Big companies pushing for work in Haiti

Several companies are vying for Haitian cleanup and rebuilding contracts and will need workers when the money starts flowing. According to a report in Thursday's Sun Sentinel, some companies have spent millions of dollars preparing for the day when they receive contracts to begin work.

AshBritt, Inc., based in Pompano Beach, and Bergeron Emergency Services of Pembroke Pines are each spending huge sums of money hoping to cash in when more than $5 billion earmarked for recovery in Haiti begins to flow.

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AshBritt's CEO estimates his firm has invested $20 million to build a permanent encampment for workers in Haiti that includes living quarters, a mess hall, an infirmary and a staff medic.Randall Perkins says, "we have spent months with consultants to understand the maze of how money is going to be spent."

The head of Bergeron Emergency Services, J.R. Bergeron, acknowledges that his Haitian investment has been about $750,000 to date.

Despite the money pledged for Haiti's reconstruction very little has happened. According to a congressional report issued last month, just 2 percent of the $5.3 billion in near-term aid pledges has been delivered.The responsibility for disbursing the funds that do come in rests with the 26-member reconstruction commission led by Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive and former U.S. President Bill Clinton.

According to some estimates, the earthquake destroyed more than 100,000 homes, 1,300 schools and 50 hospitals, along with the presidential palace and most government ministries and offices. The resulting rubble would fill the Louisiana Superdome five times.

DRC Group, based in Mobile, Ala., currently seeking an Engineering Manager, and Ceres Environmental Services Inc., of Brooklyn Park, Minn., also have established a presence in Haiti.

Randall Perkins says, "they need outside expertise, and there's going to be lots of money coming in from abroad to make that happen."