Nov 28, 2018 | Community, Small Business
Pamela Norris, a Maui resident and entrepreneur, has participated in numerous High Tech Maui business development programs offered by Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB). Norris, winner of the Small Business Administration’s 2016 InnovateHer Challenge locally hosted by MEDB, is the creator of ICEBUDDY™ Systems, Inc., a portable cooling system comprised of the QPACK and QOOLER that enables ice, water, medication, and emergency supplies to be stored and easily transported.
“My career has been dedicated to saving lives,” Norris explained. “I spent years as a first responder during natural disasters where I saw people lose their lives due to not having their medicine with them, not having food or water, as well as a lack of medical supplies. Seeing turmoil due to lack of refrigeration catapulted me to create the ICEBUDDY™ Systems to respond to unmet needs, and to save lives by prepositioning emergency preparedness products.”
Norris explained, “The QOOLER utilizes a patented, encased, non-toxic gel, which is capable of keeping its contents cold at the 36-46-degree range for 72 hours. That is three days of cooling capability without the use of ice or gel packs, that would otherwise melt and sweat on whatever is stored.”
The QPACK module is an innovative, modernized backpack meeting military specifications. Its unique flexibility enables carrying whatever is available, be it 120 ounces of water, a 10-pound bag of ice or a dozen 16-ounce water bottles. The built-in bladder and spigot allow access to water critical for life itself and necessary for taking most medications. It can be carried as a backpack, but it also fits on wheelchairs and walkers for the elderly and disabled. Rescue crews can airdrop medical supplies in difficult to reach terrain.
“Recently, the African American Heritage Foundation of Maui has collaborated with ICEBUDDY™ to provide free QOOLERs and QPACKs to needy citizens in Hawaii,” Norris noted. “They are seeking tax deductible contributions that will be used for this humanitarian purpose. We at ICEBUDDY™ Systems desire to make this revolutionary product available globally, particularly to vulnerable populations living on islands.” Visit www.icebuddy.net for information.
MEDB’s High Tech Maui business programs are focused on helping local entrepreneurs gain the needed edge and skills to succeed.
Pamela Norris, Founder, ICEBUDDY™ Systems
Nov 21, 2018 | Community, Environment
In this season of thanksgiving, we can gain inspiration from Matteo Musso, a frequent visitor to Maui, is a 14-year-old author, speaker, yet mostly non-verbal autistic young man. After almost 12 years of silence, Musso found his voice by spelling his thoughts, one letter at a time, on a stenciled letter board called a flatboard. His inspired thoughts, wisdom, and tips on autism are now being shared with the world.
Musso has given presentations at the Maui Autism Center, the Wisdom Center for Autism, on Maui Source TV, and wrote an article in Maui Vision Magazine. His books, “I am Yours” and “Love Land” are available on Amazon. He also has a YouTube series, Mondays with Matteo.
“It’s been a long road that led us to the miracle of finally getting to know Matteo,” said his mom, Annette. “He was diagnosed formally at age three, and after many years of difficult therapies was introduced to the Son-Rise program. Through the Rapid Prompting Method, he learned to communicate using the flatboard, which acts as a conduit between his deep thoughts and the expression of them in an understandable way.”
Annette continued, “Amazingly, Matteo was able to tell us what he thinks his life purpose is. He said he agreed with God to be a voice for the silent ones on this Earth and to encourage all of society to stop judging each other and move toward total acceptance of our differences, to see them as gifts which can bond us together instead of separating us. We can lift each other up even though our minds work differently, and we experience life in varied ways. Our differences provide depths of perspective, giving us many gifts to share.”
In a message of thanksgiving, Matteo said, “If we desire beautiful and fruitful crops in our lives, we don’t get to be bystanders. Seeing the good is an active choice on our part. Search for the things that are beautiful in your day. Notice the beauty that’s around you no matter what’s going on. We can plan our healthy harvest, then harvest the happiness that we have nurtured—even through the storms.”
Through a recent miraculous discovery, his trapped intelligence released, Matteo now shares amazing insights of love, God, finding happiness, and the gifts of autism.
Annette Musso, Matteo’s Mom
Nov 14, 2018 | Innovation
Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) recently held an informal public event, Maui TechOhana@Cohana, featuring Dr. David Ai, Director, Office of Innovation and Commercialization and Chief Innovation Officer of the University of Hawaii (UH) System. Maui TechOhana meetings provide an informal networking opportunity open to anyone interested in Maui’s technology industry.
