St. John Developer To Receive Pioneer Award

Stanley Selengut, founder and owner ground-breaking eco-friendly beach resorts on St. John (Maho Bay Campground and Estate Concordia Resort), will receive the 2008 Pioneer Award of the International Society of hospitality Consultants for his industry-leading “green” tourism operations.

Selengut will receive the award, among the most prestigious in the hospitality industry, at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles, where he will also be the guest of honor at a DOT reception at the Beverly Hills Hotel on January 30. Print and broadcast journalists from leading travel and lifestyle publications, TV stations, and Web sites will be attending the reception.

Selengut launched a Trash to Treasure recycling program at Maho Bay and partnered with the U.S. National Parks Service to develop models and designs for future ecotourism resorts. His work has transformed the concept of sustainability, using waste and recycled products from the resorts to develop saleable arts and crafts. His latest project is a 51-acre resort community focusing on self-sufficient cottages and other green building processes. In addition, the resort will address the needs of people with physical disabilities.

Recognizing coordinated efforts to bring lasting change, Selengut shares credit for his achievements with U.S. Virgin Islands government agencies. Asked in a TV interview what it takes to become a pioneer, Selengut replied: “It takes working in a place that will encourage, support and permit new ideas and innovations.” He later added, “I am so lucky to have ended up in the Virgin Islands some 30 years ago.”

Without EDC benefits, he said, he could never have afforded pioneering efforts, adding, “Without support from the Planning Department, Building Department and Department of Health, I could not get permits to explore new ways to build and operate. Without the help of CZM, the energy office and other enviornmental agencies, I could not have been experimental and without the promotion by the Department of Tourism, word would not have gotten around.”

Ten years ago, Selengut said, Maho Bay was filling to capacity, while facing increased costs for removing mountains of trash, namely bottles, cans, worn linens and paper goods. “It’s the price we paid for being on a small, beautiful island,” he says. “Our solution takes traditional recycling to another level by turning most of the trash into usable and saleable products.”

He predicts that in the next few years we will see shortages and price increases for basic resources in the hotel industry. As hotels seek cost-cutting opportunities, they will explore Trash to Treasure Centers such as the one at Maho Bay.