Greetings to all, old and new friends. Hopefully we will see everyone at the 3rd Annual Road Warriors Tailgate in Reno on September 15! We have been asked to assist the Hawai'i Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism in their efforts to understand how people envision Hawai'i as a place of business and commerce. We will be distributing questionnaires in Reno as well as online shortly after the Tailgate. This is part of our efforts to work with private and public groups to build Hawai'i's future.

In our last newsletter, I invited everyone to provide thoughts on why people from Hawai'i living here in the mainland had such a strong common bond, distinct from other people here transplanted from other states.

The response was great and I had many members with strong feelings, all positive. Here is a summary of the most common responses:

> The emphasis placed on family values found in Hawai'i creates a bond to all kama'ainas as an extended family. > The uniqueness of the food found only in Hawai'i. > Pidgin! > The smallness of Hawai'i resulting in oftentimes only maximum 2 degrees of separation creates a special bond. (One person commented that you better be nice to other people from Hawai'i or it will ultimately get back to your family and friends back home). > A pride everyone shares coming from a beautiful place that people in the mainland all want to go.

I think that all of these are true plus many other intangibles. Here at the HCCNC we hope to continue to perpetuate the aloha spirit among our members and extend it to those with whom we interact. Mahalo to all of you who responded to my question.

Eric Tao
President
Hawai`i Chamber of Commerce of Northern California

back