Julio Sam Henry.

Mr. Henry embarked on a career in transportation and customer service long before his entry into the Caribbean market.

As a professional driver, he capitalizes on the access he has to people of all backgrounds and prides himself as being a polished service provider who can meet the needs of his clients while capitalizing on his passion to operate in Nature’s Little Secrets.

Mr. Henry’s quest in the industry has led him to become a member of the BVI Taxi Association, and opened doors for him to establish his own business, BVI360. Through his company, he has branched into a variety of services to reach new and existing clients. His latest venture has been his Website www.bvi360.com which highlights his hands in transportation, tours, hotel and villa bookings, and car rentals.

Mr. Henry embarked on a career in transportation and customer service long before his entry into the Caribbean market, but it was his thirst for working in his homeland that led him to seek new opportunities. In 2002 he witnessed significant growth and development within the territory and felt compelled to contribute his skills and services to assist in shaping the tourism industry in a positive direction.

This native son, who is also a member of the Board of Directors of the BVI Tourist Board, operates with a solid code of conduct.

“My aim is to improve my level of service to my clients. Presently, I work with various villas and selective hotels by providing meet and greet services, escort services and concierge services. My aim is to eventually have a few people working for me who can provide the meet and greet service and offer a higher level of customer service to those with whom I come into contact,” the seasoned businessman said.

Mr. Henry offers a variety of services through his website www.bvi360.com to meet his client’s needs during their stay in the VI such as; car rental booking and hotels information, dive companies, ferries, stores and personal care.  He strives to ensure that his prospective customers receive superb service during their visit to the territory. As his business grows, he aims to hire staff that can handle all bookings for his company and offer a broad spectrum of services like those found the travel pages of expedia.com and hotels.com.

“My aim again would be to offer a full comprehensive destination management service,” Mr. Henry said, noting that his site is a one-stop service shop for tourists and visitors on Island and those seeking information before they travel.

While Mr. Henry prides himself on being knowledgeable and proficient, he also credits a number of taxi professionals who also provide great services.

“I don’t think I am any better than them, but I try to go above and beyond and use my travel experience to my advantage in doing things differently.”

Asked what he enjoys most about what he does, the very eloquent professional confidently said he enjoys meeting people, which affords him an opportunity to learn about their country and culture: this feeds his natural appetite for travelling.

“I like meeting people and travelling.  Every time I pick up customers I talk to them and learn about their world and I also travel to experience their world,” he said pointing out that he has travelled to many European countries including Switzerland, Norway, Germany, Spain, France, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, England, north and south America countries including America, Canada, Brazil and Mexico and over 15 Caribbean countries.

Mr. Henry said while he uses his taxi job as a mode to get out and travel the world, he also uses it to observe how tourists are treated in those countries and what he can add to the services offered in the BVI.

“When I travel, I look to see how tourists are welcomed in those countries, how they are treated, and I compare. This way I can return more knowledgeable.”

While the Virgin Islands have its challenges in the transportation industry, Mr. Henry believes that our concerns are not unique but similar to what he has seen in other countries. However, he said the BVI is in a unique position given the small population and the fact that our government can make the difference with proper administration and enforcement of our taxi laws.

On another note, Mr. Henry said a number of challenges exist for young entrepreneurs in the BVI. For one, many aspiring business people don’t know where to obtain guidance or professional advice for their intended venture.  Secondly, once their license has been approved, there’s no business development center that can facilitate them as they develop.

Mr. Henry would like to see young entrepreneurs assisted with writing business plans, applying for loans and creating a supportive network that can benefit them all.

“If we have a better business bureau that can help you tailor a business plan, understand the requirements from the banks, or if government can simply organize a better program at the Development Bank for locals, this would help young aspiring business minded people to be more creative and successful.

“It will be very difficult and challenging for locals to develop successful businesses in the future if these common concerns are not address and corrected”, Mr. Henry said.

Asked about his vision to improve the tourism product, the outspoken taxi professional said he would like to see the transportation industry better managed by Government, and he also thinks that taxi professionals can make the different by working together to protect the industry.

“And I say this only because we have so many laws on the books that are put in place to help manage, protect and police the industry, and there is no one out there to police the industry even though a Taxi Commission has been formed to do so.

“I think the transportation industry in this country could be a very good and profitable one if it was managed right.”

Before his career in the VI, Mr. Henry spent 17 years living and working in the United States. The former student of then BVI High School completed his secondary education in New York City. He then attended the South Puget Sound Community College in Washington State. Among his jobs in the US, his most notable was being a new car salesman in the automobile industry.

Mr. Henry said his best advice to anyone trying to get into any type of business, is to be focused and have a plan.

“Whatever business you are trying to get into, it would be wise to affiliate yourself with others in the same business, positive people who are successful”.

Mr. Henry, the son of the late Paul and Lucille Henry of East End, describes himself as a go getter, and an opportunist. “Young people should always be ready to take on challenges, go after opportunities and ask for what they want in life. Never be afraid to try or be turned off by road blocks – those will only make you stronger and smarter,” he said.

The proud husband has a lot of praise for his wife Kaletha Henry who he said has been very inspirational and supportive in everything that he has done.

“We have two kids, Nicholas and JeanPaul.  I think I have a great life and a beautiful family. Like everybody else, we work and try to support each other as much as possible while enjoying the things we enjoy personally.”