Lokahi Pacific

Lokahi Pacific
1935 Main Street, Suite 204 ~ Wailuku, HI 96793
Telephone: 808-242-5761 ~ Fax: 808-244-2057 ~ Website: www.lokahipacific.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page 1
Cookies For a Cause
Habitat Work Day
Page 2
Driveway for Ruth Kan Hai
New Incubator Tenant
Aloha from Catering from
Soup to Nuts!
HR Tip of the Month
Mental Health Services
Page 3
Moloka'i, The Friendly Isle
Incubator Attorney
Tells All
Page 4
SBA 504 Loan Program
Surviving in Tough Times
Update on the Pono Center
Page 5
Commercial Kitchen &
Meeting Room Flyer
March 2009
worker, Marlene Peralta, on Satur- of the construction supervisors
day, January 10th to lend a hand in came by and demonstrated how
the construction of her home at the to do it. By the time we got to it,
we forgot the technique, but
made up for it in more creative
Lorelei Mannola, The Cookie
ways.
Lady of Hawai'i LLC, started a
The process of dry walling is a
new campaign called "Dress Me
“hurry up and wait” process. The
Up - Cookies For A Cause," col“mud” or joint compound has to
lecting and providing gently used
be worked on at a certain consisclothing for those in need. "I am a
tency to flow smoothly. So one
woman in small business who has
needs to move pretty quickly—
a heart for helping others and sharhey, stop wala’au Wyatt and get
ing what I have," said Mannola.
The public is encouraged to drop Department of Hawaiian Home back to work. Then you have to
off clothing, which is still in good Lands Waiehu Kou 4 subdivision. wait for the mud to dry, which
can take several hours to several
condition between 10 a.m. and 4
p.m. The clothing is available free Marlene is a participant in the days depending on how thick
mutual self-help housing project ‘you laid it on’. Then you have to
coordinated by Habitat for Humanity Maui and has been working on her home for several
months.
Cookies For a Cause
By: Lorelei Mannola,
The Cookie Lady of Hawai’i
The “merry band” included:
Melissa Razo, Andrea Razo,
Cindy Texeira, Kamaile Sombelon, Wyatt Brown, Deanna Kramer
and Vanessa Medeiros, who
of charge to those who need it on worked alongside Marlene on the
Fridays
only
f r o m drywall.
11
a.m.
to
5p.m..
The "Dress Me Up" campaign will
BOARD OF DIRECTORS run until Friday, March 27.
The Cookie Lady will also offer
free cookies and drawings for
Jeffrey Ellison - Chairman
prizes to those who participate,
Lynn DeCoite - Vice Chairman
and welcomes prize donations for
Kevin Johns - Secretary
a special "Cookies For A Cause"
Cindi Pojas Smith - Treasurer event on Friday, March 27, from 5
t o
6
p . m .
George Maioho
All articles of clothing remaining
John Enriques
will be donated to a local thrift
Paul Turner
store and other local organizations.
The work included taping and
Viola Mundrick-Wichman
The Cookie Lady of Hawai'i is
mudding of joints and prepping
located at 300 Ohukai Road. Bay
window frames for taping and
F3, in Kihei. Volunteers should
mudding. Sounds easy but….the
contact The Cookie Lady at (866)
tasks took concentration, strong
966-3511
or
visit
arm and leg work, nimble dexterwww.thecookieladyofhawaii.com.
Kamaile M. Sombelon
ity and determination.
~~~~~
sand to a smooth finish and start
all over again. The idea is to
“fill” in all the imperfections in
the wall to create a smooth surface so that the textured coating
can be applied.
I returned to Marlene’s house on
February 14th to help out with
“caulking” of the exterior in
preparation for painting and they
were doing the final sanding and
preparation of the interior walls
for the textured coating.
