Coming Events

Advertiser Staff

BEST BETS:

• The merger of Central Pacific Bank and City Bank will be discussed by top officials of the new company at a meeting tomorrow. Speaking to a luncheon meeting of the Rotary Club of Honolulu will be Clint Arnoldus, chief executive officer, and Dean Hirata, chief financial officer. The Rotary meeting will be from noon to 1 p.m. in the Royal Hawaiian Hotel's Monarch Room. Fee. Call: Debbie Jenkins, 922-5526.

• "Opening Doors for America's Heroes," a three-day national conference on government contracting opportunities for small businesses (with a special focus on new programs for veteran and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses) will be held today through Wednesday at Hilton Hawaiian Village. The conference is sponsored by the U.S. General Services Administration, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, U.S. Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Administration and U.S. Department of Defense. Events include a networking session, "match-matching" between registrants and 70 exhibitors, workshops and keynote presentations by U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye and Gov. Linda Lingle. Also planned is a memorial service at Pearl Harbor's USS Arizona Memorial. Information: Jane Sawyer, 541-2973 or www.gsa.gov/vetevent.

TOMORROW

• STATE TAX DIRECTOR KURT KAWAFUCHI will outline how the state Department of Taxation will interpret recent changes to the state's Act 221/215 technology tax-credits bill for investors and qualified high-tech businesses tomorrow on the Big Island. The luncheon meeting will be hosted by the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board, the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority( NELHA), and the High Technology Development Corp. Act 221, which is intended to create jobs and funding for Hawai'i companies, was extended last year with modifications to address issues raised by critics. The meeting is scheduled from 11 a.m. (registration, 10:45 a.m.) through 1 p.m. at NELHA, located near the Kona airport. Fee; reduced for members of the host organizations; nonmembers welcome. Information: Moana Dyer, (808) 966-5416.

• How to turn personal expertise or talent into a lucrative income will be the focus of a presentation tomorrow by Randy Gage. Gage is author of "Net Profits," "The Million Dollar Mailbox," and 50 other books, audio albums, videos and other information products. His address, "Secrets of Selling Your Expertise — Beyond Speaking and Books," is set for 7 to 10 p.m. (registration, 6:30 p.m.) at Restaurant Row. It is sponsored by the Speakers Association of Hawai'i. Reservations required: 282-2743.

• Defining a Hawaiian sensibility for the way we work is the subject of a presentation tomorrow by Rosa Say, a 30-year veteran of Hawai'i's hospitality industry. In her presentation, Say will explore 19 different Hawaiian values and how managers can bring them into the workplace. Say, president of Say Leadership Coaching, is author of the new book, "Managing With Aloha." The meeting will be from noon to 1 p.m. at the University of Phoenix, Honolulu campus, 828 Fort St., Rooms 101/102. Free. Information: Steven Schoen, 536-2686, ext. 108.

• MICRO ENTERPRISE TRAINING CLASSES, sponsored by the Honolulu Community Action Program, will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow through Thursday; 6 to 9 p.m. tomorrow and Thursday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 18. Topics include how to start a business in Hawai'i, business loans, taxes, marketing, basic computer training, understanding your credit, basic Internet training and money matters. Free to those with limited income. Call: Erma Abinosa or Robert Kelley, 521-4531.

• HONOLULU CITY AND COUNTY TOASTMASTERS CLUB, offers opportunities to improve public and impromptu speaking abilities, noon to 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Honolulu Municipal Building's eighth-floor conference room. Guests welcome. Picture identification required. 527-6797.

• The MINORITY BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER OF HONOLULU offers free, weekly orientation sessions to minority business owners and prospective entrepreneurs. The sessions, 9 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays in the center's Executive Center offices, 1088 Bishop St., Suite 2506, offer advice on business startups, marketing plans, loans, employee handbooks and access to capital. Free. Reservations: 521-6221.

• A free "COMPUTER BOOT CAMP" is offered 3 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays to small-business owners. The program is sponsored by the Small Business Resource Center in partnership with the Small Business Administration, the city Office of Economic Development, Hawai'i Small Business Development Center Network, Hawai'i Women's Business Center and SCORE. The program is open to center clients who attend a center orientation, offered at 9 a.m. Tuesdays and 2 p.m. Thursdays at 1041 Nu'uanu Ave., Suite A. Appointments: 522-8130.

WEDNESDAY

• Collecting Global Positioning System field data by helicopter and working with unconventional imagery resources are among the topics to be discussed at a meeting Wednesday at the OAHU GPS USERS GROUP. The meeting will be from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the University of Phoenix, Honolulu campus, 828 Fort Street, Rooms 101/102. Reservations or information: 538-7477

• The Hawai'i Kai Chapter of BUSINESS NETWORK INTERNATIONAL, specializing in business referrals among members, will meet from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Hawaii Kai Retirement Community, 428 Kawaihae St. Public welcome. Information: www.bni.com. Reservations: Natalie Iwasa, 395-3233.

THURSDAY

• Implications of the recent elections on Hawai'i's economy will be outlined by veteran political observer Dan Boylan at a breakfast forum Thursday sponsored by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, 7:15 to 8:30 a.m., at The Pacific Club. Boylan is a University of Hawai'iiWest O'ahu professor of history, a newspaper columnist and moderator of PBS-Hawai'i's "Island Insights" program. Fee; nonmembers welcome; tickets available at the door. Reservations by tomorrow: Barbie Rosario, 845-4994.

• ALA MOANA TOASTMASTERS no-host luncheon meetings, with opportunities to improve public and impromptu-speaking abilities, noon to 1 p.m. Thursdays, Yum Yum Tree restaurant, Ward Centre. Guests welcome. 330-5439.

• THE BREAKFAST CLUB, a networking organization for small-business owners and professionals, meets at 7:30 a.m. Thursdays at Sizzler Restaurant, Pearlridge. 456-0222.

• The HONOLULU BUSINESS NETWORK, a networking organization for small-business owners and professionals, meets from 12:01 to 1:15 p.m. Thursdays at Sansei Seafood Restaurant, Restaurant Row. Information: Tracy Nakashima, 525-6028.

SATURDAY

• "SMART WOMEN FINISH RICH," a free seminar to help women understand how to create wealth and secure a financial future, will be offered from 10 to 11 a.m. Saturday, at the Edward Jones offices in Suite 304, 1360 S. Beretania St. Reservations: 543-6034.

• An APPLE MACINTOSH OS X OPERATING SYSTEM LECTURE, a demonstration and a question-and-answer session for "PC-switchers," new and experienced Mac users, and those who want to sharpen MacIntosh skills are offered from noon to 2 p.m. Saturdays, MacMouse Club House, 627 South St., Kaka'ako. Free; no reservations. 921-8294 or info@MacMouse.com.

Business meetings of general interest are listed in the "Coming Events" column each Monday. Submit notices at least two weeks in advance: Business Events, Business Section, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; fax to 525-6763; or e-mail business@honoluluadvertiser.com. For e-mailed releases, please include information in the body of the message, not in an attachment.