Maui SBA Awards and Economic Update Luncheon, April 26

(from L to R) Teena Rasmussen, Office of Economic Development Director; Deidre Tegarden, Nisei Veterans Memorial Center; Mark Redeker, Mid-Pacific Pest Control, Inc.; Pamela Tumpap, Maui Chamber of Commerce President; Erlinda Rosario, McDonald’s of Maui, Hawaii; Kimo Clark, Truth Excavation; John Edellstein, Positive Apparel, Inc.; Mayor Alan Arakawa

The annual Maui SBA Awards and Economic Update Luncheon will be held on Thursday, April 26, at the King Kamehameha Golf Club in Waikapū. The Maui Chamber of Commerce says this will be the first event to kick off National Small Business Week, which begins Monday, April 30.

Since its founding in 1953, the US Small Business Administration has delivered millions of loans, loan guarantees, contracts, counseling sessions and other forms of assistance to small businesses.

Beginning in 1963 and each year since then, the President of the United States has issued a proclamation announcing National Small Business Week, which recognizes the critical contributions of America’s entrepreneurs and small business owners in their local communities and to the nation’s economy.

The 2018 SBA Small Business Awards categories for the Hawaiʻi District include:

Small Business Person of the Year Awards
Small Business Exporter of the Year Awards
Small Business Advocate for Minorities Awards
Small Business Advocate for Business & Industry Awards
Small Business Advocate for Financial Services Award
Small Business Advocate for Women in Business Award
Small Business Advocate for Media & Journalism Award
SBA Family-Owned Small Business of the Year Awards
SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards

The Maui Chamber of Commerce will host this event for Maui’s 2018 SBA Award winners. They are:

Small Business Person of the Year (Co-Winners): Luciano Zanon & Chantal K.H. Zanon, Owner-Managers of Bella Venezia Catering, LLC dba Kula Bistro, Sponsored by William Russell, First Vice President of American Savings Bank.

SBA Family-Owned Small Business of the Year: Brian Bowers, President of Artistic Builders Corporation, Sponsored by Leland Kahawai, SVP & Branch Manager of First Hawaiian Bank.

SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Co-Winners): Kathryn Dahm & Emily Kunz (Managing Members) of Choice Maui, LLC dba Choice Health Bar, Sponsored by Kelli Myers, Sr. Business Banking Officer of Central Pacific Bank

Small Business Advocate for Minorities: Maria Katrina “Kit” Zulueta Owner of Kit Zulueta Productions, LLC, Co-Sponsored by Helen Giron, AVP & Branch Manager and Karen Siangco, Branch Manager of First Hawaiian Bank.

State Winner:

Small Business Advocate for Business & Industry: Teena M. Rasmussen, Director of the County of Maui Office of Economic Development, Sponsored by Lester Nakamoto, VP & Central Maui Market Manager of Bank of Hawaiʻi.

The luncheon awards ceremony will also feature an informative economic update by Dr. Carl Bonham, a founding member of Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawaiʻi). Dr. Bonham currently serves as UHERO’s Executive Director and Professor of Economics. His keynote address will include UHERO’s county forecast report, a brief national economy update and a focus on Maui’s economy outlook. The Maui outlook will concentrate on growth, despite capacity constraints emerging for tourism and the ever-tightening labor market.

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

Reservations are required for all attendees and tickets are $55 per person for members, award recipients, and guests of award recipients with a $5 discount if registered by April 14.

Chamber Members may register online. Non-members are urged to contact the Maui Chamber of Commerce at 808-244-0081 for ticket pricing and availability.