Posted on: Friday, May 9, 2003

Ex-Hawai'i residents' business help sought

By Gordon Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

Gov. Linda Lingle is urging former Hawai'i residents who have sought their fortune on the Mainland to come home and invest in the 50th state, or at least encourage their friends to do so.

From her State Capitol office, Lingle spoke via video conference link Wednesday to about 300 former Hawai'i residents attending a two-day "Hawai'i is Open For Business" conference in Palo Alto, Calif., the heart of the high technology industry.

"I want you to know that this state government is committed to business in general and to the high-tech sector in particular," Lingle said. "I want to ask all of you to help us, all of you who left Hawai'i to find opportunities because they didn't exist at home, I want you to spread the word for us that things are changing here at home."

Lingle rattled off a list of advantages for those seeking to locate or invest in a high tech business in Hawai'i, including the state's "very fiber-optic rich location," advanced satellite technology, geographic location between North America and Asia, and its diverse ethnic and cultural mix.

The conference, coordinated by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism with the help of the Bay Area Pau Hana Association and Hawai'i-based government and private agencies, focused on promoting Hawai'i business opportunities and also featured a private gathering of venture capitalists and technology executives and a reception for convention planners.