They were joined by representatives from Charlotte-based Keith Corp. Management Services. Keith Corp. is among three finalists for a facilities management contract for La Gran Joya, the only one from the U.S., and used Tabor as a showcase.

Keith Corp. has managed facilities at the correctional institution since it opened in 2008, though the company is hardly a household name there.

And that’s exactly as it should be, said Jason Hahn, division manager with Keith Corp.

“If we’re noticed, that mean’s something’s gone wrong,” Hahn said.

Managing the facility means making sure all of the mechanisms inside the sprawling prison work properly, from huge boilers to massive air handling units and automatic doors to security systems.

For officials in Panama who are making efforts to reform the country’s prisons, those details are important, Aleman said.

“We will be the biggest prison in all of Latin America,” Aleman said. “This is a new model of prison in Latin America. It’s going to address the overpopulation.

“This is a new beginning for our prisons not only in Panama, but in Latin America,” Aleman said. “We are going to show the world that things are different.”

La Gran Joya is a $158 million project that will feature a lower inmate-to-guard ratio and much better living conditions than the overcrowded, state-run prison system currently used, Aleman said.

“Our system is broken,” Aleman said. “This is going to fix it, and make it good.”

Keith Corp.’s leaders hope that fix will include them – and techniques they’ve perfected at Tabor.

“It’s a learning experience,” Aleman said of the Tabor visit. “We’re grateful that they’ve opened up for us.”