Nov 2, 2016 | Community, Events
Jen Fordyce, “Head Pickle Lady” of Waikapu Pickles, is on the right.
The 2016 Annual Made In Maui County Festival (MIMCF) on Friday and Saturday, November 4th and 5th, at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului, will be one of the Festival’s largest shows to date. Now in its third year, the event showcases hundreds of made-in-Maui County products while helping to grow the islands’ small businesses. Over 140 vendors will offer a wide variety of foods, produce, arts, crafts, jewelry, fashions, gifts, and collectibles. On the 5th, 11 of Maui’s popular food trucks will be featured in the festival’s Food Court, offering a myriad of island-inspired menu items.
The Festival will be the first major show for many businesses that Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) Innovation Series has fostered. “It is incredibly rewarding for us at MEDB to see all the workshops, bootcamps, and Startup Weekends actually paying off,” said Gerry Smith, MEDB Director of Business Development. “I can point to many businesses right now in the MIMCF that launched at a MEDB Startup Weekend. This festival is a vital tool to help them grow their businesses.”
“Jen Fordyce from Waikapu Pickles, one of MEDB’s Innovation Series winners, will be joining the event for the first time,” Smith added. “It’s been great working with her and watching her grow over the last two years.”
“I knew nothing about getting a business off the ground,” said Fordyce. “MEDB hosted a Maui Startup Weekend, which is how my business came to exist in the first place. After the business got up and running, I returned to MEDB for various workshops on finance and accounting for small businesses. Now with a strong foundation for business success, I’m back to the important part, making local pickles for local people. Also, I’m getting out into the community to share samples of pickles and talk about the need to grow our own food and create a more sustainable and independent Maui.”
MEDB’s Innovations Series workshops helped my business go from idea to completion.
Jen Fordyce, Waikapu Pickles Head Pickle Lady
Oct 26, 2016 | Events, Small Business
Pua Canto, past MNHCoC president, and current president Teri Freitas Gorman
“Navigating Our Future Through Business” was this year’s theme at the 10th Annual Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce (MNHCoC) Business Fest. The MNHCoC created the Annual Business Fest in 2006 as a forum to highlight its mission “to promote and sustain Hawaiian values and culture, and enhance the socio-economic status of native Hawaiians in business and as individuals.” Featured speakers, as well as panels, with different business perspectives discussed the socio-economic status of Native Hawaiians in business and education.
“With the impending closure of HC&S, Maui’s economy is in between what it has been and what it will become,” said MNHCoC President Teri Freitas Gorman. “While tourism continues to drive our economy, we also acknowledge that our fragile island cannot survive unlimited growth. Nearly 30 percent of Maui’s residents have Native Hawaiian ancestry, so it’s important for the generations to work together toward a future that is in alignment with our cultural values.”
“Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) is a proud supporter of the MNHCoC’s 10th Anniversary Hui Holomua Business Fest,” said Gerry Smith, MEDB Director of Business Development. “It is a fantastic opportunity to network with a wide variety of stakeholders in our business community, learn skills from successful local entrepreneurs and explore issues that are vital to our future economic prosperity.”
Besides sessions, Business Fest attendees visited the Exhibit area featuring displays by MNHCoC members who work in health and wellness, community and social services, food and beverage, as well as cultural practitioners, business consultants, designers, artists, and more.
As part of the MNHCoC’s commitment to the next generation of business leaders, 50 students from Kamehameha School Maui received scholarships to attend the event. “This was a great way for me and my peers to connect with the business world,” said Jasmine Koko Casey, Kamehameha Schools Maui 12th grader. I was inspired to see that our Hawaiian culture and values are an important part of Maui County’s future.”
To celebrate our 10th anniversary, MNHCoC honored its past presidents – Boyd Mossman, Howard Kihune, Jimmy Haynes, Chubby Vicens, Kai Pelayo and Doreen Pua Canto – during an extraordinary dawn protocol on Wailea Beach.
Teri Freitas Gorman, MNHCoC President
Oct 19, 2016 | Education, Innovation
Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) Women in Technology (WIT) Project presented a two-day STEMworks™ Professional Development (PD) Workshop. STEMworks™ is a multi-faceted, hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) program. In this approach to learning, students get to use the most current, high-end technologies in actual community-service learning projects. Facilitators in the STEMworks™ Afterschool program attended the workshop from across the state, representing 27 elementary, middle and high schools.
“We revealed our new THINKit Kits that each STEMworks™ lab will have,” said Melinda White, MEDB WIT Project Manager. “The THINKit kits are designed to nurture creativity and build excitement and competency in the classroom. The contents will help students access STEMworks™ tools such as CAD software, Adobe products, coding languages and more.”
