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October 13, 2021

IN THIS ISSUE

Aloha Chamber Members,

On October 1, the Chamber held its 171st Annual Membership Luncheon. We elected new officers and board members, which will be led by Ku’uhaku Park of Matson, the first Native Hawaiian to serve as Chair.  We also recognized the Board Member of the Year and Young Professional of the Year. Congratulations to Marty Welch of HEMIC and Trevor Newton, respectively.
 
Legendary basketball player and coach, Doc Rivers, has said - - - 
“Pressure is a privilege.”
 
Here at the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, we put the pressure on ourselves because we truly appreciate the privilege we have been given to represent our members. We work tirelessly to ensure that the voice of our local businesses is heard loud and clear and the decision makers in our state understand the issues that adversely impact your survival.  
 
Here we are, nearly a year and a half later, and our state is still facing an uphill battle due to COVID.  Who knew this climb would be so steep and long.  Who knew we would still be relying so much on video conferences for many of our daily meetings.  In fact, we fully expected that our annual membership luncheon would be in-person, but along came the delta variant, and here we are online again.
 
However, through it all, our local businesses continue to push forward with tenacity and grit.  And, they continue to support our communities, despite their own hardships.
 
Think about our small businesses, such as local restaurants, who at the darkest moments, were forced to shutdown. Yet,  they still gave back to the community in many ways, such as providing free meals to our front line workers. Mahalo Murphy’s Bar and Grill and Zippy’s.
 
Think about our students, who were forced to learn from home and missed out on extracurricular activities. However, grants, such as those from Kamehameha Schools and Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, allowed the Chamber to connect students with work-based learning opportunities with various companies, including local business Diamond Bakery.
 
Think about our families, who have suffered through this pandemic financially, socially and emotionally, but collective efforts by government, unions, businesses and individuals provided much-needed support to Hawaii Foodbank and other non-profits.
 
These are just a few of the many countless stories about the acts of humanity, compassion and greater purpose. 
 
These are the fibers that held us together and we must strengthen them even further as we rebuild our economy.  When our economy is not working, every other pillar, such as environment, education and entrepreneurship, are weakened.  They are all interconnected. 
 
Here at the Chamber, we are truly grateful for the support of many stakeholders across the islands:

  • To our island chambers – Hawaii Island, Kauai, Kapolei, Kona-Kohala, Maui and Molokai Chambers.
  • To our Young Professionals – led by Kyle Shelley and now Kim Morris.  Despite the hinderances  and limitations, the YPs persevered and found innovative ways to keep the momentum going as one of the best YP programs in the nation.
  • To our education and workforce development partners – for providing us the opportunity to partner with you on a wide array of initiatives.  A special shout-out to our high school partners on work-based learning opportunities.
  • To our members – thank you for continuing to believe in the Chamber and our team.  Your investment allows us to continue to represent your interests and provide jobs for the people of our state.
  • To our board – for your unwavering support and for always stepping up when needed.  
  • To our outgoing chair – Donn Takaki of Island Movers, who was just completing the first year of his two-year term when COVID hit.  Despite the impact COVID had on his own company, he still was all-in as chair and always had our back.  His leadership, tireless support and incredible engagement are exactly what we needed and continue to need during this time.
  • To our team – words cannot express how grateful, how appreciative, how in awe I am of your positive spirit and energy. You handled enormous pressure as we worked to ensure that we reacted to our communities’ needs and came up with proactive initiatives to support our businesses.  I couldn’t be more proud of all of you.

A quote that I’m fond of is, “the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

Your Chamber team certainly knows the definition of hard work and we do it because your success means so much to us.

Laulima & mahalo,

ADVOCATING FOR BUSINESS

 
Join the Chamber and representatives from the Honolulu Board of Water Supply (BWS) about proposed adjustments to its Water System Facilities Charge for residential, non-residential and agricultural development. Webinar is Wednesday, 10/20,12-12:45 pm. Register here. Free to Chamber members.
  • What is the water system facilities charge?
  • Who pays this one-time fee?
  • Why update the WSFC now?
  • Charges being considered tentatively effective July 1, 2021
  • Q&A with BWS
Register for Webinar

SUPPORTING OUR MILITARY

Due to COVID, the Armed Forces YMCA made the difficult decision to take Celebrating the Military Family event virtual again.  However, ADM Aquilino (INDOPACOM Commander) hosted an intimate and small gathering (in accordance with State COVID mitigation protocols) at his residence to personally honor families from the Army, Air Force, Space Force and National Guard. 

