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About Modal

MOCA is a full-service government relations and consulting firm based in the U.S. Virgin Islands with a focus on the entire Caribbean region. We offer our clients legislative and regulatory consultation, strategic partnering, as well as business and real estate development services. We have a demonstrated track record of providing high-impact consulting services and grassroots organizing at the highest level of the government. MOCA currently has offices in the United States Virgin Islands and Illinois.


MOCA has extensive government and private sector experience throughout the Caribbean region. In particular, we led a millennial outreach program in the U.S. Virgin Islands, most recent gubernatorial election (2018) that produced tremendous turnout results within our targeted demographic.


Also, we have started a number of successful businesses in the territory navigating through many complicated government approval processes. Notably, this experience includes recently assisting our clients secure government contracts for multiple infrastructure development projects; this experience will be applied to each of our clients. In short, our years of experience working successfully within all facets of the US Virgin Islands government has prepared us to get things done on our clients’ behalf.


Michael Pemberton is a Managing Partner in the MOCA USVI office. Mike brings extensive knowledge of the legislative process and executive branch operations, as well as 10 years of developing relationships with individuals serving in all branches of government. He served in the United States Marine Corps and was an honorable discharge. He subsequently graduated from the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) with a degree in business administration and a minor in management, completing his entire education in the USVI territory (from preschool up through post-secondary education).

While a student at UVI, his company, Ávera Tech, became part of the very first cohort of the Research and Technology Park’s Accelerate Program which seeks to “build a pipeline of promising early-stage startup companies and provide them with the tools they need to grow and scale from the U.S. Virgin Islands”.

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Les Hollis

Les Hollis has two decades of experience as an investment banker, private equity investor, and entrepreneur. Recently, Les has been focused on the burgeoning legal cannabis industry, investing out of his holding company (Hollis Ventures, LLC). Les has put together investor groups and applications in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Arkansas, and Maryland. In aggregate, Les has raised over $30 million for his medical cannabis entities. Les was introduced to the legal cannabis space in 2014 by putting together a group of investors in Illinois to form Illinois Grown Medicine (“IGM”), and from 2014-2017 served as its CEO where he oversaw operational oversight for a dispensary and a cultivation site; he currently maintains an equity stake. Notably, in 2015 IGM became the only African-American-owned and operated medical cannabis company to be awarded either a cultivation or dispensary license in the State of Illinois.

Prior to joining IGM, Les served as a merchant banker for his own investment banking firm (Quaestus Capital) making investments in a range of industries. Prior to founding Quaestus in 2011, Les was a founder of Bivium Capital Partners, LLC, a fund-of-funds investment manager, and served as its chief executive officer from its inception in 2002 until his departure in 2010. During his tenure as CEO, Les was a member of the firm’s investment committee and responsible for the overall direction of the firm, which raised $1.5 billion from many of the world’s largest, most-respected pension funds. His clients included the corporate pension funds for IBM and PG&E; the States of Connecticut, Maryland, and Michigan; as well as New York City, San Francisco, Alameda County, and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System