President of the City of Bridgetown (COB) Cooperative Credit Union Limited, Adlai Stevenson.
ADLAI Stevenson, president of the City of Bridgetown (COB) Cooperative Credit Union Limited, has given a vote of confidence to Six Roads, St. Philip, one of the fastest growing commercial centres in Barbados.
His kudos to the area came while addressing the official opening of the COB’s newest branch, the first outside of St. Michael.
The building, costing some $3.3 million, was officially opened last week. COB is the second credit union to have an office there, the other being the Barbados Public Workers Cooperative Credit Union Limited, which has been there for a while. The launch of the COB branch also coincided with the completion of another big mall known as the John Simpson complex, named after a prominent businessman.
Early indications are that a branch of First Citizens Bank will be setting up a location in the mall and it joins Republic Bank Limited, which just over two years ago outfitted a new building to carry on its operations. In recent times such retail establishments as restaurants, hardware stores, banks, an insurance company and doctors’ offices, have been set up there adding to the variety of services offered. Stevenson told the ceremony that they see this investment as an expression of confidence in the development prospects of Six Roads in particular and St. Philip as a whole.
He remarked that with the opening of the COB’s fourth branch at that location, the unofficial capital of St. Philip, COB has truly come to the country. “Indeed, it represents a reversal of the historical trend of always having to go Bridgetown to transact business,” Stevenson said. “No longer do our members in St. Philip, St. John, nearby sections of St. George and Christ Church have to journey to St. Michael for this purpose. They can do so now in comfort close to home,” said the COB President.
According to him, St. Philip is the fastest growing parish in terms of population. Six Roads itself is seeing significant business growth as a bustling commercial centre here in the east.”
He pointed out that the Six Roads of today is not the Six Roads of 30 years ago. “Where once there was sugar cane fields, today we see business enterprises. COB is pleased, therefore, to add to this diversity,” the President told the ceremony.
His comments were echoed by CEO of the Credit Union, Steve Belle, who said that their research for a suitable location in St. Philip always centered around Six Roads. It is “because this community occupies a central location and has always been the hub of the entire parish,” said Belle.