[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 79 (Tuesday, May 15, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            DR. ROY HASTICK

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. YVETTE D. CLARKE

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 15, 2018

  Ms. CLARKE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. 
Roy Hastick, the President and Founder of the Caribbean American 
Chamber of Commerce (CACCI) in celebration of his 68th birthday.
  Born in Grenada, West Indies, Hastick migrated to the United States 
in 1972 and worked for several years as a social services 
administrator, community advocate, entrepreneur and newspaper 
publisher. In 1985, Dr. Roy A. Hastick, Sr. founded the Caribbean 
American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (CACCI) with 10 
members. Under his leadership, the organization has become a well-
recognized business entity with a membership of over 1,700 in the tri-
state area and in the Caribbean. Over the years, CACCI has sustained 
and developed its mission which is to promote economic development on 
behalf of Caribbean Americans, African-Americans, women and other 
minority entrepreneurs. As President and CEO of CACCI, Hastick has been 
credited for his tireless efforts serving the small business community 
and fostering a climate of unity and harmony among diverse cultures. 
Hastick has convened over 800 business development seminars that bring 
together the CACCI membership with other entrepreneurs and the wider 
business community to network and access business resources, in order 
to make contacts and to explore contracts.
  As an ardent supporter of Two-Way trade between the United States and 
the Caribbean region, Hastick, an elected delegate to the 1995 White 
House Conference on Small Business, campaigned to get Two-Way trade 
with the Caribbean region into the final recommendations that were 
submitted to the United States Congress. Through Hastick's tireless 
efforts and visionary leadership, CACCI has undertaken and accomplished 
several challenging initiatives including: providing weekly business 
clinics, business services for micro enterprises, start-ups and 
emerging minority and women business enterprises in areas of access to 
financing, certification preparation and promoting trade and investment 
opportunities in the Caribbean region. CACCI's most recent small 
business programs are: MWBE and Financial Literacy seminars. In 
collaboration with the CACCI membership and the wider community, CACCI 
provides rapid emergency responses to hurricane disasters in the 
Caribbean region including St. Kitts Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Haiti 
and Grenada. Hastick has led several trade missions to the Caribbean 
region, and hosted numerous Caribbean Heads of State on their visits to 
New York. Under Dr. Hastick's leadership the organization organizes and 
sponsors the Annual National Caribbean American Heritage Month 
Conference.
  For 16 years, CACCI has managed the city-owned Brooklyn-based micro 
enterprise incubator, a 9,000 sq. ft. Flatbush Caton Vendors Market, 
which houses 40 vendors who sell a variety of African and Caribbean 
artifacts, as well as a small business service center. Through 
Hastick's collaborative efforts, patience and persistence, his long-
term goal of creating a Caribbean American Trade Center will soon come 
to fruition. The Economic Development Corporation announced that a M/
WBE developer was selected to create a mixed-use project, which in 
addition to the Caribbean American Trade Center, will have 250 units of 
affordable housing, an upscale Flatbush Caton Vendors Market and a 
cultural center. For several years Hastick has served on numerous 
economic development boards including Governor's Transition Teams, 
Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, J P Morgan Chase CAB Board, 
and New York City and Company, Inc. He has also served as a Delegate to 
the United Nations for Grenada and has received numerous awards 
including: National Small Business Advocate of the Year by the United 
States Department of Commerce; was honored at the White House at New 
York Day in Washington, DC. He was also the recipient of an Honorary 
Doctorate of Humane Letters from City University of New York (CUNY). 
More recently, Hastick received the Goodwill Ambassador Award from the 
Jewish community for ``his impressive record of achievements, promoting 
economic development, and for working diligently to cultivate 
understanding and mutual respect.'' Most recent awards were the NYS 
Attorney General's (2008) African-American Achiever's Award for 
exemplary small business leadership; NYC ``American Dreamer Award'' for 
service to New York City during Immigrants' Monthly in New York City, 
and the Caribbean Diaspora Leadership Award presented by Caribbean 
Tourism Organization. Hastick was recently appointed by Brooklyn 
Borough President, Eric L. Adams as a Brooklyn Ambassador. Hastick 
currently lives in East Flatbush with his wife, and has 4 children and 
8 grandchildren.
  As a fellow Caribbean Brooklynite, I am beaming with pride as we 
honor the generous service of Dr. Roy Hastick in commemorating his 68th 
birthday. New York's Caribbean community has forever changed through 
his decades of dedicated service. On behalf of New York's 9th 
Congressional District, I am grateful for our hard-working and 
impactful community leader, Dr. Roy Hastick.

                          ____________________