2012 Mayor's Small Business Awards winners John B. Guard, III & Susan Guard (The Pet Shop, Inc.), pictured with Mayor Alan Arakawa and Pamela Tumpap, President of the Maui Chamber of Commerce.
By Staff Reports
(Maui) – The Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and the Maui Chamber of Commerce are pleased to announce the nominees for the upcoming 2013 Mayor’s Small Business Awards to be held on Thursday, February 21, 2013 from 6-8 p.m. at the Waikapu Ballroom of the King Kamehamaha Golf Clubhouse.
The nominees are as follows:
Maui Land Broker & Property Management, Inc.
Kuhina Weddings and Blessings
The Old Wailuku Inn at Ulupono
S. Reeve Designs
Simpatico Ventures LLC dba Cilantro Mexican Grill
Hawaii Tasting Tours
TC Kokua, LLC
Maui Communicators Public Relations
Canoes Lanai Restaurant
Ululani’s Hawaiian Shave Ice LLC
Blue Ginger Café
Kawahara + Company CPAs LLC
Skyline Eco-Adventures, LLC
Ronald A. Kawahara of Kawahara + Company CPAs LLC
James “Jim” Whitcomb of Haleakala Solar, Inc.
Lynn Shue of The Village Galleries Maui
The late Douglas Wayne “Butch” Akina & Sandra Akina of Akina Aloha Tours
Jennifer L. Brittin-Fulton of Exceptional Inc.
Giovanni Steven Cappelli of Casanova’s
Chuck Johnson of West Maui Sailing School, LLC
Dr. Kelly Harnick of West Maui Counseling Center
David “Boze” Kapoi of Pride Ink
Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Maui
Habitat for Humanity Maui
Binhi At Ani Filipino Community Center
La`a Kea Foundation
Maui Friends of the Library
Maui United Way
Rotary Club of Lahaina/Maui Friends of the Library
Feed My Sheep
Mayor Arakawa will be giving out 6 awards this year: Three “Outstanding Business of the Year” awards, one for businesses with 0-10 employees, one for businesses with 11-25 employees, and one for businesses with 26-50 employees. An award will also be given for a “Non-Profit Business of the Year” with 50 or fewer employees, a “Young Business Person of the Year” award for business persons under 40 years of age, and a “Lifetime Achievement Award” for a business person with 20 or more years in business.
“Small business is the number one economic engine in Maui County, and this is an exceptional group of small businesses,” said Mayor Arakawa. “All of them are worthy of the awards. These businesses have weathered a severe recession and have stayed agile enough to still be successful. We owe a debt of gratitude to these and all small businesses in our county who have continued to provide jobs during a very difficult economic environment.”
The Maui Chamber of Commerce is the co-host of the event, which will be held at the King Kamehameha Golf Clubhouse on Thursday, February 21 at 6 p.m. Pamela Tumpap, Maui Chamber of Commerce President, said it is “important to recognize the tremendous contributions small businesses make to improve our economy, community, and our quality of life. We are pleased to have so many outstanding small businesses nominated for this prestigious award and look forward to celebrating their outstanding achievements on February 21.”
The awards dinner is sponsored by Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, and First Hawaiian Bank as Bronze Sponsors and VIP Foodservice as a Supporting Sponsor.
Tickets for the event are $60. Reservations can be made for the awards dinner by calling the Maui Chamber of Commerce at 244-0081 or sending an email to office@mauichamber.com.