TheBuzz
TheBuzz
Beyond net-net
and win-winLanakila Rehabilitation Center Inc. and Island Import Co. Inc., once competitors, have joined forces.
Established in 1939, the nonprofit Lanakila is best-known for crafts made in Hawaii by its clients, people with disabilities. The crafts and gifts are byproducts of its mission, to provide training, employment and independence opportunities to individuals with disabilities, said Laura K.M. Colbert, president and chief executive officer.
Island Import was established in 1971 and has imported and or distributed just about every type of Hawaiian or Hawaii-themed souvenir you can think of, as seen at www.islandwoods.com.
Company President Charles E. Clowe is excited about the arrangement, which started because Colbert is his brother Kevin's neighbor.
Typical Hawaii, yeah?
Kevin Clowe had talked about his family business with Colbert, who was faced with surplus inventory. A meeting was arranged "and we said, 'why not?'" said Charles Clowe. That was two months ago.
Lanakila lines will be purchased by Island Import, which will resell them to Lanakila's retail customers at the same old price; it can also seek new retail accounts.
Clowe and Colbert see expanded employment opportunities for Lanakila clients.
"The training at Lanakila is superb. I was highly impressed," Clowe said.
For instance, dresses for Island Import's dolls can be made locally by Lanakila clients, instead of in the Philippines.
"We must sell 600 dolls a month ... that alone could keep 100 clients busy," he said.
Clowe would like to boost the Lanakila brand with some repackaging expertise he can offer.
So Lanakila wins, Island Import wins and Lanakila clients win.
"It's a corny cliche but it fits in this case," Clowe said. "People use triple-net, now we have a triple-win."
Lanakila's distribution employees don't lose, either.
"We had been doing our own distribution before," Colbert said. "It takes sales, marketing, shipping and delivery, it takes a whole distribution arm requirement. It detracts from what we need to focus on."
Those employees are going to work for Lanakila Rehabilitation Center for the Blind, a sister company.
"It's a new line of business, distributing household and office products made by other blind agencies across the U.S.," Colbert said. "We have exclusive distributorship of that to military bases."
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com