Small Business News
September 2004 | Online Edition
Small Business Views
By Sam Slom, President and Executive Director of Small Business Hawaii
The death of former business leader, civic volunteer and U.S. Senator Hiram L. Fong August 18 was a real loss to Hawaii. Fong's immigrant son to Senate life story will make a tremendous movie.
SB News is printing a listing of suggested pro-business candidates from PAYCHECKS HAWAII in time for the Primary Election on page 3. PAYCHECKS HAWAII endorsed Mufi Hannemann for Mayor. Hawaii's voter registration, once #1 in the nation, fell to 50th earlier this summer prior to the August 19 registration deadline.
The sad (for Hawaii taxpayers) saga of fired/unfired UH president Evan Dobelle continues with the release of damaging (to Dobelle and his supporters) documents, minutes of meetings, unexplained misappropriation of taxpayer money, broken promises, secret side contracts and outright lies. Malia Zimmerman of HawaiiReporter, poured over more than 2,000 pages of documents over a five-day, 50-hour period at the UH Manoa campus. A summary of her findings appears here on page 5. For a complete, detailed report found nowhere else, go to HawaiiReporter.com. Complicity by the Honolulu Advertiser-a new low in conflict of interest-was only uncovered by Zimmerman. The Advertiser chose to hype its new printing press, pretty colored photos and ads rather than the part its editorial page editor and his wife, the education writer, played in skewing the news to be favorable to Dobelle.
Mark Recktenwald head of the department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs (DCCA) announced the start of Hawaii Business Express this month which will provide even more on-line business options and coordination with federal and county regulation and permit access.
A decade ago the Hawaii Legislature passed a law mandating 10% ethanol added in gasoline dispensed in Hawaii. Nothing was done, however, because no "administrative rules" were drafted (sound familiar?) Now the Lingle Administration, after a public hearing, is drafting such rules. There are still many troubling questions about the forced use of ethanol-a corn by-product on the Mainland. Everyone agrees, it will not lower the cost of gasoline in Hawaii and may raise costs, environmental concerns, etc. The Ethanol lobby is spending big $$ to sway the politicians to move forward faster now while the petroleum industry and others urges caution.
Senate Republicans opposed mandatory ethanol supporting hydrogen and other alternate fuels that would save money.
After all the ballyhoo and cost, Mayor Jeremy Harris has stopped the Mililani recycling project. He blames the UPW. Meanwhile, the Harris de-beautification of Ala Wai, Kuhio Avenue, and Ala Moana continues.
Save the Farmers. The City Council overrode Harris' veto of a bad tax bill that hurt seriously a number of farming families.
Bruce Anderson chosen to head the Oceanic Institute. Anderson was the arrogant head of Gov. Ben Cayetano's Health Department. Meanwhile, Cayetano will lecture at the UH this fall in a politics course.
Char Tour and Travel Service closed its doors in July after 71 years in business in Hawaii. Recognized as Hawaii's first commercial agency, Char's established many firsts in Hawaii's travel and tour business. Illness in the family-owned enterprise necessitated the closure.
Local favorite eating spot of old, KC Drive Inn, owned by the Asato family, shut down after 70 years in business. The restaurant-and favorite date spot-was in Waikiki for 47 years before moving to Kaimuki.
Honolulu tryouts for next season's TV Donald Trump "The Apprentice" topped 150.
Best Buy Co., Inc., which opens its first Hawaii store this year, is different from other corporations. CEO Brad Anderson declined a salary bump from 200,000 stock options (estimated worth $7.5 million) instead redirecting the options to non-exec employees who helped the company thrive.
SBH members are missing a continuing great deal: Free radio marketing of your small business on "Spotlight on Small Business," Rick Hamada's radio program (830 AM) Friday's 8 - 9 am. Phone 521-8383.
The annual Hawaii Tax Institute cosponsored by Chaminade University Tax Foundation and Chaminade University are also offering a one-day seminar on "Business Succession Planning in Plain English," on Thursday, October 28 at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider. The sponsors offer a special reduced registration fee of $155 to SBH members. Call Tom Cabrinha at 533-4244.
The newest six logos for UH stink. Hooray for president David McClain who said after two tries and more than $100,000 (under Dobelle). It is time to move on for UH.
SBH is pleased to add Discover Card to its merchant credit card services. Aloha!
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