Posted on: Monday, July 26, 2004
LEADERSHIP CORNER
Chamber director 'very enthused' by Lingle's support for small businesses
Interviewed by Catherine E. Toth
Advertiser Staff Writer
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Name: Shirleyanne H. Chew Age: 58 Title: Executive director, economic development Organization: The Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i High school: Punahou School College: Bachelor of Arts in music from Connecticut College, MBA from University of Hawai'i-Manoa Breakthrough job: Being the corporate planning manager at GTE Hawaiian Tel gave Chew an opportunity to work with the top executives in GTE and realize the "big picture." "I understood that planning is dynamic and we need to be more flexible and adaptable," she said. Little-known fact: As a college freshman, Chew considered majoring in chemistry. "The pharmacist in the drugstore where I worked during the summer tried to convince me to enter pharmacy by having me lunch with the dean of the University of the Pacific's pharmacy school," she said. She was just starting the graduate program in social work when she, at the last minute, switched to business instead.
Major challenge: Encouraging small businesses to accept the challenge of competing for government contracts and extending beyond Hawai'i shores.
• • • Q. You've done such a variety of jobs, from social work to corporate planning. What does your varied experience bring to your current role with the chamber?
A. I've tried all different things. I'm interested in new ventures. That's what I think all businesses should do — be willing to take risks, go where you're uncomfortable. Because you can't grow if you're not uncomfortable.
Q. Do you think local businesses are too complacent?
A. I think they don't feel comfortable operating outside of Hawai'i. I think if they're successful in as tough an environment as Hawai'i's, they can be successful anywhere. They can't think negatively. They have to think about opportunities, and I'm that kind of person. ... There's so many talented people in Hawai'i, especially women, who lack confidence. They have to go out and try things and not be afraid of failure. Because without failures, you'll never learn. People in Hawai'i are too afraid of failure and of the unknown. If they get out of that mindset, there's tremendous opportunity to expand.
Q. Your position with the chamber is relatively new, created only last July. What is your role in the business community?
A. My focus in the chamber is economic development to build a healthy economy for Hawai'i through the support of tourism, the military community, technology, international trade, healthcare, education, diversified agriculture and small businesses. Our government affairs staff works directly with the council, committees and Legislature to present business concerns and perspectives to government officials. ... The job was created at the time because Jim Tollefson (chamber president and chief executive officer) had a vision to expand initiatives that support business retention and expansion in Hawai'i. What you (already) have in the marketplace continues to contribute to our economy. It's good to bring in new industries, but we can't forget to grow and nurture what we have in our own backyard.
Q. What kinds of industries are being targeted?
A. We're looking at five sectors: agro-business, the cruise industry, educational tourism, government contracting and healthcare. Part of what we do is identify what we need and identify the issues affecting the business climate in Hawai'i.
Q. Where, among those targeted industries, is the most opportunity?
A. Educational tourism, for example, has just a wealth of opportunity. So many organizations, institutions, even individuals, have tremendous expertise that could be shared with the world. We want to encourage them to work together with the tourism industry, develop conferences and classes. For example, our community colleges offer culinary arts classes. We have very unique foods and combinations of foods that could be shared with everyone.
Q. You founded the Hawai'i Society of Corporate Planners 30 years ago. The organization has grown from 20 members to 200. Why did you feel this organization was necessary?
A. In the early '70s, corporate planning was a new discipline. There wasn't much written about it. What I did was call every large company (in Hawai'i) and ask their corporate planners if they would support this (organization). We could share our knowledge and create programs that increased information flow.
Q. Workers' compensation fraud seems to be a hot topic among small businesses — and not just in Hawai'i. National estimates suggest that up to 30 percent of all cases involve fraud. This month Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed HB 1374, which would have limited investigations into workers' compensation fraud to employers and not claimants. How much are you involved in issues like these?
A. What we're trying to do is change it to cut down on fraud. The way the legislature structured it was to monitor insurance companies and employers rather than the perpetrators of the fraud. Majority of people are honest and care about supporting their companies. But lawmakers have to be fair to the business community. They should be passing laws that alleviate the costs to business — and that's by attacking fraud.
Q. You seem to support the state's current administration.
A. I've been very enthused by their support of project initiatives to make things better for small business in Hawai'i. The people I've met in the current administration are very impressive in the way they want to move forward and make changes to encourage business here. They tell us, "What do we need to improve and we'll work from there." That's very encouraging.
