In a recent Maui TechOhana meeting, organized by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) and supported by the County of Maui, Maui native Nick Ponte, founder of Myna Marketing, presented “How to Get Your Business Found on Google.” Ponte, an expert in digital advertising and marketing for local businesses, discussed practical, easy-to-implement strategies with the 43 in-person and 27 online attendees.
In his power-packed session, Ponte, recognized by Pacific Business News as running Hawai’i’s second fastest-growing business in 2024, broke down simple, effective approaches to help attendees rank higher on Google search results and attract more customers. He explained that if a business isn’t showing up on Google‘s first page, it’s losing potential customers to competitors.
“At Myna Marketing, we provide exceptional digital marketing services,” Ponte said. “We have helped over 500 local businesses grow their online presence and grow their revenue. It’s important to know whether SEO (search engine optimization) or Google Ads is the right fit for a business and how to optimize a website for local search and customer engagement. Simply put, it’s important to discover what is the right fit for each business to be relevant.”
Ponte explained the fast-paced demands of competitive markets. Using some of his local clients as examples, he showed the biggest SEO mistakes business owners make and how to fix them, even for business owners who are not tech experts. In addition, he shared steps needed to boost online presence, such as how to optimize a website for local search, how to backlink, the importance of reviews, and customer engagement with Google My Business.
“The internet has become the go-to method for individuals to get their information,” he noted. “Every day more users are utilizing search engines like Google, which is why more online presence is needed to succeed. Clientele need to locate your business quickly and easily.”
Attendee Tara Lee from Tara Lee Photography shared, “I’m presently doing a complete rebrand of my business, so it was great to learn about SEO, Google Ads, and much more. It was a great learning experience.”
Sherri McCollum from Maui Mermade Jewelry added, “I’ve been stuck with my website and Google placement. Nick explained everything in simple terms and now I understand what to do. If I need more help I’m going to hire him. Thanks, MEDB, for such an informative talk.”
For information about future Maui TechOhana events, which are free and open to the public, visit https://www.medb.org/techohana/ to sign up for the Maui TechOhana mailing list.
I have a passion for helping businesses thrive in the digital world and succeed in competitive markets.
Nick Ponte, Owner, Myna Marketing
Founded in 2019 in Wailuku, Jamie Anderson’s Friends & Faire (F&F) is an in-studio space where people can gather to create, learn, and share their craft. In 2023, F&F also began focusing on mobile workshops, bringing creative experiences to private parties, team building events, and pop-up locations. Now, F&F is settling into their new home on Market Street in Wailuku, where they’ll continue to cultivate a community of creativity.
“Creativity, entrepreneurship, and teaching run in my family on both sides,” Anderson explained. “Together, my mom and dad, Arsie and Bruce, have made F&F possible by fueling my own creativity. I started making gifts, clothing, and jewelry at a young age with my artsy mom and helped her sell at numerous craft fairs. That led to eventually selling my own creations. Occasionally, mom teaches a workshop or two and is the best helper for big workshops. My retired school-principal dad has his hand on every wood piece that is used for workshops, from sourcing the wood to cutting and sanding every piece.”
As a part-time middle school art teacher, Anderson has gained much experience as an instructor with community connections. She loves crafting and making memories with everyone who signs up for a workshop. “I love creating something cool with my clients,” she noted. “F&F presents classes for adults and keiki, which include ceramics, wood burning, stenciled wood signs, block print, mixed media, lei-making, and numerous other craft-related items. We love hosting birthday parties, girls’ night out, bridal/baby showers, bachelorette parties, staff holiday parties, or team-building activities with community members. We can create a craft experience that caters to any group, no matter the size.”
Anderson’s vision is to have a community of crafters and artists in her new space, both making and selling crafts. “We can plan something in our Wailuku space or a location of choice,” she added. “Let’s plan a creative gathering! F&F is the right place for those who like to make all kinds of things.” Upcoming workshops include a Keiki Craft Camp on May 26 and Upcycle Crafts workshops every Saturday from 10am-12pm.
Workshops are led by talented Maui artists, crafters, and teachers. Whether in our new space or a private home, workplace, or event venue, we welcome all fellow makers!
Jamie Anderson, Founder and Owner, Friends & Faire
Maui’s youth are taking center stage at this year’s Maui Matsuri Children’s Festival. The free multicultural events will take place on Saturday, May 10, at Queen Kaʻahumanu Center, and this year’s event will feature Maui Economic Development Board’s STEMworks AFTERschool program with students and teachers from across Maui County. The students will showcase a variety of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) projects through hands-on activities that honor both Hawaiian culture and STEM innovation.
