The Developers
The corporate parent of Cotton Bay Estates Limited and
Cotton Bay Villas Limited is Eleuthera Properties Ltd.
(EPL). In 1986, EPL became the direct corporate successor
to South Eleuthera Properties Ltd., the vehicle which,
from the 1950s, was the initial developer of the Cotton
Bay Club.
From its inception, the mission of EPL has been to create
a destination with a distinct presence and identity in
the overall tourism marketplace of The Bahamas. Cotton
Bay is the realization of the dream of several individuals,
including Juan Trippe, chairman of Pan American World
Airways; Arthur Vining Davis, a leader at Alcoa Inc.;
John McCone, former head of the Central Intelligence
Agency of America; Arnold Augur Wilcox, a prominent investor;
Henry McNeil, founder of the famous laboratory that bore
his name and others who saw the phenomenal beauty, honest
hospitability and abundance of opportunity we see now
at Cotton Bay.
Central to the mission of EPL is the true meaning of
“to cotton”, which comes to fruition in the creation
of a community where friends get along with nature and
with each other.
The Shareholders
EPL has approximately four dozen shareholders, including
private individuals, some of the best-known companies
in The Bahamas and overseas investors. Bahamian corporations
include Sunshine Holdings Co. Ltd., the largest residential
developer in The Bahamas; Rock Sound Properties (1976)
Limited, Eleuthera’s largest Bahamian-owned company;
RoyalStar Assurance Ltd., one of the largest general
insurers in The Bahamas, The Turks & Caicos and The
Cayman Islands; British American Insurance Company of
The Bahamas Ltd., one of the oldest companies in The
Bahamas and The John Bull Group, one of the country’s
premier retailers of luxury goods. Colina Imperial Financial
Group, the largest life insurance group in The Bahamas.
The Royal Bank of Canada, with a Bahamian presence since
1908. Non-Bahamian investors include Mr. Robert Moses,
Jr., of Texas, and the Estates of Burton Morgan, Francis
Ingalls, of Ohio and Robert MIllard, Managing Director
of the Global Investment Banking Firm, Lehman Brothers.
Development Principals
Franklyn R. Wilson, CMG
Chairman & President
frwilson@arawakhomes.com
Our Chairman is a prominent business and community leader
in The Bahamas. In addition to his Chairmanship of our
group of companies, he serves as Chairman of Sunshine
Holdings Co. Ltd. and Sunshine Insurance (Agents & Brokers)
Limited, which is affiliated internationally with Marsh.
Until 1994, he served as the Managing Partner of Deloitte & Touche
in The Bahamas. Beyond business, he serves as Chairman
of The Council of The College of The Bahamas, a Member
of the Worldwide Board of Junior Achievement, a Trustee
of Elmira College of Elmira New York, and Chairman of
The Bahamas Chapter of The World President’s Organization.
He has been honored by The Bahamas Chamber of Commerce
as its Distinguished Citizen in Business, by Her Majesty,
Queen Elizabeth II for service to The British Commonwealth,
by The Government of The Bahamas on the occasion of the
25th Anniversary of the Country’s Independence and by
his peers as “Chairman Emeritus” of The Bahamas Chapter
of The Young President’s Organization.
Ross A. McDonald
Director
Ross.mcdonald@rbc.com
As Head of Caribbean Banking, Ross McDonald has overall
responsibility for the Royal Bank of Canada’s domestic
operations in eight countries in the region – Antigua,
Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Is., Dominica, Montserrat,
St. Kitts and St. Lucia. With 1,300 employees these operations
form a part of RBC’s U.S. and international business.
He is a Director of RBC Royal Bank of Canada Trust Company
(Bahamas) Limited and RBC Royal Bank of Canada Trust
Company (Cayman) Limited which deliver trust and private
banking services to offshore clients.
Mr. McDonald received a BA (Economics) from University
of Vermont in 1973 and a MBA in Finance from the Richard
Ivey School of Business in 1976.
Myrtle Potter
Director
mpotter@chapman-investments.com
Myrtle Potter is a co-founder of the Chapman Development
Group. Her professional experience includes over 25 years
of successful operating and general management experience
in large, global biotechnology, pharmaceutical and healthcare
businesses. Ms. Potter serves as a member of the Board
of Directors for Amazon.com, Fox Hollow Technologies
and Eleuthera Properties Ltd. She also serves on the
Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council
and is one of five members of the Citizen’s Financial
Accountability Oversight Committee of the California
Institute for Regenerative Medicine Foundation.
