Betsy Haskell, who has lived in Georgia for the past 20 years, has been involved in four successful businesses and is now enjoying retirement in Tbilisi. She was the Georgia Contractor for Metrica, Inc., an US Treasury Department subcontractor, and the brains behind “Betsy’s Hotel.” She also played a major role in getting the renowned American Chamber of Commerce off the ground, and continues to be its ex-officio adviser. AmCham celebrated its 25th Anniversary recently, and GEORGIA Today wanted to know more about one of the founding members.
Betsy tells how she was the Executive Director of the American Council of Young Political Leaders, an organization funded by the USIA in Washington, DC, which organized trips to the US of 180 young elected officials from other countries, as well as visits to these countries by young American officials.
“One day, I was visited by a Georgian physician who asked if Georgia would be able to join our partnership. It had previously been a part of the Soviet Union. When I asked him why he wanted to do this, he replied that they were seeking USAID funding for their new government which had very limited funds. Since the Board of the ACYPL didn’t want any more small countries members, I suggested a different way to get funding – to create a group of US Businessmen who would partner up with each Ministry of the Georgian Government to put pressure on USAID.
AmCham recommended that the importance of the private industry and its value in the economy be highlighted.
The physician, Dr. Archil Kimbadze, returned from Tbilisi with the idea and presented it to the President. He asked him to invite Betsy back to Tbilisi for a discussion of the proposed project.
Betsy explains, “It just so happened that I arrived a week before civil war broke out and the President fled the nation.” “However, on my visit, I met the Prime Minister Tengiz, who, after war ended, joined a 3-man junta that was then running the country, and was eager to pursue my idea.”
Betsy then sold the idea to 22 retired executives of large and small US companies, persuading the to come to Tbilisi for a week to learn about the Georgian ministries.
“The idea was to invite local businesspeople to join us to discuss their findings and listen to recommendations. We would then sit down and discuss it together.” She notes that, in the end, 150 people met to discuss the lessons learned and to make recommendations on how to improve the operations of ministries and the role of the private sectors.
This was the first conference of this kind to be held in the Soviet Union.
The conclusion was clear by the end of the second week: too many people were working for the government because they believed that this was the only way to earn money.
She says, “We recommend that more emphasis is put on the importance and value of the private sector to any country’s economic system.”
Promoting US-Georgian relations
John Kluge, owner of Metromedia Corp., a US-based company, asked me if I wanted to move to Tbilisi to live. He had invested in Tbilisi TV Tower and was eager to expand TV programs in Georgia. Betsy says, “Of course I said yes.” “However, I knew I had to start my own business here. So, I founded Tbilisi Locators with two Georgian woman friends, an American-style real estate firm.”
Tbilisi Locators, the only firm of its type in Tbilisi, was doing brisk business as a result of the openings and arrivals of Embassies, IMF, UN, and other multi-national organizations.
Betsy explains, “When I founded Tbilisi Locators the only way to advertise property was to look at the trees near Deda-Ena Park and see what people had pinned on the branches. “When the US embassy opened a few years later, the administrator turned to me in many ways. The war in Abkhazia was already underway, Gamsurkurdia wandered around Western Georgia and threatened to return to Tbilisi and take back the presidency. Two members of the junta – a General and a warlord – were fighting each other as well as Shevardnadze.
“Because the owner of this hotel was worried that Gamsurkurdia would return to town, he asked the warlord if he could take over the security at the hotel. This led to a series of frightening events. If one of the General’s men entered, the warlord’s men would fire at them. The Administrator of the Embassy was not so concerned about new staffers being targeted, but rather that stray bullets could ricochet. He asked me to find an alternative!” Betsy explains.
After finding a good hotel option that was approved by the Embassy in 1994, Betsy opened her “Betsy’s Hotel”, which she operated from 1994 until 2001, when she sold it.
Betsy worked with the American International Health Alliance from 1995-1996. They were working with Emory University in order to rationalize the healthcare system of Georgia. In 1996, Emory University took over AIHA and Betsy worked closely with them to study ways to improve the healthcare system.
In 1995, Kenneth Yalowitz, then US Ambassador in Georgia, asked Betsy Durland and Leigh Durland (then President of Absolute Bank, funded by friends of former US Sec of State James Baker), to start an American Chamber of Commerce for Georgia.
We wanted to create an organization that would “fight” for members who had real issues with the Georgian business culture.
“Using copies from the Baku AmCham founding documents as a guide, we found out that in Georgia, a new company must have three officers to be incorporated. We asked Fady to join us so we could formally start doing business,” Betsy explains. “Leigh Durland employed Amy Denman to start gathering potential members and getting the company started, and Fady provided space in his office to allow her to work from. Amy was very good at finding new members. Within a few months we were able have our first meeting. We disagreed on the goals of the group. Leigh wanted the organization to be a sort of social club where people could meet for a beer after work and have a conversation. Fady, however, and I wanted to make it an organization that would “fight” on behalf of those members who had real issues with Georgian business practices. Fady was elected President after a contest between Leigh and Fady. Fady was reelected as President for the next few elections. Today, the Chamber has more than 200 members, and a staff numbering six.”
In 1995, Betsy was also approached by a US firm called Metrica Inc. as their representative in Tbilisi to oversee their contract to bring experts into Georgia to help set up a proper financial operations.
“The work included finding appropriate housing, arranging for security, hiring and paying driver and cars, furnishing the offices, etc. I agreed and worked with Metrica Relocations, Inc., their subsidiary, which has a World Bank contract to assist with all relocation activities of their senior staff. I worked with them until the summer of 2021, when I retired.
In 1998, Betsy was a part of the US Department of Commerce that funded a trip for a group of American winemakers.
She tells us that “there were huge problems in Georgian wine making which were impeding the development of the industry.” We decided to send a group to Canandaigua, New York where the largest wine distributor in the world is located and whose president has visited Tbilisi. “The beginnings of New York State and Georgian winemaking were very similar. Therefore, it was felt that a visit to New York City to visit the wine distribution company headquarters could provide useful information for the nascent Georgian industry.”
We are curious to know how she feels now about Georgia, thirty years later, after having experienced so many of the ups and downs of Georgia’s development.
She says, “I love living here.” “I’ve enjoyed every minute I spent being helpful. I had other projects in mind. I wanted to invest in tourism infrastructure. But I decided to enjoy my retirement and spend time with my friends and garden. Georgia is an affordable place to live. This is a huge plus. Grocery stores are also stocking more and more useful products. The traffic is a nightmare and the construction never seems to end. It would be nice if there were a city plan. But that’s not the way things are done here. If you are a citizen of the country, medical care is affordable and good. Otherwise, it’s very expensive. “Sadly, I get a general impression that the government does not care about its citizens or their quality of living.”
Interview by Katie Ruth Davies
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