DBEDT Appoints 2016-17 Board Officers

Anthony Borge. DBEDT photo

The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism’s Small Business Regulatory Review Board has announced its officers for 2016-17.

Anthony Borge has been reappointed as SBRRB chair. He has been a member of the board since December 2012, and has served as its chairperson since 2014. He is the general manager of RMA Sales Co. Inc.

Harris Nakamoto. DBEDT photo

Harris Nakamoto has been selected as vice chair (O‘ahu). Nakamoto has worked in the health-related field over the past 30 years. Currently, he is the director of labor accounts at Kaiser Permanente in the Marketing, Sales and Business Development Division. He has been an SBRRB member and second vice chair since 2014.

Barbara Bennett was selected as second vice chair. Bennett has been a SBRRB member since December 2012. Like Borge and Nakamoto, she is serving her second four-year term. She has been the SBRRB’s second vice chair for the past two years.

Barbara Bennett. DBEDT photo

Bennett has an expansive business and community background spanning over 50 years. She is currently a small business owner and publisher of the monthly community magazine, for Kauai Magazine, which is distributed statewide.

Additional members currently serving on the SBRRB board are Kyoko Kimura (Maui), Robert Cundiff (O‘ahu), Garth Yamanaka (Hawai‘i Island) and Nancy Atmospera-Walch (O‘ahu).

“I appreciate these members of the community who volunteer their time to help shape Hawaii’s business community,” said DBEDT Director Luis P. Salaveria. “I extend my heartfelt mahalo and wish them the best in fulfilling their duties on the board.”

About the Small Business Regulatory Review Board

The SBRRB was established on July 1, 1998, with the passage of the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Act. The responsibilities of the SBRRB include:

• Commentary on small business impact statements to the rule-drafting departments,
• Identification and commentary on business impact of existing administrative rules,
• Recommendations to the Governor’s Office, Departments or the Legislature regarding the need for an administrative rule or legislative change,
• Recommendations to the Mayors or County Councils regarding County rules, and
• Review of small business petitions and complaints on business impact.

Statutorily, the SBRRB is comprised of nine members—eight current or former owners or officers of businesses from across the state, and the director of DBEDT or the director’s designated representative, who serves as an “ex officio” board member.

Aside from DBEDT’s director, the board members, with the advice and consent of the senate, are appointed by the governor. Three members are appointed from a list of nominees submitted by the president of the Senate, three members are appointed from a list of nominees submitted by the speaker of the House of Representatives, and two members are appointed by the governor.

The appointments reflect a representation of a variety of businesses in the state with no more than two members from the same type of business and at least one representative from each county. In addition, nominations are solicited from small business organizations, state and county chambers of commerce and other interested business organizations.