MetaCorp
MetaCorp International N.V. is a holding company operating in the Dutch Caribbean. The company was founded in 1920 by Eduard (Shon Eddy) de Veer (1894 – 1956) and is headquartered in Oranjestad, Aruba. The company engages in the tourism, bottling, movie entertainment, waste management services, concrete production, heavy transportation and lifting industry.
History[edit]
1920-1959[edit]
MetaCorp was incorporated in 1920 with the establishment of the first silent movie theatre in Aruba.[1], followed by Gloria Theater offering live entertainment prior each film. Gloria burnt down in flames for the third time in 1947. In 1928, the E. de Veer Transport was founded to offer transport business for Exxon’s oil refinery (LAGO), later to become ATCO Aruba. In 1929, MetaCorp opened the Royal Theater, later to be named Principal. Followed by the Lago Heights Theater, Esso Club Theater, Aurora Theater, Savaneta Theater, Eagle Theater and Cinelandia. In 1945, business expanded to amusement park industry with the opening of Coney Island in San Nicolas and Luna Park in Oranjestad in 1950. In 1947, the De Veer Theater inaugurated (now integrated in the Renaissance Hotel & Casino). In 1948, Tropical Bottling Company was founded to produce and distribute Coca-Cola and other sodas in Aruba.[2]
1960-1989[edit]
In 1964, grandson Eduardo de Veer (born 08 September 1942) took over the reins of MetaCorp. In 1968, the first Drive-In theater opened, later to be closed in the 1990s and reopened in 2020 as a measure to introduce COVID-19 social distancing entertainment options. In 1977, the Boulevard Shopping Center was developed, which included the surrounding of the Boulevard Theater, a mall, Gatsby’s restaurant and Club Scaramouche. In 1985, MetaCorp entered a new venture with a 100% subsidiary that handles logistics of coal export from Venezuela. In 1985, ATCO Concrete was founded to meet the demand of ready-mix concrete. In 1985, EcoTech was founded, which provides waste management services consisting of waste collection for commercial, industrial, medical, residential and maritime clients. In 1986, commercially development of the historic Waterfront Arches site in Curaçao[2].
1990-2009[edit]
In 1991, MetaCorp opened Crystal Casino and Sonesta Beach Resort. In 1993, MetaCorp opened Sonesta Suites and renamed its casino the Seaport Casino. In 1995, ATCO Aruba expanded its activities with a block production facility. In 1997, the subsidiary The Movies moved to Curaçao and opened in Punda, in 2009 in Otrobanda. In 1999, MetaCorp founded EcoGas, a 100% subsidiary of EcoTech and state-of-the-art waste separation plant to add gasification to the company’s waste solutions. In 1999, Tropical Bottling Company merges with Brouwerij Nacional Balashi (BNB). In 2002, ATCO Concrete starts with the production of pavers. In 2003, ATCO Aruba forms a spin-off division to concentrate on heavy lift and heavy transports, Caribbean Heavy Lift & Transport Aruba. In 2009, MetaCorp opened the Renaissance Curaçao Resort & Casino[2].
2010 and up[edit]
In 2012, MetaCorp founded New York Laundry, a provider of laundry and linen services to the world class resorts located on Aruba. In 2019, MetaCorp reopened The Movies @ Principal[3] in San Nicolas, after it had been closed in 1992. In 2020, MetaCorp opened Gloria, a complex that hosts Aruba’s first IMAX theater, three VIP theaters within a total of ten auditoriums, several beverage and food outlets like sports bar Sizzle, Italian restaurant Mangiamo, salad bar Lettuce Eat, Starbucks Coffee, and the first P.F. Chang’s restaurant in the Dutch Caribbean[4].
Subsidiaries[edit]
Tropical Bottling Company[edit]
Tropical Bottling Company is the franchised bottler for Aruba of Coca-Cola and its product extensions. The company is also the distributor of the Bacardi portfolio in Aruba. as well as own
Balashi Brewery[edit]
Balashi Brewery, or Brouwerij Nacional Balashi, is a local brewing house in Aruba. The portfolio consists of Balashi beer, Chill and Magic Mango.