~~~~~
Executive Director
Habitat Work Day
By: Vanessa Medeiros,
Development Manager
Taping across the ceiling joints
were quite a challenge as our arms
were never long enough—up, tape
It was a merry band of mudders 3ft, down, move ladder, up, tape
(and fudders?), tapers and scrapers 3ft, down, move ladder…you get
that ascended on the home of co- the point. Mudding is an art. One
Page 1
Marlene is about half way through
New Incubator Tenant
(the difficult half) and things
By: Joe Blackburn,
should be moving along a lot Maui Land Broker & Property
quicker now. She expects her
Management Inc.
home to be completed by the end
Maui Land Broker
of March or early April.
and Property ManThe experience was great as Loagement, Inc. are
kahi Pacific is embarking on its
very happy to be
own Self-Help Housing Program.
part of the family
By helping out, we are learning
at the Pono Cenhow to make our program a sucter. The idea of
cess.
helping us survive
as a new business in this environDriveway for Ruth Kan Hai
ment is great. We provide propWaiehu Kou Habitat homeowner, erty management services for
Aunty Ruth, was pleasantly sur- Wailuku Country Estates and,
prise when her long-awaited drive- with the Pono Center’s help,
way was installed through the hope to expand to manage other
planned community associations. We are also a full service
real estate sales and brokerage
company. Please call us for any
questions you may have about
real estate on Maui. The principal broker is Joe Blackburn, a
coordination of Lokahi Pacific’s
Team headed by John Villegas and
personal assistance from Habitat
Executive Director Sherri Dodson
and staff. Team members: Ka-
lama McEwen, Kamu Fuller,
Jacob Kalawai’a, Jerry Welch,
Wendell and friends labored on
January 24, 2009 to pour Aunty
Ruth’s driveway which allowed
this happy homeowner be a step
closer to completion of her home.
Congratulations!!!
Page 2
served family-style. Desserts
have taken a step down from the
ostentatious showpiece to offerings of any
number
and
style of sweet
delights (pie
station, anyone?).
Even
promoting a spirit of positive
teamwork. Create enthusiasm
about your job and strive for
excellence. Be flexible and lend
a hand to other co-workers who
might be overloaded. Encourage everyone to participate in
problem solving, and focus on
solutions rather than dwelling
on the problems.
Ralph A. Giles
As individuals try to remain
positive, and know that eventually the problems will work out.
Taking the necessary steps to
take care of your body by staying healthy, eating a balanced
diet, exercising, and getting
enough sleep will help you manage some stress. Take time to
enjoy activities outside of work,
so your emotions also take a
break from work. If you are
feeling too overwhelmed and
don’t feel you can cope, know
that you are not alone, and everyone is feeling the same way.
Reach out to friends or family
and let them know they are appreciated, and recognize the
contributions they have shared
with you.
over at the bar,
things
have
changed – less
expensive
wines
and
s i g n a t u r e Daniel J. Southmayd
cocktails are
keeping things under control for
budget-conscious hosts.
In 2009, it’s all
about food! Guests
may be immediately impressed by
décor, but rarely
remember it later.
A memorable menu will inspire
discussion for years to come.
Catering from Soup to
Nuts can help you
“think outside the box”
and create a unique
menu for your event,
large or small. Please
contact us at (808) 357Mental Health Services
9444, or email us at
By: Cindy Texeira,
retired Maui Fire Department [email protected], and eat and
Housing Administrator
Rescue Captain and Maui Elec- entertain at a new level of comtric Safety Director. The office fort … and style.
On our last newsletter we talked
manager is Shirley Blackburn
about the cuts to the Mental
HR Tip of the month
who worked for Title Guaranty
Health Programs that were to
By: Deanna Kramer,
for many years in their marketing
Accounting Assistant
department. We are assisted by
take place in January 2009. Well
Segolene Wilson and Heather
Changes in the workplace or here we are,
Heath. Please call 442-3063 or
months
home environ- two
870-2123.Our email is Blackment can be into 2009 and
[email protected].
stressful due to already
we
Aloha to all!!
uncertainty
or have seen the
anxiety in these
Aloha from Catering from
effects of these
rough economic
Soup to Nuts!
times. The me- cuts.
