PO‘IPU — Even though Admiral Tom Fargo, president and CEO of Hawaii Superferry, did not appear for his scheduled keynote presentation at Thursday evening’s First Quarter General Membership Meeting for the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce, everything still managed to fall perfectly into place.
Considering Fargo’s last-minute cancellation, Randy Francisco, president of the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce, was able to pull some strings and handled the situation flawlessly, even offering a full refund to those who no longer wished to attend.
“It was an opportunity,” he said in a phone interview on Friday, explaining how he decided to dedicate the extra time for networking. “Although Fargo couldn’t come, we made the best of it and it was a great evening.”
While Fargo couldn’t personally devote his time Thursday night, the event continued to be sponsored by Hawaii Superferry and was held at the Sheraton Kaua‘i Resort Po‘ipu Ballroom.
“They’re here in spirit, but also I want to acknowledge that, because we all know it’s been a challenging week for them, I’d like to say we’re here in spirit for all those community members, not only the customers, but also the employees,” said Francisco Thursday night. “While we may agree or disagree, we all remember what it was like when Aloha Airlines shut down, so we want to be respectful and keep our ‘aloha’ in check and in balance, so that’s what we’re going to do tonight and carry on, trying to send that to our business community.”
Francisco even recruited a few speakers, brave enough to address the audience at the last moment, including Capt. Aaron Cudnohufsky, commanding officer at Pacific Missile Range Facility and State Rep. Roland Sagum.
“It re-enforced the importance in getting a good foundation in math and science in order to stay competitive,” said Francisco with regards to Cudnohufsky’s presentation, and his role within the business world. “There are a lot of job opportunities, but we need to improve our work force and educational opportunities.”
To top the evening off, Rep. Sagum flew in, on behalf of the Chamber, solely for his presentation and to discuss recent legislation, some of which the Chamber supports and some of which the Chamber opposes, said Francisco.
“We may not agree with everything they support, but they really do care about our island,” said Francisco regarding Hawai‘i’s state representatives.
To add to the overall networking theme, new members were given an opportunity to showcase their businesses and tables were prepared for their personal use.
“We’re interested in green and contributing to Mother Earth,” said Chris Hayden, who had joined the Chamber of Commerce just one day before the event.
Hayden is a part of the sales team for Universolar, a local business that assists commercial and residential spaces in harnessing the energy of the sun.
While there were some new faces at Thursday’s meeting, many were familiar, enjoying the chance to mingle with one another again.
“We’re glad people still showed up,” said Abby Santos of No Ka‘oi, a sustainable landscaping business that has had over 30 years of success on the island. “Even though the guest speaker couldn’t make it, we think it’s important to continue to show support, especially during these times.”
Santos’ company was the talent behind the Sheraton’s gardens and landscaping by the pool area, where members gathered for cocktails before the welcoming speeches commenced, as well as the interior of the ballroom, which Santos’ son, Kanani, designed.
Francisco believes that long-time members and firmly established businesses that have been successful for a number of years, such as No Ka‘oi, can also benefit from being a part of the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce, especially given the current economic slow-down.
“All of you who are senior members, we are looking at ways to give you additional promotion,” he said Thursday. “We’re trying to see what else we can do to help you.”
In fact, April 23, the Chamber will be hosting a “Business Before Hours” at Costco, where members will have the chance to promote their business, including six to 12 tables created exclusively for “older” members.
Other options abound as well, including a Chamber of Commerce series preparing to kick off called “Getting Back to Business Basics.”
“We felt with all the things going on, our members sometimes need to get a refresher or learn something else to help them in these difficult times, so this seemed to be a natural progression,” said Francisco.
Therefore, despite economic turmoil, Kaua‘i’s Chamber of Commerce remains steady in giving businesses favorable opportunities to network, regardless of whether situations like keynote speakers not appearing, don’t quite go as expected.
“We have 450 members and we are so excited about that, and every one of you is important to us,” said Sally Motta, Treasurer for the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce, to the audience on Thursday.
Francisco also added that 18 new members had signed on since last December’s Annual Membership Meeting; an encouraging sign for Kaua‘i’s economy.
“We’re also exploring a possible TV show; a business program that would eventually involve all the neighbor islands,” he said.
In fact, many may have noticed the camera filming Thursday’s event, which is set to air on Oceanic Cable statewide, as another way to promote the island’s businesses.
For more information visit www.kauaichamber.org
• Coco Zickos, business writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or czickos@kauaipubco.com
