Aloha,

I am humbled and honored to serve as your 64th President of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Hawaii. As Chamber President, my goals include enhancing overall membership experience; continue to assist members by supporting their business interest; and build a stronger personal and business relationship with our Sister Chamber from Higashi-Hiroshima. My goals directly support your Chamber goals and vision, which is to make the Big Island community a better place to live, work and do business.  

Your Chamber already offers a host of tools to enrich membership experience such as educational workshops and seminars; business networking opportunities such as Goji Kara; and a bi-monthly newsletter (Oshirase) to promote member business.

At the same time, your Chamber has been supporting our members and the community by providing testimonials on bills and mandates that can impact their business and our community... More recently, your Chamber provided testimonials on Thirty Meter Telescope; UH Hilo College of Pharmacy; GMO; DLNR lease land; Minimum Wage Increase; and Rural Physician Program.

In the future, your Chamber will continue to strengthen our bridges with government, other chamber organizations and the community to promote a business friendly environment with reasonable and acceptable regulations.

I highly encourage you to maximize your Chamber membership by your active participation, and I hope to see you at our future events...

Warmest Aloha,

David A. Honma, President  

Mahalo to Hamakua Springs Country Farms in Pepe'ekeo for  a wonderful Goji Kara on July 23!  They welcomed guests that evening with warmth and a wonderful tour of the hydroelectric system.  Members were sent home with goody bags filled will delicious bananas and tomatoes from their farm. Mahalo for opening your doors and sharing a lovely evening with us all!

Goji Kara at Hamakua Springs Country Farms

Please check out the current benefits and discounts that you can take advantage of as a JCCIH member!   

Gina Tanouye, Allstate - Speegle Insurance Agency is dedicated to providing outstanding service with Aloha for your auto, home, renters, life insurance and financial service needs. Contact Gina Tanouye at tgina@allstate.com or 969-7767. For every referral the office receives, the member will receive a $10 gift card for allowing them to provide an insurance quote. 

Kagari Fujita, Ph. D, Big Island Wisteria, LLC is offering members translation services of Japanese to English, or English to Japanese at a discounted price. Contact Kagari Fujita at fujitakg@gmail.com   

Amelia Hayashi, Bob's Jewelers is offering members 30% off watches; 30% off gold jewelry (Po Son Hon collection excluded); and 30% off sterling silver jewelry.  Contact Amelia Hayashi at 935-8434. 

Diann Horita - With an office in Hilo, Eyewear Hilo has been serving Keaau, Papaikou, Kurtistown and Waimea for more than 4 years. Prior to beginning in Dec. 2008, the staff was employed by Eyewear Hawaii, Inc. and that same respected service is found at Eyewear Hilo.  When you desire superior cutting edge lens technology, call Eyewear Hilo at 935-1119. Members will receive a 20% discount. 

 
Joy Madriaga, Hawaii Petroleum, Inc., HPI offers dependable bulk fuel and lubricant delivery services to all districts of the island.  HPI's proprietary gas card program - Hawaii Fueling Network - provides a convenient, cost saving way for businesses and consumers to fuel. As a member, when you sign up with HFN, you will receive a discount on your gas purchase.  Contact Joy Madriaga at 969-1405 for further questions.  Applications are available at the Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Hawaii.  

Sandy Wilson, Wilson's Trophies, provides awards for sports and academics; signs and banners; corporate awards, gifts & recognition; custom and personalized products (made to order); wood and acrylic crafting (laser engraving and designs); special occasions (Valentine's, Christmas, etc.); jewelry items (earrings, pendants, hair picks and more). Members will receive awards discounts. Contact Sandy Wilson at 969-7077.   

This year's annual meeting and installation for our Japanese Chamber was a special one for both our members and visiting guests from our Sister Chamber in Higashi-Hiroshima.  Ten representatives from Higashi-Hiroshima visited from June 22-24 to participate in our June 23rd installation and other festivities.

The group arrived on Sunday, June 22nd and were greeted at Hilo Airport by former Chamber presidents, officers and directors.  After the airport welcome, they were hosted for lunch and fellowship, and a tour and planetarium show at 'Imiloa Astronomy Center.

Following the 'Imiloa activities, guests were taken to Big Island Candies and then to Akaka Falls, and then back to their hotel to prepare for a special arrival dinner at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.  Chamber members exchanged omiyage, and enjoyed a full evening of food, music, fellowship and sake.  Throughout the evening, there were many recollections and memories of our exchanges over the past 15 years and reinforcement of how much our Sister Chamber relationship means to both of our Chambers.

The following morning, our visitors were welcomed by the County of Hawai'i in the Mayor's office, and then golfers departed for Hilo Municipal Golf Course and the rest of the group went sightseeing to Akatsuka Orchids, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, and enjoyed  a special lunch and presentation hosted by Dr. Arimoto and his staff at the Subaru Base Facility.

After a short rest at their hotel, our guests were taken to Hilo Yacht Club to enjoy our 64th Annual Installation festivities where we all again enjoyed great food and fellowship and a presentation by Guest Speaker Michael Taylor from First Hawaiian Bank. We also celebrated our 15th sister chamber anniversary and the installation of our new President, Dave Honma.  After the dinner, several Chamber members also enjoyed a "Nijikai" afterhours activity at the Palms by the Bay.

Several Chamber officers joined our guests for a farewell breakfast the next morning at the hotel, and then transported them to Hilo Airport for their departure.  It was a whirlwind tour for our Higashi-Hiroshima guests led by Chairman Ryuichi Sasaki, but one that we will all remember for years to come! 

Ms. Joyce Hamasaki has been appointed as the Dean of Career and Technical Education effective August 1, 2014.

Joyce has been serving as the Interim Dean of Career and Technical Education since January 1, 2012, and is an Associate Professor in Nursing.  She earned her Master's Degree from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, is a tenured faculty and has been with the college for approximately 29 years.  Joyce has served in many different capacities during her time at the college, including Academic Senate chair.  She is passionate about Career and Technical Education programs, is familiar with the Carl Perkins grant and is a proponent of sustainability practices.  Joyce also played a major role in writing the National League for Nursing accreditation self-study report.  HawCC's nursing program achieved NLN re-accreditation for the Associate in Science degree for the maximum of eight years.
    
Dr. Christopher B. Manaseri has been appointed as the Dean of Liberal Arts and Public Services effective July 28, 2014.

Dr. Manaseri began his career in education in 1975 as an English teacher and then school counselor before becoming a principal and superintendent of schools and district superintendent for several school districts in New York from 1993 to 2008.  He was hired at Leeward Community College (LCC) on O'ahu in August 2009 and served as the Student Services Program Officer until his appointment as the Dean of Student Services at LCC in August 2010, where he was the administrator responsible for units in the areas of admissions and records, financial aid, counseling and advisement, student life, student health center, recruitment and job prep services.

At LCC, Dr. Manaseri was involved in various grant programs, Hawai'i Graduation Initiative, Strategic Enrollment Management, academic advising, Early Alert Program (Starfish), and participates in system-wide solutions involving student retention and digital document management software.

Dr. Manaseri states, "I look forward to learning more about Hawai'i Community College and the needs of its students and to working with faculty and staff to promote student success."

 

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Words of Wisdom 

By Tommy Goya

Japanese Proverb from member Brian Tanimoto, Tanimoto Dharma Designs

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