Hawai'i at Work
Moloka'i business counseling center to celebrate opening

Advertiser Staff

The first satellite Business Information and Counseling Center on a Neighbor Island will mark its grand opening this week on Moloka'i.

The Kuha'o Center, a partnership between the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Moloka'i Community Service Council, will offer prospective and existing small-business owners on Moloka'i access to new small-business and technology resources.

"The stimulus for this project came from the Moloka'i Enterprise Community plan, which calls for incubation and development support for small entrepreneurs," said Jane Sawyer, assistant district director for entrepreneurial development for the Small Business Administration. "The Enterprise Community asked the SBA to extend additional resources for business development to the island."

American Savings Bank and Bank of Hawaii provided support for the center, modeled after the Business Information and Counseling Center in Honolulu.

The center will offer a business resource library and a computer lab with small-business software and Internet access, and counseling and entrepreneurial training with SBA, SCORE and the Hawaii Small Business Development Center Network are planned to start in the next month.

Most of the programs and services will be free.

The center is in the offices of the Molokai Community Services Council at 25 Kamehameha IV Highway in Kaunakakai. An open house and blessing is planned for Wednesday starting at 10:30 a.m. Information can be obtained by calling the council at 553-3244.