Each STEMworks AFTERschool site will host a table featuring interactive displays and student-led presentations. Participating schools and activities will include:
Iao Intermediate: honoring Mother’s Day through a hula performance and tribute to Queen Liliʻuokalani and presenting projects in coding, entrepreneurship, and healthcare
Kalama Intermediate: hosting a special hula performance as well as robotics, art, 3D printing showcase, and optical illusion photo and video activities
Lokelani Intermediate: providing beaded bracelet activities and a showcase of digital art, interactive student video games, and 3D printed designs
Maui Waena: highlighting media and entrepreneurship student projects
Molokai Middle: showcasing native Hawaiian plants and agriculture, robotics
Pukalani Elementary: providing introductory STEM activities and robotics demonstrations
This community event is a chance to support local students and see the impact of the STEMworks AFTERschool program. Families, educators, and community members are all invited to enjoy the day, celebrate keiki, and be inspired by local STEM students’ talent and dedication to learning.
The festival will start at 10am, with other performances and activities including a Chinese lion dance, a cultural parade, a Bayanihan folk dance, and a wide variety of craft tables run by local organizations. For more information about the Maui Matsuri Children’s Festival, including the event schedule, visit https://mauimatsuri.com/. To learn more about the STEMworks AFTERschool program, visit https://www.stemworkshawaii.org/afterschool.
Community members are also invited to mark their calendars for the Maui Matsuri Japanese Festival, which will take place on Saturday, May 24 from 3pm to 9pm at UH Maui College.
As local, national and international communities navigate a changing energy landscape, the 12th annual Hawaii Energy Conference brings industry leaders together to offer solutions addressing the most pressing energy challenges of today.
Featuring ten dynamic panels and one Deep Dive session over two days, the program will cover topics ranging from utility-scale renewable energy deployment to community-based initiatives, and the economics and advancements of grid independence. Discussions will also tackle energy efficiency, sustainable financing strategies, alternative energy sources, job creation, training, and more.
Complementing the main stage discussions, the new Deep Dive session provides an intimate setting for up to 40 participants to engage directly with experts and explore complex issues like time-of-use rates.
The Hawaii Energy Conference offers networking and exhibiting opportunities to connect with key stakeholders, industry experts, innovators, policymakers and more. Join us on Maui to gain insights, share ideas, and collaborate on actionable solutions to building a sustainable future for Hawaii and beyond.
We are honored to have Governor Green join us as the keynote speaker at this year’s Hawaii Energy Conference.
Jacqui Hoover, Conference Chair and Executive Director and COO Hawaii Island Economic Development Board (HIEDB); and President Hawaii Leeward Planning
For the 20th Annual Invitational Art Exhibit, “Celebration of Hawaiʻi 2025,” at Viewpoints Gallery in Makawao, painter Suzy Papanikolas highlights the life of master carver and Native Hawaiian historian Sam Kaʻai in her artwork. “Kaʻai is someone I greatly admire,” said Papanikolas. “He truly believed navigation was done and could still be done by the stars and that the Hōkūleʻa voyage would serve as a cultural revitalization of Hawaiians and other Polynesians.”
Born in Hāna and brought up in Kaupō, Kaʻai’s family grew their own food and made many items by hand using traditional Hawaiian techniques and tools. Sam Low, author of Hawaiki Rising: Hōkūleʻa, Nainoa Thompson, and the Hawaiian Renaissance, explains, “Sam’s father and grandfather made canoes. Sam continued in this tradition, although as a carver of fine sculpture. He used adzes, files and drills that came down to him from his ancestors. They were fashioned a century or two ago.”
As a carver, Kaʻai became involved in the now world-renowned Hōkūleʻa project led by Herb Kāne. “In 1973, Kaʻai went to Maui Community College to listen to Herb’s talk…later, a letter arrived from Herb: ‘If you come from a canoe family, please dream and make your own design for the kiʻi,’” writes Low. “Sam carved two kiʻi — a man and a woman. The female figure would be lashed to the port manu, the male kiʻi to the starboard. When Sam carved the male figure he fashioned his hands reaching up to the heavens in supplication.”
In the years that followed, Kaʻai grew to be a highly respected Hawaiian artisan, cultural expert, and community leader. He sailed as a crew member aboard the Hōkūleʻa in 1978, 1980, and 1985 and planned the 1991 celebration of unification at Puʻukoholā Heiau, a national historic site on the Big Island. Recognized as a Living Treasure of the Hawaiian People by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in 2017, Kaʻai continues his work as an historian to preserve rare Hawaiian artifacts. Tragically, many of these priceless cultural treasures and documents were lost when the Nā ‘Aikāne o Maui Cultural Center was destroyed during the 2023 Lahaina wildfire.
