Safety Management System opens store in Susupe

ceremony last Thursday in Susupe. From left, Rep. Richard Lizama, House Speaker B.J. Attao, Lt. Gov. Arnold Palacios, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, and SMS owner Kevin Tang. (Bea Cabrera)

Saipan welcomes a new business in town: Safety Management System officially opened its store to the public Thursday last week.

Located in Susupe, the store offers a line of safety equipment for construction and natural disasters such as fire, typhoon, and floods to provide a safe and efficient home and workplace.

The concept of opening a store that sells safety equipment was borne out of an unpleasant life experience that SMS owner Kevin Tang had. In 2017, one of the businesses he owned, the Kevin Department Store in Chalan Kanoa, was engulfed in fire and everything burned down.

“…Everyone has been saying that safety is very important but, sometimes, if you have not been stung by some tragic event, your understanding about it is not so deep,” Tang said.

After the fire in 2017 and Super Typhoon Yutu, Tang came up with the idea of opening a safety store and was convinced that his friend, Jack Kabiriel, is the best person to run and manage the whole business operations.

“I did not hesitate to…open the Safety Management System store, share my own painful lessons through SMS, and have the opportunity to remind the community of the importance of safety,” he added.

The Management and staff of Safety First Management pose for a picture at their new store in Susupe (across Kanoa Resort). (Contributed Photo)

Most of the products that SMS has in the store are exported from the U.S. mainland. “These products have met quality requirements set by the U.S. Fire Department, Occupational Safety Standard and Health Administration, the Department of Labor, the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services and Department of Public Safety,” Tang said.

“Our team will do the best to provide excellent services for the safety of the community, sell high quality and competitive price safety products and services.

“As for the prices of our products, I believe we [offer competitive prices] because we get our supplies directly from suppliers,” he added.

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, who led the ribbon-cutting, is pleased with the birth of new businesses on island. ”I congratulate Mr. Tang for his continued investments here in the CNMI, especially after going through a huge damage from his business a few years ago,” he said.

“We always welcome new businesses on island. …The more businesses [there are] on island, the more the whole community prospers,” he added.

Commerce Secretary Mark Rabauliman, who was also at the SMS opening, said his department, the CNMI Small Business Development Center, and the Torres administration “always encourage the entrepreneurial spirit, especially if it’s homegrown. Of course, we welcome investors near and far but it always feels good to see that government programs are working to lift up local business people,” he said.

“New businesses create healthy competition as it gives customers here more options to choose from,” he added.

Tang hopes the community will support him in this new venture. “This opportunity to provide safety products will surely benefit many…,” he said.

Safety Management System is in Susupe (across Kanoa Resort) and is open from Monday to Saturday, from 8am to 5pm. For more information, call (670) 235-9111 or (670) 287-9111 or email it at sms9111saipan@gmail.com.