New York Laundry[edit]
New York Laundry operates an industrial laundry facility in Aruba, capable to handle the volume of laundry of the hotel sector. This company started in 2012 and is processing about 10 million lbs. per year[5]
ATCO Concrete[edit]
ATCO Concrete produces ready-mix concrete, concrete blocks & pavers, and does crushing, washing and screening of demolition rubble, fully automate conveying & storage of imported aggregates, import & storage of bulk cement.
ATCO Aruba[edit]
The activities of ATCO Aruba include the hauling of containers, general hauling, earth moving and performing heavy lifts.
EcoTech[edit]
EcoTech services the residential and commercial clients with modern waste removal, such as compactors, balers, several sizes of containers and waste bins. Waste removal is done by front load, rear load and roll-on/roll-off equipment.
The Movies[edit]
The Movies operate four multiplex cinemas in Aruba and Curaçao. In December 2020, the flagship GLORIA opened, housing the first IMAX theater in Aruba as well as a food court including P.F. Chang’s and other food, entertainment and play options.
Former subsidiaries[edit]
Inter-American Coal[edit]
In 1985, MetaCorp established Inter-American Coal in Maracaibo, Venezuela, as a wholly owned subsidiary to haul and ship carbon coal from mines in Santander, Colombia, to a port in Maracaibo and load onto ships for export. This operation included the acquisition of the port, barges, tugboats, participation in self-loading ocean vessels, and the operation of a mining concession in the Venezuelan state of Zulia. Inter-American Coal handled between 2,500,000 and 3,000,000 tons of coal[6] per year. In 2008, MetaCorp sold its full interest to Massey Energy.
Investments[edit]
Renaissance Resorts[edit]
In 1990, MetaCorp opened the 301-room Sonesta Resort & Crystal Casino, a new expanded shopping mall and a man-made island named Sonesta Island. In 1993, MetaCorp acquired a 258-room hotel, casino, shopping complex and marina adjacent to the Sonesta Resort. The resort complex was upgraded upon acquisition by MetaCorp and rebranded as Sonesta Suites, Seaport Casino and Seaport Marketplace. In 1995, MetaCorp developed the Seaport Convention Center facilities next to Sonesta Suites. In 2002, MetaCorp re-branded the hotels to the Renaissance flag, an affiliate of Marriott. The re-branding was followed by an upgrading of the premises with an investment of 15 Mio. $[7] to bring the hotel to Renaissance standards.
Another investment was the development of the Renaissance Resort in Curaçao comprising 240 luxury rooms, a casino, a shopping mall, a market place, movie theaters and a parking garage. The development was made at the UNESCO historical site in Willemstad and incorporated the historical Rif Fort. The resort opened in 2009.
In 2017, MetaCorp sold both the Aruba and the Curaçao Renaissance Resorts[8], but retains its position in the Aruba Marriott Resort.
Participations[needs copy edit][edit]
- Curaçao Port Services (since 1980)
- Aruba Stevedoring Company (since 1983)
- Aruba Investment Bank (since 1988)
- Marriott Aruba (since 2013)
References[edit]
- ↑ A Hundred Years of Vision and Innovation. Oranjestad, Aruba. 2020. pp. 27–30. Search this book on
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 A Hundred Years of Vision and Innovation. Oranjestad, Aruba: MetaCorp. 2020. pp. 128–129. Search this book on
- ↑ "Prinicipal Theater reopens in San Nicolas". When in Aruba. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Gloria is an entertainment adventure and the most state-of-the-art movie theater in the Caribbean". Aruba Today. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ A Hundred Years of Vision and Innovation. Oranjestad, Aruba: MetaCorp. p. 99. Search this book on
- ↑ A Hundred Years of Vision and Innovation. Oranjestad, Aruba: MetaCorp. 2020. p. 107. Search this book on
- ↑ "Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino Completes a $15 million Renovation". Hotel Online. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Curaçao And Aruba Renaissance Resorts Sold To An American Company". Curaçao Chronicle. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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