Small Business winners declared
Star-Bulletin staff
A Maui restaurateur took top honors in the U.S. Small Business Administration's 2008 Hawaii awards and will be honored next month along with over 30 other business owners, advocates and business leaders.
Beverly Gannon, the award-winning chef and owner of Haliimaile General Store and Joe's Bar on Maui, has been named Hawaii's 2008 Small Business Person of the Year. Gannon, who started her business from her garage more than 20 years ago, now competes for the national title.
Each year, the Small Business Administration honors outstanding small business owners, entrepreneurs and advocates that have made important economic and quality of life contributions.
Local awards will be handed out on April 30 during a luncheon and winner's expo at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Tickets to the event, which will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., can be purchased from the Hawaii Women's Business Center for $45. Reservations can be made by calling (808) 526-1001 or by clicking on their website, www.hwbc.org.
2008 Small Business Administration awards
Small Business Owners
» Rozett's Nursery, Hilo, Hawaii.
» WCIT Architecture, Inc. and Principals Robert Iopa, Mark Higa, Lawrence Cunha, Jr. and Daniel Kanekuni, Oahu.
» Marynel Valenzuela, owner of Ink Spot Printing Corporation, Lihue, Kauai.
Entrepreneurial Success
» Rex Matsuno, Suisan Company Limited, Hilo, Hawaii.
» Richard S. Ouye, Service Rentals and Supplies Inc., Kahului, Maui.
Family Owned Small Business
» Neal Hasegawa, Hasegawa General Store, Hana, Maui
» Jonathan Ota, Tip Top Café and Bakery, Lihue, Kauai.
» Michael Tokunaga, S. Tokunaga Store in Hilo, Hawaii
» Roy and Kathy Sakuma, Roy Sakuma Productions & Ukulele Festivals Hawaii
Small Business Exporter
» Lori Cardenas, Aunty Lilikoi LLC, Waimea, Kauai
» Allan Hornstein, Lenox Metals, Kapolei, Oahu
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
» Thomas Park, Leather Soul, Royal Hawaiian Center
» Kimberly Nakasato, Nakasato Contracting LLC, Honolulu, Oahu.
» Brennan Purtzer, Hawaii Pacific Media LLC, Kaunakakai,Molokai
Financial Services Champion
» Diana Shaw, Kauai Center Director for the Hawaii Small Business Development Center Network
» Diana Jackson, SCORE of Hawaii
» Richard Kehoe, RJK LLC and SCORE volunteer
Small Business Journalists
» Erika Engle, Honolulu-Star Bulletin
» Sky Barnhart Schual, Skywriting Journalism, Copywriting and Editing
» Joan Conrow, Kauai People News
Women in Business Champion
» Joann Seery, BNI Hawaii, Referral Institute and Serious Business Solutions
» Roberta Chu, Bank of Hawaii, Hilo, Hawaii.
» Carole Kooy, Kilakila Employment Services, Maui.
» Susan Utsugi, Central Pacific Bank, Honolulu.
Minority Small Bus. Champion
» Ernesto Pasion, Tax Accounting & County of Kauai