HONOLULU #1 DIGITAL CITY | APEC OCCUPATION | BOW WOW BOUNTY HUNTER | HAWAII RESTAURANT WEEK | PLAYGROUND

BY SEN. SAM SLOM – Hawaii Occupied by APEC. The occupation of Hawaii by the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, and its 21 pampered leaders, continues with more road closings, business disruption and political protests. It started Monday and continues through Sunday at the Convention Center, the Hilton in Waikiki and the Marriott in Kapolei. Protests continue outside the Convention Center, at Thomas Square Park and Iolani Palace. Best guess is that APEC will not produce as much visitor spending as originally estimated and that the feds will pay back very little of the high security costs absorbed by Honolulu. Most small businesses will not gain economically during this week. However, there is more shopping being done in East Honolulu, particularly COSTCO, since residents are told to stay out of the Ala Moana area, and surfers forced out of Ala Moana and Kewalo, have descended on Sandy’s and the South Shore.

Rush to Hawaii. Rush Limbaugh announced yesterday that he will give away trips to Hawaii to four couples during his latest sweepstakes promotion for his new tea product, Two If By Tea. And El Rushbo also said the winners would not be staying at some dinky shack on the North Shore; they will stay in Waikiki. The USMC turns 236 years old on November 10 and Rush has been a long time supporter of the Marines and a scholarship program for children of the fallen heroes. Winners will visit Pearl Harbor. The contest is brief; it ends tomorrow night.

Legislative 2010 Deja vu? State Senate President Shan Tsutsui and House Speaker Calvin Say sent out a memo on Monday saying the 2012 Legislative Session which convenes in mid-January, will NOT feature a celebration, entertainment or free eats. Family members and friends will not join Senators on the Senate floor. It will be low key and “business like” because of the “continuing slow economic recovery in Hawaii.” I’ll have more to say about this in January.

See You in Niu. For more than a decade. Residents and school children in the East Honolulu community of Niu have been pleading with State and City officials to build a community playground. Niu has never had one even though the community hosts Niu Middle School and the Waldorf School. Nothing came from the government. Now the City & County of Honolulu has agreed to site prep work and the residents organized, set up a website and are trying to raise more than $100,000 themselves. The project is being spearheaded by Jeanine Johnson of the Niu Community Association and SBH member Peter Kay. YOU can help by going to facebook.com/lets play, like the page, click on the playground design contest and VOTE. The sponsoring group can win $15,000 with your help. Also go to  www.niuvalleyplayground.com.

No Bank Run Here. Last Saturday was a nationwide protest calling for people to withdraw their money from the “big banks” and put it in credit unions, or under the mattress. There was little impact here. While big banks, notably Bank of America, have lost deposits to credit unions recently after their failed $5 a month debit card fee, and mortgage debacle, most banks are closed on Saturday and there is no presence in Hawaii for either Bank of America, or Wells Fargo. Besides, Bank of Hawaii was named two years in a row as “Best Bank in America” by Forbes magazine.

Eat out! You are urged to eat out at participating restaurants to support the Culinary Institute of the Pacific during Hawaii Restaurant Week November 14th through the 20th. “The Most Delicious Week of the Year” highlights many Hawaii restaurants as they come together to celebrate the cuisine scene in Hawaii with the ultimate goal to realize a vision of an advanced culinary campus – the Culinary Institute of the Pacific at Diamond Head. One of the leaders of the event is Tiki’s in Waikiki. Click here for a preview:  Hawaiian Grown TV – Restaurant Week Hawaii 2011 – Tiki’s Grill & Bar

School Soda Bans Busted. The New York Times yesterday reported a major study that examined 40 states with bans on soda at schools-Hawaii is one of those states-and they have not succeeded. Keiki find other ways to get their sugar and get fat. The role of parents?

Bite Me! A classic example of how not to handle a problem with alleged retail “theft’: The story of the Beretania Safeway, at which a manager detained and arrested a young couple who ate a $5 sandwich while shopping and forgot to pay for the sandwich when they paid for their $50 for their groceries. I absolutely think businesses should prosecute shoplifting and theft. But each situation should be handled appropriately and this was not. The woman was 30 weeks pregnant and felt faint. (Even husbands know the hormonal and nutritional problems faced with a late pregnancy). She ate while shopping. Apparently, employees were aware of this but said nothing till the couple actually left the store (or were about to; there is conflicting statements) with their baby girl, Zofia. Nicole and Marcin Leszcznski, were detained, and waited four hours for an HPD officer. Safeway wanted to prosecute. Because both the mother and father-recent residents from the Mainland-were arrested, the state Child & Protective Services was called and they took the baby from their parents. The baby was separated for 18 hours. This story made national attention. Safeway later decided not to prosecute. Too late. This is why employee training and procedures are important to every business.

