Special to Hawai`i's H4 | Volume 21, No. 9 | September 1996

The World Wide Web Edition

Hosted by Honolulu's Most Popular Website, H4!*

Small Business News € Table of Contents

Check out the Monthly SBH Calendar of Events!

INSIDE THIS ISSUE!

Apartment Appearance, Oceanic Cable BBB's "Business of the Year"
Business Candidates Square Off For Election
Senator McCain Hosted by SBH
Printed in Hawaii Campaign Supported by SBH
YES Trip, Luncheon Scheduled
Women In Business To Meet in Paia, Maui
HonoluluWriters Conference Workshop

SMALL BUSINESS VIEWS by Sam Slom

GUEST COMMENTARIES by SBH Members

Security: More = Less by Richard R. Rowland
How & When to Use A Mechanic's Lien by Michael Daniels
Get Involved! Change The System by Bill Sullivan

How Much Do You Really Know About Collections
by Kevin Shiinoki

THE COMPUTER CORNER

Facing The Computer Beast by Mike Tanji

APARTMENT APPEARANCE,
OCEANIC CABLE,
BBB's "BUSINESS OF THE YEAR"

Jed Gaines, president of Apartment Appearance, Inc. founded in 1973, and VP/Director of SBH, is the recipient of the Better Business Bureau of Hawaii's 1996 Holo I Mua Award for "Small Business of the Year." The award goes to companies that exemplify high ethical standards of responsibility in business practices.

The BBB also cited another SBH member, Oceanic Cable, (Don Carroll) as Hawaii's "Large Business of the Year." (more than 100 employees). Oceanic is Hawaii's leading cable operator and a nationally-recognized innovator of cable programming and service.

The 8th annual award, "was created to encourage business ethics in the marketplace and to recognize firms who excel and build public trust and confidence," said Ann Deschene, BBB president.

An awards luncheon honoring Gaines and Carroll will be held on Wednesday, September 18 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom. The public is invited. Phone 941-5222, ext. 320.

Gaines has long been active in SBH and the community. In 1988 Gaines was SBH's "Small Business Person of the Year." He is also well known for his contributions and involvement in public education. He formed "Read Aloud, America!"in '95, dedicated to creating a better world.

All 51 State House and 13 of 25 Senate seats are up for election this year. Also, Mayors of Hawaii and Honolulu counties, council seats, Board of Education and both U.S. House seats. (No '96 election for Governor or U.S. Senate in Hawaii).

As reported earlier this year, several State Representatives (all Democrats) announced they were not seeking reelection:

State Rep. Virginia Isbell (running for Mayor of Hawaii County)
State Rep. Suzanne Chun-Oakland (running against Senator Milton Holt)
State Rep. Mary Jane McMurdo (retired)
State Rep. Sam Lee (retired; annointed wife to replace him)
(State Sen. Robert Bunda is challenging U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink; 2 years remain on his seat)

SBH member business-experienced candidates* running this year are as follows
[incumbent indicated by asterisk *]:

U.S. House - 2nd District
Rural Oahu, Neighbor Islands
Thomas M. Pico, Jr. (R), Attorney; (* Patsy Mink - D)

State Senate - 8th District
Waialae Iki to Hawaii Kai
Sam Slom (R), SMS Consultants (* Donna Ikeda - D)

State Senate - 24th District
Kaneohe to Kailua
* Michael Liu (R), Bank America Hawaii

State House -16th District
Aina Haina to Mariner's Ridge
* Rep. Gene Ward (R), United Nations Consultant

* Every attempt was made to accurately include all current, active, paid members; please contact SBH if your candidacy was inadvertently excluded.

State House - 17th District
Maunalani Heights to Waialae Iki
* Rep. Barbara Marumoto (R), Fulltime legislator

State House - 23rd District - Manoa
Ken Harding (R), Educator/Businessman (* Ed Case - D)

State House - 33rd District
Aiea to Halawa Heights
Judy Magin (R), Magin Diagnostics (* Tom Okamura -D)

State House - 48th District
Kaneohe
Roy S. Yanagihara (R), Attorney (* Ken Ito - D)

State House - 49th District
Mokapu to Kailua
* Rep. Cynthia Theilen (R), Attorney

State House -51st District
Lanikai to Waimanalo
* Rep. Eve Anderson (R), Full-time legislator

State Board of Education - At Large
Donald R Dawson (NP), Dawson International

After the Primary Election, Saturday, September 21, PAYCHECKS HAWAII will announce its endorsements for all state and federal races. Generally, endorsements are not made in contested Primary races. Endorsements will be in the October SB NEWS. Other business and trade groups, including NFIB-Hawaii, will also endorse. Major unions already announced their picks, not surprisingly, mostly Democratic incumbents and special interest-connected lawmakers.

