Hawai'`i SmallBiz Week Newsletter
from
The Business Research Library
(BRL)OF THE HAWAI`I
SMALL BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT CENTER
NETWORK
A Partnership Program between the University of Hawai`i at Hilo
and the U.S. Small Business Administration
Previously Published Issue
June 26, 1998
Volume 2 - Issue 8
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NEWS FLASH:(July 1)
•Abercrombie
announces July 1 economic forum
Top Clinton administration officials to hear from Hawaii business leaders
HAWAI`I
•Big Island &
Kauai Are Designated SBA HUBZones
•Hawaii Hi-Tech
Businessman Named SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year
•Cybersnacks
Web Site Offers Island Snacks
•Nominations
Sought For Small Business Regulatory Review Board
NATIONAL
•Trade Consortium
Major Growth Strategy For South Carolina
•SBA's PRO-Net Helps Link Small
Business and Government Procurement
•Year 2000 Computer Problem
Focus of SBA Campaign
•
INTERNATIONAL
•China Retail Expo Set For August
NEWS FLASH:
Abercrombie announces July 1 economic forum
Top Clinton administration officials to hear
from Hawaii business leaders
Congressman Neil Abercrombie announced today that
a delegation of high ranking Clinton administration economic policy officials
will be in Hawaii on Wednesday, July 1, to attend an economic revitalization
forum sponsored by Abercrombie.
"I feel it is of vital importance that the administration
in Washington fully understand the problems Hawaii businesses are facing.
The best way to do that was to ask high ranking administration officials
to come out here and hear first-hand from the men and women on the front
lines of the battle to improve our economy," Abercrombie said.
Clinton administration officials attending Abercrombie's
forum include Dr. Philip Singerman, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for
Economic Development. Also present will be senior officials from the Small
Business Administration, Department of the Treasury, Department of Labor,
Department of Defense, and Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Abercrombie said, "I invite all Hawaii residents- business owners,
employees and retirees- to attend this forum and let Washington know what
you think."
(The forum was held at: The Keoni Room, Jefferson
Hall
1777 East-West Road (UH-Manoa campus) Wednesday, July 1, 1998 6:30-8:00
p.m.)
BIG ISLAND & KAUAI ARE DESIGNATED SBA HUBZONES
Hawai`i County and Kaua`i County have been designated HUBZones by the SBA
under the HUBZone Empowerment Contracting Program. The program is designed
to facilitate federal contracting activity in economically distressed urban
and rural areas with the expectation of increasing jobs and private-sector
investments. HUBZone contracts could surface early in fiscal year 1999,
perhaps by this coming December. Under the HUBZone legislation, many federal
contracts are more likely to be awarded to small businesses in HUBZones.
To qualify, a small business' principal office must be in a HUBZone, at
least 35 percent of its employees must reside in a HUBZone, and
be owned and controlled by U.S. citizens. More information available at:
www.sba.gov/news/current/98-49.html.
(SBA News Release No. 98-49, 11 June 1998)
HAWAII HI-TECH BUSINESSMAN NAMED SBA YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR
OF THE YEAR
The U.S. Small Business Administration has named Charles Wesley Fortner
as its 1998 Young Entrepreneur of the Year. Fortner is a resident of Mililani,
and the founder and president of the Honolulu-based telecommunications firm,
Island Page, Inc. Island Page sales totaled $280,000 in 1995 and increased
370 percent in 1996 to pass the $1 million mark. Sales for 1997 were expected
to increase another 50 percent. Fortner is noted for his creative marketing
strategies, motivational management style and innovative technology knowledge
which has allowed him to operate the business at lower costs than his competitors.
Fortner was honored in Washington D.C. during National Small Business Week.
(Voice of Business, 15, June 1998)
CYBERSNACKS WEB SITE OFFERS ISLAND SNACKS
The Cybersnacks web site www.cybersnacks.net
was developed by Hypermedia Inc. for Yates Honma, owner Wholesale Unlimited
Express. The site is tailored towards generating Mainland orders, especially
from ex-Hawaii residents familiar with the local favorites, such as crack
seed, mochi crunch, cuttle fish, dried fruit, smoked tako, and much more.
