Maui piano students Henley Anthony, 7, and Ailis Nguyen, 10, took first place in Levels I and II, respectively, at the Hawaii Music Teachers Association’s 2023 Hawaii State Music Competition. They both competed with approximately 16 students in each category. The girls are students of Ruth Murata-Eisen at the Maui Music Conservatory located in the Queen Ka’ahumanu Mall in Kahului. Serving the Maui community for over 30 years, the teachers at the Conservatory are well qualified to help students of all ages and experience advance to higher levels of performance.
Murata-Eisen, elated by the victory, said, “We have been diligently competing in this competition and coming in second or third place in the past years. There is no greater reward than getting that top spot when you have been trying so hard to beat the top players in the State. Winning a competition requires that the students play at their very best under extreme pressure. Both Nguyen and Anthony are to be commended for their drive to succeed and win. Although winning is not everything, it sure beats losing! I have won many competitions with students in the past, but this win was extra special with two incredible students! The girls will continue on, learning new pieces and hoping for the next victory.”
“All the contestants were wonderful,” Nguyen said. “It was a heart-beating moment to wait for the results. I was happily surprised to be selected and the additional Mozart award was the icing on my cupcake! I would like to inspire other children to learn about the beauty and eloquence of classical music—maybe even teach one day when I am older. Music brings me such peace and joy. I want to continue to share it, and hopefully bring more prizes to Maui.”
Anthony added, “I was so excited to win the competition! I started playing piano at age three and fell in love with it. I want to be a professional piano player and keep competing. You have to play from memory to compete, so it’s a real challenge. I have to practice a lot!”
Maui Economic Development Board wishes Ailis and Henley the best of luck as they continue to pursue their dreams and inspire others to achieve theirs.
Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President & CEO
Maui Matcha, the sleek, minimalist-style Kaanapali café in Whalers Village, opened one year ago by entrepreneur, professional nutrition expert and UH Manoa graduate Michelle Nayebkhil. Upon receiving her license as a nutrition educator from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) in Washington D.C., Nayebkhil was convinced that the right lifestyle can prevent and possibly cure certain diet-related illnesses such as obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure. To share this insight with the public, she launched the new café.
“The PCRM program was the foundation for Maui Matcha,” Nayebkhil said. “Food and drink are so important to a daily healthy lifestyle. The past few years have seen matcha rise through the ranks of the beverage hierarchy, particularly in the wellness industry. However, research has shown that matcha is far more than just a phase or trend. I wanted to do something health-centered, something that benefits the health of others and makes them feel good. Matcha provided a chance to do this, and to help grow a healthy Maui community.”
“The matcha green color comes from the pre-harvest shading techniques, a method nearly 1,000 years old that encourages higher concentrations of health-boosting compounds,” Nayebkhil explained. “Matcha requires a special type of preparation. It starts with the green tea leaves, but these are taken from plants that have been shade-grown. During shaded growth, tea plants produce more theanine and caffeine, which give matcha its distinctive intense taste and green color.”
At the recently held Maui Matcha one year anniversary event, Nayebkhil introduced a new line of matcha skincare products called MATCHA MCENTEA, by Maui resident Ashley McEntee. After being diagnosed with celiac and navigating a gluten-free lifestyle, McEntee realized her gluten reactions were also triggered topically through health and beauty products. “One morning, consuming my daily matcha latte, it dawned on me, why not use the vitamin-enriched properties of matcha by taking it to the next level and formulating equally beneficial products for the skin,” McEntee noted. “The company, founded in 2020 and built from the ground up, uses ceremonial-grade matcha tea powder, and is committed to taking a holistic approach to skincare.”
My vision is to get people to try matcha in all different varieties and flavors and to learn about its health benefits, both dietetically and topically.
Michelle Nayebkhil, Maui Matcha, founder and owner
Strengthening communities, one business at a time, is the mission of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Community Navigator Pilot Program. In 2021, the SBA awarded a grant to Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) to build business capacity in underserved and rural communities. The SBA grant is enabling MEDB and several of their Hawaiian and Maui-based community development organizations and partners to provide training and technical assistance to businesses and entrepreneurs. Working to build shared economic prosperity, MEDB is connecting businesses to a vast range of programs and services. They help business owners to reopen, to start, to grow, and to be economically resilient.
