A very heartfelt congratulations to Haitian American architect Yves François for being awarded Digicel's Ouest Region Entrepreneur of the Year in Industry. According to Port-au-Prince's Le Nouveliste, the competition selected regional finalists in six categories organized around the theme "A Force for Changing Haiti," honoring men and women who, "through their dedication, tenacity and leadership, were able to germinate an innovative idea and create something beneficial to the population."
A member of the Haitian diaspora returned to support Haitian economic recovery, Yves founded the design and construction office YCF Group S.A. in 2006. The office has worked with Pepsi Co, Phillip Morris and Cablevision, employing 120 people.
The 2011 Digicel Entrepreneur Awards acknowledges six categories within each region of Haiti: Emerging; Agriculture/food; Education, tourism and culture; Environment; Industry; and Services. The Ouest region of Haiti includes the entire metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince and surrounding towns and villages.
Yves has been an indispensable help to us establishing our office in Port-au-Prince, making connections within the Haitian design and construction industry, welcoming us as neighbors...and sharing his plotter. :) We certainly feel Yves is more than deserving of the recognition bestowed, and wish him continued success as a businessman, artist, colleague and friend.
