On the anniversary of the tragic 2023 wildfires, Maui Economic Development Board joins the Lahaina and Upcountry communities in expressing our grief and honoring the memory of the family members, neighbors, and friends we lost on August 8. MEDB remains committed to healing, community-led economic recovery, and long-term resilience as Maui Nui moves forward together.
Over many years, Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB), the Small Business Association (SBA), and the Women’s Business Enterprise Council (WBEC) have collaborated to offer the Women in Business Seminar Series. The series’ purpose is to introduce local small businesses to information, resources, and networking opportunities. One such resource is SBA’s Minority Owned Small Business (MOSB) Certification, which includes women-, veteran-, and minority-owned small businesses.
“WBEC is one of the official certifiers for SBA Women-Owned Small Business certifications,” said Leslie Wilkins, MEDB President and CEO. “Businesses can get certified as being 51% owned and operated (minority, women, veteran) in order to qualify for special consideration in government and private contracts and to participate in a sponsor company’s Supplier Diversity Program.”
Gary Albitz, MEDB Business Consultant, added, “Once certified, a business has many benefits available. MEDB encourages qualified business owners to open these new doors of opportunities. An example on Maui is Brandy Cajudoy from Cajudoy Construction LLC, who has seen the advantages of being certified as a women-owned business. MEDB is available to help anyone interested in getting the WBEC certification.”
Cajudoy shared, “Both the MEDB Women in Business Seminar Series and my WBEC Certification have provided me with an abundance of opportunities…now I am able to bid and obtain county, state, and federal jobs. They have seriously helped my business going forward.” A math teacher for 12 years at Kamehameha Schools before starting her own construction company, Cajudoy does specialized, commercial, and residential construction. Her business was hugely impacted by the Lahaina fires, which eliminated two existing projects. “I have been working to recover and restart,” she explained. “There are few women-owned construction companies in Hawai’i. In order to finalize my certification process, I sat down one day, locked the door, and put my nose to the grindstone to crank out the paperwork.”
Cajudoy concluded, “For a small business in construction, it is almost impossible to not be successful with all the support from the county and the state. I envision a promising future for all WBEC-certified businesses. Take the certification leap!”
Interested business owners can contact MEDB for assistance. More information about certification is available on the SBA website: https://www.sba.gov/federal-contracting/contracting-assistance-programs.
The certification process is rigorous; however, once certified, businesses will have access to another level of opportunities.
Brandy Cajudoy, Cajudoy Construction LLC
Brighten Tantisira, a King Kekaulike High School alumnus, recently wrote and graphically designed a book, Why Look Up? An Introduction to Our Fascinating Universe for Young Students and Novices. Tantisira is a former Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) STEMworks™ intern who worked with the UH Institute for Astronomy (IfA) last year. While interning at IfA, he experienced a fascinating branch of science not offered in his high school curriculum and published a peer-reviewed paper, “Consistency and Precision Measurements of Seven Double Stars,” in the Journal of Double Star Observations. He also felt compelled to write a non-fiction astronomy book geared towards elementary and middle school students.
“I chose this age group because I wanted to inspire the next generation about this amazing field,” Tantisira explained. “However, novices of all ages can benefit just as much by reading my book. The book covers various topics, including stars, moons, galaxies, exoplanets, nebulae, protostars, star clusters, galaxy clusters, supernovae, and why we study all of them. By the end, you’ll have a strong foundational understanding of the most captivating astronomical objects and phenomena in our universe.”
In Why Look Up?, Tantisira stimulates curiosity about our fascinating universe through careful explanations and engaging images, including original photos. “With permission to use them in my book, I obtained my astronomical photos through the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network by programming observations into their portal,” Tantisira recalled. “My experience at IfA is what inspired me to create an astronomy book introducing this field in a simple and entertaining way to young audiences who might not otherwise have the opportunity to learn about the cosmos.” He added, “Being able to intern at the IfA through the MEDB STEMworks Internship program was a one-of-a-kind opportunity. I not only learned about the fascinating field of astronomy, I also attained new insights about careers in the field, such as monitoring asteroids near our Earth for safety reasons. My internship also exposed me to the importance of the scientific method and provided me with a strong introduction to astronomy and its techniques. Basically, I learned what scientific research is all about, and I hope to major in astronomy, or something along this line.”
Thank you MEDB for all the opportunities offered through the STEMworks Internship Program!
Brighten Tantisira King Kekaulike High School Alumnus Astronomer and Author, Why Look Up?
