Oct 15, 2014 | Community, Environment, Sustainability
Maui County students in kindergarten through 12th grade are invited to submit art designs to beautify the island’s JUMPSmartMaui Fast-Charger stations. “This is a chance for Maui’s talented students to shine and jump-start their creative juices by coming up with some original designs for our island’s JUMPSmart electric vehicle charging stations,” said Jeanne Skog, President and Chief Executive Officer of Maui Economic Development Board.
MEDB and Hitachi are sponsoring the student art contest. Judges will look for entries with an original design that positively represents Maui’s community, the environment and clean energy. The EV chargers are an important component of the JUMPSmartMaui demonstration project, which seeks to incorporate renewable energy, smart grid technologies and electric vehicle solutions to achieve a clean future for Maui County. NEDO, Japan’s largest public research and development management organization, is investing $30 million in the project.
The winner’s artwork will be displayed on existing and upcoming JUMPSmartMaui fast charger stations on Maui Island. An example of winning artwork already installed can be found at the Queen Kaahumanu Center station. Currently, stations are located at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel, Maui Tropical Plantation, Maalaea Triangle (Maui Ocean Center) and Piilani Village Shopping Center. New locations will be at the Pukalani Shopping Center and Long’s in Kulamalu Pukalani. More than a dozen other stations are being planned. Artwork can be created in digital media or using crayon, color pencil and/or paints. Only 2-dimensional art will be accepted. For art contest rules and guidelines, go to www.medb.org Deadline for submissions is 4:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 31. Application forms are available at the JUMPSmartMaui Innovation Center at the Queen Kaahumanu Center or MEDB at 1305 North Holopono Street, Suite 1, in the Maui Research & Technology Park in Kihei. For more information, contact Lalaine Pasion at MEDB: lalaine@medb.org, (808) 875-2341.
Oct 1, 2014 | Community, Events
Focus Maui Nui returns to the Maui Fair to begin a community conversation about energy. Maui residents know first-hand how fast the energy landscape changes, and how complicated it is. We hope that a community conversation about energy will capture Maui’s core values and priorities, while providing valuable insights for decision-makers in the months to come.
We will be at the Fair distributing a short survey and an “Energy IQ” Quiz for all who visit the booth. Don’t miss it: You may be surprised by what you learn!
We will be at the usual place in front of the War Memorial Gym. Complete our survey and receive a gift as our thanks!
Sep 10, 2014 | Community, Sustainability
After planting trees in every state across the country, Joe Imhoff and Sara Tekula returned to their roots on Maui, giving life to a newborn son, and their fledgling nonprofit, Plant a Wish. The husband-and-wife team was first featured in Focus Maui Nui three years ago in the midst of a tree-planting mission. They identified tree caretakers in each of the states and helped to spearhead the planting of more than 1,000 native trees at dozens of community tree planting events.
Their plan to create a documentary about the tree-planting venture is still in post-production, in part because they had to turn their attention to the birth of a son, Henry Koa, in October 2012. In his first year of life, Henry accompanied his dad, Joe, in planting a tree on every day in 2013, mostly on Maui but in other places as well. “Even when we were on vacation and then attending a family wedding on the Mainland, Joe made certain they planted a tree somewhere every day,” Tekula said.
Today, Plant a Wish is taking root on Maui where Tekula and Imhoff have partnered in a variety of events and with other nonprofits to bring awareness to land stewardship, tree planting and restoration of native habitat. Plant a Wish is also teamed up with Tri-Isle Resource Conservation and Development, which serves as its fiscal sponsor. Tekula said much of her time is spent in tree dedications, an opportunity that residents take to plant trees in celebration of special events and/or people in their lives. Plant a Wish is also busy during the holiday season when Tekula and Imhoff sell native Christmas trees as a fundraiser and a chance to educate more people about tree planting. “We’re really glad we’re here on Maui and that our mission of tree restoration can keep going.” For more information, go to: plantawish.org
Aug 27, 2014 | Community, Innovation
At Bump Networks, founder Arben Kryeziu says his staff operates on the premise that work is not all about them. “All my team members are non-ego centric,” he said as he explained why the business has been sustainable for almost 10 years now. “To me it’s about the execution and for us, it’s an art form. We are not your cookie cutter business. We start with focusing on our client’s services and how we can build it up,” he said.
A software and technology solutions company, Bump Networks’ clients include the Maui Food Bank, Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, the Pacific Disaster Center and Maui Gold pineapple. Bump Networks is just one of several entrepreneurial ventures Kryeziu is engaged with today. Last year, he co-founded mbloom, a business incubator and technology fund. The 37-year-old lives in Kula with his wife, Crystal, and their five-year-old daughter. According to his posted resume at Pegasus Capital where he serves as an operating partner, Kryeziu’s entrepreneurial success “has always hinged on clearly identifying company goals, strategizing resources, and maintaining profitable business models.” He said he and his team follow online trends, analyze successful businesses, and then actively pursue them. He uses “word of mouth” to obtain clients. “To me, it’s a very exciting time to be an entrepreneur,” Kryeziu said. “I especially like working with ‘techies’ to create and ignite something.”
