Oct 29, 2014 | Community, Events
Sarai Stricklin, an artist, teacher and fashion designer, is “honored and excited” about her first wedding dress designs debuting at the first Made in Maui County Festival. Held at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, the first-time event will be held from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. November 8. “I’ve been waiting to bloom from Maui,” said Stricklin, who moved from her studio home in Hana to Waihee in part to grow her business. Stricklin is a lifelong textile artist who has created traditional batik art pieces for home and corporations. She also designs women’s clothing, silk neck ties for men and began recently designing hand sewn wedding pieces inspired by Hawaiian history.
She said the Made in Maui County Festival comes at a time when she’s ready to grow her business. “I have finally met the most incredible people and they’ve been so supportive of my work and my business,” Stricklin said, referring to the festival organizers and the encouragement she’s received to participate in the event. A cancer survivor, Stricklin said she’s been unable to attend off-island events that spotlight Hawaii made products. “It’s just too hard to travel, and really and truly, it’s great that I can show my work here on Maui,” she said. “There is where I want my business to take off.” The Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and the Maui Chamber of Commerce are calling the inaugural event “the largest product vendor show” this year in Maui. Products to be showcased include food, art, crafts, jewelry, fashion, gifts and collectibles. There will be demonstrations plus a fashion show in which designers like Stricklin will show their work.
“This festival was created to help grow our islands’ businesses,” said Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa. “There’s such incredible talent here at home and we’re hoping to open doors for these hard-working entrepreneurs…Our small businesses are the backbone of our islands’ economy and their success will ultimately benefit our community at-large.” A complete list of the 130-plus vendors participating can be seen at: www.MadeinMauiCountyFestival.com/vendors-list
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!
Jan 29, 2014 | Environment, Events, Small Business
DougMcLeod, County of Maui Energy Commissioner
What will future consumers want and expect from their utility? That is just one question Hawaii leaders and others across the country are expected to tackle at the upcoming conference: “Electric Utilities: The Future Is Not What It Used To Be.” The event scheduled for March 26-28 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center comes at a time when Hawaii is experiencing an unprecedented wave of growth in solar and wind generation. The gathering will provide a forum for open and frank discussions about the rapidly changing energy landscape and its implications for power utilities, policymakers and consumers.
The County of Maui and the Maui Economic Development Board are presenting the conference with the support of numerous partners. County of Maui Energy Commissioner Doug McLeod asks: “The traditional investor-owned utility model has worked in the past, but will it be the right model for tomorrow’s electric utility?” McLeod said he hopes the conference will bring new faces and ideas to Hawaii from Japan and the Mainland. MEDB President and CEO Jeanne Skog said she and her agency are pleased to partner in the event. “As Maui County continues to move aggressively toward clean energy goals, this dialogue will contribute to creating a new template for how utilities will best serve our residents,” Skog said.
McLeod said open and frank discussions are important to understanding the impact renewable energy alternatives are having on electricity usage and electric rates. Conference organizers have confirmed keynote presentations from Hunter Lovins, president of Natural Capitalism Solutions, and Ron Binz, former chief of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. The conference also expects to spur discussions on other questions, including: what are the key drivers shifting today’s energy paradigm; how can states achieve a mix of clean energy to satisfy all stakeholders; and what are the key elements of a 21st century energy utility business model.
To learn more, go to www.hightechmaui.com/energyconference.
Sep 25, 2013 | Community, Events
Unwilling to let a tradition die, former 4-H Club leaders Mae Omuro and Lydia Furomoto agreed to co-chair the Hobbies & Crafts Exhibit at this year’s Maui County Fair. “We always thought it was part of the fair. People have come to expect it,” Furomoto said. Once called the Homemaking Exhibit, Hobbies & Crafts provides residents in kindergarten through adulthood a chance to show off their creativity and share their craft making skills with fair goers. “We have talented people on Maui, all they need to do is find the time to show it,” Omuro said.
Omuro said she hopes to get at least 100 items entered into the Hobbies & Crafts Exhibit. The 2012 event drew 98 exhibitors with 331 items in categories such as handmade clothing, and fabric, holiday and novelty crafts. Ribbons for 1st through 3rd place and honorable mention will be given. In addition, one item for each category will be selected for Best of Section. “We’re really hoping more people will participate,” Furomoto said. Entries will be accepted beginning Oct. 2 between 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. at the War Memorial Gym. Items must be picked up between 8:30 and 9 p.m. on Oct. 6. The Horticulture Exhibit is also seeking entries to display including fruits and vegetables. Fair goers will have a chance to guess the weight of the largest grown pumpkins brought to the exhibit. “A lot of people participate for the sheer enjoyment of watching things grow,” said Horticulture Co-Chair Mae Nakahata. “The key here is you experience what a farmer experiences,” she said. The exhibit will also include educational demonstrations on exotic and tropical fruits. Items may be dropped off at 4 p.m. Oct. 2 or between 7 and 10 a.m. Oct. 3 at the gym.
