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The NDF is currently involved in updating our training department. And, we need your help. We are looking for trainers or trainer consultants to assist in our training program. If you are interested in becoming part of this program, please send a resume to our office detailing your training experiences.

CLIENT PROFILE    -    Elvis Thomas    (back to Home)

Elvis Thomas, better known as “Pecky” is a resident of Mustique and has been a client of the National Development Foundation since 1996. If you’ve ever been to Mustique, you’ve no doubt heard of or have come in contact with Pecky. Everybody knows Pecky! Maybe you took an island tour with him in his taxi called, Michael Taxi or maybe you’ve stopped by his restaurant/bar/shop for a barbecue, a cold beverage or a can of corned beef. If you don’t know him, we at The NDF think you should.

Pecky spent the first six years of his life in Mustique. He then moved to the mainland to do his schooling. After completing his studies in 1980, Pecky moved back to Mustique to live with his family, including his two brothers and four half-sisters. Even when he was living in Lowman’s Hill in St. Vincent, he would spend all of his summers and holidays on the small private island. Basically, Pecky grew up with the rich and famous.

Pecky got into the taxi service on the island in 1988 after his older brother who started the business moved away. Although he occasionally uses other local drivers, Pecky is the mainstay behind the service. He knows the island inside out and can take visitors to places you only see in photographs or in magazines. He knows so many people too, and is very knowledgeable of the history of Mustique and relays that information to his customers. He also knows who lives where so he is able to give a more personalized tour of the island. During the peak or “tourist” season, Pecky gives anywhere from six to eight tours a day. A lot of his business comes from people who are on yachts who sail to Mustique for the day or those staying at one of the hotels on the island. There are only three taxis in Mustique and Pecky remains the most well known and the busiest.

Pecky’s father worked at the Mustique Company for a number of years and also owned a small shop in the village of Lovell. In 1994, Pecky took on the additional responsibility of running the shop as well as his taxi service. Being formally trained as a chef/cook and having worked as the head cook at Basil’s Restaurant and Bar for over 3 ½ years and at the Cotton House for a year, Pecky started cooking barbecue on the weekends at his shop. His dream is to open up a first-class restaurant/bar/wholesale operation in the village, exactly on the same location his father started the business many years ago. His shop caters to a lot of the locals too, and he has a good relationship with a number of the homeowners on the island who stop by to get groceries, eat barbecue or enjoy a beverage. Besides himself, Pecky employs one full-time person and a couple of part-time persons to help out on busy weekends.

Pecky’s outside interests (when he has time) include fishing, music, soccer and basketball. In fact, he was recently a member of the Mustique National Teams in both soccer and basketball and hopes to get his friend Tommy Hilfiger to sponsor the teams this year. His advice to those wanting to get into a business of their own is to work very hard at what you’re doing, know exactly what you want, have plenty of ambition and then, just go for it!

Finally, you might be asking yourself how does an Elvis Thomas become a Pecky?? It seems while growing up in Lowman’s, some of his friends gave him the nickname after he portrayed a character in a school play, named…….you guessed it, PECKY.

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