RUSS LYNCH / RLYNCH@STARBULLETIN.COM
Mayor Jeremy Harris announced the formation of a new Hawaii Economic Partnership yesterday. From left: Mike Fitzgerald, president of Enterprise Honolulu; Jane Sawyer, assistant district director for the Small Business Administration; Harris; Ray Jefferson, deputy director, state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; Chris Resich, chairman, Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii; and Manny Menendez, executive director, city Office of Economic Development.
City touts cooperation
By Russ Lynch As one of a number of efforts statewide to coordinate economic development in Hawaii, Mayor Jeremy Harris yesterday announced the formation of a new "Hawaii Economic Partnership."
rlynch@starbulletin.comAt a news conference at his office, Harris said the state, the federal government and some private groups are formalizing an informal relationship and pulling together to make sure businesses considering Hawaii as a location will get the information they need when they need it.
The organizations involved said that the negative economic effects of the war in Iraq and now the fears of the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus have made it important to boost what has been a friendly cooperation.
Manuel Menendez, executive director of the city Office of Economic Development, said that the aim is to coordinate the various agencies so they can send businesses to the best sources of help. "The key is the handoff," he said.
Menendez said the partnership won't set up a new office.
When an approach comes from someone interested in Hawaii, the agency that gets the first approach will decide which county, state, federal or private agency can best handle the immediate needs of the business making the approach, Menendez said.
The inquiry will then be passed on by e-mail, he said.
Using a computer-backed projector, Harris showed some of the information that is available now on the city's Web site, www.co.honolulu.hi.us, including lists of commercial properties available for lease or rent, infrastructure around those properties, such as sewers; descriptions of the population in the area, such as incomes; and zoning information.
Harris said the aim of the partnership is to "make sure we are as efficient as we can possibly be" in efforts to boost the island economy.
Menendez said that initially there will be many meetings between representatives of the city, the state, U.S. Small Business Administration, plus Enterprise Honolulu and the Chamber of Commerce in the private sector. Those meeting are planned to develop ways of sorting out which agency is the important one for the would-be island business to talk to first, he said.
Menendez said that an early aim is to coordinate Web sites so that all of Hawaii's economic development agencies are delivering the same message.
City & County of Honolulu
