During a recent Maui TechOhana meeting organized by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) and supported by the County of Maui, participants learned about the inspiring work being done at the Maui Food Innovation Center (MFIC) located on the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College (UHMC) campus. Ian Stewart, UHMC Entrepreneurship and Business Development Specialist for the Pā‘oihana Program, was joined by Chef Douglas Paul to explain the work being done at the MFIC. Attendees discussed the benefits of the first value-added food manufacturing incubator and accelerator in Hawaiʻi and learned about the entrepreneurial programs and services available at MFIC. The presenters also shared some of the success stories emerging from the program.
The work done in the MFIC Laulima Education, Research, and Test Kitchen facility, with its attached classroom, is focused on the food and manufacturing industry. The 1,500 square foot space has $90,000 in specialized equipment, and MFIC plans to install a remote camera system to enable statewide distance learning. Along with the manufacturing facility, the program provides technological expertise, innovative training, and consultation. Serving as a resource hub for new and established food businesses, students, farmers, ranchers, chefs, and restauranters, the program also helps bring products to market locally, regionally, and nationally.
“Through education and access to industry leaders, our vision is to help develop cottage-size companies into medium-sized food manufacturers in the state of Hawaiʻi,” said Chef Paul. “The MFIC shared-use food business incubator and processing facility offers a vast array of resources and technologies to foster growth in our community.”
Stewart’s current role at UHMC has him encouraging entrepreneurship as part of a Minority Business Development Agency issued grant. “Supporting our Native Hawaiian food business owners, local food systems, and fresh produce industry is more important than ever,” Stewart noted. “Maui’s wildfire challenges and the current economy make it vital for our island to be self-sufficient and resilient when it comes to growing food.”
Dylan Schwarzmeier of Veg-Out shared, “MFIC is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who wants to bring a small-idea food product and turn it into a scalable market. MEDB’s TechOhana meetings provide an essential boost to help our local community succeed in every way possible.”
This excellent Maui TechOhana meeting gave everybody the opportunity to see innovation happening, not only in technology, but also in Hawaiʻi’s agriculture and food production.
Candace Shaw, CEO, Astute Consulting
This spring, Maui Economic Development Board’s STEMworks™ program organized three Healthcare Exploration Day events with Maui Health. The events, hosted by the Maui Health team at Maui Memorial Medical Center (MMMC) and made possible by generous funding from the County of Maui, aimed to inspire and educate students from middle and high school campuses across Maui, Molokai, and Lāna’i. In total, 11 schools, 260 students, and 20 healthcare professionals participated in hands-on activities, seeing first-hand how students can make a difference in their communities by learning life-saving skills.
The events began with moving pules by Kumu Iolani Kuoha and Kumu Luana Kawa’a, which acknowledged the land served by Maui Nui’s healthcare professionals. The students then learned about the dangers of distracted driving from MMMC nursing staff. Additional breakout sessions were held on stop the bleed skills, hands-on compressions, automated external defibrillator (AED) use, recognizing signs of stroke, trauma resuscitation techniques, the role of respiratory therapy in healthcare, imaging technology, and volunteer opportunities at the hospital.
The third event in the series also featured Marian Horikawa-Barth, Chief Nurse Executive for MMMC. She spoke to the students about her role and the critical need in Maui County for more medical professionals. “As we face a growing shortage of healthcare professionals, this event is not just an educational opportunity, but a crucial step towards inspiring the next generation,” said Lalaine Pasion, STEMworks program specialist. “By bringing together Maui’s health professionals to demonstrate a variety of medical fields, we aimed to spark interest in healthcare careers at an early age.”
Lynn A. Fulton, Maui Health CEO, noted, “Maui Health provides a great opportunity for students to be able to build a career. There is nothing like seeing what happens in a hospital through interactions with the people who work here.”
Maui Health Human Resources Leader Tara K. Cole shared, “Healthcare Exploration Day is designed to provide students, who are interested in healthcare but are perhaps not sure which field will best suit their gifts and goals, a chance to learn about all that our programs have to offer. Positions are available right out of high school.”
For more information, visit mauiheath.org/careers online or call 808-242-2251 on Wednesdays to speak to a recruiter.
I’m very interested in the medical field. Today I learned the importance of vital life-saving skills and that emergencies can happen to anyone, at any time. I want to be prepared!
Jaiden Ibañez, 8th grader, Maui Waena Intermediate School
In one of its most informative sessions to date, Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) recently presented a Maui TechOhana meeting with guest speaker Dr. Erin Hughey, Director of Global Operations for Pacific Disaster Center (PDC), during which she shared about the extraordinary work that PDC does on Maui and globally. A 28-year-old applied research center now managed by the University of Hawaiʻi, PDC supports both governmental and nongovernmental organizations worldwide to help create a safer, more disaster-resilient world.
Hughey talked about her career journey as a recognized leader in global disaster management and risk reduction, including PDC’s involvement in the ongoing Maui wildfire recovery process. With a PhD in geography, focusing on natural and technological hazards, she has dedicated her life’s work to the creation and application of new science and technology for disaster management. Her goal is to empower practitioners and senior leadership alike with the tools and information needed to support data-driven decision-making.
“PDC’s DisasterAWARE software application is used by tens of thousands of disaster management professionals,” said Hughey. “It provides global multi-hazard early warning, hazard monitoring, and risk intelligence to support rapid and effective disaster response, preparedness, recovery, and mitigation. We partner with over 75 countries around the world, have over 300 projects, over 3 million downloads on our apps, and also partner with NASA for global coverage of floods, landslides and fires.”
Hughey continued, “On Maui, officials and community responders at ground zero needed updated maps and data to aid the wildfire search, recovery, and relief efforts. Days after the catastrophic wildfire event unfolded, PDC’s existing data, mapping expertise, and DisasterAWARE platform took on the support role to provide expertise and tools for the emerging needs. A lot of things went wrong with the immediate response to the fire; however, the extraordinary coordination of the community filled the gaps.”
PDC won the 2022 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Risk Reduction, the only U.S. agency ever to win this award. Hughey added, “We have a small staff of 60 people. We offer paid internships and job opportunities, and we are working with MEDB to do outreach in the community to help keep home-grown talent on-island.”
Our mission is to take the best science and get it into the hands of the decision-makers so they can focus on what action to take, such as moving people and supplies quickly.
Dr. Erin Hughey, Director of Global Operations for Pacific Disaster Center
