Business Bits

March 17, 2008 – Chamber Business Bits

KKCC BEFOREHOURS

HOW TO FIND SIX WEEKS YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU’D LOST

Thursday, March 27, 2008
8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Hospice of Kona, 75-5925 Walua Rd., Ste. 102

Presented by Karen Turner, Efficiency Coach

Imagine finding SIX WEEKS you didn’t know you’d lost. All you have to do is save an hour a day. That might sound impossible, but with the right processes and tools, it’s within your grasp. Inefficiency is whittling away at your most valuable resource: time.

Every time you wade through office clutter to find something, every time you are interrupted by telephone or email requests, EVERY TIME you say “I’ll do that in just a minute”, it costs you time.

Start recovering your time NOW. That one hour a day adds up to six weeks a year. Six weeks you can spend any way you want. Earning more, enjoying more, doing MORE...

Turner Efficiency Coaching helps managers, executives and entrepreneurs (and their employees) regain that lost time by establishing habits and processes that boost daily productivity-now and forever.

Cost: Chamber members – FREE; Non members – $5 Registration required as space is limited! For information or to register, contact the Chamber office at 329-1758 or email sue@kona-kohala.com.

BUSINESS EXPO 60% SOLD OUT – RESERVE YOUR SPACE NOW!
Our Community, Our Businesses, Your Opportunity

The inaugural Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce Business Expo is set for Saturday, May 3 at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa Convention Center. This all-day event will feature a business expo with over 50 booths in the convention center and seminars and workshops throughout the day in adjoining meeting rooms.

Free to the public, this expo will highlight Chamber businesses and offer an opportunity to showcase their products and services to the community. Booths begin at $199. Reservations are now being accepted. To receive more information or a registration form, please contact the Chamber office at 329-1758 or email Vivian@kona-kohala.com.

HAWAII HOMEOWNERSHIP CENTER HOLDS FREE ORIENTATIONS IN HILO AND KONA

The Hawaii HomeOwnership Center is a non-profit organization that provides homebuyer education and counseling to help people prepare to buy a home. Our services are available to anyone interested.

Come to a free orientation and learn more about us.

Mayor’s Office (West Hawai`i)
75-5706 Kuakini Hwy, Suite 103, Kailua-Kona
• March 19, 6:00 p.m.

Office of Housing & Community Development
1990 Kinoole Street, Suite 104, Hilo
• March 27, 6:00 p.m.

Please call to reserve a space: 1-877-523-9503 (toll free).

PUANA KA `IKE LECTURE SERIES ON HAWAIIAN CULTURE AND TRADITIONS

The public is invited to a series of free lectures in the New Year, celebrating what it means to be Hawaiian. Speakers share their perspectives on a variety of topics, ranging from the Hawaiian lunar calendar to the ecology of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands.
All lectures are offered twice: once in West Hawaii and once in East Hawaii, affording Island residents two opportunities to attend. The schedule for January through April 2008 is as follows:

Speaker: KEPA MALY
Topic: Historical maps, Documents & Images
• KONA: Outrigger Keauhou Beach Hotel, Kahalu’u Ballroom
• Date/Time: April 18, 2008; 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• HILO: UH Hilo, Campus Center Rm. 301
• Date/Time: April 21, 2008; 12 noon to 1:30 p.m.

These lectures are part of the Puana Ka ‘Ike (Imparting Knowledge) Lecture Series sponsored by Bishop Holdings Corporation/Kamehameha Investment Corporation, The Kohala Center, Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort, Hawaii Tourism Authority, the University of Hawaii at Hilo Kipuka Hawaiian Student Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and The University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program.

For more information, visit http://learning.kohalacenter.org/?page=Puanaka or contact Joy Cunefare at (808) 322-0088, ext. 106.

RECYCLE YOUR OLD TELEPHONE BOOKS AND HELP OUR SCHOOLS

The County of Hawai`i is pleased to announce that Hawaiian Telcom Yellow Pages will be sponsoring the 2008 Hawai`i Island Telephone Book Recycling Contest. All Island of Hawai`i schools, K-12, public and private are encouraged to participate.

Old telephone books can be easily recycled rather than thrown away, preserving valuable landfill space. This program provides students with a hands-on lesson on the positive values of recycling. It also gives schools a chance to compete for prizes.

The Contest will run until March 21, 2008. Collect old phone books by calling on homes, businesses, hotels, condominium associations, etc.

Prizes will be based upon the total number of telephone books collected.

To receive credit for the telephone books collected, schools must drop off old telephone books at Orchid Island Rubbish & Recycle (485 Railroad Ave) in Hilo or the Kealakehe Transfer Station in Kona. The Kona location will accept old telephone books once per week on Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

The Hilo location will be open 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Monday to Friday and 8:30 a.m. – noon on Saturdays. Schools must call Ululani Rosario, Orchid Island Rubbish & Recycle, at 959-0475 before going to either location. Please fax entry form to 808-537-6836.

For more information on Recycling in Hawai’i County, call our infoline at 961-5044.

Mahalo for your cooperation and for helping protect our environment.

THE KONA CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL IS BACK!

The seventh Annual Kona Chocolate Festival will be held on March 29th at the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa from 6-10 pm. Proceeds from the event benefit Na’alehu Theater, a local non-profit working to bring arts and cultural education to at-risk youth on the Big Island.

Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the door. For attendees 12-17, ticket price is $25 and $30 at the door. Ticket price includes unlimited samplings of chocolate and samples of beer, wine or champagne. Aloha Circle tickets are $125 which includes VIP seating, a full buffet and a private wine and chocolate tasting. Dance to Salsa Latinos and enjoy slack key guitar from Grammy Award winner, Cyril Pahinui.

Purchase tickets online at www.konachocolatefestival.com or at selected ticket outlet centers. A full list appears on the website. For more information, please contact Mike Braun, Event President at director@konachocolatefestival.com or call 808-987-8722.

PALANI ROAD IMPROVEMENTS ON HOLD PENDING REDESIGN OF DETOUR

Construction work on improvements to the intersections of Palani Road and Kealaka`a and Palihiolo streets are on hold until redesign work on a detour road is completed, and three utility poles are relocated, according to Bruce McClure, director of the County’s Department of Public Works. The redesign is estimated to cost $100,000 and will take 90 days to complete.

Under the redesign plan, two utility poles along Palani road and one on Kealaka`a will be relocated to make way for a temporary detour road. Traffic will be temporarily diverted from Palani Road through a short section of the new Kealaka`a extension. It will continue another 800 feet makai before merging back on to the existing Palani Road.

The detour road will allow construction for a new traffic signal at the intersection of Palani Road at Palihiolo Street (one of two entrances into Lili`uokalani Subdivision) and realigning Kealaka`a at Palani Road.

These improvements will alter the flow of traffic at the current intersection of Palani Road and Kealaka`a. Presently motorists using Kealaka`a can turn right or left onto Palani Road and motorists heading mauka on Palani Road can turn left onto Kealaka`a. When the extension is completed, which is expected in 2009, only motorists heading makai on Palani Road to make right turns at this intersection.

The project, which began in June 2007, was originally projected to be completed in 18 months. A new completion date has not been determined. The project is 30% completed.

The project is estimated to cost $6 million, and 80% is funded by the Federal Highways Administration (FHWA). Hawaii taxpayers will pay 20% of the total cost. The delay does not affect the Federal funding.

For the 24-hour Road Construction Hotline, call 334-9559. For specifics about this project, contact Bruce C. McClure, P.E., Director, County Department of Public Works, 961-8321.