The 12th Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) Women in Business Seminar Series webinar, Adaptive Capacity and What It Means for Your Business, was presented in partnership with the Women’s Business Enterprise Council (WBEC). Supported by the SBA Community Navigator Pilot Program, and the County of Maui, WBEC is one of the official WOSB Certifiers for SBA Women Owned Small Business certifications. Businesses can get certified as being a 51% owned and operated (Minority, Women Veteran) in order to qualify for special consideration in government and private contracts, and to participate in a sponsor company’s Supplier Diversity program.
Guest speaker Pamela Stambaugh, president and founder of Accountability Pays, Inc., talked about adaptive capacity and how to respond to the challenges and uncertainty brought about not only by the Maui wildfires of August 8th, but also ongoing turmoil in politics, industry and society.
An ICF certified executive coach who has practiced as a Behavioral Change Master for over 30 years, Stambaugh discussed the importance of accountability coaching and leadership effectiveness training to elevate performance on what matters the most. For clients, this has included raising operating results, upgrading team performance, and creating a culture of trust and open authentic communication. She has worked with global, small and midsized companies across many industries.
“Adaptive capacity is the ability to adapt quickly and appropriately, given different opinions and limited by blind spots and uncertainties,” Stambaugh said. “We can get trapped in our heads, stopped by circumstances, and bring less than our ideal selves to conversations. When it comes to managerial roles, this is important because a manager’s behavior has impacts. My presentation covered the delicate balance between internal and external forces, and choices made.”
The workplace is changing faster than ever, and so are the issues facing both employees and administrators. “The speed of change, responding to new and competitive forces, and keeping up with accelerated existing trends in remote work, in addition to employee upskilling and reskilling, increases the stress on businesses,” Stambaugh noted. “These demands are actually a continuum of leadership accountability and capability that must be balanced to lead in these challenging times.”
Adaptive capacity is one of the most important topics affecting Maui and our state since the August 8th wildfires. Pamela offered insightful messages to the participants on how to move forward.
Annette Lynch, MEDB Director of Communications
January’s namesake, Janus – Roman god of beginnings, had two faces that allowed him to look back into the past and forward into the future. With the New Year upon us, it is time to look back and reflect on a year dominated by heartache, tragedy and loss on Maui, and to look forward with optimism and hope to a brighter 2024 – looking forward to resolution with a different take on the typical new year’s resolution.
Resolution, according to Merriam Webster, can mean something decided upon, or firmness of purpose. It can also mean the act of solving and the solution to a problem. Who is not looking towards resolution of the challenges and problems faced in 2023 – a return of normalcy and prosperity, especially for those who suffered loss and dislocation on the island’s West Side and Upcountry; and a resolution of the unrest and divide existing in the nation and the world today. We can hope and we can resolve to do our part to work together to a happy new year.
Happy New Year is commonly expressed throughout the world literally wishing the new year to be happy. This is translated to “Hau‘oli Makahiki Hou” in Hawaiian, makahiki meaning year. The Makahiki season (around October through February) was celebrated in Hawaii for centuries as a peaceful time to enjoy harvest, feasts, religious ceremonies, and relaxation. The Mahahiki season also defined the transitional time between harvest and new planting —the new (agricultural) year.
The New Year brings a time to plant new metaphorical seeds. The seeds we sow today and in the coming months will determine what we reap in the future. Our actions, our thoughts, our behaviors are our seeds, and the fruits of our actions might not occur overnight but need to be nurtured and encouraged.
From our ‘ohana to yours, Maui Economic Development Board wishes you “Hau’oli Makahiki Hou.” May 2024 bring strength and renewal.
May 2024 bring strength and renewal. “Hau’oli Makahiki Hou.”
Christmas, celebrated in numerous ways all over the world, is a joyful time. While many people on Maui have endured grief and suffering caused by the devastation of the August 7 wildfires, the Christmas season brings hope and faith for a better future. Maui resident Cameron Keys is a firm believer that Santa and music can spread joy during the holiday season. For the past 25-years, Keys has been a popular and beloved Santa on Maui. Also, 25 years ago, he founded and currently directs the Maui Madrigals, a costumed a-capella singing group that performs throughout the island at different venues.
A madrigal is a Renaissance-style vocal music setting of poetry. Each voice sings a different melody and reflects the emotions in the lyrics. Madrigals also focus on telling a story, providing an engaging performance that Renaissance musicians and audiences love. “The individual singers must blend their parts with the other singers’ parts to complete the whole fabric of the music,” Keys explained. “This one-on-one unaccompanied singing is both fun and challenging. It is also a very intimate kind of performing, requiring subtle communication among the singers to establish tempo, dynamics, starting and stopping, and creating an emotional sense in the music.”
“When I decided to form Maui Madrigals, I had no idea the group would become so popular,” Keys noted. “People love Renaissance music! We dress up and look like Christmas packages. What’s most fun is that entertainment and audience participation are a vital part of each concert. When everyone leaves with a smile on their face, we know our work was well done.”