“The TechOhana meetings are a great opportunity to share views and thoughts in an open forum,” said Gerry Smith, MEDB Director of Business Development. “The reason MEDB has these events is to offer presentations on relevant topics in business and technology, followed by the opportunity to talk with others with similar professional interests.”
Dr. Ai detailed how the University of Hawaii plans to work with local constituents to promote innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the state. An international expert in management and business administration, Ai has more than 20 years of experience in various positions with large corporations and venture companies. In his UH position, he is responsible for the protection of intellectual property and UH-developed technology transfers and assets.
“I am thrilled to join the University of Hawaii System, and to help drive the innovation agenda with colleagues on 10 campuses– placing the research institutes under one umbrella,” said Ai. “Hawaii has a long and proud history of diversity, which is the most important ingredient of innovation.”
Pamela Norris, an entrepreneur and TechOhana participant, commented on the presentation which outlined Dr. Ai’s vision for his newly formed Departments within the UH system. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and broad practical experience to his position,” Norris said. “Ai’s vision is to upgrade the University’s ability to commercialize research results by students and faculty, in collaboration with community businesses. Businesses can apply for government grants jointly with a university faculty member who may be interested in the endeavor. Moreover, leaders in the community can offer opportunities to apply classroom knowledge to real life business challenges where they partake in community solutions.”
Maui TechOhana meetings will resume in the new year. Learn about these events by signing up for news and updates at medb.org
I am thankful for Maui TechOhana which is presented by MEDB, the County of Maui, Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, and the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation. The meetings create opportunities for people to come together, learn, find inspiration, and make new friends.
Dr. David Ai, Director of the Office of Innovation and Commercialization and Chief Innovation Officer of the University of Hawaii System
Nov 7, 2018 | Innovation
Startup Weekend Maui is on November 16-18. Learn how to launch a startup in just 54 hours while receiving invaluable insights and advice from this year’s coaches and judges.
Coaches
- Gary Albitz, FocalPoint Business Coach and Lecturer UH Maui College
- Runno Allikivi, Head of Scandinavia at Funderbeam
- Debasis Battacharya, Assistant Professor, UH Maui College
- David Dal, BDC Director, MEO, Inc.
- Rebecca Filipovic, Attorney, McKeon Sheldon Mehling
- Bobby Jackson, Business Coach, RedRidge Consultants
- Jules Kremer, Technical Project Manager at Google
- Fred Mabie, Faculty member – UH Maui College, ABIT
- Luana Mahi, Owner, Principal Broker, Kismet Brokerage; President of Maui Food Technology Center
- Keri Mehling, Attorney & Partner, McKeon Sheldon Mehling
- Doug Nelson, President, Kinection
- Chris Speere, Site Coordinator,UH Maui College’s Maui Food Innovation Center
- Wayne Wong, Director, Hawaii Small Business Development Center – Maui Center
Judges
- Virendra Nath, President HDEP International
- Michael Powells, Founder Splash Inc.
- Teena Rasmussen, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development (OED)
Get ready!
Prepare for Startup Weekend Maui with Pitch Bootcamp, Tuesday November 13. Get tips to craft a strong 60-second pitch for your startup idea!
For more information and to register, please go to www.startupweekendmaui.com
Oct 31, 2018 | Innovation
The 17th Annual Advanced Maui Optical and Space Surveillance Technologies (AMOS) Conference was held on September 20-23 at the Wailea Marriott Resort and Spa with a record-breaking attendance of over 670 participants from 18 countries. A program of the Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), AMOS is the premier technological conference in the nation devoted to Space Situational Awareness (SSA), knowledge of objects in orbit around the Earth. Over 100 technical papers were presented along with featured speakers, poster sessions, exhibits and short courses in the fields of telescope optics, adaptive imaging, and astrodynamics.
Graduate and undergraduate students Andrew Guagliardo and Ryan Theriot from the University of Hawaii Manoa Laboratory for Advanced Visualization and Applications (LAVA) developed
new ways to visualize big data for satellite technology. “We exhibited our program called SatWatch, a virtual reality exploration of satellite orbits around Earth,” Guagliardo explained. “By pulling publicly available data from the Celestrak website, SatWatch is able to create a predictive model of orbits for a wide variety of satellites. SatWatch is an example of a complex dataset represented in an intuitive way, allowing users to easily understand satellite orbits in an interactive visualization environment.”
Maui middle school students participated in hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) activities during the Space Exploration Student Session at AMOS. They were introduced to space technologies via exhibits and science projects tailored especially for them.
