In the most inhospitable of investment environments, Mr. Guidry is trying to build a $1 billion port in Susah, a coastal town 20 miles northwest of Beida, Libya’s fourth-largest city.
Washington Times, December 3, 2018, By Jacob Wirtschafter
BEIDA, Libya — Civil war, weak to nonexistent government authority, an Islamic State insurgency and waves of African refugees bound for Europe have made this country one of the most unstable in the world.
But the chaos is not deterring Michael Guidry, a former Texas state trooper who manages the Guidry Group, a Houston-based crisis management company. In the most inhospitable of investment environments, Mr. Guidry is trying to build a $1 billion port in Susah, a coastal town 20 miles northwest of Beida, Libya’s fourth-largest city.
For years, Mr. Guidry’s core business has been protecting corporate clients from kidnappings in unstable countries. He has now turned to infrastructure investment in “high-risk areas” where he sees potential for security stabilization and economic growth. Three years ago, he won a contract to build the deep-water port in Susah. He now hopes to break ground in 2020.
“At the moment, we are the only American company working in Libya, but I’m hoping we can start to pave the way for other U.S. firms to assist us in rebuilding the country,” Mr. Guidry said in a recent interview. “I don’t think it’s good for America if the Russians or Chinese get in before us.”
Mr. Guidry’s work is a sign of how oil-rich Libya may return to economic growth — if it can avoid more violence and find a measure of political coherence.
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