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Digicel Entrepreneur de l'année

Who is Jean Paul Coutard?

Who is Jean Paul Coutard?

He is the man who build the bus and call it "Haitian Pride", symbolic, Jean Paul Coutard.

In May 2006, when President René Préval was taking oath of his presidency, Coutard felt determined to make his dream come true. He took this as a challenge. His first step in achieving his dream was to win a scholarship from Canada to learn coach design. While studying in Canada, he took a part time job. He used his earnings to import various body parts from the UK, Australia and Canada. He waited a long time to find the right time to launch his dream. Following the 2010 earthquake, he returned home and began production with his family firm, 'Coutard Motors'. On 22 August 2013, his dream came true. The first prototype bus made in Haiti was presented at the Metropolitan Industrial Park SONAPI in the presence of several ministers and members of the Government.

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First Bus prototype Made in Haiti by Jean-Paul Coutard

First Bus prototype Made in Haiti by Jean-Paul Coutard

Here is a picture of the first bus prototype Made in Haiti by Jean-Paul Coutard.

As part of luxury and comfort, it is equipped with 54 reclining seats, televisions, sound system, custom lamps and sanitary facilities. Once an assembly plant is established, the cost of the new production will be much less.

Earlier to the 'Haitian Pride', transport system in Haiti was very much inadequate-- when it was available--was prohibitively expensive for most citizens. During the inauguration of Rene Preval, the buses used for the occasion were all imported from the Dominican Republic. Jean Paul Coutard took this as a national insult, because he felt that his country must not be so poor and unproductive that it could not even produce its bare essentials. He inherited a love for motor mechanism from his father who was a commercial truck driver.

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Jean Paul Coutard of Coutard Motors built second bus in Haiti

Jean Paul Coutard of Coutard Motors built second bus in Haiti

Coutard Motors S.A.it to introduce its second bus made in Haiti.

Jean-Paul Coutard is an ambitious, independent thinking entrepreneur who has changed the transport system in Haiti. Without any bank finance, he did not fear to spend his entire resources to fund his dream project-- the first prototype bus made in Haiti. At the age of thirty, following a five-year study and two years of work, he designed the first Haitian Bus Transportation named "La fierté Haitienne" (The Haitian pride). To realize his childhood dream, he accumulated $160,000-- exhausting his entire savings, he even had to borrow from his family and friends. 'The Haitian Pride' is equipped with a 300-hp diesel engine and double chassis. A rear view camera gives the driver a clear view and better control over the bus.

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Uzale Remay founded APLADEM, Digicel Entrepreneur of the Year 2014

Uzale Remay founded APLADEM, Digicel Entrepreneur of the Year 2014

The founder of the organization APLADEM, Uzale Remay, has been nominated Digicel Entrepreneur of the Year 2014

Uzale Remay, founder of APLADEM, was awarded the prize of the 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year by the Digicel Foundation. The tradition of awarding those who survive Haiti's tough business climate to make successful businesses from the ground up began five years, when Remay's company, which she started in Jacmel, was 20 years old. She began her company after witnessing the waste of fruit produce in her community. She made contact with the Ministry of Agriculture and worked out a system that allowed for the formation of a fruit transformation process, which proved very profitable and resourceful.

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Finale Nationale Digicel Entrepreneur de l'année 2014

Finale Nationale Digicel Entrepreneur de l'année 2014

Here is a picture of the Final National Digicel "Entrepreneur de l'année 2014" that took place on December 16, at Hotel Caribe in Haiti

This year, a short list of 85 finalists for 2014 EOTY has been prepared out of over 250 initial entries and the list reflects the changing face of a new Haiti moving on a journey to advancement and prosperity. This year the winners will be selected in a new way-- two finalists from each category will be selected from the west, and one from each category in the center, north and south Haiti. The theme of the award has been chosen as "A Voice for Entrepreneurs". The entrepreneurs will describe what they need to achieve success, how they achieve growth, what they can to contribute to the community and their vision for the future. Maarten Boute, the CEO of Digicel Haiti, has welcomed the rise in the number of women finalists (25% from an earlier 20%). The first twenty five finalists will be taken to an executive education program at Florida International University in Miami, focusing on finding new opportunities and achieving success.

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