President’s Message

Aloha Chamber members,

We are official! Our new address is 733 Bishop Street, Makai Tower, Suite 1200 in the Pacific Guardian Center. This move exemplifies a new chapter in the Chamber book and a fresh start to 2019 to Raise the Bar and exceed expectations. The move also showed exemplary teamwork especially by lead coordinator, Lori Abe, who orchestrated the move seamlessly and efficiently. Also, to Licia Hill, who volunteered to work during the weekend to ensure the office was ready for the new work week.ope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are ready for the Holiday Season! 

As mentioned last week, the Chamber is moving its office after 20+ years. Effective December 1, our new office location will be:

Mahalo to our members, Island Movers, Nimble Solutions and Hawaiian Telcom, for their diligent work and transfer, Inspiration Furniture for the quality products that brighten up our office and Pacific Guardian for our new home.

The Chamber team looks forward to welcoming you at our Open House on January 15, 4:00 – 6:00 PM. We hope to see you then.

Laulima & mahalo,

Sherry Menor-McNamara
President & CEO

Advocating for Business

2019 Leg Session Preview: New House Members
With the election year coming to a close, it means that the 2019 Legislative Session is just around the corner and a group of new lawmakers will be voting on measures that may have an impact on the business community. Below is a list of House members that will be debuting or returning in the New Year. For more information about who your legislators are, please click here. Next week, we will introduce you to the new members of the State Senate.

	Rida Cabanilla Arakawa House District 41 Ewa Villages, Ewa Beach, Ewa Gentry, Ocean Pointe, West Loch Cabanilla Arakawa was elected to the seat previously held by Matt LoPresti.  She previously served as a member of the House from 2005 to 2014.
	Stacelynn K.M. Eli (D) House District 43 Ewa Villages, Kalaeloa, Honokai Hale, Nanakai Gardens, Ko Olina, Kahe Point, Nanakuli, Lualualei, Maili Eli successfully was elected to the seat previously held by Andria Tupola.
	Lisa Kitagawa (D) House District 48 Kaneohe, Kahaluu, Waiahole Kitagawa was elected to the seat previously held by Jarrett Keohokalole.
	Dale T. Kobayashi (D) House District 23 Manoa, Punahou, University, Moiliili Kobayashi was elected to the seat previously held by Isaac Choy.
	Scot Z. Matayoshi (D) House District 49 Kaneohe, Maunawili, Olomana Matayoshi was elected to the seat previously held by Ken Ito.
	Val Okimoto (R) House District 36 Mililani Mauka, Mililani Okimoto was elected to the seat previously held by Beth Fukumoto.
	Amy Perruso (D) House District 46 Wahiawa, Whitmore Village, Launani Valley Perruso was elected to the seat previously held by Lei Learmont.
	David Tarnas (D) House District 7 North Kona, North Kohala, South Kohala Tarnas was elected to the seat previously held by Cindy Evans.
	Tina Wildberger (D) House District 11 Kihei, Wailea, Makena Wildberger was elected to the seat previously held by Kaniela Ing.

Supporting our Military

State House Names MAC Chair
On December 3rd, House Speaker Scott Saiki announced committee assignments for the 30th Legislature (2019-2020). Speaker Saiki announced that veterans and military affairs will be combined with public safety. The reorganized House Committee on Public Safety, Veterans, & Military Affairs (PVM) will be chaired by Representative Gregg Takayama. Representative Cedric Gates will serve as Vice Chair. Representatives Dale Kobayashi, Sam Kong, Scott Nishimoto, Takashi Ohno and Bob McDermott round out the committee. 

There will likely be legislation that imposes requirements above federal standards on the Red Hill Fuel Facility. As such, PVM will undoubtedly have considerable influence on whether such bills gain traction. The Chamber’s Military Affairs Council (MAC) has been the only community organization that has opposed these types of bills since 2014 and continuing to do so will remain a priority next session.

Building our Membership

2019 Young Professionals Mentor Hawaii Program
Be a part of the 4th cohort of the Chamber’s Young Professionals Mentor Hawaii Program. This program gives YP’s exclusive access to 20 of Hawaii’s top executives for one-on-one mentoring to help grow their careers and business acumen. Deadline to apply is Friday, January 4, 2019, apply here.