LIHUE — A new partnership between the Kauai Chamber of Commerce and County of Kauai aims to bring speakers and opportunities for networking The Kauai Chamber of Commerce, the Kauai County Office of Economic Development and the Kauai Workforce Development
LIHUE — A new partnership between the Kauai Chamber of Commerce and County of Kauai aims to bring speakers and opportunities for networking
The Kauai Chamber of Commerce, the Kauai County Office of Economic Development and the Kauai Workforce Development Board are hosting a Small Business Fair and Business After Hours on Thursday.
The event will be held at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall in Lihue.
The Small Business fair, which will run from 2 to 5 p.m., features speakers including Bob Gunter, president of Koloa Rum; Susan Tai-Kaneko, president and CEO of the Kauai Economic Development Board; Louisa Wooton, co-founder of Kunana Dairy; and Kawehi Inaba, founder of Mokulele Airlines and former OED director for the County of Hawaii.
Each speaker will lead discussions on topics ranging from organic farming to manufacturing and small business development. Other small business owners and community leaders will be on hand to exhibit their work and promote their businesses.
The Business After Hours starts at 5 p.m. and will feature networking opportunities, door prizes and a talk with Robin Danner, policy director for the Center for Native Hawaiian Advancement.
“The mayor and the county are deeply committed to promoting a positive business climate on Kauai,” said George Costa, director of the Office of Economic Development. “The Small Business Fair is a unique opportunity for small business owners and other entrepreneurs to learn from experts in their fields.”
“Kauai can be a challenging place to do business given our remote location,” said Mark Perriello, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce. “The Chamber is proud to partner with the mayor and his administration to bring important economic development programing to the residents of Kauai in order to help make our island a better place for business.”
According to a CNBC study, Hawaii was ranked the second-worst state to do business in the United States. Partnerships like the one between the county and Chamber aim to change this by helping educate business owners and provide them with important networking opportunities.
