President's Message

Aloha! Welcome to the start of a new year at the Hawai`i Island Chamber of Commerce. I would like to thank our past president Mary Begier for her hard work and leadership. The Chamber and our community as a whole have benefited tremendously from her dedication to make our island a better place and we look forward to her continued guidance and support on the Chamber Board.

We are fortunate to have a group of talented officers and directors on our team and I would like to personally thank all of them for taking on this added responsibility. Joining me are President-Elect Jon Miyata of HPM Bldg. Supply; Vice President Vaughn Cook of Torkildson, Katz, Moore, Hetherington & Harris; Treasurer Chuck Erskine of First Hawaiian Bank, and Immediate Past President Mary Begier of Mary Begier Realty. The officers are joined by directors Howard Ainsley of Hilo Medical Center; Mitchell Dodo of Dodo Mortuary; Judith Fox-Goldstein of UHH Conference Center; Rockne Freitas of the University of Hawai`i; Jay Ignacio of HELCO; Ka`iu Kimura of Imiloa Astronomy Center; Karina Leasure of ALTRES Staffing; Marco Mangelsdorf of ProVision Solar, Inc.; Keith Marrack of Edward Jones; Donn Mende of Hawaii National Bank; Eugene Nishimura of Big Island Toyota; Spencer Oliver of Hilo Yacht Club; Glenn Santos of Business Insurances Services, Inc.; Margaret Shiba of University of Hawai`i at Hilo; Kimberly Shimabuku of General Growth Properties-Prince Kuhio Plaza; Alice Sledge of Hawai`i Tribune Herald; Mele Spencer, Individual; Art Taniguchi of Bank of Hawai`i; Ron Terry of Geometrician Associates, LLC; Steve Ueda, Individual; and William Walter of W.H. Shipman, Ltd.

Standing Committee chairs are: Vaughn Cook (Economic Development), Chuck Erskine (Finance), Jon Miyata (Government Affairs), Karina Leasure (Membership), Art Taniguchi (Political Action), and Spencer Oliver (Social).

Let’s make this a year of action. In partnership with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Kanoelehua Industrial Association (KIAA), we will provide opportunities for our members and business leaders to come together through forums centered on issues that affect our business community. Our Government Affairs Committee (GAC) will provide our members with opportunities to meet with our elected officials and share ideas, learn about legislative and council initiatives that may affect our businesses, and encourage members to make their voices heard by testifying before committees, councils and the legislature. Our Social Committee will schedule events that will allow for networking and provide exposure for your business. Our Education Committee will sponsor or alert us of University or Chamber events that may be of interest to our members. You can assist our Membership Committee by promoting the benefits of Chamber membership to your friends and business associates and encouraging them to join us. Our Economic Development Committee will promote learning opportunities such as the First Hawaiian Bank 2010 Economic Outlook Forum coming up in August and the Employment Law Seminar in October. This is just a sampling of what goes on in the Chamber and we encourage you to be an active part of this. As with any membership organization, the more of us there are, the stronger our collective voice.