Outside of his business, Kryeziu coordinated in May Maui’s first Startup Weekend, an international movement aimed at inspiring and empowering individuals, teams and communities. About 52 developers, marketers, product managers, technical and technology experts and entrepreneurs – mostly from Maui – participated. Jeanne Skog, Maui Economic Development Board President and CEO, served as one of six coaches for the Startup Weekend participants. MEDB Vice Chairman Ned Davis, founder of fledgling business called Maui Water Solutions, said he benefited as a participant and was grateful for networking with other entrepreneurs. Kryeziu plans to hold another Startup Weekend later this fall on Maui. “Our island and our community are growing. We have the talent here, we just have to come together,” he said.
Jun 25, 2014 | Community, Environment, Sustainability
A new brewery is nearing completion in Kihei. Owned and operated by husband and wife, Garrett and Melanie Marrero, Maui Brewing Co.’s newest venture represents a response to their business’ growing demand. The Marreros founded their company almost 10 years ago and today operate a seven-barrel brewpub in Kahana and a 25-barrel production brewery and canning facility in Lahaina. Come this fall, Maui Brewing Co. will close its Lahaina brewery and open a new 42,000-square-foot facility in Kihei on 5.3 acres in the Maui Research & Technology Park, right next to Maui Economic Development Board’s offices.
“Our business is very multi-faceted,” Garrett Marrero said. “What we have shown and demonstrated is that you can be a successful manufacturing business in Hawaii,” Marrero said. The company’s BrewPub in Lahaina will remain open and together with the new brewery in Kihei, Maui Brewing Co.’s staff will grow from 59 employees today to approximately 140 when the brewery and a new Kihei brewpub opens. “When you manufacture a product truly local, our entire community succeeds,” he said. Aside from the brewery, the Kihei location will also house a distillery, a tasting room and eventually a BrewPub. “People want to support local. They want to support something that’s authentic to the islands,” Morrero said as he explained Maui Brewing Co.’s success. Maui Brewing Co. beers are sold in 11 states and four countries.
Maui Brewing Co. describes itself as a “truly Hawaiian brewery.” The company has been recognized as Hawaii’s No. 1 craft beer producer since 2005. Beers are packaged in eco-friendly materials with cans manufactured on Oahu and designed by local Maui artists. The cans, according to Maui Brewing Co., have the added bonus of better protecting the beer from both light and oxygen damage which can compromise the taste. A unique, recyclable plastic carrying device is used to hold the cans. The spent grain from beer production is donated to local ranchers for cattle feed and composting.
Apr 16, 2014 | Community, Sustainability
Haiku resident John Cadman’s career as a hotel sous chef, a school cafeteria manager and now the owner of a locally sourced food business has always focused on healthy alternatives. “I just felt like it was my destiny,” Cadman said, referring to his newest venture as the owner and sole operator of the Maui Breadfruit Company and Pono Pies. Cadman earned first place at the 2014 Hawaii Food Products Recipe Contest for his Maui ‘Ulu Hummus during the Maui County Ag Festival.
After working for 18 years in cafeterias at Haiku Elementary, King Kekaulike High School and Kamehameha Schools Maui, Cadman found himself studying, cooking and eventually promoting the use of breadfruit in daily living. “There was like this huge hole, vacuum, with breadfruit. I was so inspired, I decided to go with it,” he said. He launched Pono Pies, gluten-free, dairy-free desserts served up at local restaurants and sold at retail outlets. The pies made their debut at Whole Foods Market in Kahului just this month. The Maui ‘Ulu Hummus features breadfruit, macadamia nuts and lemon juice as its primary ingredients. Cadman says 90 percent of the hummus comes from local island sources. “Localized food sources make a lot of sense, and it allows us to be healthy,” he said.
“I think people are eating with a conscience,” Cadman said, noting a national shift away from processed foods and items with high sugar and high fat content. “We’re all more conscious now of the leading causes of obesity, diabetes and cancer and most of them are causes by lifestyle choices, especially diet,” he said. As the winner of the Hawaii Food Products Recipe Contest, Cadman will receive assistance from Maui Food Technology Center consultants with nutritional labels or food science services. “I’ll take all the help I can get,” Cadman said.
The Maui Food Technology Center is an organization dedicated to growing Hawaii’s food industry and connecting students, food producers and farmers through the practice of food science. The Maui Economic Development Board is a founding member of the Maui Food Technology Center, and MEDB President and CEO Jeanne Skog serves on its board of directors.
