INTtalk: Haiti Labor, US Standards with Yves C. Francois

After the devastating earthquake in 2010, Yves Francois established a design-build firm in Port-au-Prince.

Yves Francois has vast experience in Architecture and Construction. After the devastating earthquake in 2010, he established a design-build firm in Port-au-Prince, and decided to help create a safer building environment and improve the skills of Haiti’s construction sector.

YCF Group, S.A. has managed a range of projects for public and private sector clients in Haiti including the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), USAID-Chemonics, local municipalities, and NGOs. YCF Group built the first permanent post-earthquake school in Haiti near the epicenter of the earthquake in Leogane.

As the manager of Construction and Design, at Pepsi Cola Company, Mr. François managed a team of 200 people and was responsible for developing and maintaining the Pepsi Portfolio, which consisted of 450 building assets throughout the US. He later worked as the manager of Construction and Design at Phillip Morris and as Vice President of Construction and Design at Cablevision. He resigned in 2006 to relocate to Haiti to help rebuild the country and participate in its economic growth prior to January 12, 2010. Mr. François is currently the President and CEO of the YCF Group SA. an Architectural/Construction firm located in Pétion Ville Haïti and was awarded “Entrepreneur of the year 2011” by Digicel, in the category: Industrie.