“I enjoyed learning and talking to the experts at the AMOS Conference,” said Czerena Martinne Boyle, Maui Waena Intermediate School 8th grader. “My favorite booth was SatWatch, a virtual reality exploration of satellite orbits around the Earth. Through the virtual reality headset, I got to explore SSA data of numerous satellite orbits. These satellites make a big impact on the community and in the world for national security, internet, banking, telephones, television, navigation, scientific exploration and more.”
Seeing satellites orbit the earth through a virtual reality headset was an amazing experience!
Czerena Martinne Boyle, Maui Waena Intermediate School, 8th grade
Oct 24, 2018 | Community
The 5th Annual Made in Maui County Festival (MIMCF), set for November 2-3, 2018 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, is considered Maui County’s largest product show. This major event, featuring hundreds of Made in Maui County products, helps to grow the islands’ small businesses.
The MIMCF will be the first major, as well as the returning show, for many businesses that Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) Innovation Series has fostered. “It is incredibly rewarding for us at MEDB to see all the workshops, boot camps, and Startup Weekends actually paying off,” said Gerry Smith, MEDB Director of Business Development. “MEDB regularly collaborates with local organizations focused on economic development. We all have the same goal in mind: the success and growth of small businesses on Maui.”
This year, Leanne Ohta and Ana Magarin, owners of Maui Sugar Mamas LLC, will join over 140 product vendors offering a wide variety of foods, produce, art, crafts, jewelry, fashions, furniture, gifts, collectibles, and more. Raised on Maui, Ohta, and Magarin have been best friends for more than 25 years and are both dental professionals — with a passion for baking.
“We create a variety of crispy cookies packed with flavor which are bite-size and melt-in-your-mouth,” Ohta and Magarin explained. “The flavors are unique. Our cookies are hand-scooped, baked, and sealed for freshness. Our year round selections include our Signature Chocoholic Chip, Coffee Lava, and Passion 8 Bliss. We offer specialty and seasonal cookies, and we create custom gift baskets, as well as party favors for different events and occasions.”
Smith added, “Ohta and Magarin, the Sugar Mamas, are amazing! They have a really good product and work hard. The Sugar Mamas utilized MEDB’s free one-on-one business consultations to work out their cost to manufacture their products, cash flow, the best price to charge, and their manufacturing capacity. The Mamas are an example of a Maui-based food entrepreneur doing it right. I encourage all entrepreneurs to explore MEDB’s free business assistance services and their workshops, and to attend the 3rd annual Hawaii Small Business Conference in 2019.”
Maui is fortunate to have MEDB providing amazing services supporting entrepreneurs, allowing us to see the bigger picture, be more business minded, and see that our dreams can become a reality. Come see us at the MIMCF!
Leanne Ohta and Ana Magarin, Maui Sugar Mamas
Oct 17, 2018 | Small Business
In just one weekend, you will experience the highs, lows, fun, and pressure that make up life at a startup. Surrounded by smart, passionate people and with the best tools and strategies at your disposal, you’ll take giant leaps in learning skills to create a business, build a team, and connect with the right people and resources.
The Startup Weekend Maui Series includes three (3) warm-up events to give you valuable tools for your business: Pinching Your Pennies; Lean Startup Canvas; and Pitch Bootcamp.
For more information and to register, please go to www.startupweekendmaui.com
Oct 10, 2018 | Education, Stemworks
Sean McCormick, King Kekaulike High School, was among the 31 high school students participating in Maui Economic Development Board’s (MEDB) Women in Technology Project (WIT) STEMworks™ Summer Internship Program. For six weeks, the STEMworks™ interns aligned their abilities and interests with industry professionals throughout the islands. The experience provided invaluable work-based learning for the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) students to explore career pathways.
McCormick’s STEMworks™ Internship project included creating a computer program that can help astronomers find and predict the transit of an exoplanet, the passage of a planet between a star and the Earth. He worked with Dr. J. D. Armstrong, an astronomer and the Education Outreach Specialist from the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy (IfA).
McCormick explained, “An exoplanet is a planet orbiting around a star other than the Sun. Exoplanets are difficult to identify as they cannot be directly seen in a telescopic image due to their distance from Earth. Exoplanets are identified when they block a small amount of light from the star they are orbiting. Observations are collected, and the intensity of the star is graphed over time. If there is an exoplanet, the graph will have a U-shaped dip. The radius of the planet, relative to the parent star, can be determined at this point by using the ratio of the star’s intensity when the exoplanet is transiting and when it is not. This is indicative of how much of the light from the star is being blocked by the exoplanet. I discovered that entering the collected data into a supercomputer is the best approach to this problem.”
