A few weeks ago, the island's media reported on the change of leadership at the Lanzarote Chamber of Commerce. At that moment, when I learned that my good friend Pepe Torres was not continuing in the position he had held for the last 10 years with excellent results, numerous meetings and encounters came to my mind that today positively influence the lives of all of us who reside here.
Pepe Torres' presidency at the head of the Chamber of Commerce has been truly remarkable in its management, always motivated by the desire, the impetus, and the ideas of a tireless worker.
When Pepe took over as president of the Lanzarote Chamber of Commerce, he did so with an insufficient team, in facilities that were not representative of the local business community, and with an action program that, while serving for the initial steps of the public utility entity, had become somewhat outdated.
But Pepe, and anyone who knows him knows this is true, did not give up. He left behind a modern Chamber, a true tool of utility for small entrepreneurs, the self-employed, and SMEs. He established major strategic lines related to renewable energies, related to the reduction of bureaucracy for access to the business world for anyone who wanted to start a business. He ensured that the Chamber of Commerce was also an entity that served for training and preparation, thus becoming another center for the promotion of training and education in Lanzarote. He created a model business incubator that today houses numerous leading companies in Lanzarote and many more initiatives that I am now missing.
From a political point of view, the Chamber under his presidency has also been on the side of those demands that the island has had with respect to the Regional Government and the National Government, that is, it has not stood idly by in the face of island challenges.
But if there is one thing I take away from Pepe and his entire team, who will fortunately continue at the Chamber, it was having the best allies, having the certainty of having professionals at my service when I needed it during my time as Senator for Lanzarote to defend those issues that were of vital importance to our islands. I always found help, collaboration, and technical documentation in the Chamber and in Pepe to reinforce my positions in the Senate.
Many were the meetings we went to together to obtain benefits for the island of Lanzarote, an example of which was our successful strategy to obtain the 22 million euros for the Port of Los Mármoles with the Minister of Development, now half executed after the work of the southern closure, the request for the creation of the Contentious-Administrative Court on the island, the famous PIF in the Port, the shielding of the maritime line with the peninsula, among many other actions requested in that stage.
Beyond the flight hours and the work done, I can humbly say that we made a good team and that I learned a lot from his work and his passion for achieving goals.
I say goodbye with a quote from J.F. Kennedy that seems fair for the occasion since I have not seen any institution thank him for his work and effort, even at the cost of his own company, and remembering that his more than 10 years have been carried out without financial remuneration, that is, bordering on philanthropy.
“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”
Thank you, Pepe.
Joel Delgado Cáceres. Senator for Lanzarote of the XII Legislature.
