Business meeting
geared for Hawaiians

The summit will help native
businesses attract federal money

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By Pat Omandam
pomandam@starbulletin.com

Business people, especially those of native Hawaiian ancestry, who want to learn how to attract federal money can attend a business summit this weekend at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Sponsored by the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, the summit's goal is to help native businesses understand federal procurement. The event, to be held Friday and Saturday, will update entrepreneurs on small-business programs and networking opportunities for native and nonnative businesses, said Albert "Paki" Nahalea, the council's community development director.

"People don't understand how much dollars the native community actually brings to the economy," Nahalea said.

"For Hawaiians, for example, a lot of the federal dollars that they utilize for federal programs gets circulated in the Hawaiian economy."

Nahalea said that each year, the federal government spends about $200 billion for private-sector goods and services, such as digital technology, livestock, food, services, manufacturing and construction. Under the Small Business Development program, federal agencies are encouraged to purchase a percentage of these goods and services from small, disadvantaged businesses.

Native Hawaiians in business or interested in starting a business could be eligible to join this program, he said.

Topics will include the economic impact of native Hawaiians, capital sources available to them and success stories from native American businesses.

All four members of Hawaii's congressional delegation will address participants during the meeting.

The event costs $225 for the general public; members of the council pay a discounted rate. Visit the Web site www.hawaiicouncil.org or call 521-5011 for more information.

The council is a year old and was formed to foster more collaboration between native Hawaiian organizations. The nonprofit group is membership-based. Its board directors include Ray Soon, chairman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, and Maharani Kamauu of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp.