MEDB and Hawaii have lost a dear friend and inspiring leader with the passing of Pono Shim. The President and CEO of our sister organization, Oahu Economic Development Board, Pono was a gifted and respected visionary and storyteller. We were honored to share his presentation on True Aloha at the Hawaii Small Business Conference where he said, “A true leader works to bridge the members of the community, giving dignity to whom they are and what they have to offer” – words he inspired through his own actions.
Pono shared Aloha insights with many an audience over the years where he would provide techniques he learned at a young age from Lahaina-born Auntie Pilahi Paki. Auntie Pilahi wrote the Aloha Spirit Law (Hawaii Revised Statutes, Section 5-7.5) that was passed by Hawaii lawmakers in 1986. “According to the Aloha Spirit Law, all Hawaii citizens and government officials must conduct themselves with aloha, which is a real commitment to accepting others,” said Pono. Auntie Pilahi explained that the five values that make up the Aloha Spirit Law are: A: Akahai, meaning kindness, expressed with tenderness; L: Lokahi, meaning unity, expressed with harmony; O: ‘Olu’olu, meaning agreeable, expressed with pleasantness; H: Ha’aha’a, meaning humility, expressed with modesty; and A: Ahonui, meaning patience, waiting for the moment, expressed with perseverance.
Pono noted, “A person cannot do one of the principles without truly doing all. If you are not doing one you are not doing any. So, to be living Aloha is to live all of the principles.”
Pono served in leadership on many boards in Hawaii (Friends of Iolani Place, Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii, Hawaii Green Growth, Hawaii Public Housing Authority and Small Business Development Corporation) with his knowledge and skills sought by every sector of Hawaii.
In the words of Auntie Pilahi who knew the world would look to Hawaii for healing. “Aloha would be its remedy,” she said. We send strength and healing to Pono’s family and his vast circle of friends and colleagues.
Pono’s Celebration of Life will take place at 10.30am on May 7th at Bishop Memorial Chapel of the Kamehameha Schools Kapalama Campus on Oahu. Masks will be required.
Maui residents Stephen Reyes and Savannah Forbeck started Tartaria Juice Company during the pandemic to stay healthy, share their knowledge of wholesome juicing, and grow their business. Once the community opened up again they were eager to get out and offer their nutritious and organic juices. “Our goal is to share the wealth of health with as many people as possible while supporting local and organic agriculture,” said Forbeck. “Our juices, 100% cold-pressed for premium quality, maintain their nutritional value and anti-inflammatory health benefits. We feel it is important to be fully transparent about our ingredients and where we source them. Grown locally on Maui, our ingredients are either certified organic, organically grown, or grown without the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides.”
Tartaria Juice came about as Reyes and Forbeck dove deeper into uncovering a healthy lifestyle for themselves. Starting the company aligned with their passion for removing obstruction from the body, especially in the time of Covid-19. “Juice became a center point for our own healing journey as we found it to be a very powerful tool in pulling lymphatic waste from our bodies as well as aiding in digestion and healing,” Reyes explained. “Our bodies finally had a well-deserved break. Cold-pressed juicing has become an integral part of our daily life and now we want to share its power.”
The method of extracting cold-pressed juice uses significantly less friction and heat than traditional forms of removal. Cold-press juicers are gentle in their extraction, leaving nutrients intact, with dramatically increased flavor and longer refrigerator life. “Most of the juice that you buy at supermarkets is pasteurized, meaning it has been cooked or heated to a certain temperature which eliminates most of the nutrients you need,” Forbeck noted. “The cold- pressed process boosts your energy levels, and improves your immune system while it retains more vitamins, enzymes, minerals, and antioxidants. Cold-pressed juice—liquid love—is a simple form of energy, a way to rehydrate and heal the body. Most importantly, this method of juicing helps us live in balance with nature and one another to stay healthy and happy.”
The benefits of cold-pressed juice are boundless. The nutrients immediately enter the body and provide a kick of energy!
Stephen Reyes and Savannah Forbeck, Tartaria Juice Company
The 9th Annual Hawaii Energy Conference revisits the challenges of electrifying the grid and transportation – current successes, potential pitfalls, and future opportunities. There is no doubt that the push to Electrification will affect our way of life.
A study by Princeton University predicts that by 2050 electrifying transport and buildings could double the amount of electricity consumption in the U.S. Amy Myers Jaffe, a research professor at Tuft’s University, boldly declares in the Wall Street Journal, “The electrification of (almost) everything is coming, and we’re just not ready for it.” Our communities will need to develop disciplined, proportional responses to the challenges Electrification poses. Strategies for energy efficiency and the equitable distribution of Electrification’s benefits must balance building capacity for increased consumption.
Join us at the Hawaii Energy Conference for a two-day discussion that will review the issues surrounding electrification with the following thoughts in mind:
* How do we define “electrification” and is it the same everywhere?
* How are the community’s needs and concerns being addressed as the infrastructure for electrification become more prevalent?
* How is resilience being brought into the equation of electrification?
* What has been and will be the impact of COVID-19 on customers of the utility?
* What should the climate goals of electrification be – net zero carbon, net negative carbon, or zero emissions?
* What is the role of energy efficiency in electrification? …and more
The 2022 Hawaii Energy Conference is on May 10 and 12. Learn more and register at https://hawaiienergyconference.com. Use code FMNHEC to save.
The 13th Annual Hawaii STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) Conference is almost here! After two years of hosting the Conference virtually, Maui Economic Development Board, (MEDB) is extremely excited to be returning to the Hawaii Convention Center for the 13th iteration of their celebration of ‘All Things STEM’. The event, being held on Friday, April 29th , is open to all STEMworks™ facilitators and high school students.
“MEDB is thrilled to see the students in-person this year,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “We are easing back into an in-person event as we continue to help build career readiness skills. Our hope is that by equipping our youth with the right skills, tools, and opportunities, we can inspire the next generation of innovators, ensuring a bright future for our community and our world.”
MEDB’s STEMworks students and teachers, along with community and business leaders across the state, are invited to celebrate the student’s service-learning projects, hear stories of inspiration, engage with some of the biggest names in the STEM field, and experience the excitement of a regional technology conference. The students will showcase their analytical thinking skills and apply the latest high-tech industry tools in an innovative approach to environmental and cultural issues.
Katie Taladay, MEDB Director of Education and Workforce Development, STEMworks, noted, “We will have hands-on professional development opportunities for teachers and students, industry networking sessions, and a STEM Playground. We welcome our teachers, students, and industry professionals back in-person for a full day of hands-on training opportunities, mentoring and networking with leading industry professionals. This year, we will bring folks together from many sectors including Computer Science, IT, Cybersecurity, Augmented and Virtual Reality, Creative Media, including Film and Video Game Design, Geospatial Sciences, Engineering, Energy Science, Health Sciences, and much more. There will also be time to celebrate and honor our STEM talent from across the state by awarding the coveted STEMMYS.”
Wilkins added, “STEM education has the power to improve all of our lives. The Hawaii STEM Conference creates meaningful learning experiences to enrich the lives of Hawaii’s students today and into the future.”
STEMworks initiatives focus on empowering students with 21st century skills to prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow.
Through April 16th, Viewpoints Gallery in Makawao is presenting Celebration of Hawaii 2022, an annual invitational exhibit featuring work from more than 60 artists. “The entire Viewpoints Gallery is redesigned around this presentation,” said Oliver and Joelle Perz, Viewpoints Gallery and Art Directors. “We are showing artwork of significance by some of the best artists coming from around the state. Every piece portrays diversity. craftmanship, and visual beauty, all focused on the theme of honoring our extraordinary Hawaiian islands and culture.
As part of an on-going program started by Joelle, called the ‘Reaching Out Project’, artists were asked to collaborate with someone from the community to create a piece for the exhibit. Maui artist Jeanne Bitz worked with the Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe Voyaging Society (HOCVS), whose mission is to promote sustainability and respect for the earth, humanity, and the Hawaiian culture through voyaging and the way of life on the canoe. Bitz’s collaboration with HOCVS and her experience of paddling into the full moon proved uniquely inspirational for expressing the Hawaiian culture artistically.
Bitz explained, “My work, titled Hina, an oil on gallery-wrapped linen, 96 x 48 inches, follows the story of Mahina as I learned it while searching for wisdom from ancestors, and listening to the present need of others, myself included. Throughout the Oceanic cultures, Hina has represented a fluid, powerful, extremely diverse woman who faces challenges, makes her own path going forward, destroys barriers to equality, and works to make the world a better place. Every woman in that canoe has faced and overcome challenges that seemed insurmountable at the time. If not for the canoe, our paths might never have crossed. We come together to be stronger, to learn, to grow, to embark on grand adventures, and sometimes we come together to be the change we want to see in the world. Beyond that, when we work together, that feeling of the canoe taking flight and gliding over the water is visual poetry. Mahalo nui loa for my chance to collaborate with HOCVS, and those shared moments that allowed our stories to intertwine on this grand adventure.”
Mahalo to Viewpoints Gallery for providing a space and a nurturing spirit that truly celebrates the rich culture of Hawaii.
Each February, Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) STEMworks™ program offers the popular Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day (IGED), also called Girl Day. Held in conjunction with National Engineering Week, this year’s STEMworks event had 155 middle-school girls registered from around the state. Nationwide, throughout the week, organizations, partners, industry professionals, mentors, and teachers showed girls how to get involved in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields. The theme, to increase interest in engineering subjects, promote amazing engineering feats by women in our society, and encourage students to consider engineering careers, is vital for our future generation of women.
“Girl Day is our most favorite day of the year at MEDB because we get to see the future of STEM as the girls work on their creative innovations,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “IGED inspires them to think about solving problems to make our community a better place.”
STEMworks Director of Education and Workforce Development Katie Taladay added, “IGED is important to make sure girls feel supported as they explore different engineering areas and see how engineers change the world. We presented a 30-minute, industry-led lightning talk and Q&A session with six women engineers specializing in aerospace, agricultural, biochemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering to expose girls to the wide variety of careers in engineering.”
A STEMworks teacher at Kihei Charter School (KCS) noted, “Everyone had a wonderful time and ran into challenges that they were able to overcome with pride. They all left the event with huge smiles.” A KCS middle-school agricultural session participant reflected, “IGED was so interesting! We engineered a drip-irrigation system and explored the science of irrigation and the different ways that farmers put water to work, from flood-irrigation to spray-irrigation to computer-controlled farming.”
Taladay concluded, “It is important to provide and develop future leaders through community-based programs such as STEMworks that empower students to solve unpredictable, real-world problems. Designed to address planning for Hawaii’s future, IGED engages young women in events that add to their skill set and inspires them to choose a career in STEM.”
STEMworks provides role models from diverse engineering fields to encourage girls to learn engineering skills that exhibit the wide range of career paths they can choose from.
Katie Taladay, MEDB Director of Education and Workforce Development, STEMworks
This year, 2022, marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Surviving many challenges through the decades, it is arguably one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation in America’s history. Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), recognizing the enormous importance of Title IX and celebrating Women’s History Month, pays tribute to the late U.S. Representative Patsy Takemoto Mink of Hawaii. Widely recognized as the major author of Title IX legislation, Mink introduced it in the U.S. House of Representatives, where it passed with a bipartisan voice vote. After her death in 2002, the official name of Title IX was changed in her honor to the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.
“Title IX is one of the most important laws passed for women and girls in Congress since women gained the right to vote in 1920,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “Congresswoman Mink’s extraordinary achievements brought equal opportunity and other social justice issues to the forefront.”
During its 50 years, Title IX has been most associated with the dramatic increase in interscholastic and intercollegiate athletic opportunities for girls and women. The statute, however, prohibits sex discrimination in any educational program or activity receiving any type of federal financial support.
More broadly, Women’s History Month celebrates the contributions women have made to our country and recognizes their specific achievements in a variety of fields. In 1972, Time Magazine named Mink one of 100 Women of the Year who leveled the playing field, overcame oppression and worked to bring about changes in Hawaii and the world. Honored, Mink said, “We have to build things that we want to see accomplished, in life and in our country, based on our own personal experiences, to make sure that others do not have to suffer the same discrimination.”
Wilkins added, “Faced with her own encounters with discrimination, Congresswoman Mink devoted her life to advocating for gender equality and educational reform. She was the first Asian-American woman to practice law in Hawaii and the first Asian-American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.”
MEDB celebrates Title IX and Mink’s inspiration to women and minorities. Even after her death, her life continues to inspire people who seek to ensure her enduring legacy.
Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) is once again partnering with the Women Business Enterprise Council (WBEC) to present the third webinar in the Women in Business Seminar Series. In celebration of Women’s History Month, the virtual March 16 presentation will feature business owners that have taken the step to get certified as a women-owned, minority-owned, or veteran-owned small business.
“The event will present business owners speaking about how the certification has helped their business including access to new opportunities with various agencies,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “They will share tips on the process and how to overcome hurdles. Plus, participants can learn how to qualify for an MEDB scholarship to get certified.”
WBEC is one of the official certifiers for women-owned small businesses. Companies can get certified as being 51-percent owned and operated by women, minorities, or veterans, in order to qualify for special consideration in government and private contracts. Additionally, they can participate in a sponsor company’s Supplier Diversity programs. Large corporations such as Disney, Intel, AT&T, Major League Baseball, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios have requirements to include a certain percentage of purchases from diverse suppliers.
“Women-owned businesses make up the fastest-growing segment of the national and international business world,” said Dr. Pamela Williamson, WBEC-West President and CEO. “That is just one reason why WBEC-West is dedicated to helping participants navigate the certification process.” Dr. Williamson has been a dedicated senior leader for over twenty years. She envisions a promising future for WBEC-certified women-owned businesses, and takes an active role in facilitating connections between corporations and women’s business enterprises.
