Small Business Leader, Legend And Trailblazer Roy Hastick, Founder Caribbean American Chamber Passes

Harlem fave and Grenadian Roy Hastick, who founded the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CACCI), has died, according to NowGrenada.com. A victim of the Covid-19, Hastick died in a New York hospital on the morning of Thursday, 9 April 2020.

He is one of the dozens of Grenadians who have lost their lives from this coronavirus which has no known cure, and has affected more than one million and caused the death of thousands worldwide.

Only in February 2020, he was one of 4 business leaders that the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce paid tribute to for their role as outstanding business and community leaders.

Hastick who is from the parish of St. David, migrated to the United States in 1972 and worked for several years as an administrator, community advocate, entrepreneur and newspaper publisher.

As president and CEO of the CACCI for 30 years, Hastick helped put in place a structure that serves the small business community. CACCI assists people who want to start and grow their own businesses in a climate of unity among diverse cultures.

In 2018, the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) presented the “Distinguished Caribbean Citizen Award” to him during a CACCI small business development power breakfast meeting. The honor was part of CTO’s Industry Awards given annually during Caribbean Week New York festivities.

“The Caribbean Tourism Organization recognizes Dr. Roy Hastick for his longstanding commitment to representing the interests of Caribbean people at the New York City and State levels,” said Hugh Riley who was the Secretary-General for the organization.

“His steadfast endeavors to strengthen commercial links between the Caribbean and the region’s Diaspora are particularly worthy of commendation and for that reason, we have bestowed the Distinguished Caribbean Citizen Award on him.”

As president and CEO of CACCI, Hastick has helped grow the state-wide membership organization to over 1,700 and provides expertise in providing business assistance to small start-ups and emerging businesses in areas of business planning, financing, procurement, preparation for certification and business expansion, tourism, and export/import opportunities.

CACCI’s extensive track record of service delivery includes sponsoring over 600 business networking meetings and establishing partnerships with the US government and private business entities.

Over the years, his organization sponsored numerous trade missions to the Caribbean, convened business meetings and held briefing sessions on behalf of several Caribbean Heads of State including Prime Ministers of Jamaica, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Barbados, Haiti, Dominica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, and the Chief Minister of Montserrat.

Photo credit: African American golfers digest.