Douglas Silvera, Founder
Douglas Silvera (1928 – 2019), originally from Jamaica, was a trained civil engineer. He first came to Grand Bahama in 1951 with Consolidated Construction Company as site manager for construction of the U.S. missile base at the eastern end of the Island. He supervised the construction of the airfield and miles of road from the military installation to Pelican Point. Silvera returned to Island in 1956 as general superintendent of construction for the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA). He credits Jan Porel, chief engineer and town planner, as his mentor and teacher.
Silvera was involved in the construction of the first administration building, temporary housing, the Caravel Inn, the hospital, the dredging of the harbour, and the construction of Freeport Bunkering Company . In the early 1960’s he was appointed Vice President and General Manager of Freeport Construction Company (FreCon). By 1963 FreCon had surveyed the entire holdings of the GBPA, laid rigid zoning regulations and built hundreds of miles of roadway.
In 1964 Silvera returned to the GBPA as Director and Vice-President of Programming and Planning. In charge of physical development, maintenence and engineering.
Mr. Douglas Silvera, Sr., the president and owner of Freeport Construction since its acquisition from the GBPA in 1978, has headed the company since its inception in 1956.
Doug’s vast knowledge of the paving industry, both in design and construction, has made freeport construction the heavy civil company of choice in grand Bahama. Freeport construction has built and paved approximately 1000 miles of roads in the Freeport area, plus countless parking lots and much commercial and industrial site development for customers such as BORCO, Freeport Harbour and Freeport Container Port.