The company’s top sales people from the Midwest, affiliated with Ben Tire Distributors LTD, enjoyed a Carnival parade with Carnival dancers and a brass band, followed by cocktails and a tropical masquerade party with one of Aruba’s most popular bands, NBO, featuring singers Kevin James and Vivian Hooker.

Radisson Senior Manager of Catering & Convention Services Fransisca van Esta Tjallingii reports the party was commissioned by tri Exceeding Inc. a full service motivation and reward company specializing in customer appreciation and employee recognition programs.

Irma, a most popular and appreciated team member, praised by her colleagues as an exceptional co-worker and friend, was escorted to the party by her lovely daughter and her daughter’s companion. Ruben Giel, Business Leader at Deloitte had the pleasure of presenting Irma with a customary envelope and a sincere thank you on behalf of management, in gratitude of her many years of dedication and loyalty!

Pictured here Irma and her colleagues, enjoying a family-style celebration over signature J.H. Yees’s Asian Bistro specialties.

Senior partner Edsel Lopez and his stellar team of accounting specialists greeted guests and mingled, to live music and free flowing libations. Lopez reports it was a year of modest, steady growth, expressing his gratitude to clients and the community in general for all the steadfast support and trust.

Pictured here, out with the old, hosted by PWC.

The store, on the mall’s ground floor boasts a true Caribbean atmosphere, reflected in its polished wooden floors, antique colonial furnishings with gingerbread trim, and specially painted walls reminiscent of typical Antillean landhuizen.

The store honors all daughters of the soil, the island’s living and breathing Caribbean Queens who are beautiful inside and outside. By tradition, Caribbean women have always adorned themselves with colorful scarves, flowers and jewels, and decorated their home with lace, shells, and homemade artifacts, choosing colors which echo the region’s joy of life.

That joy of life is palpable in the store as visitors who enter are immediately immersed in beauty. True to the store’s credo Adorn Thyself, women will find a great selection of jewelry, bags, totes and clutches, hats, hair ornaments and accessories, belts, animal print umbrellas, headbands, and the latest, cute fascinators, those classy, lacy and feathery head coverings, perfect for New Year’s Eve or Carnival.

The store will also be honoring a monthly Caribbean Queen, a local artisan who lives and creates here. For the month of December, it’s Carina Molina with Upcycled Design, bags , belts and jewelry made from discarded rubber inner tubes. Yes, old tires receive a second lease on life at the hands of Molina who presents her fresh and innovative collection at Caribbean Queen.

Visit the store at the Palm Beach Plaza Mall, and enjoy the unusual décor and unique merchandise. The store will be fund-raising for three local art foundations via its Repair of the World, Tikkun Olam program, designating a percentage of every purchase to The Aruba International Arts Foundation, AIAF, supporting local artists, or the Pancake Gallery, offering summer art courses to youths,  or Ateliers’ 89, an art school and studio for adults.

Caribbean Queen offers gift-certificates in all denominations, which can never expire!

Visit soon and Adorn Thyself.

Rage Silver has been a popular resident of the Renaissance Marketplace for over a decade occupying a double store space and flaunting a huge collection, in the heart of town.

Congratulations to the Wever family for the tasteful décor, bold colors and inviting shopping environment. Open every day from 12 noon to 10pm.

ECO Destination Management is the island’s premier full service Destination Management Company, with an additional branch on the island of Curaçao. For the past 24 years ECO DMS has been combining creativity, personal service and superior professional skills to deliver memorable motivational experiences for clients, in the MICE market.

The MICE market is one of the fastest growing segments within the tourism industry generating millions in revenues for cities and countries. Twenty-four years ago, the founder of ECO Destination Management, and its current CEO, Wichita Villacres understood that the meeting and convention business could be a lucrative source of income for the island and launched her company to service these discerning incoming groups.

Over the years the company grew from merely escorting groups during their island stays and planning their activities to actually scouting, promoting and attracting many thousands of people to our shores.

Villacres travels tirelessly on behalf of the island attending conferences and sponsoring events, talking to the insurance industry and the pharmaceutical industry and many other target groups, making Aruba a very strong contender in the MICE market.

