Up to one week ago we hadn't heard the name Chad Eckert - but that's when he appeared as the principal of Apex International, the private company that has gotten the contract to manage the Civic Center.
It's the most costly public building ever constructed in Belize - and immediately the private management contract came under scrutiny. And Eckert himself came under fire, as the details of an October 2017 lawsuit against him was fed to the press.
Turns out that Eckert - who is married to a Belizean - was the owner of Belize Sea Island Cotton which was producing cotton in Northern Belize. Well, his former manager Gustavo Cardenas was suing him claiming that Eckert wronged him in many ways.
That put the manager of Belize's most blue chip operation in a shady light - and he fired off a lawyerly release saying, quote, "These attacks are entirely baseless, without merit and entirely untrue and Chad will take appropriate steps to protect his reputation under law." Today, he took steps to do so under media when he came to us for an interview. Here's what he said:...
Reporter
"Is accusing you of stealing the cotton seeds among other things. He's saying that you ripped them off."
Chad Eckert
"Yes that's what he's claiming. It's currently in the course now so there's not a lot I can say. He wasn't a partner, he was an employee. We terminated him just like you would terminate any employee if they're not working out well, you have a termination."
Reporter
"Now the suggestion has been natured that you are a shady business man. How do you respond to that?"
Chad Eckert
"I went into the endeavor with all intents and purposes to go in there and employ a lot of people. Which we did, we employed about 30 people a day 6 days a week for about 8 months. Our plan was just to keep on doing it. Over time, harvest it and sell it, then we'll do it again. The plan was to grow larger and larger. But then when I met with Gustavo, things didn't work out so well so that relationship has ended."
Reporter
"The overall perception that is being created in a very deliberate way by people who have an agenda and that's understandable. You're managing the most expensive public building in the history of Belize."
Chad Eckert
"Of course but I also have 15 years of experience working with venues like this. This is something I do day in and day out."
Reporter
"The aspersion can be casted against you that as regards to Sea Island that you bamboozled this guy."
Chad Eckert
"It's not as people saying, a big U.S guy came over and took advantage of a little small innocent farmer, it's not that way at all."
Reporter
"Is it true that you all are trying to solve the matter through arbitration rather, isn't that an indication that you accept that there may be legitimacy to his claims?"
Chad Eckert
"Yes we did have an agreement to work together and he did have a stipend every month, he got paid, I reimbursed all the expenses for the whole production and we were supposed to do an end result as to who is supposed to get what. That's the matter that's on the court now and that's for the judge to decide who's right or not."
As noted in the story - the case is under arbitration.
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