Annual Maui SBA Awards and Economic Update Luncheon

The Maui Small Business Awards and Economic Update Luncheon will be held at the King Kamehameha Golf Club on Wednesday, April 26, the Maui Chamber of Commerce announced today.

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This is the first event to kick off Small Business Week, which begins Monday, May 1.

The 2017 SBA Small Business Awards categories for the Hawaiʻi District include:

Small Business Person of the Year Awards
Entrepreneurial Success Awards
Family-Owned Small Business of the Year Awards
Small Business Exporter of the Year Awards
SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year
SBA Small Business Advocate of the Year Awards
Makana Ho’oko no Ke Ola SBA Special Awards for Lifetime Legacy

The Maui Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with American Savings Bank and the Hawaiʻi District office of the SBA, will host the event for Maui’s 2017 SBA Award winners.

The winners are:

Small Business Person of the Year: Mark Harmer, President of Harmer Radio and Electronics, Inc. Sponsored by Bill Russell, First Vice President of American Savings Bank.

SBA Family-Owned Small Business of the Year: Aina Excavation & Grading, Inc., Joseph B. Santos, President, Earlette Santos-Vida, Secretary, Reed Santos, Treasurer, and Frank Santos, Vice President, Co-Sponsored by Bard E. Peterson, VP & Team Leader and Agnes Cannon, Business Banking Service Representative of First Hawaiian Bank.

SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Brian Bowers, President of Artistic Builders Corporation, Sponsored by Donald K. Mahoe Jr., Business Banking Officer of First Hawaiian Bank.

Small Business Advocate for Minorities: David Daly, Director of the Business Development Center at Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc., Sponsored by, Kelli Myers, Sr. Business Banking Officer of Central Pacific Bank.

State Winner:

Small Business Person of the Year (Co-Winners): Garrett W. Marrero, President/CEO & Melanie Oxley, VP/COO of Maui Brewing Company, Sponsored by Greg Knue, VP & Commercial Banking Officer of Bank of Hawaiʻi.

The luncheon awards ceremony will also feature an informative economic update by Dr. Carl Bonham, a founding member of The Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawaiʻi. Dr. Bonham currently serves as UHERO’s Executive Director and Professor of Economics. His current research focuses on mixed frequency models for nowcasting inputs for UHERO’s quarterly Hawaiʻi Forecasting System.

Registration and networking starts at 11 a.m., with the luncheon program running from noon-2 p.m.

Tickets are $55 per person for members, award recipients, and guests of award recipients and $65 for non-members, with a $5 discount if you register by Friday, April 14.