Rob DeRocker

A native of upstate New York, Rob began his love affair with St. Croix as an 18-year-old. It was then that he first visited his grandfather, Steve Regan, who owned the condo at Questa Verde eventually purchased by Rob and his wife, Melinda. As Rob tells it, “I learned early on that grandfathers get lonely – especially in the months of January and February – and that it’s the kind of loneliness that only a grandson, and preferably the first grandson, can adequately address.” The willingness to make this supreme sacrifice for his grandfather led to perennial wintertime visits to the Island throughout the 1980s.

Rob has spent most of his career working as an economic development marketing consultant. For 18 years Rob served on the staff at Development Counsellors International, a New York City-based firm specializing in helping places around the world – ranging from Barbados to Australia – market themselves for tourism and business investment. Starting in 1990 as an account executive, Rob advanced to become the firm’s executive vice president and part-owner.

Among other career highlights at DCI, Rob counseled and assisted the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce in its public response to the then-worst terrorist incident in American history. Rob organized national communications for the “Thank You, America” tour, a coast-to-coast event that paid tribute to rescue workers who had assisted in the bombing aftermath.

Rob personally served some three dozen clients during his 18 years at DCI, ranging from Puerto Rico to New Zealand. He headed up the firm’s media relations activities, helping to solidify DCI’s equity and reputation among the national and international business press. He has been often quoted on economic development issues in The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CFO, Financial Times, and many other business publications, and has appeared on CNN, and Fox News, among other media.