|
Small Business News December 2003
Arizala, Wendt, Slom, Honored at Grassroot Institute of Hawaii Gala Celebrating its founding for the first time (actually third anniversary), the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii held a gala dinner affair at the Hale Koa Hotel on Friday, November 14. The gala was held in part to honor State Senator Sam Slom, President and Executive Director of Small Business Hawaii for his 40 years of dedicated service to individual liberty in Hawaii. Governor Linda Lingle honored him with a proclamation declaring November 14 as "Sam Slom Day". Other luminaries honoring the distinguished Senator included members of the House Minority Caucus, Representatives Galen Fox, Guy Ontai, and Bertha Leong; longtime friends and supporters Alan Gottlieb of the Second Amendment Foundation, author Ken Schoolland, Cliff Slater of the Alliance for Sensible Transit and State Senator Colleen Hanabusa. Slom was also given the organization's first George Washington Award. He graciously accepted his accolades and personally thanked everyone who came. Keynote speaker was Steven Greenhut, editorial writer and columnist for the Orange County Register in California, who substituted for Wall Street Journal editorial writer John Fund, who could not make it to the gala at the last minute. Greenhut gave the audience an inside look at the recent California gubernatorial recall election, which was won by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Businessman Gary Arizala of Alphabetland and Dick Wendt were given the Grassroot's first annual "Unsung Hero Awards". Grassroot co-founder Malia Zimmerman was given the "World Champion Ass Kicker" award for her years of enduring hardship and the founding of both the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii and HawaiiReporter.com More than 130 people were in attendance for the gala which was a fundraiser to help both the Grassroot Institute and Small Business Hawaii. This report originally appeared in HawaiiReporter.com RETURN TO DECEMBER 2003 SB NEWS PAGE
|