Bow WOW! “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Duane Chapman and family opened a retail store in Koko Marina Shopping Center last Saturday. Da Kine Dog House features official “Dog the Bounty Hunter” merchandise, from clothing and accessories, to photos, books, DVDs, mouse pads, bags, key chains, and much more.   Da Kine Dog House at Koko Marina Center is replacing a previous store located near Da Kine Bail Bonds, the Chapmans’ bail bonds business.  The Chapmans live in Hawaii Kai and love the community.   Season 8 of “Dog the Bounty Hunter” premieres on December 14th, on A&E.

SCORE With Chen. SCORE Hawaii presents Qi Mei Chen, the Shidler Distinguished Professor of Marketing, and the Chair of the Marketing Department in the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and who was appointed an advisory professor at Fudan University, Shanghai, China. The meeting is November 15, at the Waikiki Yacht Club, 5:30 – 7:30 pm, Chen will speak on, “Social Media: The New Ingredient of Marketing Promotion.” RSVP and to prepay with a credit card, please call the SCORE office at 808-547-2700.

Honolulu #1 Digitally. Honolulu, Hawaii, Olathe, Kan., Roseville, Calif. and Eden Prairie, Minn. received first place rankings in the 2011 Digital Cities Survey, according to the results of the11th annual survey conducted by the Center for Digital Government and Government Technology.

Pali Momi “Outstanding.” Pali Momi Medical Center has received an Outstanding Patient Experience Award for 2011 from HealthGrades, an independent health care ratings organization. The award ranks Pali Momi among the top 5% of 3,797 U.S. hospitals nationwide. Pali Momi and its Hawai’i Pacific Health affiliate, Straub Clinic & Hospital, are the only two hospitals in Hawai’i to receive the award this year.

Chamber at Roy’s. Delorese Gregoire of Winners Camp invites you to attend the upcoming Hawai’i Kai Chamber of Commerce Celebration at Roy’s Restaurant tomorrow, November 10th, from 5:30pm – 8:30pm. Winners’ Camp is a founding member of the Hawai’i Kai Chamber of Commerce, and Roy’s Restaurant has been a solid supporter of Winners’ Camp for many years.  For more details about the event, visit the Hawai’i Kai Chamber of Commerce website at  www.hikaicoc.com.

Great NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES with SBH members and guests! Phyllis Shimabukuro and sister Lois, family small business owners (Mikilua Poultry Farm, Inc., Island Fresh Eggs) and community leaders, will speak on “Buying Local and the Challenges to Hawaii Agricultural Products” at the next SBH Sunrise Networking Breakfast forum, Thursday, November 17, 7 – 8:30 am at the Pineapple Room in Ala Moana Macy’s.

This is the final Sunrise for 2011. It is held a week earlier than the usual last Thursday of the month because of Thanksgiving.  Phyllis, was one of three honorees cited on September 16 by the Small Business Hawaii Entrepreneurial Education Foundation as a “Successful Business All Star.” She will discuss the family business and new product technology while sister Lois will detail the marketing of local agricultural products. The public is welcome to the SBH Sunrise. Advance reservations are required.

Call Darlyn at SBH 396-1724 for reservations. You may also register online by clicking here.

The Real News. Award winning Hawaii Reporter.com, Hawaii’s first electronic daily newspaper begun 9 years ago, still is free. Hawaii Reporter and Malia Zimmerman report daily (M-F) on the Rick Hamada Show, KHVH radio on 830 AM at, 7:40 am. Malia also reports on Kauai’s KKCR with Sandy Brodie on Tuesday mornings, on the station’s “Morning Paper.” She will report the news behind the news for you.

Want more local business information? Please visit the several SBH websites at: www.smartbusinesshawaii.com, www.educate808.com and www.SBHFOUNDATION.org.

Comments

comments