SBH and PAYCHECKS HAWAII urge you to learn as much as possible about each candidate, ask them tough questions, then vote! The General Election is on Tuesday November 5.

If you want to become involved during the Election campaign and help business-experienced candidates more directly, regardless of political party, contact PAYCHECKS HAWAII at 396-1725.

At the most recent (August 29) meeting of the SBH "YES - Young Entrepreneurs," Shared Resources' Pamela Gottlieb discussed the pros and cons of employees versus Independent Contractors, and the legal requirements involved, at the SBH office.

The next "YES" Business Field Trip is scheduled for Tuesday, September 10, (9-10:30 am) at the The Royal Hawaiian Mint. See how money and precious Hawaiian coins are made in Hawaii's only mint. Hawaii's Mintmaster, Bernard vonNothaus, will be the"YES" host. (RSVP required to SBH 396-1724 no later than September 6).

On Thursday, September 26, "YES" will meet at SBH member Spaghetti! Spaghetti! restaurant in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center (3rd Floor) Waikiki, from 11-12:30. Again, advance reservations are required. Jeanine Fukuda will facilitate a topic of current business interest to Hawaii's young entrepreneurs.

The "YES" meetings are open to ANY SBH member and their guests. For information, contact SBH at 396-1724.

Ever since the first printing press west of the Rocky Mountains was established in Honolulu in 1822, printing has played a major role in shaping the history of these islands. Hawaii's printing industry creates many jobs, pays hefty excise, income, employment and property taxes and donates a great deal of printing to charitable causes and otherwise provides vital services to the communities they work in.

Small Business Hawaii has always printed its materials, including books, in Hawaii supporting local businesses-even though we are aware that it is cheaper in other states and countries. Contrast this with high profile state government publications, political candidate materials and even popular "Hawaii" books like "The Price of Paradise" I &II printed elsewhere.

SBH continues to work to reduce the artificially high costs of doing business here for the printing and other industries and urges members to do likewise. Display the PIHA logo. For additional information, contact Bill Irish at 537-3966.

The Women in Business Committee (WIBC) of the U.S. Small Business Administration in partnership with the UHH Small Business Development Center presents an information-packed seminar on "Finding $$ to Do Business!" Friday, September 20, in the Kaunoa Senior Center, Paia, Maui.

The program will be held from 8 am to noon with a series of breakout sessions. There will also be a "Lenders' Fair" with representatives from several local banks and financial groups.

Registration is $20 before September 17; $25 at the door. For information, contact Kim Hite at the SBA in Honolulu (808) 541-3024 or David Fisher on Maui 875-2402.

More than a dozen prominent Hawaii editors, authors and journalists will address the Honolulu Writers Conference on Saturday, October 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., at the University of Hawaii'i campus, East-West Center, Jefferson Hall.

"Writers will be motivated by expert advice on how to improve their writing and get published," said Rich Budnick, conference organizer and SBH member. "We're also reviewing manuscripts so new writers can get unbiased feedback from published authors and writing teachers."

Participants can also attend workshops on how to write fiction, non-fiction, children's stories, poetry, and screenwriting, plus internet publishing, self-publishing, and a grammar refresher.

A grammar refresher workshop will be led by Jan Liftee, a writing consultant. Writing and reference books donated by book stores will be given away as door prises to conference participants. Attendees should bring a brown bag noon lunch. Refreshments will be provided.

Registration for the all-day conference for SBH members is $65 if paid by September 30 - a $20 savings off the $85 fee. Registration is $99 at the door. Make your checks payable to Aloha Press, and mail it to: Honolulu Writers Conference, Box 4183, Honolulu, HI 96812.

Manuscript critiques are available for $20 to conference participants - on a limited basis - for fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and children's writing if they are submitted by September 21.

Registration forms are available at major bookstores. For information, call 395-1161.

* According to a recent poll in Honolulu Weekly.