This week Villacres was honored by the Minister of Tourism, Transportation and Labour as the winner of the National Award of Excellence, the Shoco 2011, in appreciation for her pioneering spirit in the MICE market.

Her hunch that incentive travel will grow, was right, and this week a core of company employees celebrated their anniversary over sumptuous lunch. Pictured here, Wichita Villacres and her loyal island crew.

PwC partners were on hand to share the lectern for the seminar portion of the event, and later meet clients and mingle during the networking opportunity over cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

The seminar provided information on tax legislation and other regulations on Aruba, also information regarding tax deductions, changes in legislation, intended legislation, tax administration and documentation, tax compliance, tax rates and other relevant business information.

PwC Aruba offers high quality advice and support, benefitting from a network of specialists, domestically and internationally, prepared to assist in any tax challenge presented.

Pictured here the Pwc Aruba team, looking into the future!

The traditional award ceremony in the conference room told the story of three hard working and motivated employees who give their best to the resort, rewarded with a wonderful moment in the spot light, earned by their efforts and dedication.

A member of the HR department, Carine Cratz, was voted Supervisor of the 4^th quarter and in an unforgettable gesture she asked her colleagues from the department and her peers from the social committee to share her applause, as she could not have achieved her title without them.

The gathering also featured a short address from General Manager Joe Najjar who reminded his colleague of the need for gratitude and reflection, on the good gifts of health, economic stability and camaraderie enjoyed by employees of La Cabana.

La Cabana Beach & Racquet Club also appreciated the performance of its operational teams, awarding the Security Department, the Team of the Quarter, title.

Twenty-four years ago Villacres started her company ECO DMS here, with the desire to serve the group conventions and meetings market. Her young organization met success when the island of Aruba was finally discovered by meeting planners who booked clients on incentive trips allowing ECO DMS the opportunity to make them unforgettable successes.

While active in the tourist-market Villacres launched Aruba’s first scholarship program for local students wishing to further their education in the tourism field. The Artousa scholarship was accompanied by an elaborate fundraising plan combined with an award program which rewarded success in hospitality in the 90s.

All along Villacres pushed and lobbied for the Society of Incentive Travel Executives, an international, non-profit, professional association exclusively devoted to the pursuit of excellence in incentive global market to hold its meetings in Aruba, as a way of introducing the island and all its treasures to top decision makers in the travel industry.

Her dream came true two years ago, when the SITE international Conference unfolded here with members of the Society of Incentive & Travel Executives came here for an important business forum.

Villacres also served as the SITE International co-chair for the meeting, entrusted with the organization of the events designed to showcase Aruba to the esteemed visitors, in collaboration with a local committee. The conference brought together the top minds in incentive travel, a multi-billion dollar global industry, which benefitted the island greatly.

The Minister outlined Villacres’ achievement on behalf of the island as he presented her with the Shoco Award, named after the late Simon Oduber, an employee of the Aruba Tourism Authority who tirelessly worked to develop group travel to Aruba.

The Shoco is not the first accolade for ECO DMS who throughout its journey towards success delivered outstanding events and has been presented with some other prestigious industry awards such as The IMA Circle of Excellence Award, which defines best practices in the development and execution of successful incentive programs, presented by Incentive Marketing Association, and two reputable SITE Crystal Awards both for outstanding and unique theme event creations, presented by the Site. Lastly, the Carlson Marketing Crystal Awards, for the “Outstanding Ovation Award” for the most creative DMC.

While in past years the Shoco recognitions were bestowed by the Aruba Hotel & Tourism Association, this year the awards were taken over by the Ministry of Tourism, Transportation and Labour, lending the program extra stature which accompanies official government citations. AHATA however remained as one of the proud main sponsors in conjunction with Digicel and Caribbean Mercantile Bank.

Pictured here The Minister, Otmar Oduber, Wichita Villacres, ECO DMS, also Bert Kamsteeg of BK Consult the recipient of another Shoco Award of Excellence for efforts in sustainability!