Hawaii Tribune-Herald Sunday, March 11, 2018 11
UNIVERSITY TOWN
University makes Hilo richer — literally
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the University of
Hawaii at Hilo’s
impact on the local
economy, just picture a
Costco store, according
to retired economics professor
David Hammes.
“If you stand in line
at Costco and watch all
those dollar expenditures
go through the scanners,
that’s kind of like what
UH-Hilo is running,”
Hammes said. “It’s like a
Costco store every day.”
UH-Hilo directly contributed
about $156 million
to Hawaii County’s
economy in the 2016-17
school year, according
to a report compiled by
Tam Vu, interim dean of
the College of Business
and Economics. Direct
expenditures include
faculty salaries, school
supplies, miscellaneous
expenses and capital
improvement projects
— such as building
construction materials
from local companies.
Hammes said that
$156 million “can be
expected to induce follow
on expenditures
of an additional $30
million to $40 million
by recipients in the
same year,” and thus the
university’s annual economic
impact to the Big
Island is between $185
million to $195 million.
By comparison, a
single Costco store
generates about $185
million in sales per
year, Hammes said.
“You sit there in
Costco with your jaw
dropping as each cart
comes through — people
go there to spend a
lot of money,” Hammes
said. “But in Hilo,
go to where a lot of
money is being spent
and people probably
wouldn’t think of the
university. There are no
cash registers, loaded
cars coming through or
things moving through
on the counter faster
than your eye can see.
(The university) is not
advertising itself through
bargains, such as 10
percent off courses, or
marketing themselves in
that way as Costco does.
“But in a sense,
there’s as much money
going through UH-Hilo
expenditures as far
as what they provide,
whether it’s research
services, education
services or some entertainment
services.
There’s as much as
the average Costco.”
Direct expenditures
in the 2016-17 school
year also generated
about $17 million in
income tax revenue,
according to Vu.
UH-Hilo also contributes
to the local
economy in other ways.
Vu noted in her report
that UH-Hilo is one of
the largest employers
in East Hawaii, and
many of its employees
are “well-paid workers
who make important
contributions to the
demand and the subsequent
supply of goods
and services in Hilo
and Hawaii County.”
There are currently
more than 500 people
employed at UH-Hilo.
Faculty and staff
also become invested
members of the
community, Hammes
added, and enrich the
community in “subtle,
but important ways.”
UH-Hilo also draws
visitors to the island
each year to visit students
and to attend conferences,
meetings and
other events, he noted.
“The university
brings in students from
off-island, and they have
relatives who come and
visit, and maybe they
come back in a few
years and take a vacation
or come back from
graduation,” Hammes
said. “Or maybe a student
raises a family
here and puts down
roots. So they add to the
health and the wellness
of the community.
“With the university
here, Hilo is a richer
and much more pleasant
place to do things.”
Email Kirsten Johnson
at kjohnson@hawaiitribune
herald.com.
By KIRSTEN JOHNSON
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
HOLLYN JOHNSON/Tribune-Herald
Tam Vu, interim dean of the College of Business and Economics
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