By: Ralph & Daniel,
dia continues to
Catering from Soup to Nuts
• Tenants have been admitted
paint a bleak future full of doom
into the hospital due to
With so many folks tightening and gloom; increasing unemploytheir belts in 2009, food trends ment, a record number of foreclomedical concerns.
reflect the change from over-the- sures, bankruptcies are on the
top cuisine to simpler, heartier rise, massive lay-offs and compa- • Tenants are being admitted
fare.
L o c a l l y nies going out of business. Eveto the hospital for their
sourced ingredients ryone is affected in some way by
mental issues.
are being utilized our nation’s economic struggles.
in
rejuvenated Dealing with changes in the • Their mental issues are
comfort dishes and workplace it is vital to continue
preventing them from liv-
ing independently.
•
Tenants have gone back into
group homes.
•
Case Managers have left their
case management positions
because they cannot afford
the cut in hours.
I see the negative impact of the
cuts on the tenants when they lose
a Case Manager that they have
come to know and trust. I also see
dedicated Case Managers that
sacrifice their personal time to
meet the needs of their clients. We
thank you and appreciate all you
do.
Construction of the Safe House on
Wells
Street,
next to our Kaho’okamamaluHUD apartment
complex, is just
about done and
should be up and running soon.
The Salvation Army will run the
program, housing at-risk Foster
Care teenage boys. This Safe
House will allow them to remain
on Maui and maintain contact with
family and friends instead of being
relocated to Oahu. Arisumi Brothers did a great job on the building.
We are looking forward to being
good neighbors.
Oh yeah, the Maui Koa tree, once
located where the safe house now
sits, is alive and well at its new
home at Hale O Mana’o Lana Hou
II.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the housing staff for
working hard and taking pride in
their work. Congratulations to
Dutch who just got married on
February 20, 2009. I would also
like to thank
Andrea
Razo
for volunteering
her time helping out at our
Housing sites. She is sensitive,
compassionate and a hard worker.
Thank you Andrea!
Moloka’i, The Friendly Isle
By: Patience Kahula,
Residential Loan Manager
In February 2009, Maile,
Vanessa and I were fortunate to
conduct a variety of site-visits on
Molokai. Upon arrival, we attended a public meeting with
Affordable Housing homeowner;
a site-visit at the newly refurbished and renovated
Kalanianaole Hall; and followed
by our invited attendance at the
Board Meeting of Molokai Affordable Housing Community
Development Corporation
(MAHCDC) and a few other
locations. We look forward to
working with MAHCDC in providing affordable housing for
Molokai residents!
Lastly, we visited the Kalele
Book Store & Divine Expressions owned by Taryn Waros.
Located on Ala Malama Street, in
the heart of Kaunakakai, Kalele
Book Store & Divine Expressions was well stocked with a
variety of books for people of all
ages, Hinano clothing, jewelry,
Molokai residents excited about artwork and so much more! So,
participating in Lokahi Pacific’s if you’re even in Kaunakakai,
Mutual Self-Help Housing Pro- stop by and see Taryn!
gram. Needless to say, all attendees were excited to see the pro- Incubator Attorney Tells All
By: Rick Tolin,
gram fulfill their dreams of buildDisability Advocate
ing or re-building a much needed
home on their Hawaiian Home As an incubating new business on
Lands lots.
Maui, my goal is to
After a good night’s sleep at Hotel Molokai, our business trip
continued with more places to see
and people to meet. Accompa-
nied by Irene Lam of USDA, we
visited briefly with Jean Han of
Molokai, Habitat for Humanity
and will be providing First-Time
Homebuyer’s Education Classes
and Individualized Financial
Management Counseling Services for Habitat for Humanity
clientele. Ten miles of driving
led us to Maunaloa to the home
of a
Maunaloa Affordable Housing participant.
make a living helping people, and
bringing Federal
dollars to the economy in Maui and Hawaii. I do
this by spreading the word that I
can get disabled people their Social Security benefits, at any
age.
