Merritt & Harris, Inc. has launched a new brand in its stable of specialty design
ations - M&H Caribbean Group. While the brand and logo are new, the product and locale are not. Merritt & Harris, Inc. has been active in the Caribbean for more than 50 years. The number of projects performed each year and the variety of islands on which the projects are located have encouraged the firm to designate the personnel serving the area as the M&H Caribbean Group with specific marketing materials and a new island-inspired logo.
The 74-year-old construction consulting firm was assigned many loan monitoring projects in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands by Chase Manhattan Bank (its name at the time) in the '60s and early '70s. The firm's involvement in the Caribbean recommenced in 1990 when it was retained by Mitsubishi Bank Ltd. to review documents for and monitor the construction of the renovation and expansion of the renowned El Conquistador Hotel in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. That assignment introduced Merritt & Harris, Inc. to Banco Gobernamental de Fomento para Puerto Rico (Government Development Bank for Puerto Rico) and its Tourism Development Fund, a strong relationship that continues today. Since 1990, the firm has been retained to consult on 43 major projects (mostly hotels and golf courses, but also a children's hospital and several retail centers) for most of the lending institutions located on the island. The strong reputation earned in Puerto Rico resulted in recent assignments on both the Dutch and French sides of Saint Martin, Tortola, Bermuda, Bahamas, Anguilla, and in the Dominican Republic.
For the past 18 years, Merritt & Harris, Inc.'s primary consultant in Puerto Rico has been Neil Rowland, a principal of the firm. Neil's familiarity with construction in the Caribbean has made him a trusted and reliable advisor to many Caribbean-based lenders. Neil is often assisted by Michael Dwyer, the principal in charge of Merritt & Harris'Cost & Review Group and the branch manager of the firm's South Florida office. Mike Dwyer's expertise in construction costs and his familiarity with Caribbean project budgets have made him a valuable and accurate analyst to island banks and mainland investors alike. The two principals are assisted on many projects by the architects and mechanical engineers of Merritt & Harris' Soth Florida office.
M&H Caribbean Group joins Merritt & Harris' other designated specialties - M&H Sports and M&H Latin America(working in Spanish and reporting in English) and its basic product groups - Construction Monitoring Group, Property Condition Assessment Group, and the Cost & Review Group.