Papanikolas’s painting celebrates Kaʻai’s ongoing legacy, featuring the kiʻi that Kaʻai carved for the Hōkūleʻa over 50 years ago. An online gallery of her work can be found on her website, https://www.papanik.com/. The Viewpoints Gallery’s “Celebration of Hawaiʻi 2025” exhibit in Makawao, featuring over 40 artists, is open until the end of April.
My painting is a tribute to the ancestors and the revival of a whole culture, of which Kaʻai is a representative.
Suzy Papanikolas, Artist
A recent Maui TechOhana event featured Maui-based Google software architect, Stefan Kuhne, who spoke about “Finding Opportunity for Success” to over 40 attendees. Working in the computer industry since 1986, Kuhne shared his long career in tech, including the last 18 years at Google. He has given keynote presentations at events such as Google I/O with more than 10,000 viewers and has been a tech pioneer, starting his own company for fun and, as a new entrepreneur, selling over 200,000 original computer games.
Kuhne had many tips to share with the audience based on his experiences. He is currently the holder of about 20 patents, many of them worldwide, ranging from his early work in electronics and circuit boards to becoming one of the world’s experts in computer graphics with Google, where he has worked on Google Earth and Chrome OS projects.
“To be successful, you need motivation,” Kuhne noted. “The ability to identify good opportunities and make the best out of them has served me well. First, I realized early on the importance of being good in school…During the 70’s/80’s when I was still in school, computers were new and cool, so I was motivated to get my own computer and create chips.”
Kuhne continued, “The next phase for me was finding opportunities for success and learning to look for disruptions, which are…Back in 2007 when the iPhone, and, shortly after, Android, entered the market, a new opportunity segment opened. Application developers jumping in early cashed out a lot really quickly. Today, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are huge. Big companies are investing heavily, so it’s a perfect time to jump in.”
After the meeting, Maui realtor Steve Bond commented, “Be open for change, learn from failure! Khune’s message was inspiring, encouraging me to focus on my own projects. Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) is doing a fantastic job by bringing the entrepreneur community together.”
Shirley Ramey, LPN, said, “I liked the information Khune shared. Things have changed because of Chat and AI, and his experience is so helpful. I’m looking forward to future TechOhana meetings.”
Organized by MEDB and supported by the County of Maui, TechOhana is free to the public and invites guest speakers to give presentations on topics related to business or technology. For more information, visit online at http://www.mauitechohana/.
Setting ambitious goals is important; however, you also need to realize that mistakes are good if you learn from them.
Stefan Kuhne, Software Architect, Google
The World ʻUkulele Program will be holding a fundraising event at the ProArts Playhouse in Kihei on Sunday, March 9th at 2pm, including the premiere of Jeff Peterson’s new film, Concerto for Slack Key Guitar and Orchestra – Malama ‘Āina. The film features the first concerto ever written for slack-key guitar, and the screening will be followed by a live concert by Peterson and Maui’s famous luthier (a builder of stringed instruments), Steve Grimes.
Recognized as one of Hawaiʻi’s most versatile musicians, Peterson is at the heart of the Hawaiian music scene. Born on Maui, he grew up on the slopes of Haleakalā where he was introduced to the rich heritage of Hawaiian music by his father, a paniolo on the Haleakalā Ranch.
“My dad worked for many years as the manager at Haleakalā Ranch,” Peterson said. “I feel fortunate having grown up in such an amazing place and lifestyle…My background, including the many group jam (kanikapila) evenings, inspired me to play music,” he shared. “I got my first ʻukulele in fifth grade along with a more formal music education. Currently, I have an online instruction program, ‘Ukulele Corner, where I share my knowledge and offer free lessons.”
Peterson’s passion for the guitar has allowed him to shine as a solo artist and has given him the opportunity to collaborate with a wide variety of musicians. His focus on slack-key guitar, classical, and jazz music has allowed him to develop a unique style on the guitar while being deeply rooted in the traditions of his Hawaiian heritage. He has been honored with 14 Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards in Hawaiʻi and with Grammy Awards in 2005 and 2010.
Maui musician and songwriter, Steve Grimes, a world-renowned luthier, has been building guitars and ʻukulele since the mid-1970s. He is known as a master of transforming wood into extraordinary guitars, ʻukulele, acoustic basses, flat top guitars, electric guitars, and mandolins. “It’s an honor to be playing with Jeff in the upcoming concert,” Grimes said. “It’s going to be a great evening!”
