Hawaii's ethnic chambers expand through culture

Johnson Choi-1008 01/16 8226

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Pacific Business News Friday January 16 2015 The Hong Kong China Hawaii Chamber of Commercewww.hkchcc.org has members in Hawaii but also in California and China and its neighboring countries. President and CEO Johnson W.K. Choi sees the organization as a matchmaker for companies across the Pacific. When the group formed in 2001, he found that companies in Hawaii and California were looking for opportunities in Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. Of its 375 members, only about half are in Hawaii.

Today, he sees more interest from Asia-based companies that want to invest in technology ventures in Silicon Valley or San Diego. He said many of its Asia members are not interested in investing in Hawaii unless they are in the market for a luxury home.

Finance Factors President and COO Steven Teruya is usually seen in standard Bishop Street attire — slacks, aloha shirt and glasses. But on a recent Friday night, he joined other business professionals in full kabuki costume, performing a traditional play where a policeman captures five criminals who must all reveal their identity. Why would Teruya do such a thing? He's a member of the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce, one of a number of ethnic chambers in Hawaii that combine cultural practices, networking and public service in the interest of strengthening the local business community.

"When I joined, I told them I don't do kabuki," said Teruya, who has been a member for 19 years and a recent member of the board. He said his colleagues eventually convinced him to don a kabuki costume and, after practicing twice a week for two months, perform with others in a historical Gonin Otoko Kabuki play at the Honolulu Japanese Chamber's 70th annual Shinnen Enkai event at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii last weekend. Like many other ethnicity-based chambers in Honolulu, the organization is the intersection of culture and business. Membership is a who's who of the business community. Some say they joined after being encouraged by a co-worker or supervisor, or for the opportunity to network.

With some chambers more than 100 years old, legacies can remain a draw, but to keep members engaged they celebrate their culture of shared ancestry and change to meet the demands of the time. The chambers also offer something different to draw new members, without taking away from other groups.

Cultural and community support

Each chamber contacted by PBN said the main difference between their chambers and the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii is the cultural aspect.

The Hong Kong China Hawaii Chamber of Commercewww.hkchcc.org has members in Hawaii but also in California and China and its neighboring countries. President and CEO Johnson W.K. Choi sees the organization as a matchmaker for companies across the Pacific. When the group formed in 2001, he found that companies in Hawaii and California were looking for opportunities in Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. Of its 375 members, only about half are in Hawaii.

The Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce holds its annual Shinnen Enkai to celebrate the New Year. The Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii recently held its Narcissus Festival Queen Pageant. The Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii holds "A Taste of Kalihi" each October, and the Hawaii Korean Chamber of Commerce hosts an annual Korean Festival in July.

Robert Yu, president of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and senior vice president and deputy general manager at Oahu Transit Services Inc., said events such as the Narcissus Festival Queen Pageant support the community and raise its profile outside the business world. However, much of its fundraising happens at other events, such as its annual golf tournament, slated for May.

Leilani Williams-Solomon, president of the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce and a senior vice president at Bank of Hawaii, said the chamber doesn't focus only on business issues, and not just on Hawaiian issues.

"Nowhere else does that happen, where Hawaiian culture and business meet," she said.

Its monthly membership meetings revolve around different topics that affect business from a Hawaiian perspective. Past topics included discussions on Hawaiian sovereignty, concerns with the Honolulu rail project from a Hawaiian perspective, and a forum with Office of Hawaiian Affairs candidates. Its next meeting will invite OHA officials to discuss developments in Kakaako Makai.

Williams-Solomon said any strictly business seminars are referred to the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii because of its resources and focus, which includes legislative lobbying, something the smaller ethnic chambers do little of.

"It doesn't make sense for us to replicate what they are doing," she said, adding that the Native Hawaii chamber provides a unique perspective.

The chamber also honors Native Hawaiians doing well in the community at its annual Oo Awards. Williams-Solomon said the award was created as a response to having Native Hawaiians featured mostly in negative news stories. Organizers thought it would be a good way to showcase Native Hawaiians doing well in the business and broader community. One of the 2014 honorees was Nainoa Thompson of the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

Many of the chambers offer college scholarships. The Native Hawaiian chamber has been able to support Native Hawaiians who want to major in business through funds raised at the Oo Awards silent auction.

The chambers also help the community at large. The Honolulu Japanese chamber has helped local charitable organizations through its Laulima program, including painting the interior of the USS Arizona Memorial two years ago. Referrals and suggestions come from some of its members. Last weekend, it mobilized a group of 18 volunteers to help register participants at the Sony Open in Hawaii Pro-Am golf tournament.

