Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 6, Number 11, 1 November 1989 — ALU LIKE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

ALU LIKE

(presented in cooperation uuith Alu Like ine.)

Native Hawaiian Business Development Center expands services statewide

Studies show that there are 2,000 Hawaiianowned businesses constituting only 6.9 percent of the total number of businesses in the state of Hawaii. Of these 2,000 Hawaiian businesses, only an estimated 170 have employees. This figure, alone, indicates severe underrepresentation of Hawaiians in the loeal economy. There are recent indications, however, that more and more, Hawaiians are interested in

starting and managing small businesses of their own. The OHA Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund created new hope for would-be entrepreneurs by meeting the essential financing need for many Hawaiians starting a small business. Alu Like, over the years, has been providing business assistance to the Hawaiian community. The Alu Like state board of directors have reiterated their continued support for this effort with the establishment of the Alu Like Native Hawaiian Business Development Center. This center is rfow a reality, guided by a comprehensive

Needs Assessment of Hawaiian Entrepreneurs and a Business Development Five Year Strategic Plan to provide mulhple business assistance services for Hawaiians. A $205,000 one-year grant has been approved for a Native Hawaiian Business Development Project by the Administration for Native Americans and matched by funds from the State Office of Community Services. The statewide project is aimed at providing management and technical assistance to 80 selected Hawaiian entrepreneurs to ensure the successful start-up and expansion of their businesses. The selection of these entrepreneurs was a resuit of a joint effort between the state Department of Business and Eeonomie Development, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Alu Like and other community volunteers. Assistance is primarily geared towards individuals who have applied for, or recently received loans from, the state DBED Molokai Revolving Loan Fund and the OHA Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund. The new project also serves to complement and support the Native Hawaiian Entrepreneurship Training Project of the Alu Like Business Development Center by providing further assistance to recent graduates of the training. This Entrepreneurship Training Project is made possible throuigh a grant from the U.S. Department of Education/Native Hawaiian Vocational Education Program. Its aim is to provide entrepreneurship training to Hawaiians interested in developing their skills at starting a small business.

The November show will introduce a new segment called the Alu Like Job-Quest. The purpose of Job-Quest is to make viewers aware of job opportunities Alu Like has to offer individuals who qualify for our services. In November, the show features Poakalani, the island's foremost Hawaiian quilt maker, the Hawai'i Career Information Delivery System, or Career Kokua. Career Kokua is one of the primary oeeupahonal resources utilized by the Alu Like Employment and Training Program. The Alu Like kupuna of the month is Arline Eaton, a past participant of the Alu Like program. She's presently •teaching in the Leeward district as part of the Department of Education Hawaiian Studies Program. Alu Like's success story of the month is Carol Tucker, a secretary at the Hawai'i Heptachlor Research and Education Foundation.