An American businessman, who has been a visitor to Anguilla since in the 1980s and fell in love with the island and its people, has now become a developer of this growing tourism paradise.

The new owner Stephen Kircher, Manager and staff

He is Stephen Kircher of Granite Bay, California, who has purchased and is further developing Frangipani Beach Club at Meads Bay formerly owned by Mayor Albert Fleming of St. Martin and managed by his son, Valentin Davis.

“I first visited Anguilla in 1985 with my wife, and at that time my two-year-old son, and we thought it was one of the most incredible places we had ever been,” he told The Anguillian. “This was not only because of the beaches and the solitude of the island, but also from the friendly nature of the Anguillians. It was just one of the best places we had ever been any where in the world.

Frangipani Beach Club

“We have been coming back since 1985. Recently, I was fortunate enough in business to want to build a home on the island. When we came down and realised that we like it so much, we felt we should have something more that a second home here. When the Frangipani opportunity arose, I decided that it was something I really wanted to do. I am passionate about it and so is my wife and so we are very excited to have reached this stage.”

Mr. Kircher was speaking to The Anguillian on Monday evening, November 21, at the opening of the Frangipani restaurant at which there were a number of invited guests. The hotel itself will reopen on December 1.

Mr. Stephen Kircher

Asked about his plans for the property, he said his company, Paradise Management, doing business as Frangipani Beach Club, would fulfill the dream of Valentin Davis to build a number of units similar to the existing structures along with several three and four bedroom villas. Among other plans, a new pool is to be constructed nearer to the beach to replace the existing one where a villa will be built. He averaged that the development period would span between 18 and 24 months.

At present, Frangipani Beach Club comprises 8 condominiums with 17 rentable rooms. The new development plans provide for a total of 50 rentable rooms along with 6 villas. The cost of the project is estimated at approximately US$25 million. It’s concept has been approved, but a Memorandum of Understanding has to be entered into between the Government and the developer.

Manager Anne Halley

Mr. Kircher said renovation work was now in progress at the property and that construction of the new buildings would begin after the current tourist season. “We are talking to several local contractors,” he went on. “The biggest concern that I have is making sure that the local contractor, whoever we choose, has enough time and not too many commitments to build the structures in the proper amount of time. So I am really going to focus on a schedule to make sure that whoever we hired adheres to the schedule.”

The developer has a long entrepreneurial background, having operated several companies in the United States. The most recent company he founded is one that makes crystals for cellular phones, thermostats, alarm systems and other equipment. The company has some 3,000 employees.

Mr. Kircher said it was one thing being a developer and a whole other thing to have a good management team in place. He was delighted to have Anne Halley, an Anguillian, in the post as General Manager with an all local staff. “I am really proud and very excited to work with them over the next few years and have them teach me a few things about the hotel business.”

Ms. Halley said she felt honoured to be entrusted with the responsibility of managing the property and that the developer was aware that an Anguillian was capable of doing the job. She plans to take every opportunity, as far as possible, to have her employees trained abroad or locally, noting that however well she performed as General Manager, she had to depend on the assistance of her staff.

Prior to her new appointment, Ms Halley held the substantive post of Sales and Front Office Manager at CuisinArt Resort and Spa but also served as Executive Assistant to the former manager there.

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