Elizabeth Hata Watanabe, owner of Haute Confectionery Boutique, is headed to Capitol Hill to tell legislators that Hawaii businesses need more support, and, in true local style, she’ll be sweetening that message with more than 60 pounds of baked goods including her signature Campfire Cookies, which are 9 ounces of decadent chocolate, macadamia nuts, marshmallows and graham crackers.
"I’m so excited to be able to showcase a lot of island-inspired items," said Watanabe, who understands the power of exposure since seeing her business lift off after a friend shared some of her baked goods with Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian Airlines president and CEO, and he liked them so much that he ordered them to serve on the carrier’s flights.
Watanabe is just one representative from about 25 local companies who will be visiting Washington during a series of Chamber of Commerce Hawaii events July 22-23, including a "Taste of Hawaii," at which Hawaii’s food, culture and industries will be showcased.
The two-day agenda includes a "Talk Story" hosted by U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono and meetings with congressional committee members and other officials.
"As host, the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii has invited our members, neighbor island chambers, industry associations and others to participate in this first-ever opportunity to share their made-in-Hawaii products and Hawaii’s industries, including tourism, agriculture, military, research and technology, and manufacturing," said Sherry Menor-McNamara, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii. Menor-McNamara said, "So far, we have commitments from about 15 companies, but we hope to attract about 25 companies."
Participating organizations, to date, include Ansaldo Honolulu, County of Kauai, Dow AgroSciences, Haute Confectionery Boutique, Hawaii Food Manufacturers Association, Highway Inn, Innovate Hawaii, Jacy Inc. (Winkler Woods, Imua Ukulele, Maikai Woods, Big Island Ukulele), Kamakura Corp., Kauai Chamber of Commerce, Kauai Coffee Co., Kauai Economic Development Board, Kauai Kookie Co., Kauai Made Program, Pacific Allied Products, Salty Wahine and The Friends of Iolani Palace.
The event, which came about as a result of Hirono’s suggestion, is a chance to keep Hawaii front and center following the death of U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, who was instrumental in securing much needed funding for Hawaii, she said.
"We lost that senority, and while our congressional delegation has been proactive and working hard for Hawaii, we know that they need us to take a more proactive approach in having our state establish connections with other congressional leaders," she said. "Beyond tourism, we want to highlight our status as a gateway of the Asia-Pacific and our strong security presence."
Bernie Coleman, president of Pacific Allied Products, said business leaders also want to showcase Hawaii’s manufacturing potential.
"We want to make our congressional delegation aware that we have areas of growth in manufacturing and that we need their support in terms of funding and policy," Coleman said. "We also want our leaders to be aware that Hawaii has the potential to grow this segment of our economy. We want to start manufacturing more products in Hawaii for Hawaii as well as be able to use our ties to the Asia-Pacific to get more companies there to see us as a viable entry into U.S. manufacturing."
Hirono said Hawaii’s business community will get that chance at the "Taste of Hawaii," which she estimates could attract anywhere from 500 to 700 attendees.
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THE HILL WILL GET ‘TASTE OF HAWAII’
>> What: Chamber of Commerce Hawaii’s “Taste of Hawaii” on Capitol Hill, a two-day initiative to share Hawaii’s food, culture and industries with members of Congress, senior staff members and other officials
>> When: July 22-23
>> Contact: Lori Abe, at labe@cochawaii.org, for sponsorship and other information
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"Hawaii really is a magical place to a lot of people, so I think that it will be a very popular event. Aside from that, it’s always a good time for leaders in Hawaii to meet leaders in Washington, D.C. Our distance makes it challenging for people to understand what our needs are," said Hirono, who will be an honorable guest for the "Taste of Hawaii," joined by U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz and U.S. Reps. Colleen Hanabusa and Tulsi Gabbard.
Randy Francisco, president and CEO of the Kauai Chamber of Commerce, said the event will give Hawaii business leaders the opportunity to show Hawaii’s congressional delegation, lawmakers from other states and national trade organizations how federal dollars have helped Hawaii in the past and to give examples of how they could help in the future.
"This is our chance to talk story and showcase what their policy decisions do," Francisco said. "We want to give a message to Congress that we aren’t only about the visitor industry. Our economy also depends on segments like manufacturing, agriculture, defense, research and development, high tech and education. We want to thank them for what they’ve done for us and ask for additional assistance in the future."
