Board member profile

 


Evelien de Gier

Evelien de Gier, Director of Administration of Maxima S.A, moved with her husband Kees to Haiti in 1983 with a three-fold mandate:  Create jobs, generate money for local missionaries, and in the process, be a witness for the gospel of the Lord.  From 1985-2003, Evelien worked in administration for Art Frame, an exporting manufacturer in Port-au-Prince employing hundreds.  In 2004, Kees and Evelien de Gier and their new business partner Stefan Vervloet started Maxima S.A, a wooden furniture, cabinetry, and casket manufacturer in Port-au-Prince, to target the local market.  She joined HPCD in 2003 upon attending two business seminars on marketing and financing, led by North American businesspeople within the network of HPCD and Partners Worldwide.

With a diversity of professional background, Evelien holds a strong interest in accountability and stewardship among businesses and organizations alike.  Over the years, she has served as President of the Board of Star of Hope toward educational development, and as a member of the finance committee of Lycée Français as well as the school life of Boucledart.  She presently enjoys serving as a consultant for youth ministries within her local church, L’Eglise Communité Evangelique d’Haiti.  In addition, she is completing her MBA through the Edinburgh Business School of the Heriott Watt University.  

Evelien and Kees have three sons: Marc, 21; Peter, 20; and Mathias, 8.   

E-mail: evelien@maximasa.com 
Phone Number: 2513-1501

 

Ralph Edmond

Ralph Edmond, co-founder of Laboratoires Farmatrix, grew up in the midst of three drugstores as the son of a pharmacist.  After studying at the State School of Medicine and Pharmacy in Port-au-Prince, he accomplished a second degree in Business and Marketing Management at the Bernard Baruch College in New York City.  Upon returning to Haiti in 1989, Ralph took a different step in the field of pharmaceuticals—a step toward the Haitian production toward the Haitian market.  He and his business partner soon founded Laboratoires Farmatrix, which today employs over 65 people.  After a decade of experience as an entrepreneur, Ralph attended a conference in Michigan on “Business as a Calling”, where he discovered his goal to bring mentoring and job creation to Haiti; with Sylvie Theard and Ernso Jean-Louis, Ralph co-founded Haitian Partners for Christian Development in 1999.     


Through the tool of mentoring, Ralph believes that businesspeople and entrepreneurs can break the barriers of social and economic class.  “Every little thing we have, we can bring people together to motivate,” he says. “In Haiti, most people stay within their own social group; they don’t move.  Mentoring is a way to connect with someone, yourself, and God.”  Over the years, Ralph has mentored numerous entrepreneurs within the business incubation program of HPCD; he has also served as President of the HPCD Board 2000-2004, and Vice-President 2004-present. 

Ralph and his wife, Chantal, have three children: Zahry, 15; Nakim, 13; and Izka, 10.

E-mail: redmond@labfarmatrix.com 
Phone Number: 3558-9411