Business Hall of Fame Laureates to Be Feted

The 2005 Junior Achievement of Hawaii Hall of Fame Awards and Dinner is slated for Tuesday, March 15, at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. Legislative Presentation Awards for both Senate and Lower House will take place on March 14. Members of the Selection Committee are Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii Chair, Christine Camp Friedman, The Hawaii Council on Economic Education Chair, Jeanne Skog, The Hawaii Business Roundtable Chair, Don Horner, Small Business President, Sam Slom, and JA Chair, Steven Teruya.

Every year for more than a decade now, Junior Achievement’s Business Hall of Fame honors the outstanding men and women in Hawaii for their leadership contributions that also serve to inspire Hawaii’s youth. The 2005 Laureates bring the total number of honorees to fifty-eight.

As reported last month, The Board of Directors of Junior Achievement of Hawaii and the Selection Committee for the Hawaii Business Hall of Fame announced the 2005 Laureates, naming Robin K. Campaniano and Masaru “Pundy” Yokouchi. The Selection Committee’s choice recognizes the life-long accomplishments of Campaniano and Yokouchi, as well as their outstanding contribution to our state’s business development and community enrichment.

Campaniano is as president and CEO of AIG Hawaii Insurance Company.

Yokouchi chairs the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, while president Of Valley Isle Realty, The Yokouchi Foundation, and the Kaanapili Kai, Inc.

For additional information of the Hall of Fame Awards, call 545-1777, Eva Laird Smith, JA president.

What About Taxpayers' Freedom of Expression?

With Colorado University Professor Ward Churchill pressing the limits of citizen patience, people are climbing all over the issue of free speech.

Should Churchill be allowed to speak his mind as a tenured professor at the University of Colorado and again as an invited and funded guest of the University of Hawaii?

Well, I’m all in favor of allowing people to speak and write without state interference, but I don’t like being compelled to pay for it. Being forced to financially support repugnant speech is a violation of my freedom of expression.

When people contribute to political campaigns it is recognized as a First Amendment form of free expression. The media is likewise free to spend money on newsprint or broadcasts as a form of free expression.

Well, if we are free to spend money to support speech as we choose, then why aren’t we just as free to withhold money from speech that we oppose? Isn’t the withholding of support just as important a form of free expression? Wouldn’t it be a violation of our rights if we were forced to buy the equipment for printing a pornographic magazine or broadcasting from a religious radio station that we found objectionable?

The right of taxpayer’s to their own free expression has been ignored or abused. Why? Because too many people have become accustomed to, and dependent on, the plunder of taxpayers. The very same professors who expect to express themselves freely at the taxpayers’ expense, will rarely allow taxpayers to have the same freedom of expression...the freedom not to support them.

So here’s a test of one’s true devotion to the principle of free expression. Ask any advocate of free expression if he or she would also allow taxpayers the freedom to withhold support from someone’s speech and platform.

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Agency, or Who Does Your Agent Represent?

By Walt Harvey (R), East O’ahu Realty, ABR, CRS, GRI, SRES, ePRO, QSC

The role and responsibilities of a real estate agent in a real estate transaction is the subject of proposed legislation introduced in the 2005 Legislative Session and supported by the Hawaii Association of Realtors©.

So what? Why should the consumer care?

Hawaii is one of the few states that does not have statutory agency. As a result, real estate agents, buyers and sellers make the rules up as they go and the courts sort it out when a dispute arises.

Webster defines an agent as “a person acting on behalf of another.” Some say an agent is an ìadvocateî which ìpleads in favor of anotherî and works hard to protect their clientís interests. Others say that ìthe buyer and the seller should feel comfortable enough with the transaction and each other that they would look forward to seeing each other and to carry on an intelligent conversationî. Thatís the problem! The consumer doesnít know what to expect from the agent and if the agent is acting on their behalf.

In many states, a real estate practitioner must explain agency relationships to a buyer or seller before making an offer to purchase and allow the buyer or seller can make a reasoned choice.

Possible choices: Agent represents the Seller; Agent represents the Buyer; Agent represents both Buyer & Seller; Buyer is a ìcustomerî and has no representation. Given the choices, will a buyer and seller choose to use the same agent to represent both parties? Does either party have an advocate? A new choice may be the ìfacilitatorî or ìtransaction coordinatorî or some other form of non-agency relationship.

Question to consumers: Do you want an ìadvocateî? Do you want someone who has a statutory fiduciary duty to look out for your interests or are you satisfied that everyone in the transaction is ìhappyî at closing?

Thankfully, the real estate market is consumer driven! If the choices are explained, the consumer will decide the level of agency representation they want and what theyíre willing to pay for it. If you feel that consumers are better served by clarity, let your elected representatives know.

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Printing Vs. Copying

By Jeff Mussro, Manager, NewTech Imaging

With the increase of quick print laser copiers and new digital-to-plate printing technology, the distinction between when to use printing and when to use copying has evolved considerably in recent years. People sometims ask us for printing quotes when digital copying would be a better option. Both options have pros and cons that everyone should consider when they are getting ready to produce their particular project. Below are some comparisons of key elements of printing and copying.

Turn-around time plays a big role in deciding whether to go with printing or copying. Depending on the project you have, printing usually takes as much as 3-5 times as long to produce as copying. This is because the set up process is more involved. Take for instance a flyer run of 5000 black ink, one-sided pieces. In the time it takes to output film, and set up a press, the Xerox Docu-Tech copier can have the job done with comparable quality.

Another factor to consider is cost (possibly even more important then turn around time). Because you can copy 500 full color flyers for about $275.00, it is illogical to have that same job printed for over $450.00 and take two extra days. On the other hand, if your job is for 6000 full color flyers, the cost is much less expensive to print than to copy, but the turn around time would still be 3 to 5 days.

Some other factors that affect whether to print or copy are volume, paper stock, size, and finishing needs. The next time you have a printing or copying project, call us at 532-6566.

March 2005 SB News Front Page

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Copyright 2005 Small Business Hawaii. Last update: March 2, 2005