The 91st Maui County Fair takes place Oct. 3-6 at the War Memorial Complex in Wailuku. Details are available at mauifair.com, or by calling the County Fair office at 242-2721. University of Hawaii Maui College Chancellor Clyde Sakamoto was selected as the honorary fair director for his contributions to the community.
Sep 11, 2013 | Environment, Events, Small Business
Physical scientist Stacie Williams thrives on learning the latest developments in her field at the annual Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance (AMOS) Technologies Conference presented by Maui Economic Development Board. She especially enjoys a conference feature that offers a day of hands-on science activities for youngsters. “Their engagement is our motivation,” said Williams, a program manager who oversees educational outreach projects for the Air Force Research Laboratory. The lab is actively participating in this week’s AMOS conference at the Wailea Beach Marriott. An international assembly of space situational awareness experts has gathered for events that provide technical interchange on a variety of space-related technologies. In addition to technical sessions, participants are attending a special Space Policy Forum to hear current issues and trends in national and international policies that have impacts on their work.
For Williams, one of the highlights of the conference is welcoming hundreds of Maui youngsters to the conference venue. The students are given an opportunity to learn about space situational awareness topics by engaging in varied activities from viewing celestial bodies through a telescope to maneuvering hand-held spectrometers to determine characteristics of objects in space. The Air Force Research Laboratory’s partners with MEDB in association with the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, the Maui High Performance Center, Pacific Defense Solutions, and the Boeing Company for the student day activities. “Every year our student activities get more complex and more engaging,” said Williams, who has helped to coordinate the activities for the last four years. “Everybody has embraced this and I think we just get better every year.”
Williams said she’s received overwhelming, positive feedback from scientists and other space situational awareness experts about including students at AMOS. “Bringing in the youth education element provides a wonderful synergy, a rare opportunity that more technical conferences should exploit since we are losing leadership in scientists and engineers to the rest of the world,” a senior project engineer wrote. Williams hopes that the student activities will inspire some of them to consider a career in science and technology. “We really need to get more young people interested.”
Sep 26, 2012 | Events
The Maui Fair promises onolicious food and lots of fun, as well as engaging activities like robotics for youth and a new Events Arena. For the Fair’s Managing Director Sherri Grimes, the Robo Tech Maui Expo & Competition has brought much pride. The event for high schoolers has increased from just a few teams on Maui to more than 40 from across the state. “Robotics is really near and dear to my heart. Actually everything to do with education and STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) is important to me,” she said. Grimes said she hopes the crowd will support the Fair by coming to see the Robo Tech competition. The events are organized by Maui high school students to increase interest in science, technology, engineering and math. There will also be a Lego competition for 4th and 5th graders.
The Fair, now in its 90th year, opens with the traditional parade on Thursday, and continues throughout the weekend with other draws including rides, food, entertainment, horticulture, livestock, photo, art and commercial exhibits. Grimes is expecting the crowds to exceed 95,000 during the four days. This year’s family-oriented fair is built on the theme of “A Timeless Tradition.” One of the newest features is an Events Arena which provides information and how-to demonstrations on a variety of topics from taiko drumming to hula zumba to caring for orchids and pets. “It’s educational. It’s engaging and it’s interactive,” Grimes said. “We’re very much looking forward to it.”
Maui Economic Development Board’s Focus Maui Nui program will return to the Fair where it distributes a survey for residents. This year’s booth will be in the Horticulture section of the gymnasium. The surveys are an opportunity “take the pulse of the community” on core Focus Maui Nui strategies and values: education, environment, infrastructure, sustainable business and cultural values. Free hand-sanitizers will be provided. For more information about Maui Fair 2012, go to www.mauifair.com.
Oct 20, 2011 | Community, Events
At age 25, Ashley Takitani says First Friday in Wailuku has given her the encouragement and affirmation to establish a career in her homegrown community. Takitani works as the marketing director for Maui Thing, the retail store, while also serving as a volunteer on the Wailuku First Friday Committee. Saedene Ota, the owner of Maui Thing and Sae Design, and her staff are active supporters of First Friday in Wailuku. Takitani, a 2004 Baldwin High School graduate, spent about six years away from home, going to school and working in Los Angeles. She jumped at the chance to work with Ota, an award-winning designer involved in many civic activities including the role of University of Hawaii Regent.