Not everyone knows
that. The US Government does
not spread that word too well,
and very few qualified people in
these islands are acquainted with
these types of claims for Social
Security disability benefits. I
am.
But, spreading the word here is
not easy. The best advertising
media are expensive, and the
claims take a year or so to conclude. My nice little self-funded
idea is tough. There's no immediate income when a client signs
on. But the media want their
money, the landlord wants, the
furniture store wants, all the utilities want, and some want big
deposits. My family wants, my
Our next few stops led us to dog and cat want, and the exMaunaloa to the beautiful and pense of it all kept me in my
spacious home of a Maunaloa spare bedroom, I mean "home
office," unable to afford a
real office, for too long. It
stunted my growth! My premature budding little business
needed an incubator,
just long enough to
develop and mature a
little bit, so it
can
become
healthy and grow and
meet its milestones.
Along came The Harry and
Jeannette Weinberg Pono Center and Lokahi Pacific. An instantaneously prestigious address, downright elegant office space, all the room and all
the flexibility I could hope
for, almost all-inclusive service,
even access to a giant seminar
room, and all at a price and a
rent schedule that is as affordable as can be. It is just absolutely the closest thing to a guarantee of success. Not to mention all manner of business resource, and the nurturing and
motivating atmosphere! I can
get questions answered easily
and quickly. I can even get help
figuring out the right questions I
ought to be asking. And it all
benefits
some very
sick
and
injured
disabled
people,
and,
the
entire community,
many communities,
someday
every community in the whole state of
Hawaii.
I won't even mention a single
name, because each and every
person here, including even the
other tenants, the residents on
the second floor, the Cafe, and
including those folks that passed
through and are off to perhaps bigger better things, every
single person has been so accepting and caring and, dare I
say loving? No. Caring! This
is business after all. You know
what it is about this place?
It's the Aloha. Of course!
Page 3
SBA 504 Loan Program
By: Robyn Delima,
Loan Programs Operations
Supervisor
Lokahi Pacific Rural Development, Inc. is a Certified Development Company (CDC)
that makes loans under the
Small Business Administration’s SBA 504 loan program.
Eligible SBA 504 projects include:
-Purchase of land and construction of new buildings
“Surviving in Tough Times”
It seems all we see lately on
television or in the newspapers
is bad economic news. Financial institutions are failing, the
stock market is tumbling, the
national debt is at an all time
high, housing starts are plummeting, millions of people are
losing their homes, and the jobless rate is soaring. Some analysts are even comparing our
current economic situation with
the Great Depression. As if it
isn’t hard enough to run your
business in good times.
-Purchase and/or renovate existSo what can a business owner
ing buildings
do to stay afloat and ride out the
-Acquire/Install machinery
storm? Think liquidity. Liquid-Construct or remodel buildings ity, by definition, is a measure
of your ability to pay debts
on leased land
when they are due. It is usually
The SBA 504 programs cannot expressed as a ratio or a percentbe used for working capital or age of your current liabilities.
inventory, consolidating or re- The best liquidity measuring
paying debt or refinancing.
stick is called the Quick Ratio.
It is calculated by adding up the
The minimum amount of a SBA
cash available in your checking
504 Loan is $50,000; the maxiand savings accounts plus the
mum SBA debenture is
money your customers owe you
$2,000,000 when meeting a
in accounts receivable. Then
public policy goal.
you divide it by your current
A typical SBA 504 Loan is set debts. A great Quick Ratio is
1:1. This means for every dollar
up as follows:
of current debt you have a dollar
Lead Lender finances: 50% of of liquid assets to pay it.
project costs
A liquid asset is cash or very
CDC SBA 504 finances: 40% close to being cash. You might
of project costs
notice that your inventory isn’t
Borrower contributes at least a considered in the Quick Ratio.
minimum of: 10% of project That is because you have to sell
it before it becomes cash. You
costs
can’t pay your bills with invenLokahi Pacific Rural Develop- tory.
