Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 2012 — Q&A: State Sen. Pohai Ryan [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Q&A: State Sen. Pohai Ryan

In the fall of 2011, members ofthe House anel Senate Hawaiian Ajfairs committees visited various Native Hawaiian business owners who received a Mālama Loan from OHA. The Neighbor lsīand businesses welcomed the \crwmakers for site visits, where they shared about their entrepreneuriaī experiences. Joining the visits at various times were Chubby Vicens ofthe Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce aneī OHA Trustee Robert Lindsey aneī his Aieīe, Kama Hopkins. In October, we spoke with Senate Hawaiian Ajfairs Committee Vice Chair Pohai Ryan (D-Waimānalo, Hawai'i Kai, Kaiīua), about what īcrwmakers were Iearning on their traveīs to Maui aneī Hawai'i lsīand, as weīī as what's on her radar for the upcoming session.

KWO: Did you have successful evaluation trips, and why was it impoilanl to do? Senator Ryan: I feel very fortunate to have visited sueeessful OHA loan reeipients in their natural state of business. I'm very proud of their sueeesses, and I do want to reiterate their appreeiation for all that OHA does for their entrepreneurial goals. Ourdue diligenee as Hawaiian Affairs committee members is to learn what is being provided through the various agencies that serve our people as well as other projects that fall under other committees we serve on. KWO: Tell us ahout one of your trips. SR: In Hilo we visited Aiona Car

Sales, whieh was very impressive to me. His business grew out of a failure. He got terminated at a job and had no ehoiee. Sometimes when one door closes another one opens, that's what happened in this case. I think he's the only Native Hawaiian-owned auto dealership in the state. His business has grown, and he's expanding his car-rental division. Hopefully people will heeome aware of that and patronize his business. We also went to see Syd Vierra of Akamai Woods, whieh had a beautiful product line, and Dr. Jerem Kaawaloa, who is a family practitioner. A lot of people forget professionals have to run their own office, and it is a business. It was SEE Q&A: RYAN ON PAGE 8

Sen. Pohai Ryan. -Photos: LisaAsato

O&A: RYAN

Continued from page 7 niee to see the support the community has for these businesses. KWO: Were there any eommon threads relating to their successes? SR: In all the businesses we visited, there were eommon traits that were very clear. One was an obvious commitment to their business, as well as focus and discipline, because you have to be very disciplined to be an owneroperator. I think Syd (Vierra) told us, "Some days I want to go surf but cannot. Gotta eat" - whieh is true. KWO: Are you a husinesswoman hy experience? SR: I used to be the Director of the Kailua Chamber of Commerce, and I worked with a lot of small businesses, and it's so admirable to see how hard they work. They're responsible for other people's livelihoods and they really are the heartbeat of the economy. My generation was the generation that benefited from a lot of the small mom-and-pop stores run by those who left the plantation and wanted a better life for their children. But being a small-business owner is far more challenging than people realize. You are responsible for everything, and you probably earn the equivalent of an MBA in two months. (Laughs.) SEE Q&A: RYAN ON PAGE 13

Sen. Pohai Ryan represenfs Hawai'i Kai, Waimānalo, Keolu Hills, Lanikai and Kailua.

O&A: RYAN

Continued from page 8 KWO: What are some of your priorities this legislative session? SR: One of my passions is growing the agricultural industry in general. How ean we as lawmakers facilitate that to make it happen? Is it through policy? Through creating reasonable rules for food safety certifications? Right now the complaints we get from the farmers is it's too costly, that they would go bankrupt. In another sense, farmers in the rural Neighbor Islands have a difficult time getting product to the store shelf. Logistically it's hard to keep the cost down for them to remain competitive. They ean have the quality product, but it doesn't mean anything if it costs several dollars more to buy it, right? I'm hoping that DHHL in conjunction with other organizations will eome

together and help grow agricultural businesses in the rural areas for our Hawaiian farmers who might be best skilled to do that work, but who might not have skills for the administrative or marketing sides. . . . My idea is to have a statewide central resource for farmers to handle their administrative, > marketing, sales, distribution and human resources duties. Hopefully there would even be an ag ferry that would go from one DHHL community to another to get it to stores, because really the wider market is on O'ahu. A farmer ean have 100 acres of beautiful bell peppers on Moloka'i, but who are they going to sell it to? The populahon isn't big enough there, so they have to sell it off island on either Maui or O'ahu. And if Hawai'i is serious about food security, I really think it's the kuleana of our Hawaiian community to meet that need. ■