“Eating consciously entails eating food that’s healthier for the body, the environment and for the planet.” — John Cadman, Owner and operator of the Maui Breadfruit Company, Winner of the 2014 Hawaii Food Products Recipe Contest
Mar 19, 2014 | Community
For more than four decades now, Maui Memorial Medical Center Auxiliary members have poured time and energy into supporting the hospital’s mission to provide high quality medical services. The 62 active volunteers, according to President Amy Hanlon, give approximately 10,000 hours of service in 14 hospital departments on a yearly basis. Their work has included supporting patient care, operating a gift shop on the hospital grounds and organizing fundraisers that have contributed over the years more than $2 million in scholarships, hospital equipment and training.
Hanlon has been a volunteer since April 1989 after her husband, the late Dr. Marion Hanlon, suggested she give it a try. “I wanted to work wherever it makes a difference,” she said. She started off with supporting the billing department and today helps sort the mail on a regular basis. “I really enjoy it,” she said. The auxiliary is made of retirees, many of them former teachers, nurses, hotel workers and hospital employees. “I think we have a wonderful fellowship with all our volunteers, and the administration at the hospital is awesome with support and cooperation,” Hanlon said. The auxiliary, organized formally in 1968 by a group of 10 women, has partnered with the Maui Memorial Medical Center Foundation in some of its gifts to the hospital. Hanlon said she works with the administration before purchasing any items. The most recent gift – 50 bedside tables valued at about $30,000 – came about when the auxiliary learned the hospital was purchasing new beds.
“Our auxiliary does an incredible job of providing support wherever it’s needed within the hospital,” Chief Executive Officer Wesley Lo said. Lo, who serves as the chairman of the Maui Economic Development Board, said the volunteers are essential to the hospital’s operations. “They devote themselves to their work and are committed to helping us to fulfill our mission. … It’s also a meaningful way for people to give back to their community while helping others.”
Jan 15, 2014 | Community
Lanai High School sophomore Jayde Fernandez got a taste of a career in law enforcement recently during a tour of the Wailuku Police Station through an event organized by the Maui Economic Development Board’s Youth Alliance. “I learned what it takes to become an officer and what the career entails,” she said. “I also learned what the different departments are and what they do.” The experience has led her to consider a career in police work, specifically forensic science. “The trip to the Maui Police Department made me realize that even though it will be hard work to be a forensic scientist, it will be worth it. I got to see what goes on and now I know for sure that forensics is the career I want to pursue.”
Maui police officer Edith Quintero said it was an honor to give the students a behind-the-scenes look at law enforcement. “This gave MPD an opportunity to share the different aspects and duties within the department,” she said. The tour featured discussions about the challenges of law enforcement on Maui versus those on Molokai and Lanai. The students also discussed Maui’s crime rate, common crimes on the island, vice matters and sexual assault.
Fernandez, 15, said she was impressed with the Maui Police Department’s commitment to the community. “I feel that police in Maui County truly care about the community and do everything they can to keep it safe,” she said. “I admire them for putting their lives on the line to protect ours and think it’s really cool that they are able to tackle different situations and solve them.” Youth Alliance members attend monthly events during the school year to explore and gain a greater understanding of key components in the Maui community. Their gatherings are coordinated by MEDB.
Jan 8, 2014 | Community, Education
The new year is an opportune time to embrace the potential for shining a light on our community, a business, a nonprofit or individuals who showcase the values of Focus Maui Nui. Our Maui community is a model of innovation, always striving for sustainable island living with the resources available in the middle of the Pacific. These have helped make Maui an incubator for new energy technology and exploration. Focus Maui Nui strengthens our community by featuring the efforts of individuals and groups who strive to foster and respect the spirit of aloha in everything they say and do. We look forward to 2014 by returning to the Focus Maui Nui vision statement devised a decade ago:
Maui Nui will be an innovative model of sustainable island living and a place where every child can grow to reach his or her potential.
The needs of each individual, the needs of our natural and cultural assets, and the needs of the whole community will be brought into balance to reflect the extremely high value we place on both the land and its people.
The education and well-being of young people will be fostered to ensure that those born on these islands can, if they choose, spend their whole lives here – raising children, owning homes, enjoying rewarding jobs, and taking advantage of opportunities to contribute to this community and to be good stewards of our local treasures.
Maui Nui will be a leader in the creation of responsible, self-sufficient communities and environmentally sound economic development.
That which makes Maui Nui unique in the world will be preserved, celebrated, and protected for generations to come.
We invite you to visit us at www.FocusMauiNui.com; call 875-2300, check us out on Facebook or sign up for a RSS feed. We value your input, and we thank you for all you do to make Maui Nui, no ka oi and unique in all the world.