Previously, Ms. Potter served as President of Genentech,
Inc., the leading biotechnology company, for five years
where she helped steer the Company through one of the
most successful periods in its history. While at Genentech,
she oversaw the successful launch of six major new products.
Genentech’s product revenue stream grew more than three-fold
to more than $4 billion under her leadership, resulting
in record sales and earnings growth for the Company for
25 straight quarters. Ms. Potter also served as a member
of Genentech’s Executive Committee whose role was to
make all major strategic, financial and operating decisions
for the Company.
Prior to joining Genentech, Ms. Potter was President
of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s $4+ billion dollar U.S. Cardiovascular/Metabolics
business. During her tenure as President, this business
was the Company’s largest source of revenue, revenue
growth and profits. Prior to Bristol-Myers Squibb, Ms.
Potter worked at Merck and Co. Inc. for more than 14
years.
In 2006, Ms. Potter was named ‘Woman of the Year’ by
the American Diabetes Association. Ms.Potter was recognized
in 2004 and 2005 by The Wall Street Journal which listed
Ms.Potter as one of its “50 Women To Watch.” In 2003
and 2004 she was listed in FORTUNE magazine’s “Top 50
Most Powerful Women In Business” list. Ms. Potter was
recognized in 2005 by Black Enterprise magazine as one
of the “75 Most Powerful Blacks in Corporate America.”
In 2002, Ms. Potter was also named to FORTUNE magazine’s
“Most Powerful Black Executives in America” list and
to Time magazine’s “15 Young Global Business Influentials”
list.
Ms. Potter holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the
University of Chicago and resides in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida and the San Francisco Bay area with her family.
Wim Steenbakkers
Managing Director
wim@cottonbayeleuthera.com
Born and raised in the Netherlands, Mr. Steenbakkers
has served as Executive Director of Stanford Sierra Lodge
and Conference Center, at Fallen Leaf Lake near Lake
Tahoe, and of The Redwood Empire Association based in
San Francisco, the oldest tourism marketing organization
in America. He has also served as President of
Black Butte Ranch at Sisters, Oregon and as the General
Manager of Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa. He has
developed several unique European-style properties, including
Château du Sureau near Yosemite National Park, and for
five years was the Proprietor of Hotel du Lac Carling
of Quebec, Canada. He has worked in The Bahamas for the
past three years. He holds a certificate in Strategic
Hotel Management from Cornell University.
Edward C. Levine
Director & Vice-President
elevine@pcare.com
Edward C. Levine is a Director, the Vice-President and
also serves as the U.S. Counsel. Mr. Levine is also the
President and Chairman of The Board of Directors of PrimeCare
Systems, Inc. Prior to joining Prime Care Systems, Inc. Mr.
Levine was in charge of international taxation at a national
accounting firm. He is a member of The Bar of The State
of New York, the U.S. Tax Court and the U.S. Court of
Claims.
A. Bismark Coakley
Secretary
abc@arawakhomes.com
A. Bismark Coakley is our corporate Secretary and a
Member of The Board of Directors. Mr. Coakley is also
President and Director of Sunshine Holdings Co. Ltd.,
a Member of The Board of Directors of The Airport Authority
of The Bahamas, Immediate Past President of The Bahamas
Chamber of Commerce, a Member and Past President of The
Rotary Club of West Nassau, Chairman of The Crippled
Children’s Committee, a Member and Past President of
The Anglican (Episcopal) Churchmen Association and a
Member of The Royal Eagle Masonic Lodge. Previous positions
held by Mr. Coakley include membership on The Industrial
Relations Board of The Bahamas and Member of The Board
of Directors of The Bahamas Electricity Corporation.
He has been honored by Rotary International as a Paul
Harris Fellow.
Thomas Sands Jr.
Director, Broker/Appraiser
thomas@cottonbayeleuthera.com
A native of the Island of Eleuthera, Mr. Sands is a
director of Rock Sound Properties (1976) Limited, the
owner of The Market Place Shopping Centre in Rock Sound
and the largest Bahamian owned business on the Island
of Eleuthera. He is a graduate of the University of Miami,
a member of The Bahamas Real Estate Association, a licensed
real estate broker, developer, and appraiser. He is also
a member of the South Eleuthera Town Planning Board.
