In the vicinity of the National Bus Terminal in Las Tunas, a new establishment still under construction attracts attention. This place corresponds to the offices of "Génesis," one of the more than 80 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) approved by the Ministry of Economy and Planning.

Since mid-2021, the Cuban government has issued several legal norms that, among other novelties, opened the possibility of establishing MSMEs, both state-owned and private. These constitute organizational structures capable of making an effective contribution to the economy, and the social life of the country, generating employment, and income, and, in general, boosting the development of the nation.

IN THE BEGINNING... A NON-AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE?

Founded by two partners, Multiservicios Genesis is a micro-enterprise specialized in maintenance, repair, cleaning, and remodeling of transportation, which has taken its place in the panorama of the Balcony of Eastern Cuba.

Karel Peiso Miranda, partner, and manager, says that the entity "was born thinking of a company, not a private one, but as a non-agricultural cooperative. It began with the function of improving the cleaning service of motor vehicles, mainly buses. In those first moments, he adds, as self-employed workers they ventured into an investment process during which MSMEs emerged.

"We made a transfer from self-employed to the creation of this company. Our vision was to undertake the project with the services of scrubbing, greasing, and all the ideas we had previously."

Today it encompasses more than was originally assumed. "We are thinking, he says, of a punching station, a framing plant, a store, which is still in the process of being set up; services for the transportation of goods in electric vehicles and, finally, the leasing of buses, which are being given the conditions to provide transportation services for people."

Their commercial offices and stores will not be the only locations they will have. At the urban Bus Base, they are working on the construction of workshops, designated for services to the population, but with special priority to those utilitarian ones of the service of the base, in addition to a cafeteria.

OF MEANS AND OTHER ROADS

Peiso Miranda and Luis David Rodríguez Rodríguez, the latter, administrative manager, assure to be committed to the goals to be accomplished. "We currently have a commercial director, an economist, and four drivers of electric vehicles. As more services are created, our staff will grow accordingly," says Luis David. At the same time, he adds: "Genesis currently has four electric goods vehicles. These are undergoing a remodeling process to enable the transport of personnel, in the function of technical services, supplied with the necessary tools for repairs."

"Génesis" also takes part in initiatives such as the transportation of parcels to homes, together with Las Tunas Dairy Products Company, in support of the online sale of assortments. "We are working on the proposal of bringing those purchases to the door of the house, very requested by the population", assures Karel Peiso.

"We have exchanged a lot with the state sector, since the COVID-19 stage, we offered support with materials such as tires and batteries for ambulances, hearses, and others, in the function of the insurances to face the pandemic, which has solved problems both to the institutions and to the population itself. At the same time, we are coordinating the loan of trucks for the transportation of goods, designed for the delivery of international parcels, either with Aerovaradero S.A. and several transit agencies, with which we plan to become partners," he comments.

On the other hand, the leasing of means of transportation to state entities through which several agencies of our province operate, such as National Buses, Transmetro, and Urban Buses, is present in this multiservice company.

"Now we are rehabilitating a 44-seater Yutong bus, mainly for passenger transportation", says José Luis Dreke Carmenates, its commercial director. With a differentiated price, it will be boosted, he continues, with a rate that will never be the same as that of the Ómnibus Nacionales agency today, but not similar to that of private transportation.

OBSTACLES TO SUCCESS

Despite much talk about the obstacles in the way of these new economic actors, we wanted to hear Peiso Miranda's experience. "It was not very cumbersome. We were among the first and the process flowed quite well. Like everything that starts, it had its doubts, but although obstacles appeared, a solution was always found," he says.

The import process initially developed quickly, he says. The negotiation and contracts were quite expeditious, but not the arrival of the goods: "That forced us to shift priorities. That is why we started with the electrical equipment, the assembly of the store, and the leasing of the aforementioned buses. We are almost 80 percent of what we need to start the workshops. All that remains is the start-up.

For his part, the commercial director praises the facilities they enjoy as MSMEs as they have legal personality, although this does not mean that they have not encountered pitfalls. "It is also difficult for us to get the tires that a Diana bus needs, since imports take a long time", he says, mentioning a cargo waiting at the port of Mariel, which the importer must bring to Las Tunas.

"We have a group of potentialities that the State cannot exploit, more specifically in this branch, and in one way or another, we must support the country's economy. The emergence of food processors, manufacturers of means of protection, and many others are just a sample. We all need to put in a little of what we are lacking," concludes the manager.

Almost two years after the starting point in the history of Genesis, the team is optimistic about the future. "We are very adaptable, we don't have a closed scheme to say that we do something in particular. We will do and stop doing depending on how things develop in our territory. Maybe today we need more transportation and tomorrow we need fewer workshops. We will be the solution within our possibilities to all the problems we encounter. We intend to bring solutions, for the benefit of the people and, at the same time, we will receive our own," he summarizes.