“With new technologies, ingenuity and higher expectations, we are living today in the most dynamic era in learning and education,” White said. “We hope that THINKit will create opportunities to unlock passions, talents, and strengths for students, now and in the future.”
“The STEMworks™ Teacher PD workshop gave me a new perspective on teaching,” said Peter Hansen, computer resource teacher for grades K-5 at Kamali’i Elementary School. “WIT and MEDB have always been so generous in securing the resources that I need as a teacher to implement new lessons. It is fantastic that they have assembled a set of items into a THINKit kit that will be given to each STEMworks™ school. I can only imagine the possibilities now that my students will have access to drones, robots, virtual reality viewers and much more.”
WIT brought trainers and speakers, including a special virtual visit from Pixar chief scientist Tony DeRose, to help the educators work with the tools in their THINKit kits. “Events like this are so valuable for teachers and by extension their students,” Hansen added. “It was great to talk with one another and to brainstorm how we intend to use the STEMworks™ curriculum and resources in our schools to help shape new inventive and entrepreneurial thinking.”
THINKit provides educators with a continuum of tools that advance critical thinking and skill from kindergarten to college to career!
Melinda White, MEDB WIT Project Manager
Oct 5, 2016 | Education, Small Business
Two workshops coming up this month will be invaluable to anyone thinking of starting a business on Lāna‘i: An evening “pitch bootcamp” next week, and a weekend workshop October 21-23. Both are free and include meals. Details and registration info below.
Maka Hou Lāna‘i
Maka Hou Lāna‘i Business Workshop: Starting a business from concept to creation
Make a fresh start by learning how to create a new business from the ground up in just one weekend. At Maka Hou Lāna‘i you will experience the spills and thrills, the disappointments and satisfactions of building a business from scratch. But you won’t be alone. Mentors, experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and other participants will be there to give you the confidence you need to power through this action-packed weekend.
PRIZE PACKAGE FOR THE WINNING PITCH!
October 21-23, 2016 at the Lāna‘i Senior Center. 5:00PM Friday-2:00PM Sunday. There is no charge for this workshop, but reservations are required. Meals are included!
Pitch Bootcamp Lāna‘i
Prepare. Warm up. Practice for Maka Hou Lāna‘i!
Learn to effectively promote yourself and your business idea to others comfortably and with confidence – anytime, anywhere. This Pitch Bootcamp is specifically designed to give you the knowledge and practice you need to craft and deliver your BIG IDEA in 60 seconds or less.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016 5:00PM-8:00PM at the Lāna‘i Senior Center. This workshop is FREE, but reservations are required. Dinner is included!
Register now
To register online, visit www.medb.org/MAKA-HOU-LANAI
For more information, contact Annette at info@hightechmaui.com or (808)270-6811.
Sep 28, 2016 | Community
On October 8-9, over 200 cancer survivors and supporters will paddle six-person outrigger canoes across the ‘Au‘au Channel from Lahaina to Lanai. The Pacific Cancer Foundation’s (PCF) 8th Annual Paddle for Life fundraiser, a 34-mile round trip journey to raise funds for Maui’s cancer community, is not a race; it’s a voyage. “The PCF says there is truly a remarkable parallel between an ocean paddling voyage and the journey experienced by cancer patients and survivors,” said Pina Wallace, mammographer at Maui Diagnostic Imaging in Kihei. “Both involve tremendous physical, mental and emotional strength. Both require patience and perseverance. And, ultimately, it takes a team to make the journey successful.”
This summer marks 17 years that Wallace is a mammographer. On August 19th, 2015 she was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. “I have had 12 normal mammograms,” said Wallace. “However, my breast tissue was noted on the reports as being extremely dense. Basically my cancer was hidden in the dense breast tissue and was not detected early. Had I had a routine ultrasound for dense breast, it would have been caught at an earlier stage.” Wallace suggests that women need to be familiar with normal lumps and bumps of breast tissue even after a successful mammogram and then discuss it with their doctor.
This year has been surreal for Wallace. She has experienced aggressive chemo therapy, a modified left breast mastectomy, and radiation treatment through her cancer journey. “With Breast Cancer Awareness Month approaching I wanted to take part in the 8th annual Paddle for Life fundraiser,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for me to give back to the county of Maui which has embraced me with the true spirit of aloha.” Excited about the Lanai voyage, Wallace knows it will be very spiritual and healing. “I just finished my last treatment on September 2. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with my teammates on this two-day voyage.” A fundraiser link for Wallace and other participants is http://paddleforlife2016.myevent.com. For more info visit www.pacificcancerfoundation.org.
Many of the paddlers are cancer survivors. Several have had double mastectomies and others are undergoing treatments for other cancers. Mahalo to everyone who supports our voyage and cause.
Pina Wallace, Mammographer, Maui Diagnostic Imaging, Kihei