Visitors to the site will need to know the local terms for the snack, as
explanations are not given. Since the web site was opened in December 1997,
more than 400 hits a month have been generated. Most of the hits are coming
from the West Coast, New York, Chicago, and Idaho.
(Pacific Business News, 22 June 1998)
NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR SMALL BUSINESS REGULATORY
REVIEW BOARDS
Governor Cayetano is seeking nominations for individuals to serve on the
soon-to-be-formed Small Business Regulatory Review Board. The board is empowered
to review petitions from small businesses challenging agency regulations
that affect their business. The Review Board will have 11 members from the
small business community throughout Hawai`i and will make recommendations
to administrative agencies, the state legislature, county councils and county
mayors for action on rules that unduly burden small business. Deadlines
for submission of candidates is July 17, 1998.
(DBEDT Press Release, 25 June 1998)
TRADE CONSORTIUM MAJOR GROWTH STRATEGY FOR SOUTH CAROLINA
South Carolina is second only to Hawai`i in the share of its workforce employed
by foreign-owned companies. South Carolina Chamber of Commerce set out to
find a way to pull more smaller firms into the export business. The Chamber
took on the responsibility for designing, funding, and managing a
sweeping new trade initiative: South Carolina Export Consortium. Three public
entities (South Carolina Department of Commerce, the South Carolina Ports
Authority, and Santee Cooper-a state-owned utility) jointly provided $150,000
per year for three years. This was matched by another $150,000 in
annual commitments from a dozen major corporations, and the Lt. Governor
helped to support the initiative by becoming its honorary chairman. The
initiative focused on creating a statewide "client intake" and
distance learning mechanism, getting novice firms export ready, and trouble
shooting
and referrals. The Consortium served 60 companies in the second half of
1997 and 70 in the first quarter of 1998. The Consortium recently went back
to seven of these companies to determine the initiative's impact. So far,
exports from the seven are projected to be $15 million in 1998.
(Clearinghouse on State International Policies, June 1998)
SBA'S PRO-NET HELPS LINK SMALL
BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT
Pro-Net is an electronic gateway of procurement information for and about
small businesses. It is a search engine for contracting officers, a marketing
tool for small firms and a "link" to procurement opportunities
and important information. Pro-Net is an Internet-based database of information
on more than 171,000 small, disadvantaged, 8(a) and women-owned businesses.
It is free to federal and state government agencies as well as prime and
other contractors seeking small business contractors, subcontractors and/or
partnership opportunties. Pro-Net is open to all small firms seeking federal,
state and private contracts. Businesses on the system are responsible for
updating their own company profiles. Companies with web sites can link their
web site to their Pro-Net profile, thus
creating a marketing tool. (Pro-Net Web Site: www.pro-net.sba.gov/)
YEAR 2000 COMPUTER PROBLEM FOCUS OF SBA CAMPAIGN
The U.S. Small Business Administration, joined by a number of companies,
associations, trade groups and U.S. senators, has launched a national public
awareness campaign to alert small businesses to the business risks associated
with the Year 2000 computer problem. The campaign involves mass mailings
to small business owners and a self assessment test available on the SBA's
Internet Y2K web page www.sba.gov/y2k/.
(SBA Press Release No. 98-39, 3 June 1998)
CHINA RETAIL EXPO SET FOR AUGUST
The China Retail Conference & Exposition 98 is going to be held in the
Shanghai International Exhibition Center, August 23 to 26. The exposition,
the largest of its kind in the country will have four parts - shopping facilities,
supermarket food, retail automation facilities and commodity distribution
technologies. According to the Shanghai Commerce Commission, which will
sponsor the extravaganza, nearly 300 exhibitors from around the world will
exhibit their products and seek business opportunities. Large companies,
such as IBM, NEC, Coca-Cola and Haagen Daz will participate or are sending
purchasing teams to the show. (Source: Shanghai Star, 4/28/98, China
Commercial Brief, 11 May 1998)
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