Hawaii Tourism Wholesalers Association (HTWA)

Connecting Hawaii Tourism Wholesalers, Business Executives in the Visitors and Related Industries in the Public and Private Sectors both Domestic and Foreign

Robert's Rule (English & Chinese) - bring orders and manage meetings

Officers and Directors - 2011

Johnson Choi, President/Director johnsonwkchoi@yahoo.com
Tom Matthews, Immediate Past President/Director tom1@leis.net
Tom Coyne, Vice President/Director tom@blue-fin.com
Gail Glushenko, Secretary/Treasurer/Director gglushenko@gmail.com
Bobby Chang, Director bchang@kchawaii.com

Monthly Meeting: 5:00 - 7:00pm on 2nd Wednesday at the Sam Snead's Tavern and Restaurant, Navy-Marine Club House, 943 Valkenburgh St. Honolulu, Hawaii 96818. Phone: 808.421.7267

Direction to Restaurant - Powered by Google Map

Monthly Meeting format: 5:00 - 5:30pm Networking, 5:30 - 6:15pm Speaker Presentation; 6:15 - 7:00pm Dinner

Please RSVP to Gail Glushenko to gglushenko@gmail.com - guests are welcomed

Membership Dues: $100/year

Download Membership Application in PDF format http://www.hkchcc.org/htwamembershipapplication.pdf

Program 2011 Share on Facebook

Next Meeting: Wednesday - December 14 2011 5:00 - 7:00pm at Sam Snead's Tavern and Restaurant

Why Branding is important for your business? Why branding in Hong Kong make Sense? While California Companies is putting resources to build their brand in Hong Kong with their eyes in China and throughout Asia - why Hawaii is still sitting on the sideline?

Johnson Choi is the President of Hawaii Tourism Wholesalers Association and Hong Kong.China.Hawaii Chamber of Comemrce. He has been assisting American firms to take their products and services to Asia since 1985. More information on Johnson Choi, please go to http://www.hkchcc.org/johnson.pdf

Next Meeting: Wednesday - October 12 2011 5:00 - 7:00pm at Sam Snead's Tavern and Restaurant

http://www.apec2011hawaii.com/

Gregg T. Yamanaka is President and CEO of APEC 2011 Hawaii, a non-profit corporation formed in Hawaii for the purpose of assisting the United States government’s planning of the APEC 2011 Economic Leaders meetings in Hawaii. He is also President of The LearningBiz Group, a consortium of companies that provide training, executive coaching, and business process consulting; and President of both Green Era LLC and BCG BioEnergy, two Hawaii companies that specialize in developing green energy companies. His experience in the visitor industry was as President of MC&A, Inc, a Hawaii destination management and event planning company that grew to be among the top six in North America. He is a graduate of Punahou School, Stanford University and the University of California’s Hastings College of the Law. Gregg has been long involved in business, community and social service organizations. He was chair of the State Workforce Development Council for the past eight years and is an active board member of the Good Beginnings Alliance for early childhood intervention. Among the boards he has served on are the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Aloha United Way, the Hawaii Executive Conference and the Young Presidents Organization. Gregg is married to Ruthann Yamanaka, Sr. V.P. of Human Resources at Outrigger Enterprises, and they have a daughter, Kelsey, who attends Punahou School.

Gregg T. Yamanaka is the President and CEO of APEC 2011 Hawaii. Mr. Yamanaka and the Head of Secret Service in charge of APEC2011 answers general securities questions, discuss both long and short term benefits for the State of Hawaii

For pictures on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150326196461984.341829.562941983&type=1&l=a261994986

Next Meeting: Wednesday - September 14 2011 5:00 - 7:00pm at Sam Snead's Tavern and Restaurant

Kim F. Scoggins, Vice President; Co-Division Manager, Colliers Monroe Friedlander, Inc.

Subject: Waikiki Retail update - what's new and where is it going?

Kim F. Scoggins brings to Colliers Monroe Friedlander, Inc. 22 years of experience in leasing and sales of retail and investment properties in the State of Hawaii. Mr. Scoggins has developed statewide knowledge of both the resort real estate market, as well as an integral working knowledge of commercial properties on the Island of Oahu.

Mr. Scoggins is a licensed Real Estate Broker in the State of Hawaii. He is also a current or past member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC); the Hawaii Retail Merchants Association; the American Management Association; the Better Business Bureau; the Chamber of Commerce; the Hawaii Hotel Association; the Hawaii Visitors Bureau; the National Retail Merchants Association; the Rotary Club of Honolulu; and the Waikiki/Oahu Visitors Association.

http://www.colliersinternational.com/Kim.Scoggins

Next Meeting: Wednesday - August 10 2011 5:00 - 7:00pm at Sam Snead's Tavern and Restaurant

Topic: Hawaii Centers for Independent Living - M J Kimo Keawe, Executive Director

