Small business briefs
Advertiser Staff
First Hawaiian top SBA lender
The U.S. Small Business Administration's Hawai'i District Office has chosen First Hawaiian Bank as the SBA Lender of the Year for its small-business lending during fiscal year 2002.
When compared with 13 other financial institutions in Hawai'i and Guam, First Hawaiian ranked No. 1 in total dollar value of small-business loans guaranteed by the SBA.
Andrew Poepoe, the Hawai'i district director for the SBA, said the federal agency had a record year for lending to small businesses despite the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the slowdown of the Hawai'i economy.
First Hawaiian Bank is a subsidiary of BancWest Corp., a $34 billion Honolulu-based holding company that, in turn, is a subsidiary of Paris-based BNPParibas.
Forum to look at healthcare act
The Hawai'i Prepaid Health Care Act, which in 1974 propelled the state to the forefront of pioneering healthcare legislation but put a heavy financial burden on employers, will be discussed in a forum today.
The forum, sponsored by the Small Business Council and Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i, runs from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. in the Kewalo Room at Ward Warehouse.
For information, call 545-4300.
Navy contracts workshop topic
Businesses wanting to work with the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are invited to a one-day workshop tomorrow.
The workshop, "Contracting Opportunities With the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps in the Pacific," is sponsored by the Navy League and will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Fleet Reserve Association, Fleet Lounge, 891 Valkenburgh St. Fee. Reservations: 422-9404.
Feng shui advice offered
If you are looking for new ways to bring fortune to your small business, how about feng shui? That's the newly popularized Chinese discipline of placing everything where it attracts good luck and wards off evil spirits.
The Hawai'i Small Business Development Center will hold a workshop on "Feng Shui for Your Small Business" from 1 to 4 p.m. next Wednesday.
The center is also offering a workshop on "Travel, Meals and Entertainment Expenses for Small Business" from 8:30 a.m. to noon Nov. 7. Fee. Information: 522-8131.