EDUCATION & WORKFORCE

Diamond Bakery, Aloha Tofu and The HUB Coworking Hawaii Host Externship for Campbell High School Teachers

Teacher professional development is a huge catalyst for supporting students in the present and future. The Chamber recently sponsored a teacher externship in partnership with James Campbell High School. The program invited 16 teachers to downtown Honolulu from Campbell’s Freshman Success Academy and included a fun, dynamic day exploring and learning from local businesses. Diamond Bakery and Aloha Tofu hosted an in-person tour and Q&A followed by a collaborative debrief at The HUB Coworking Hawaii. The Chamber thanks Diamond Bakery, Aloha Tofu and The HUB Coworking Hawaii for continuing to support high-quality work-based learning and opening their doors for the experience.

One teacher shared her experience: “My externship was at a manufacturing plant. It was informative learning what the workers contribute to the success of creating a product. My special education students would be able to perform some of the duties in this factory and after speaking with the president of the company, I learned what his company is desiring from employees to be successful.” 

For those interested in hosting teachers for an externship, please email Lord Ryan Lizardo, Program Manager of Work-Based Learning
.

BUILDING OUR MEMBERSHIP

Listen to the Latest Episode

Manufacturing Day 2021: A Collaborative Future

Join the Chamber and HTDC Innovate Hawaii for a virtual Manufacturing Day 2021 event! 
 
Manufacturing Day is a national celebration of the 12 million men and women who work in manufacturing nationwide and is supported by a proclamation from Governor David Ige.

Event will feature Dana Shapiro from the
Hawaii Ulu Cooperative and representatives from La Tour Bakehouse who will speak about the importance of manufacturing in Hawaii and their visions of a collaborative future, and provide a virtual tour of their facilities followed by Q&A. Gary Yoshioka, president of Diamond Bakery and Hawaii Food Manufacturers Association, will serve as moderator. 
Register for Event
Register for Event

This last year has made us all very aware that we need to be ready for changes in our business environment. Worse, it seems that we have no control over these forces. One of these is inflation, the focus of this webinar. Inflation is a reality that looks as if it will have an increasing impact on our businesses. There are things that we can do to be proactive and prepare for these challenges.

Come and join the Hawaii SBDC and our special guest, Economist Yan Cui (PhD), to learn:

  • What is inflation?

  • How has inflation impacted our world?

  • How to identify best practices we can apply in our small businesses to stay ahead of any turbulence

    Friday, October 15, 2021
    9:30 am to 11:30 am
    $15 per person
    Online ZOOM Mtg
    REGISTER at:
    http://go.hawaii.edu/Ppj

    For more information, call 945-1430.

    GUEST SPEAKER: Yan Cui PhD

    Yan Cui is an Economist holding a doctoral degree from the University of Mississippi. She was born in China and has earned her master’s in International Economics from an elite university in Germany. These experiences have blessed her with an international perspective for economic analysis. She currently works in the Analytics team in mortgage banking at Bank of Hawaii. Besides five years of banking experience, she also has 10 years of teaching experience with the University of Mississippi and Argosy University. Previously, she worked at the State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

    PRESENTER: Zach Oliver EdD, Hawaii SBDC Senior Business Advisor

    Zach Oliver joined Hawaii SBDC as a Senior Business Advisor in the Oahu Center. Over the last 20+ years, his career has included diverse elements such as working overseas, owning and operating small businesses, providing management consulting services to small businesses to help them improve operations/profitability, and during this period, was also a business management and leadership professor and university administrator. Zach’s formal education includes a BA in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA and EdD in Organizational Leadership from Argosy University, Honolulu. He is a published author of several books, but describes himself as a perennial student.

Register Now

TOGETHER, WE STAND

Renewing Members
Laura Hankins - Exp Realtor-Agent/ Colonial Life-Broker/ Controller-Autobody & Paint Business
Nareit Hawaii
The Queen's Health Systems
Tiki's Grill & Bar
Neighbor Island Chamber News
Hawaii Island  |  Kauai  |  Kona-Kohala  |  Lanai  |  Maui  |  Molokai

Congressional News
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz  |  U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono
U.S. Representative Kai Kahele  |  U.S. Representative Ed Case
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