IULAE/JULY 2007

On tap for this month:

• "E Komo Mai" by HCCNC President Eric Tao
• HCCNC Welcomes University of Hawaii-Manoa New Chancellor
• Quarterly Business Mixer
• New Board Members
• HCCNC Membership Benefit: Hawaiian Airlines Web Discount
• New & Renewing Business Members
• Upcoming Events

"E Komo Mai" by HCCNC President Eric Tao

Aloha, everyone, we hope you are all enjoying the summer and having opportunities to visit the Islands. Here in the Bay Area, between the cultural mecca of San Francisco and the technology mecca of Silicon Valley, it is funny how Hawai’i and references to its unique culture continue to pop up. Recently I found a new web search engine called Mahalo (www.mahalo.com), a combination of human editing to focus search results and the traditional Google search. Search results that have the most relevant data are rated with "shaka" signs.

It will be interesting to see if Mahalo will pervade our daily vernacular like Google has (e.g., "I googled it an wen find choke stuff about Hawaii...." A little poetic license with pidgin thrown in there too for good measure). Already we are using "wiki" on a daily basis as a reference for anything that is a community managed source of constantly refined and updated information on a variety of the world’s subjects, personally I find myself using Wikipedia daily. And of course, behind the scenes is the powerful company, Akamai, that provides data delivery and routing to the millions of users of Google, Wikipedia and possibly soon to be the new Google: Mahalo.

This fascinating affinity between innovative Internet companies and Hawai’i may seem strange, but for us at the HCCNC, it is perfectly natural. The Internet represents a coming together of the world’s community to share information, to provide openness and access for all to be accepted and involved. That is the essence of the Hawaiian spirit, a relaxed and understated caring and sense of community and family. I hope that everyone continues to be inspired by this Aloha Spirit and continue to do great things and build great businesses.

Here at the HCCNC, we continue to dedicate ourselves to do our small part to encourage this Business with Aloha. In concert with that mission, I am extremely pleased to announce and welcome two new members to our board of directors, Leimomi Hall and Jeff Cortez who will add so much to our growing organization (read more about them in this month’s newsletter).

Mahalo (in the traditional sense) for your support!

Eric Tao,
President

HCCNC Welcomes University of Hawaii-Manoa New Chancellor

On June 1st, HCCNC partnered with University of Hawai’i (UH) Alumni Association and UH Bay Area Alumni Association to congratulate Virginia Hinshaw on her appointment as the new UH Manoa (UHM) Chancellor. As the first female Chancellor of UHM, she will serve as the chief executive officer responsible for providing both administrative and academic leadership to the University of Hawaii’s flagship campus that has a student enrollment of 20,600.

Ms. Hinshaw previously held the post of provost and executive vice chancellor of the University of California, Davis.

About 40 guests had a chance to talk story with Ms. Hinshaw and enjoy ono pupus at the beautiful Pres A Vi Restaurant in San Francisco’s Presidio campus. Al Landon, UH Board of Regent and Bank of Hawaii President, and his wife Sue also attended this special event to extend their congratulations to Ms. Hinshaw. Other special guests included Kevin Takamori, UHAA Executive Director, and Mary Bitterman, HCCNC Advisory Board member and Executive Director of the Bernard Osher Foundation. Pres A Vi Executive Chef and Co-Owner Kevin Degala, formerly from Hawaii, also spent time with our group throughout the evening. Mr. Degala is a long time supporter of HCCNC.

We wish Ms. Hinshaw much success on her new and exciting leadership role at the University of Hawaii-Manoa campus.

Quarterly Business Mixer

The Hawaii Chamber of Commerce of Northern California (HCCNC) along with the Young Filipino Professional Association (YFPA) and the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California (FBANC) would like to invite you to its quarterly business mixer on Wednesday, August 8, from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

The event will be sponsored by the SOMA Grand at the SOMA Grand Sales Center located at 1085 Mission Street, next to the new Federal Building at 7th Street. Parking is available across the street.

Admission is free but space is limited. Please RSVP by August 2 to RSVP@hccnc.com.

Please see Jeff Cortez, Leimomi Hall or Daryl Higashi to register to participate in the "Wiki Wiki Business Drill," a two-minute opportunity to tell everyone about your business.

Bring your business cards and hope to see you there!

