Port of Spain, March 4, 2009 – The GENIVAR Income Fund (“GENIVAR”) is pleased to announce the acquisition of Design Collaborative Associates Ltd. (“Design Collaborative”), an architectural consulting firm with 20 employees based in Maraval, Trinidad and Tobago.
GENIVAR Trinidad and Tobago now has 170 Trinidad and Tobago and Caribbean employees, including engineers, project managers and architects of which 7 are local active employee-owners through shareholding in GENIVAR Inc., the non-controlling unitholder which holds a 38.8% interest in the Fund.
“The GENIVAR team is very pleased to welcome Design Collaborative, a well respected firm in the Caribbean. This acquisition will expand our Trinidad base of operations and suppport our ongoing commitment to the region,” said Jack Shenker, Eng., Vice President, GENIVAR Trinidad and Tobago. “In addition, we now can offer local architectural and urban planning services. Our growing clientele will benefit from our one-stop approach to engineering, project management and architecture services, ensuring more effective project integration,” he added. “Thanks to Design Collaborative’s extensive knowledge of the region, we are confident that our Trinidad office will make a significant and lasting contribution to the development of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean.”
“We are very proud to be joining GENIVAR, and this merger gives us an opportunity to grow. Having been involved in many projects in the Caribbean, we will be in a better position to develop our potential and to work on larger and more complex projects, given GENIVAR’s scale of operations and capabilities and its range of locally available multidisciplinary expertise,” said architect Stephen Mendes, President of Design Collaborative. “We will ensure our firm’s ongoing continuity as we further develop our team and clientele. We will have access locally to all the technical services and support needed to offer our clients a complete range of services. GENIVAR and Design Collaborative also share the same core values, including a strong entrepreneurial culture focused on the regional development,” he added.
About Design Collaborative Associates Ltd.
Design Collaborative was founded in Trinidad by architect Stephen Mendes in 1976. The firm provides architectectural and urban planning services to the institutional, commercial and residential sectors. It has completed a wide range of projects in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean and has won several awards of excellence.
About GENIVAR Trinidad and Tobago
GENIVAR Trinidad and Tobago is a subsidiary of GENIVAR Income Fund and began operations in Port of Spain in 2004. The firm provides private and public-sector clients with a comprehensive range of professional consulting services through all project phases, including planning, design, construction and maintenance. Its clients operate in various market segments, including the building, municipal infrastructure, transportation, industrial and environment. GENIVAR has 3,500 employees, including 170 professionals, projects managers, technicians and technologists and support staff in its Trinidad and Tobago office. The firm is one of the largest engineering and architectural services firms in the Caribbean.
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For further information, please contact:
Jack Shenker, Eng., Managing Director
GENIVAR Trinidad and Tobago
Phone: 868-624-8039
Stephen Mendes, Arch., FTTIA
Design Collaborative Associates Limited
Phone: 868-628-0068
Marlene Casciaro
Director of Communications
GENIVAR Income Fund
Phone: 514-340-0046, ext. 5184
