Hawaii county officials, community leaders to talk investment on Maui

For Immediate Release: June 4, 2015

Press Release by:
Council Chair Mike White
Maui County Council

Hawaii county officials, community leaders to talk investment on Maui

MAKENA, Hawaii – Councilmembers and other policymakers from throughout the state will gather here to discuss investment success stories – and impediments to investment – at the Hawaii State Association of Counties’ annual conference June 24-26, Maui County Council Chair Mike White announced today.

White said conferees will hear from tech innovator Burt Lum, former State Planning Director Jesse Souki, new state Chief Information Officer Todd Nacapuy, Kauai County Managing Director Nadine Nakamura and Kelvin Kohatsu, Fleet Administrator for Hawaii Electric Light Company, among others, on the conference theme of “Why invest in our counties? Counties move Hawaii forward.” Other speakers include Emilia Istrate, Research Director for the National Association of Counties, and NACo President Riki Hokama, the Maui County Councilmember from Lanai.

HSAC’s members are the councilmembers and mayors of all four Hawaii counties.

“The HSAC conference is a great opportunity for councilmembers to learn from colleagues in other counties as well as from Hawaii business and civic leaders,” White said. “This will be a working conference, focused on developing actionable ideas for both the public and private sectors.”

Hands-on sessions will also be available to conferees, including a mom-and-pop food tour, a tour of Maui farms and an opportunity to test drive a Tesla electric vehicle. Networking sessions feature entertainment by Maui performers, such as Na Hoku Hanohano awardee Willie K, Hawaii steel guitar player Joel Katz and Darren Lee, star of “Burn’n Love – Elvis in Hawaii.”

Get the details here.

The HSAC conference will be held at the Makena Beach & Golf Resort in South Maui and hosted by the Maui County Council. White said conference planning is being assisted by Councilmembers Hokama and Michael P. Victorino, who is Maui County’s HSAC representative.

White noted the HSAC conference theme is consistent with Hokama’s NACo presidential initiative on transportation and infrastructure, which addresses the role of counties in promoting investments that support economic competitiveness.

Conference registration is open to the public at MauiCounty.us/HSAC2015. That site will also house resource materials provided by conference speakers.

For more information and sponsorship opportunities, please contact conference coordinator Yuki Lei Sugimura at 870-8047 or yukilei.sugimura@gmail.com.

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