FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Scott Yoshida, operations manager of Foreign Trade Zone No.9, talked yesterday with Gov. Linda Lingle during a tour of the warehouse on Pier 2.

State expands Foreign
Trade Zone No. 9

The state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism unveiled a $3.15 million expansion of its Foreign Trade Zone No. 9 yesterday, including what officials described as a "one-stop shop" for entrepreneurs.

The expansion adds 12,500 square feet of business incubator offices for import-export start-up companies, bringing the center's total office space to 27,500 square feet.

The expansion also adds more than 5,000 square feet of temperature-controlled warehouse space at Pier 2 at Honolulu Harbor. That is in addition to approximately 500,000 square feet of warehouse space that importers and exporters can rent monthly, along with warehouse handling equipment and workers who can be employed at an hourly rate.

Officials said the expansion is meant to provide convenience and ease start-up costs for young businesses trying to tap into Asian markets.

In addition to the added office and warehouse space, the new facility will house offices of five of Hawaii's seven customs brokers, who help importers fill out customs forms and understand regulations that apply to their businesses, said Gregory Barbour, acting administrator of the Foreign Trade Zone No. 9.

The zone also contains offices of several shipping agents, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and import specialists and the U.S. Department of Commerce's Export Assistance Center.

"These Foreign Trade Zone improvements offer a 'one-stop' international trade center where an importer or exporter can get a variety of information, access import-export services, and use facilities," said Gov. Linda Lingle, who attended the dedication ceremony for the expansion.

Any company that imports and exports merchandise can take advantages of the benefits offered by the facility, the department said.

Ted Liu, state business director, called the expansion an important element of his office's mission to enhance international trade in the state.

"Historically, the international trade sector in Hawaii's economy has been underdeveloped," Liu said. "The administration has been implementing a trade development strategy to increase the amount of international trade that occurs in Hawaii."