Office Of Disaster Recovery To Hold Workshops Aimed At Business Owners

The Office of Disaster Recovery (O.D.R.) is inviting all contractors, business owners, consultants, and other interested parties to attend the “Doing Business with the Recovery” Workshop. The territory is expected to receive more than $8 billion in federal recovery funding for restoration projects, and O.D.R. is seeking to help local business owners be prepared to benefit.

The workshops will take place in both the St. Croix and St. Thomas/St. John districts on July 22 and 23, according to a Government House release.

The St. Croix workshop will be held on Monday July 22 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm in the Bennie and Martha Conference Center in the Virgin Islands Cardiac Center.

The St. Thomas workshop will be held on July 23rd from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Charles W. Turnbull Regional Library.

The workshop seeks to familiarize business owners with the territory’s guidelines on labor, workforce, procurement, licensing, taxation, and other related federal and local compliance requirements, the release said.

Attendees at the workshops will learn about current and upcoming disaster recovery project opportunities, as well as information needed to successfully perform their contractual and statutory obligations for federally funded projects.

“The Office of Disaster Recovery seeks to ensure that all local businesses are aware of the opportunities through the recovery funds available to the territory,” said Adrienne Williams- Octalien, O.D.R. director.

She added, “It is our mission to ensure that the Territory fully maximizes the economic benefits of these dollars and that begins with preparing our local businesses to seize these opportunities.”

Presenters include the Virgin Islands Departments of Licensing and Consumer Affairs, Property and Procurement, Labor, the Virgin Islands Housing and Finance Authority, and the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Participants can expect to walk away with a comprehensive and clear understanding of the requirements for doing business with the recovery, according to the release. 

O.D.R. was established in February 2019 in the Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority to serve as the center of coordination for recovery funds across government departments and agencies to maximize efficiencies and integration.

Interested persons can register for the workshop by emailing the Office of Disaster Recovery at [email protected] or by calling (340)778-8135 on St. Croix or (340)714-1635 on St. Thomas.