BSI president, CEO says he can’t wait to get started

Best Sunshine International Ltd. president and CEO Mark Anthony Brown joins Saipan reporters for an informal meet-and-greet at the Hyatt Regency Saipan yesterday. (Mark Rabago)

However, he and BSI will just have to wait a little bit longer as the Commonwealth holds its runoff election for governor tomorrow and the release of the official results.

Not that BSI is betting on a particular candidate to win. Brown said they willing to work with either Gov. Eloy S. Inos or his challenger in the runoff, former speaker Heinz S. Hofschneider.

“I don’t think it matters to us. The wait is frustrating and I want to get started. Our whole company does. …There are so many things hinging on the election finally [being] over. So we can get answers from whoever that person is. So we can just move forward because everyone is so focused on that. We’ve been patiently waiting,” he said during a meet-and-greet with media yesterday at Hyatt Regency Saipan.

The 53-year-old veteran casino executive said that Best Sunshine, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Pacific Imperial International Holdings Ltd., has already showed good faith by plunking down $41 million in investment in the CNMI even before a land lease has been executed. He said this also the primary reason he joined the company on Nov. 10.

“The reason I joined is the $41 million they put out so far and $10 million is not for anyone else but for the people who live here. That’s really it. Here’s $10 million I want to pay your utilities for the next three months. Why? Who else would do that? This company did that to show good faith and we still don’t have an answer. We still don’t know where the land is coming. The $31 million we had to but the $10 million we didn’t have to.”

At the moment, Brown will be commuting between Saipan and Hong Kong, but he promised to make Saipan his home once construction of the casino resort starts.

“I started Nov. 10 and my entire week was listening to pitches from at least two architects a day in Hong Kong. I can’t even say where, what, and how big it is. They’re showing us four different designs of 100 rooms and 2,000 rooms.”

He said he has already made the rounds of the island, looking at what public and private lands are available.

“I like the Garapan area because this is where the people are and most hotels [are situated]. This area is very nice but you couldn’t build a big property here.”

Brown said land is the determining factor and, once the properties for BSI’s development are identified, everything will fall into place.

On a more personal note, the former Venetian Macao and Sands Macao president said he immediately fell in love with Saipan and being personally here has only magnified his infatuation.

“It’s just beautiful. I said it’s God’s country. Even before arriving and just seeing the pictures. It’s more beautiful in person. Pictures usually give you an impression that ‘this can’t be real’ and then you get here and it’s actually more beautiful.”

Brown said Saipan actually reminds him of his hometown because like Brigantine, New Jersey, which has Brigantine Avenue and Bayshore Avenue as its main thoroughfares, Saipan also has two main roads, Beach Road and Middle Road.

“It’s an island I’m familiar with because I feel that I’ve been born and raised here…I feel like I’m 12 years old riding my bike down the street and I’m back home again. It feels very familiar to me.”