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| Kevin Basden, General Manager of BEC |
When developers draw up plans for a “mega” resort in The Bahamas, Kevin Basden sits in on the discussions. As general manager of state-owned Bahamas Electricity Corporation (BEC), Basden must ensure that Nassau-based BEC meets the power demands of the facility.
BEC, for instance, has faced a number of critical deadlines for the Atlantis mega resort on Paradise Island and it always has finished ahead of schedule, Basden noted.
“We work closely with developers from the planning stages, because we need to know what their requirements are. We have to plan ahead,” said the 26-year BEC veteran. In 2004, Basden became general manager of BEC – one of largest public corporations in The Bahamas. Recently, BEC celebrated its 50-year anniversary as a government corporation. The company has come a long way since then.
“Being a former British Colony, 50 years ago, the majority of persons holding supervisory positions at BEC were persons from the United Kingdom,” Basden recalled. “Today, we are 100 percent Bahamian in terms of our employees.” He added, “I believe that when it comes to talent and skill, we can match anyone anywhere in the world.”
Providing electricity to 300,000 customers across an archipelago like The Bahamas poses a unique problem.
“When we speak of the Bahamas Electricity Corporation, we are not just speaking of New Providence. We have some 28 sites in addition to New Providence,” Basden said, referring to The Bahamas’ inhabited islands.
And now that The Bahamas is undergoing a development boom – one involving some 53 projects worth $13 billion – BEC finds itself juggling multiple projects.
“Now, the challenge is that we have any number of projects going on at the same time, whereas in the past we had several projects going on – but not necessarily all at once,” Basden observed. Despite the heady growth, “I think we are well positioned to meet future electricity demands,” he added.
The company’s training programs are critical to its mission, Basden said. BEC offers apprenticeship programs to train young people to be craftsmen and technicians. And there’s a two-year degree program for engineers.
“That is one of our mainstays and one of our accomplishments – the training of staff, especially in the technical era,” he said. “It’s one of my focuses since taking over as general manager – to ensure that we bring training to the level where it ought to be.”
Noting that customer expectations have changed over the years, Basden said:
“Today it’s not just a matter of power. It’s about quality power. “For instance, people on the remote Family Islands seldom used to complain when their power went out for a while. Now, “everybody wants power all the time – and at a five-star resort, people obviously want five-star service,” Basden said. “So the expectations have changed.” That applies to customer service, too. “You can have a good power system, but if you can’t communicate with your customers and meet their needs and expectations, then you still have a problem.”
As BEC faces increasing demands for electricity or customer service, Basden said its customers can rest assured about one thing: “BEC is prepared to meet those demands.”
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