European market and to finding solid investment opportunities with innovative companies like Mountain Partners. “This exciting investment model and the large number of promising portfolio companies within Mountain Partners convinced us that this is the right opportunity at the right time. Working together with an established organization like Mountain Partners gives us excellent access to our target markets in Germany and Switzerland.”
Additionally, Stanford will also invest in Bluehill ID AG (Open Market Frankfurt, ISIN: CH0031958629, www.bluehill-ID.com) and Cleantech Invest AG (Open Market Frankfurt, ISIN: CH0034183175, www.cleantech.vc), two recently stock-listed investment vehicles of Mountain Partners Group. Those investments will be conducted within capital increases which will further enhance the investment activities of both companies.