McCormick found his project fun and challenging—trying to learn the math and figure out how to automate it. He noted, “I am looking forward to continuing to work on research projects with both STEMworks™ and the IfA in the future.”
Dr. Armstrong concluded, “Every year MEDB sends me some amazing interns to work with. I appreciate the level of skills, hard work, and creativity they bring to the IfA.”
During my summer internship I had the chance to analyze the light from stars to discover exoplanets. Thank you STEMworks™ and IfA for the opportunity to experience a job in astronomy!
Sean McCormick, King Kekaulike High School
Oct 3, 2018 | Community
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On Maui, the Mana’olana (“Hope”) Pink Paddlers, a group of cancer survivors and their supporters, bring cancer awareness through the art, the sport, and most importantly, the mana of Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe paddling. A 501(c)3 nonprofit since 2010, the Pink Paddlers are committed to educational outreach in the community as well as developing rewarding partnerships with the Pacific Cancer Foundation. The Pink’s original vision, to reach out to breast cancer survivors, now includes all cancer survivors and their supporters, regardless of age or gender.
“Our mission is to cultivate hope, health, fitness, and fun for cancer survivors and supporters, utilizing traditional Hawaiian outrigger canoes to encourage physical exercise, build confidence and lasting friendships,” said Mana’olana Pink Paddlers President, Mary Dungans. “We reassure, by example, that exercise can aid recovery and demonstrate that people living with this disease can lead full and active lives. Today, we have over 100 members ranging in age up into the 90’s and are still paddling strong!”
The Pinks hope to bring, not just paddling, training, and technique, but awareness of the sea, the wind, the life, the culture, and what’s on the horizon. Their sport is an invitation to strengthen body, mind and lasting friendships from paddling with a crew.
“When I moved to Maui, I wanted to contribute to my community and honor my parents, who both passed away from cancer,” Dungans explained. “I came to paddle with Mana’olana in 2010. I had no idea what a joyous and positive experience it would be! The Pinks welcomed me and made me feel included in something very special. To be able to paddle out into the ocean in the mornings, greet the day, say prayers for loved ones and kindred spirits and affirm our gratitude was the best medicine anyone could ever hope for. I was strengthened mentally, physically and spiritually. I realized my mission was to empower others to be happy and strong—no matter what obstacles come along.” For more information about the Pink Paddlers visit: www.manaolanapinkpaddlersmaui.org.
Survivor or supporter, all are invited to the Maui Canoe Club on Sugar Beach, just off North Kihei Road on Tuesday and Thursday at 8:15am.
Mary Dungans, President, Mana’olana Pink Paddlers
Sep 26, 2018 | Innovation
Kim Ball, a speaker at Maui Economic Development Board’s 2nd annual Hawaii Small Business Conference (HSBC), is a pioneer of the surf sports industry on Maui. Ball, who selflessly contributes to the betterment of the Maui community, talked story at the HSBC on Innovation: Learning from the Past, Creating the Future. “I’ve been in business for 36 years on Maui and believe in the importance of honesty and integrity,” Ball said. “Do business the right way, be nice, and get involved with the community.”
In 1985, Ball organized Maui’s first contest for board sailing known as the Kanaha Wind Slalom. Today, the world-renowned event, called the Maui Race Series, annually brings hundreds of windsurfers to Maui. “Windsurfing was just becoming popular. It was the fastest growing sport in the world,” said Ball. “The races were something for windsurfers to do in the summer when the north shore was flat. The first year, we had guys on asymmetrical wave boards, and every other kind of board and sail. But gradually it got a little more serious, and before we knew it, we had the best slalom racers in the world competing in our amateur races.”
Ball’s stores, Hi-Tech Maui and Shapers, represent the largest selection of boards on the island, including surfboards, stand-up paddle boards, windsurfing boards, skateboards and snowboards, as well as clothing, surf wear and protective gear. He clearly has his finger on the Maui sports scene and the changes made over the years. “It never ceases to amaze me to see the innovations that Maui guys have come up with to ride waves.”
While organizing several surf meets a year, Ball also worked to have high school surfing recognized and sanctioned as an official sport activity. Additionally, he was instrumental in developing amateur wrestling on Maui and is coordinator of the league which has grown to 11 clubs and 700 wrestlers. “I went to one Lahainaluna High School wrestling practice in 1980, and the athletic director asked me if I wanted to help coach,” he said. “I thought, I can help for one year. Look what happened!”
Years ago, the Maui News named me as one of their People That Made A Difference and in 2009 the Lahaina News named me Sportsman of the Year. Those honors are very dear to me.
Kim Ball, Owner, Hi-Tech Maui and Shapers
