The Spirit of Small Business

It takes a special person to succeed as a small business owner. Today, the House recognized the hard work, dedication and perseverance of those entrepreneurs who are the 2008 U.S. Small Business Administration Award Recipients. The resolution was offered by Rep. Kyle Yamashita, the Chair of the House Committee on Economic Development & Business Concerns.

Left to right: Thomas Park, Bill Spencer, Bev Gannon, Kyle Yamashita, Representative for David Fell, Rex Matsuno, Pam Tumpap, Johnson Choi

Small Business Person of the Year

Beverly "Bev" Gannon - Haliimaile General Store Inc. and Nene Grill, Inc. from Makawao, Maui.

Entrepreneurial Success

Rex Matsuno - Suisan Company, Ltd., from Hilo, Hawaii.

Small Business Exporter

David Fell - Hawaiian Sunshine Nursery, Inc. from Hilo, Hawaii.

Family Owned Small Business

Jonathan Ota - Tip Top Cafe & Bakery from Lihue, Kauai.

Financial Services Champion

William "Bill" A. Spencer - Hawaii Venture Capital Association from Kailua, Oahu.

Minority Small Business Champion

Johnson W.K. Choi - Hong Kong, China. Hawaii Chamber of Commerce from Honolulu.

Small Business Journalist

Pamela Tumpap - Maui Chamber of Commerce from Kahului, Maui.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Thomas P. Park - Leather Soul LLC, from Honolulu.

Women in Business Champion

Joan A. Seery - BNJ Hawaii Networking Institute and Serious Business Solutions.