ment, Inc. has funded seven (7)
SBA 504 loans in the last seven The key to staying liquid is to
months for a total loan amount focus on where and when you
of nearly $5,000,000. These spend your money. Try to avoid
loans have been made to den- purchases of equipment, matists, bookkeeping companies, chinery, vehicles, and excess
construction companies, supply inventory unless absolutely neccompanies. All of these busi- essary. And please resist the
nesses have purchased existing temptation to pay down extra
buildings or in some cases have principle on any term loans with
constructed new buildings on the bank. Keep the funds in the
the islands of Maui, Kauai and bank in case things get even
worse.
Hawaii.
For more information regarding
the SBA 504 Program please
see the Lokahi Pacific website
or contact the loan department
at 242-5761.
Page 4
Now back to our depressing
economy.
When things get
tight, consumers get nervous
and lose their confidence. This
causes them to reign in their
spending habits, which can
cause the sales of your small
business to decrease.
Right
now, if your sales are increasing, you are a hero. We all
know that when sales fall so do
profits unless you can cut expenses.
Here are some strategies to use
when you need to tighten your
belt. The first deals with overtime. Effective business owners
can virtually eliminate overtime
with proper planning. If not,
they need to pull an extra shift
or two themselves. Watch your
purchases. Sure, you need to
replenish your inventory of
goods, but quantity and timing
considerations are critical. Order more frequently and in
smaller quantities as long as you
meet minimum order requirements set by your vendors.
Merchandise in the stock room
only ties up your cash.
Watch how you pay your bills.
Some vendors offer a two percent discount if you pay the
invoice within ten days. Take it.
If no discount is offered, pay the
invoice as late as possible, but
make sure the payment is received by the due date. No late
fees. They cost you money and
affect your credit.
Send out statements to customers owning you money in a
timely manner.
Follow up
promptly with a phone call if
payments aren’t received according to the agreed upon
credit terms.
up the good work!
Tom Maydew is a business consultant/trainer for the Idaho State University Small Business Development
Center located at 1651 Alvin Ricken
Drive in Pocatello. He can be
reached at 208-232-4921.
Up date on the Pono Center
by Rosemarie Lightfoot,
Pono Center Manager
Our Business Incubator program is
doing well. We are now at full capacity with 7 small businesses occupying the office space. Each business
is totally different yet very necessary
to this small Wailuku community
and Maui County.
The Training and Conference Room
traffic has picked up considerably. It
seems that word has gotten out that
we have decent-sized rooms for
meetings, conferences or training in
a convenient location for Wailuku
Town.
Our Commercial Kitchen is beginning to take on more users also. We
have a steady flow of one-time users
for fundraisers, cultural events and
for selling at the swap meet. Then
there are the regular users who have
their own businesses and clientele
already established.
Congratulations to one of our regular kitchen users, Judi Shelton of
Aunty Judi’s Gluten-Free Kitchen,
for expanding her business venture to
include Flatbread Company. You can
find her Gluten-free & Vegan Pizza
crust at their restaurant located on
Hana Highway in Paia.
Be sure to refocus you waste
control efforts. Get it right the
first time to avoid remakes.
Enforce quality control standards. Rotate that stock. Make
sure your merchandise is priced
right.
Perform preventative
maintenance on your equipment
and machinery to cut down time
and extend the useful life.
I promise the sun will come out
again. It just might take a little
time. Keep in mind that small
businesses have been the back- If you would like to be taken
bone of our economy for the last
30 years while corporate Amer- off our mailing list, please conica sputtered. You should all be tact us @ 242-5761, ext. 31.
proud of your efforts and keep
Page 5
Lokahi Pacific
March 2009
1935 Main Street, Suite #204
Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii 96793
Telephone: (808) 242242-5761
Fax: (808) 244244-2057
Website: www.lokahipacific.org
Our Mission Statement
To improve the quality of life, both economically
and socially, of residents of Maui County and
other rural Hawaii communities.
Page 6