Likewise, Santa Keys loves Christmas. He has brought festive holiday cheer all through the years to both locals and visitors around the island. Plus, he has been Santa Paws at the Maui Humane Society. “Making people happy through music, or being Santa for people and pets, is what it’s all about,” he added. “There is nothing greater than seeing the children’s faces light up when they know they are talking to the real Santa.” (Is Keys the Real Santa? See him Saturday, December 23rd, at Maui Mall to find out!)
There is no better way to celebrate the holidays than giving joy. We can all make a difference! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Cameron Keys, Maui Madrigals founder & a Maui Santa
Maui Economic Development Board presented a Maui TechOhana event in November on the topic of Aerospace on Maui. Supported by the County of Maui, MEDB’s TechOhana provide an informal networking opportunity open to anyone interested in Maui County’s innovation and business industry. Events typically include a short presentation on a relevant topic in business or technology, followed by the opportunity to talk with others with similar professional interests.
At the meeting, the esteemed panel of five space industry leaders based in LĪPOA, formerly known as the Maui Research & Tech Park, talked story with over 30 guests who heard about the future of the aerospace industry on Maui. Daron Nishimoto, MEDB Business Development Director and EO Solutions moderated a panel that included Lisa Thompson, KBR; Dr. Channing Chow, Cloudstone Innovations; Dr. Shadi Naderi, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL); and Dr. Bogdan Udrea, VisSidus Technologies, Inc.; who all shared their vision, their technical ideas, and the career opportunities for Maui residents within the industry.
Nishimoto began the lively and engaging discussion with an introduction explaining how much we rely on space systems for our everyday needs such as phones, banking, internet, and navigation. “As an example, during the Maui fires I was able to get Starlink terminals into the Lahaina community to give people internet service,” Nishimoto shared. “Those affected were thankful to be able to get messages out to family and friends.”
“This panel of experts represented a good sample of tech innovation in a growing industry on Maui,” said Annette Lynch, MEDB Director of Communications who led the coordination of the event. “In addition to sharing their space projects they talked story about their career pathway and the benefits to being able to pursue their chosen field living on Maui.”
Nishimoto added, “Aerospace depends on many kinds of expertise that helps to diversify the economy offering pathways relative to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM.)”
Naderi also explained her STEM outreach projects for K-12 students. “I love to work with children. In collaboration with MEDB, AFRL takes a mobile planetarium and a thermal infrared camera to the classrooms. The students really love these activities.”
The Aerospace industry is growing on Maui with a host of companies and programs engaged in advanced research and development. For more information, visit: www.mauitechohana.com.
Daron Nishimoto, MEDB Business Development Director & EO Solutions
Viewpoints Art Gallery in Makawao, one of the finest art galleries in the state, is also driven by a keen sense of community. Gallery Director Oliver Perez and Art Director Joelle Perez provide a space and a nurturing spirit that celebrates the rich culture of Hawaii. As part of an on-going program started by Joelle and sponsored by Viewpoints, called the ‘Reaching Out Project’, her most recent idea was to work with children’s designs to create a mural. The question became, how to bring this idea to fruition.
“I reached out to my friend Mary Anna Grimes, the Maui educator for Papahana Kuaola, an aloha-`aina-based education organization connecting Hawaii’s past with a sustainable future,” Joelle explained. “She and I reached out to Waihe`e School’s principal, Paula Inouye, the 4th grade teachers and students to share information about wetlands, watersheds, and the formation of the Hawaiian Islands. Because of its location, much emphasis was placed on the Waihe`e Ahupua`a, which was the perfect soil for our idea to grow. We wanted the children to focus on the ahupua`a system from the mountain to the sea, and practice the concepts of sustainability and self-sufficiency.”
Grimes noted, “Joelle envisioned the children’s artistic spontaneity by enlarging their smaller drawing of their understanding of each section of the ahupua`a system—uka, kula, kai. I gave a Papahana Kuaola presentation on the ahupua`a system to the entire 4th grade, and Joelle gave introductory painting lessons. Teachers continued to highlight main concepts of self-sufficiency throughout the year, and the students created drawings in the spring semester of a certain element of their choice.”
Joelle and Grimes agreed that the project has been an amazing experience that the students thoroughly enjoyed and learned from. “We were able to use the eighty-eight student drawings to prepare twenty 18×24-inch wood panels that will result in a comprehensive mural depicting a Hawaiian ahupua`a,” Joelle said. “These completed panels will be displayed on a lobby wall in the new administration building presently being constructed at Waihe`e School, as a testament to the students’ inspiration and collaboration.”
We would like to thank Viewpoints Art Gallery for sponsoring projects that provide a space and a nurturing spirit that celebrates the rich culture of Hawaii.
Joelle Perez, Viewpoints Art Director, Mary Anna Grimes, Papahana Kuaola Educator