Tickets are on sale online at https://proartsmaui.org/event/slack-key-guitar-and-orchestra-malama-aina-film-and-concert/.
The island’s culture and beauty helped me to understand early on the importance of respecting and maintaining our ‘āina, and it still inspires my compositions.
Jeff Peterson, Guitarist and Composer
Many refer to Maui resident Sue Ann Loudon as magical. In her 40 years of teaching at Baldwin High School, she inspired and changed lives when she founded the drama club, later renamed the Baldwin Theatre Guild (BTG). During a recent Yakamashii Talk Story event at Nisei Veterans Center, host Kathy Collins and Loudon shared stories about those early years, the performances, and the students whose lives were changed. Loudon has mentored hundreds of Maui students, including Wayne Moniz, Lee Cataluna, Eric Gilliom, Amy Hānaiali‘i, Judge Joseph Cardoza, Chris Kepler, and Kathy Collins. Retired in 2005, Loudon was delighted when her former student Linda Carnevale became her successor as BTG director.
“Carnevale is doing an outstanding job, and I always look forward to BTGs performances,” Loudon said. “She is committed to pushing the boundaries of artistic excellence and nurturing the next generation of Maui’s talent. The most important thing for everyone to remember is that every child has the opportunity to experience theater and the arts to enrich their creative expression.”
Collins shared, “I was very active in speech and drama activities while attending Baldwin High School. Miss Loudon taught drama and built a remarkable program which spawned professional entertainers like Amy and Eric, as well as many of Maui’s community theatre performers. She put greasepaint in my blood, and I owe my career to her guidance and encouragement. The first time I stepped on stage before an audience, playing a munchkin in the Wizard of Oz, I was hooked! I knew then that theatre would be a lifelong passion.”
Paul Janes-Brown, host of Curtain Call and the Mana‘o Radio Alpha and Omega Show, said, “Sue Ann Loudon created one of the most remarkable high school theater programs that I have ever seen in my life. She made young people stars. You actually thought you were watching a Broadway performance. She provided enchantment. So many of the youth she mentored are in performing arts on Maui and all over the world. She just has an inspirational impact on the people she comes in contact with. She has real magic!”
Loudon’s legacy of excellence in the performing arts continues into 2025. For their spring musical this year, the Baldwin Theatre Guild will present Mary Poppins on February 28 and March 1, 7, 8, and 9. The full cast list can be found at Instagram.com/btgmaui/. Community members are encouraged to attend and support the continuation of performing arts education on Maui.
I wholeheartedly believe in the power of theatre to enrich lives and foster community.
Sue Ann Loudon, Founder and Teacher, Baldwin Theatre Guild
STEMworks™, a program of Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), is gearing up for its 16th Annual Hawaiʻi STEM Conference (HSC), a two-day learning and networking event for students, teachers, and industry professionals. This year, HSC will be held at the Hawaiʻi Convention Center in Honolulu on March 24 and 25. It is open to middle and high school students statewide as well as K-12 teachers. Industry professionals are also invited to participate as exhibitors, breakout session presenters, networking event speakers, and sponsors.
Reflecting on the value of the event for students, one 8th grader who participated in HSC in 2024 shared, “Students would really benefit from attending conferences in general to meet new people and have practice with the protocols of attending conferences to gain information for their future.” A 7th grader from Lahaina who also attended HSC in 2024 commented, “The most interesting thing I learned during the conference was to get out of my comfort zone and try new things.”
Local industry professionals from a wide variety of STEM fields lead breakout sessions for students and teachers, provide interactive activities in the exhibit hall, and offer career and post-secondary education advice during networking opportunities. Breakout session topics include AI, forensic science, healthcare, computer programming, game design, agriculture, and creative media. Through these hands-on sessions, students discover career pathways and fields of study they may never have considered before the event.
A senior interested in healthcare shared about their experience during the 2024 HSC: “I learned about how to design games and code! I never took an interest before but now I got the opportunity to learn, I love it!” After hearing about the experiences of STEM experts at the conference, a junior also observed, “you don’t have to stick to one thing. I’m just starting my own career journey, and I’m making my own decisions and pathway.”
Registration is open for students and teachers, and STEMworks is also accepting session proposals and exhibitor registration from industry professionals who would like to take part in the event. More information can be found on the HSC website, https://www.hawaiistemconference.org/.
The students having access to industry professionals in STEM fields and being able to attend this type of event is a blessing for our students from Molokai who rarely have these types of opportunities.
Gandharva Mahina Hou Ross, Hawaiian Language Immersion Teacher, Molokai High School