Founder, CEO and Chief Technology Officer of CBT Corporation, and speaker at the upcoming webinar, Kelly Ireland said, “WBEC certification is the access to an immense network of like-minded professionals as well as the ability to build alliances and partnerships with other WBE’s. I went through the program and I will be sharing my experience during the webinar. Additionally, I will discuss the exposure to corporate diversity teams that provide insights and support to make it a win-win-win.” Visit https://bit.ly/wibss316 for details.
The mission of the WBEC is to create strong team environments and increase economic vitality for WBEC certified women-owned businesses.
Dr. Pamela Williamson, WBEC-West President and CEO
Hosted by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), fourteen aspiring leaders came together virtually for the Project Weekend event, to work on solutions to diversify Maui’s economy. Project Weekend is specifically designed for the Fellows of Ka Ipu Kukui, a year-long program designed to train community-identified future leaders and conceived to address planning for Maui Nui’s future.
“This year, the Fellows were given a specific problem statement in what was called a “Civic-thon Challenge,” said Facilitator Frank De Rego, Jr., Director of Business Development Projects with MEDB. “The task for the weekend was to design a project that addresses the challenge of building a diverse, robust, resilient, and sustainable economic present and future for the residents of Maui County.”
The event kicked off with instructions provided by the MEDB team and a presentation by guest speaker Steven Bond-Smith, an assistant professor with the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO). Bond-Smith shared concepts from his research that the cohort could consider for their projects. After the presentations, the groups divided into three teams and began to brainstorm in breakout rooms. Key areas they worked on included defining the problem they were solving; their solution, value proposition and beneficiaries; and funding model, goals and impact.
“An important activity of the weekend was for the teams to validate their ideas with the potential users and stakeholders,” said Amber Hardwick, Ka Ipu Kukui alumna and Board Member, and Program Manager at MEDB. “Usually this would mean getting out and speaking to the public, but this year we did everything virtually and validation was done through phone calls and online surveys.”
Teams presented their projects with a 7-minute pitch to a virtual audience including a panel of three judges comprised of accomplished Maui Nui decision makers and influencers. After all teams received feedback from the judges, a winner was announced: the Na Lei Eha team, Rebecca Pang, Sarah Loney Mark, Shayna Decker, and Dean Tokishi. Ka Ipu Kukui will be accepting applications for the 2022-23 Cohort in early summer; visit https://kaipukukuifellows.org/ to learn more.
The Ka Ipu Kukui Fellows will continue to gather in monthly hālāwai (meetings) to further develop a holistic appreciation and understanding of Maui Nui’s unique challenges to better address them in the future.
Frank De Rego Jr., MEDB Director of Business Development
Presented by the Maui Food Technology Center (MFTC), the Maui Sunday Market is an expanded island ‘ohana. At the core of the MFTC strategy is the goal of encouraging and supporting entrepreneurship among Hawaii’s local residents. The Market, supported by the County of Maui Office of Economic Development and sponsored by Alexander & Baldwin, helps to revitalize the community of Kahului while sharing aloha.
“Events happen all around the island,” said Luana Mahi, President of MFTC. “However, in Kahului, weekly community events are a rarity, especially in the evening. With the Maui Sunday Market, MFTC wanted to create an opportunity for locals and visitors alike to gather each week, engage with each other, share stories, and experience the diversity of Hawaii.”
One of the goals of the Maui Sunday Market was to create a place to share the creativity and talents of residents, wonderful food, and to absorb each other’s genuine aloha spirit in a safe and informal venue. The event draws visitors from the cruise ship that docks in the harbor earlier in the day, as well as visitors from around the island. “Often visitors crave an authentic island experience,” Mahi explained. “Our Market offers local foods, products, and live entertainment that especially resonates with this audience. Residents too are attracted to the weekly festivities, making Sunday evening a truly special time to spend with family and friends. Open to the public, with free admission, the event is held from 4pm to 8pm in the parking lot of the Kahului Shopping Center located at 65 W. Kaahumanu Avenue in Kahului.”
Mahi added, “MFTC also just opened its new food truck hub, called the Maui STREET Market. This foodie hot spot is located in the south side of the parking lot at 150 Hana Highway in Kahului and is open seven days a week. Our new hub will give residents and visitors the opportunity to ‘eat the street’, Maui-style, all year-round, take-out or dine-at, with a diverse menu of ono food served with aloha. Attendees will be helping to support local entrepreneurs and the island’s economy. Hele Mai, hope to see you there!”
The MFTC team provides a variety of food industry and entrepreneurial services to help small to mid-sized companies grow and succeed through marketing, education and business strategies. Visit www.mauifoodtechnology.org for more information.
