Hawaii Tribune-Herald ATHENA® Award Sponsor Roberta Chu, Bank of Hawaii; 2016 ATHENA Award® Recipient Debra Ching Maiava; ATHENA® Award Sponsor Barry Taniguchi, KTA Super Stores; Rose Bautista, County of Hawai‘i Mayor’s Office; and Mike Kaleikini, 2016-17 HICC President. HICC AWARDS & SCHOLARSHIPS ATHENA Award® The Hawai‘i Island Chamber of Commerce has the honor of annually presenting the internationally recognized ATHENA Award® which recognizes community members who have achieved the highest level of professional excellence, steadfast dedication to community service, and works to improve the quality of life for others in the community and actively assist others, particularly women, in realizing their full leadership potential. Debra Ching Maiava, owner/manager of Ken’s House of Pancakes and Ponds Hilo was honored as the 2016 ATHENA Award® recipient. Ching Maiava has been described by a fellow business owner as “the consummate business woman who for over 25 years, has both owned and operated the extremely successful Ken’s House of Pancakes” and later, acquired the Ponds Hilo restaurant, “where a multitude of local patrons and visitors alike, enjoy her uniquely presented ‘fun & fine’ dining experience.” Each year, the ATHENA Award® recipient is awarded a $500 cash award donated by past ATHENA recipients to “Pay It Forward” to assist other women in our community. By honoring exceptional business leaders like Ching Maiava, the Hawai‘i Island Chamber of Commerce continues to inspire others in our community to strive for and achieve excellence in both their personal and professional lives. Roberta Chu is the chairwoman of the ATHENA® Award Committee. KTA Super Stores and Bank of Hawaii sponsor the annual luncheon. SBA Awards Each year, the U.S. Small Business Administration honors the most outstanding small firms in Hawai‘i to recognize their achievements and highlight the importance of small firms to a vibrant local economy. The Hawai‘i Island Chamber of Commerce has annually recognized the Hawai‘i County small-business winners at a luncheon and General Membership meeting. The 2017 awards luncheon featured guest speaker Bob Sigall, a Honolulu Star-Advertiser columnist and author of “The Companies We Keep” series of books on amazing Continued on the next page 6 Sunday, July 30, 2017 HAWAI‘I ISLAND CHAMBER
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