Fifteen Students Graduate From MEOʻs Business Course  

MEO’s Business Development Center held a graduation luncheon for 15 of its Core Four Business Planning students on Tuesday, Oct. 16.

MEO BDC’s Core Four Business Planning is a 36 hour business plan writing course that provides real time information on starting, operating, and growing a successful business in Maui County.

At the luncheon, the graduates received one-on-one guidance from local commercial bankers from First Hawaiian Bank, Bank of Hawaiʻi, and Central Pacific Bank. The student’s also had the opportunity to receive suggestions from these bankers on their business plans.

The Mayor’s office executive assistant Mike Molina attended the luncheon and talked to the graduates about the role of small businesses in Maui’s economy. Other attendees included Maui County Small Business Resource Center director Karen Arakawa, Hawaiʻi Small Business Development Center director Wayne Wong, and Gerry Smith from the Maui Economic Development Board. 

The next Core Four course series will start in late October. One hour introductory classes will be held at the MEO’s Family Center on Tuesday, Oct. 23 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Another introductory class will be held at the Maui County Business Resource Center at Maui Mall on Wednesday, Oct. 24 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. The six-week series will begin on Oct. 30 and will run through Dec. 11. The course costs $300 and scholarships are available.

Anyone interested in taking the class can register at the introductory classes or any weekday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at MEOʻs Family Center on 99 Mahalani st. in Waliku. Anyone interested in learning more about the entrepreneurial training course can call the Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. Business Development Center at (808) 249-2990.