Growing up in Hilo played a big part in shaping who Sherry Menor is today — the president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i, a membership organization she’s led for the past 13 years.

Menor witnessed the blood, sweat and tears that goes into running a small business. Her mother owned and operated Naomi’s World Travel and Menor remembers going to her mom’s office after school and watching her interact with customers, manage bills and work hard to keep the doors open.

“It definitely provided me that firsthand experience in being able to understand the many stories out there about the challenges that our small businesses face in today’s economic climate,” says Menor, who was featured on the Aug. 12, 2014 cover of MidWeek.

She also credits her father, Barney, for his work in public service, as it helped her with the advocacy side of the Chamber.

“Hilo was all about community,” she notes, “and here at the Chamber, the emphasis is to expand our footprint in the community and go beyond business advocacy; (it’s) more about what we can do to build a healthier economy.”

The Chamber celebrated its 175th anniversary Oct. 9 with a gala themed “An Evening of Legacy” at Hilton Hawaiian Village.

“This evening (was) about celebrating those who took chances, built connections, and shaped today and the future of our business community as we honor 175 years of daring innovation and unwavering advocacy,” states Menor.

Founded in 1850, the Chamber was integral in shaping Hawai‘i’s economic and civic landscape. It has founded major institutions, established early public health efforts, awarded grants to underfunded nonprofits and driven major political and economic developments.

In 2013, the Chamber created several key initiatives, including its Education & Workforce Development Program that works closely with the K-12 system, and its Young Professionals Program that features more than 500 young professionals mentoring high school students.

By representing more than 2,000 businesses and 200,000 employees statewide, the Chamber has a vested interest in advancing Hawai‘i’s economic growth and resilience. During the anniversary gala, the orga presented its 2030 Blueprint — an economic action plan for the islands that identifies areas of opportunities for the Chamber to support.

“It’s more about how can we invest more in our existing industries … coming up with policies that will address the problems and come up with solutions as well as, most importantly, to come up with this collective impact model,” she says. (It) means working with government, working with different businesses, working with community organizations, and finding that common agenda.

“Together we can push this plan. Together we can accomplish our goals. And, together we can start moving the needle to build a much more thriving and stable economy here in Hawai‘i.”

— Jocelyn Lansangan

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