New Board Members: Leimomi Hall and Jeff Cortez

This month we welcome two new board members at HCCNC:

Leimomi Hall
Leimomi is an airline veteran having represented Hawaiian Airlines for the last 21 years. She is currently Regional Sales Manager, covering North America. A HCCNC member since 2000, she has also served on the board of Meeting Professional International Northern California Chapter as Director of Membership (2003-2004), and Director of Communications (2004-2005). In addition she has been active as a member of several other industry organizations; member of California Society of Association Executives, Bay Area Business Travel Association, San Jose Chamber of Commerce, Northern California Ohana and Pacific Northwest Ohana. Born and raised in Oahu, a Sacred Hearts Academy alum, she finished her education in Oregon, graduating from Willamette University. Married to Lance Hall, her pride and joy is her 11 year old son Ikaika. She is looking forward to serving on the board and is eager to contribute and continue building on the foundation the board has built and be able to give back to the membership.

Jeff Cortez
Jeff comes to the HCCNC board after serving on the board of the Young Professional Filipino Association and the Filipino Business Alliance. As a member since 2000, Jeff has volunteered at many HCCNC events. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Jeff has many ties to Hawaii through his business and personal relationships. After graduating from Cornell University with an undergraduate and a graduate degree, Jeff worked as a research engineer at the UCSF/SFGH Biomechanics Lab. After switching over to technology, Jeff is currently working as a Web producer at Exponent, Inc., an engineering and scientific consulting company in Menlo Park. Jeff is looking forward to serving on the board and hoping to help foster new relationships between the Bay Area and Hawaii.

HCCNC Membership Benefit: Hawaiian Airlines Web Discount

Hawaiian Airlines is the State of Hawaii’s biggest and longest-serving airline, as well as the second largest provider of passenger air service between the U.S. mainland and Hawaii. Hawaiian Airlines offers nonstop service to Hawaii from more U.S. gateway cities than any other airline, as well as service to Australia, American Samoa and Tahiti. Hawaiian Airlines also provides approximately 100 daily jet flights among the Hawaiian Islands. In the Bay Area, Hawaiian Airlines has daily non-stop service to Hawai`i from San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and Sacramento.

HCCNC Members are able to receive 5% discount off Hawaiian Airlines airfare by booking online before December 31, 2007! Here’s the login for HCCNC Members Only:

More Information: http://www.hawaiianair.com/affiliate
Preferred Affiliate Program Code: AMWEBHCCNC

New & Renewing Business Members

Mahalo nui loa to Business Members who have renewed their memberships with the HCCNC. We are proud to partner with them:

AGI Capital
San Francisco, CA
Real estate development and investment company that develops successful residential, commercial, and mixed-used projects
web: www.agicapital.com
phone: 415.775.7005

Aloha Airlines
Honolulu, HI
Honolulu-based airline providing passenger service, inter-island cargo and aviation contract services.
web: www.alohaairlines.com
phone: 510.848.5458
Robyn Omuro

Bank of Hawaii
Honolulu, HI
Serving businesses, consumers and governments in Hawaii, West Pacific.& American Samoa.
web: www.boh.com
phone: 808-537-8291
Wayne Hamano

Hawaiian Airlines
Honolulu, HI
Hawaiian Airlines is your ticket to the Hawaiian Islands.
web: www.hawaiianair.com
phone: 800.367.5320
Leimomi Hall

Hawaiian Snow Shave Ice
Sunnyvale, CA
Providing Hawaiian style shave ice for special gatherings.
web: www.hawaiiansnowshaveice.com
phone: 408.261.1336
Alan A'ana

Kama`aina Careers
San Carlos, CA
Bringing Hawai`i's Talent Home.
web: www.kamaaina-careers.com
phone: 650-592-5541
Jon Sakurai-Horita

Kaneko Insurance Services
Robert Y. Kaneko, CLU, Inc.
San Jose, CA
Specializing in employee benefits & retirement plans.
web: www.icmgbenefits.com
phone: 408.885.9170
Robert Y. Kaneko

Ornaments To Remember
Hawai`i and Oregon
Hawaiian-inspired ornaments celebrating life's moments.
phone: 800.330.3382
web: www.ornaments2remember.com
Sarah J. Stanley

Takara Sake
Berkeley, CA
High-quality products such as Sho Chiku Bai, Plum Wine, Mirin and Shochu.
web: www.takarasake.com
phone: 510.540.8250
Ken Burd

Wholesale Autos R' Us
Fremont, CA
Dealers and Registered Auto Brokers specializing in the wholesale auto markets.
web: www.wholesaleautosrus.com
phone: 510.793.3844
Mike Medeiros

Please support our Business Members who continue to support the HCCNC. For a complete listing of Business Members, visit our Business Members page at www.hccnc.com/members.htm.

More Upcoming Events

> View the Entire HCCNC Calendar of Events
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