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Hawaii is serious about
building business ties

Many will agree that Hawaii is a leader in resort destinations, world renowned for sun, sand and leisure. But how does Hawaii rate as a business destination? What some might not realize is that Hawaii is more than just a "pretty face." According to the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau Web site, for the past 15 years Hawaii has received the coveted Pinnacle Award by corporate and association planners for catering to businesses and business professionals. The Hawaii Convention Center, boasting more than 149,000 square feet of meeting space, is a modern, technologically advanced facility dedicated to that very purpose.

Hawaii is serious about doing business, and has been steadily gaining attention as a place to conduct business. The County of Maui, in particular, has made great strides to promote business relationships both nationally and internationally. In June 2005, the County of Maui hosted its first Sister Cities Festival as part of the Sister Cities International program, where long-term global partnerships are formed to promote cultural ties and stimulate economic development. With Maui's sister-city relationships established with 23 municipalities, provinces and territories, delegates from Chile, China, Japan, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Philippines, and representatives from Taiwan, Korea and the Czech Republic traveled to the island of Maui to attend the four-day festival. The event proved to be a perfect venue to showcase our cultural, educational and economic diversity.

The County of Maui also is home base for Pacific Bio-Diesel, Inc., a company dedicated to converting recycled cooking oil into biodiesel fuel. Owners Robert and Kelly King received recognition from President Bush, as noted in May by the Star-Bulletin. In a business venture that started nine years ago, the Kings have helped to build biodiesel plants in Honolulu, Japan and Virginia, and have plans to develop more plants in the United States. After visiting the Virginia site, Bush claimed the biodiesel plant to be a step forward toward "making this country less dependent on foreign sources of oil," while protecting our environment. The U.S. Small Business Association awarded the Kings the 2005 Small Business Award for their entrepreneurial efforts.

In 1998, Hawaii was selected by National Association of Counties to host its 2005 conference. The conference will offer workshops providing a wealth of knowledge, opportunities to meet with companies that supply products and services, and nationally recognized speakers. While these aspects of a conference are beneficial, what makes it invaluable is the interaction between counties and the sharing of ideas that can be implemented upon the delegates' return home. Networking is an added benefit.

While the negative publicity surrounding the conference has been disappointing and unfortunate, it is gratifying to know that 3,000 of our municipal colleagues will be joining us at NACo in Honolulu this month. We appreciate their show of support in recognizing that our state is a legitimate place to do business, to learn about how our county governments work, and to see firsthand how our communities live and thrive. Further, we remain unapologetic about the location of our tropical home, our reputation for unparalleled hospitality and our unique native Hawaiian host culture. Those who will be joining us will have an experience like no other.

Rest assured, the Hawaii members of NACo will continue to participate in NACo conferences wherever they may be held. We embrace the opportunity to interact with government officials on both national and international levels to exchange ideas and build better business relationships. We live in a global economy and recognize that these business relationships will continue to benefit the economic viability of our state, our counties and our residents.

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