First Friday in Wailuku features an evening of entertainment and live acts, local food, art, jewelry and fashion on a block on Market Street. Attendance at First Friday has grown from a few hundred to as many as 4,000 in one night, Takitani said. Maui Thing designed one of the first flyers to attract both residents and visitors to the event and then sponsored the first live band performance at the attraction. “We offer something for family and friends to do on a Friday night,” Takitani said. The 10 or so merchants who put on the event have found that their businesses get a jump start every month by holding the event. “It just does wonders and gives us a really great start to our month,” Takitani said. The merchants have also been happy to welcome other local vendors to showcase their wares and also make money. “First Friday is really all about community. It’s what Maui is all about, we support each other.”
Takitani said the event has proven to her that she can thrive in a career here at home and believes the same can happen for her contemporaries. “Something like First Friday is enticing for young people. The island has grown so much and it’s made it a lot easier to come home,” Takitani said. “When it comes down to it, it’s so much fun and everybody can really have a good time.”
Sep 29, 2011 | Community, Events
Roy Silva has accepted the role of Maui Fair Director for the first time this year. “I’ve always loved the fair. I think it’s the greatest tradition Maui has,” he says. A former county employee, Silva served for nine years as its Parade Committee chairman. As Fair Director, he takes charge of all the committees and dozens of volunteers who operate the event starting Thursday and running through Sunday at the War Memorial Complex in Wailuku. As many as 5,400 participants including five grand marshals, Hawaii Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz and Mayor Alan Arakawa are scheduled to appear in Thursday’s parade, scheduled to begin at 4.30 p.m.
Silva said he wanted to serve his community in a unique way and took the opportunity to lead the Fair when he was offered the chance. This year’s Fair theme “A Timeless Tradition” represents what the event has meant to the thousands who have come to enjoy rides, learn from exhibits, indulge in local food and support nonprofits that use the Fair to raise money. “The Maui Fair is the oldest family tradition on island. You just can’t beat it,” Silva said. “There’s always a chance you’ll run into someone you know or haven’t seen for a long time.”
FOCUS MAUI NUI will be at the Fair again this year, gathering the opinions of the community with its Annual “Pulse of the People” 2011 Poll. FOCUS MAUI NUI is a voice, a plan, a vision for Maui County’s future created for and by the people who live here – people like you. Participate in the process by letting your views be known. Youth Alliance members and other volunteers will be on hand to help gather your points of view. Visit FOCUS MAUI NUI at the Entrance Lanai of the War Memorial Gym during Fair hours.
Sep 22, 2011 | Environment, Events, Small Business
This year’s Advanced Maui Optical and Space Technologies (AMOS) Conference provided an unmatched opportunity for Maui Oceanit Program Manager Curt Leonard. “To remain relevant in any business environment it is important to maintain close ties with “old friends” from industry while at the same time exploring new companies and emerging technologies,” Leonard said. The AMOS Conference is a program of the Maui Economic Development Board, whose mission includes taking innovative actions that strengthen existing industry as well as diversifying through new opportunities. The event held in Wailea earlier this month drew more than 600 participants from across the United States and countries such as Spain, Germany and Italy. The growing interest in the event is testament to its worldwide reputation as the premier space situational awareness conference in the world, taking full advantage of its location on Maui and the island’s cutting-edge telescopes atop 10,000-foot Haleakala.
Oceanit typically sets up an exhibit booth during the conference to help facilitate introductions to the company’s capabilities and serve as an ice breaker for business development discussions. Leonard said the event also gives Oceanit a chance to give back to the local community. “As a company we are committed to making a difference in our community, a mantra that is woven into Oceanit corporate fabric,” he said. This year Oceanit volunteered staff to guide students making a tour of conference exhibits and attending a session with an astronaut. “This is a huge hit with middle school students and Oceanit is proud to play a small role in a wonderful opportunity to expose and encourage Maui students to consider career paths in science, technology, engineering and math,” Leonard said. He added that part of Oceanit’s vision is to contribute to a thriving technology industry in Hawaii, to diversify its economy, and ensure that students who go into science and technology fields have a place to work in Hawaii. Oceanit’s Maui office has expertise in optical sciences and design, robotic systems, and consulting engineering; it currently has a contract to evaluate Kahului Harbor shoreline protection options to prevent beach erosion.