Networking

Candice Naito, chairman of the Honolulu Japanese chamber and senior vice president at First Hawaiian Bank's Kapiolani Banking Center, joined in 1999 at the encouragement of a manager at her former employer. She said it's a good reference for her business, but also can help other people find what they are looking for.

She is currently the fourth female chairman of the organization in its 114-year-old history. Wayne Ishihara, president of the Honolulu Japanese chamber, said a member survey done two years ago found that the chamber had few women members, due mostly to its heritage as a men's-only organization. They decided to change that and created programming to draw more women to join. Women currently comprise 20 percent of the membership, but he hopes to grow that number.

The Honolulu Japanese chamber has 640 members, according to PBN research, and Ishihara said its members range in age from 21 to retired executives in their 80s. In 1949, it created the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce as a separate organization to organize and host activities. The two organizations remain separate but have a strong relationship, he said, noting that members of the junior chamber can join the senior chamber at a special rate and have a director position on the board.

Each chamber remains active by holding networking events. However, three chambers — the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawai, and the Hawaii Korean Chamber of Commerce — have been partnering over the past year on joint events.

Daniel Pyun, president of the Hawaii Korean Chamber of Commerce and an attorney at his own law firm, said the partnership existed in the past but was brought back in 2014. One of its events included a gubernatorial candidate panel. It will hold another joint event on mortgage lending next week.

Pyun said the events are sponsored and free to members, but space is limited. Having the joint meetings provides benefits for the sponsor, who can reach a wider audience, and members, who have a larger networking pool. Although currently limited to the three chambers, he hopes to partner with others in the future.

Yu of the Chinese chamber said the interchamber relationship has helped with the smaller chambers. He said it hasn't partnered with the larger Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, which has 938 members, and instead has focused on organizing joint events with the smaller chambers. The Chinese chamber has 350 members, the Filipino chamber has 130, and the Korean chamber has 100, according to PBN research.

Building a bridge

"I know it's cliche, but we are the bridge connecting businesses here to Korea," Pyun said.

He said that for anyone interested in things related to Korea, including culture, the Hawaii Korean Chamber of Commerce is the primary organization that straddles the business and ethnic communities.

The Korean chamber, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary this year, has a trade mission tentatively scheduled for October. Pyun said the organization usually goes with the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

The Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii will be heading a trade mission to the Philippines alongside Lt. Gov. Shan Tsutsui, Honolulu Philippine Consul General Gina Jamoralin and 30 local business executives in February.

Paul Alimbuyao, president of the Filipino chamber and vice president and manager at First Hawaiian Bank, said 2015 will be an exciting year because the trade mission will visit areas it had not been in the past, including Cebu City and Palawan, possible host cities for the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference. He hopes the delegation can share their experiences with the APEC conference that was held in Honolulu in 2011.

Collaboration, not competition

As the largest chamber in the state, the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii does not feel threatened by the other chambers. It initiated an Affiliated Chambers and Business Organizations Council several years ago to connect the state's chambers, including the Neighbor Island-based, ethnic and community chambers.

Chamber of Commerce Hawaiii President and CEO Sherry Menor-McNamara said some of its members also belong to other chambers.

"While we have a statewide membership, we also encourage businesses to join their local chambers, especially on the Neighbor Islands," she said.

Other chambers focus on cultural or local issues, while the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii has a different approach, including lobbying on behalf of business.

"As the chamber of commerce for the entire state of Hawaii, our focus is business and legislative advocacy, connecting businesses and working to shape our state's future to support job growth, fuel a thriving economy and improve the quality of life for the people of Hawaii," she said. "I do see synergy between all of our affiliate chambers because we are all working towards a better future for our great state."

Ethnic Chambers of Commerce in Hawaii

African American Commercial Council of Hawaii

Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii

Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii

Hawaii Indonesia Chamber of Commerce

Hawaii Island Portuguese Chamber of Commerce

Hawaii Korean Chamber of Commerce

Hong Kong Business Association of Hawaii

Hong Kong China Hawaii Chamber of Commerce

Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce

Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Hawaii

Kauai Filipino Chamber of Commerce

Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce

Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce

Portuguese Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii

Vietnamese-American Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii

WUB Hawaii (Okinawa Chamber of Commerce)

Source: Chamber of Commerce Hawaii affiliated chambers, PBN Research

Jason Ubay covers tourism and finance for Pacific Business News.

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