The Hawaii Centers for Independent Living (HCIL), serves and empowers people of any age with any type of disability to live independently. The Center has provided independent living skills and core services to more than 97,000 consumers since June 15. 1981. HCIL is a non-profit organization operated by and for people with disabilities to ensure their rights to live independently and fully >integrated into the community of their choice, outside of institutional care settings and was formed on the historical constitutional beliefs of civil rights and the empowerment of people with disabilities to have equal access, opportunities and creating choices in life, regardless of the severity of their disability. Headquartered in Honolulu, the Center services the State of Hawai`i >through its statewide core services, with offices on the islands of: Hawai`i, Maui, Kaua`i, Moloka`i, with outreach services on Lana`i and currently oversees the Center for Independent Living in Guam. Under the leadership of the Board of Directors, Executive Director, M. J. Kimo Keawe and the Center's dedicated Independent Living Specialists and staff, HCIL celebrated its 30th Anniversary on June 15, 2011 and continues to provide Statewide service to all people with disabilities and of all ages. Hawaii Centers for Independent Living (HCIL) is located at 414 Kuwili Street, Suite #10, Honolulu, HI 96817

Website: www.cil-hawaii.org Email: kimok@pacificil.org

"The Hawaii Centers for Independent Living 's mission is to offer and promote programs designed to empower people with disabilities to take personal responsibility so they may achieve or continue independent lifestyles within the community"

HCIL is a recognized 501c3 Non-Profit Organization under the Internal Revenue Service of the United Sates of America

Next Meeting: Wednesday - July 13 2011 5:00 - 7:00pm at Sam Snead's Tavern and Restaurant

Topic: APEC 2011 by Steve Craven

"Steve Craven is owner and general manager of an international consulting firm, Kekepana International Services, with operations in Honolulu and Kuala Lumpur. He also chairs the Hawaii Pacific Export Council, a non-profit helping Hawaii firms go global and an advisory committee to the U.S. Department of Commerce on American export policy. Members are appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

Before founding Kekepana in 2004, Steve spent 31 years with the U.S. Department of Commerce. Much of that time was as a U.S. Commercial Service officer in both domestic assignments and overseas positions with American embassies: Honolulu, Taipei, Bonn, Singapore, Vienna, Bratislava and Denver. Steve was a negotiator in the Tokyo Round multilateral trade talks, ran Commerce’s trade negotiations and European Union divisions, and managed the U.S. Government’s industry consultations program for trade negotiations. He closed out his Commerce career directing Commerce’s Rocky Mountain and Southwest region from Denver. Steve and his staffs generated more than $50 billion in American exports.

Steve has also worked in the shipping and marine technology industries.

He was co-creator of the acclaimed “Business Beyond the Reef” talk show on Hawaii Public Radio. BBR continues as a blog that may be accessed through Kekepana’s website www.kekepana.com

Check out the Hawaii Pacific Export Council’s new website, providing Hawaii’s first export portal to the world: www.hawaiiexportsupport.com

Please RSVP no later than July 11, 2011

Next Meeting: Wednesday - June 8 2011 5:00 - 7:00pm at Sam Snead's Tavern and Restaurant

http://endeavourgroup.co/

Our speaker will be Roger Morey. Roger is the president of The Endeavour Group, a Kailua-based company that provides “local solutions for local companies”. His background is built on senior sales and marketing positions he has held with companies that are leaders in their fields: Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Revlon and the Hawaiian Natural Water Company. The Endeavour Group specializes in marketing and sales. However, in partnership with mainland companies they provide sound business solutions in areas as diverse as start ups and closings, operations, administration and general management.

Please RSVP no later than June 6, 2011

Next Meeting: Wednesday - May 11 2011 5:00 - 7:00pm at Sam Snead's Tavern and Restaurant

"High End Visitors to Hawaii" and "Education Tourism" By Richard Xie

Mr. Xie was featured at the Hawaii Business Magazine and Midweek Magazine (click on the link to read full articles)

Mr. Xie operate a wide range of businesses in Hawaii:

Export: Tropical fish, Sea weed and Shrimp broodstock

Tour and study operation: High end Chinese tours in Hawaii, High end Chinese children summer camp in Hawaii,
Chinese student 2+2 program and High end American bachelors culture and dating trip in China

Service operation: Living Art Marine Center (Do-It-Yourself), Reef Walk, Birthday party, School outreach program and Marine biology summer camp

Investment: Produce on-line auction web site and Agriculture land management

Please RSVP to Gail Glushenko by May 9th to gglushenko@gmail.com - guests are welcomed

Wednesday - April 13 2011 5:00 - 7:00pm at Sam Snead's Tavern and Restaurant

Jessica Lani Rich, Executive Director of the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawaii http://www.visitoralohasocietyofhawaii.org/ email: visitorexec@hawaii.rr.com

While Hawai‘i still remains among one of the safest tourist destinations in the world, and our police and prosecutors do a fantastic job within the scope of available resources, we unfortunately will never prevent all crime against visitors. We must therefore ensure that each and every traumatized visitor receives timely assistance and experiences the true aloha spirit of our people. VASH has demonstrated that committed and well-trained volunteers offer the most efficient and cost-effective way of delivering that service. The citizens of Hawai‘i are well aware of the enormous negative impact that crime is having on our visitor industry, our state economy, and the future of our children and grandchildren. We are not only concerned but want something done about it. Thousands of people are willing, given the opportunity, to volunteer to reach out to these victims with caring aloha. VASH provides them with that opportunity. It is simply a matter of aloha, which is, after all, what most visitors come to Hawai‘i for in the first place. We the people, our government, and visitor industry leaders cannot afford to disappoint them. The Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai’i is a private, 501(c)(3) Non-Profit, Volunteer organization that is dedicated to sharing the Aloha Spirit with Visitors. Its funding comes from the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.