“We are offering weekly seminars, both online and in-person, on various business topics from ideas to completion,” said Gary Albitz, MEDB Business Director and Manager of the Navigator Program. MEDB is following the SBA’s hub-and-spoke model, allowing flexibility and better end-user services. In fact, MEDB is presently seeking more members of the community to become navigator trainers to help educate participants in the program. The navigator job helps reduce administrative barriers that underrepresented and underserved entrepreneurs often face in accessing the right programs to help start and run their businesses.
Key to the SBA Navigator Program is reaching out to small-business owners who have not yet received any assistance. MEDB’s online Women in Business Seminar Series is also part of the Navigator Program, which prioritizes small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, as well as women and veterans.
Maui resident and recipient of a Women Owned Business Certification (WOB) Galit Breman said, “MEDB has been instrumental in helping me achieve WOB certification. I received one-on-one guidance on how to apply and sustain my WOB certificate and status, which I had tried for years to achieve by myself. In addition, I was able to stay open and thrive during the Covid shutdown due to the Adaptability Grant that was also facilitated by MEDB. This allowed me to transform my website to an e-commerce shop online. Thank you so much MEDB for your important role on island for the financial success of small businesses!”
MEDB is helping participants get all their business requirements and business plans together. We invite community members to attend workshops or one-on-one meetings, in person or online.
Gary Albitz, MEDB Business Director, Manager, Community Navigator Pilot Program
Maui Waena Intermediate School, a Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) STEMworks™ (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) Program participant, won big in the largest student video competition in the nation. Thirty two Maui Waena students attended the 2023 Student Television Network (STN) convention in Long Beach, California over spring break. They competed against students from digital media programs around the nation, taking home 12 awards after participating in 11 on-site competitions and one pre-contest. Their weekly show, Falcon Features, was awarded an outstanding rank, coming in second among all entries.
“Maui Waena students always work very hard to prepare for STN, and always do well,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “They, along with their STEMworks teacher Jennifer Suzuki, deserve acknowledgement for their efforts and quality productions. Congratulations!”
STN was started in 1999 by a group of teachers who wanted to support and encourage scholastic broadcasting and to provide a forum for students to share ideas, ask questions, and learn from professionals in the industry. Over the past 20 years, STN has expanded to include film, multimedia and other forms of communication taught in grades 6-12 in middle and high schools across the nation.
Suzuki recalled, “For the past 12 years, MEDB has supported our after-school program and has helped to provide countless experiences and opportunities for our students. “This year’s STN convention was just the most recent. It also happened to be our most winning year yet! It was almost embarrassing when they kept calling our name, but the students put in hundreds of hours of practice and on Sunday, March 19, it all paid off. I think the most important thing that they learned was that if you put in the time and effort, it doesn’t matter if someone has better gear, telling the story is all that matters.”
Maui Waena student and news anchor Capriana Nozaki added, “The STN trip taught me how to be a good leader, how to communicate effectively, and how to stay organized. But above all, I got to connect and bond with people who work hard and share the same interest. I will never forget this experience!”
STN was a wonderful opportunity for the students. They had extra excursions and got to network with over 2,500 students. I’m so proud of them!
Jennifer Suzuki, Maui Waena, Media Teacher, Coordinator STEMworks AFTERschool Program
The annual Hawaii Energy Conference returns to the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, May 24 – 25. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the conference is presented by the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) and will feature a mix of keynote speakers, panel discussions, case studies and an exhibit venue.
Panels will explore:
Is getting to 100% Renewables still desirable, still doable, still worth the price?
How can we get clean energy projects permitted, interconnected, and operational in a reasonable period of time?
What is the next step in our efforts toward decarbonized energy, and what role does hydrogen play?
What are the energy related priorities of the Hawai’i Legislature and the Governor?
What is Energy Equity and how do we achieve it in the pursuit of state energy goals such as 100% renewables and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions
There is so much to talk about at the Hawaii Energy Conference, both the formal panel discussions and all the informal ‘talk story’ conversations that occur away from the stage and during the breaks.
Doug McLeod, DKK Energy Services, member HEC Program Committee
