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Maui Means Business
The Hawaiian island named for Maui, Superman of Polynesian mythology, is home to a
$19.5 million "supercomputer," now making the island a major center for international
business, technology, research and communication. In addition, the Maui county
government has not only rolled out the red carpet for new businesses but streamlined
procedures and adopted innovative business support programs.
In 1993, the "supercomputer," called a massively parallel processor (MPP), one of only
two dozen in the United States, began operations on Maui. It is part of the Image
Information Center associated with the Maui Research and Technology Park, and
positions the island as an image processing center of international significance.
The state-of-the-art computer with its massive parallel processing capabilities, has
the capacity to do the work of 2,000 computers simultaneously, and is capable of five
trillion calculations per second. Uses for the computer range from medical research
and space exploration technology to film animation.
It is expected that the supercomputer will be a magnet drawing to Maui the kind of
businesses that provide clean industry and well-paying employment without significant
population growth.
The 330-acre Maui Research and Technology Park is sweetening the pot with innovative
business incentives such as its "business incubator," which will provide services
to new business ventures, and to established businesses who want to move to Maui or
open satellite offices on the island. Phase-in services include low rent, office
support programs, accounting and consulting services, leading edge data and
telecommunications capabilities, access to low-interest loans, and a marketing
umbrella.
Prospective entrepreneurs can be walked through the process of permits and applications,
which formerly took up to seven years, in less than thirty days. It's all part of a
program to diversify Maui's economic base which has been reliant on tourism and
plantation agriculture.
Businesses starting up on Maui or moving to the island will find a multi-cultural
business climate, and a unique location that provides a bridge to the burgeoning
markets of the Pacific Basin and Asia. Foreign investors continue to exhibit a
strong interest in Hawaii's businesses.
Employers will find a labor force that is intensely loyal to their home island and,
therefore has been primarily overeducated and underemployed.
Maui has an active Chamber of Commerce, and a "Made in Maui" association committed
to marketing and promoting products produced on the island. Members include a
perfume company, toy manufacturer, and an island vineyard acclaimed for its fine brut
champagne The island has a deep-water harbor, major airport and superior
telecommunication systems.
The bonus enjoyed by businesses moving to Maui is an unhurried lifestyle in the best
climate in the world, amidst a setting of incomparable natural beauty. Maui has
sixteen golf courses, many fine restaurants, and a surprising cultural climate with
a full symphony orchestra and a $28-million center for culture and the arts that
includes theater and exhibition space.
On Maui, doing business is a pleasure.
RESOURCES
Maui Research and Technology Center, 590 Lipoa Parkway, Kihei, Hawaii 96753;
808-875-2320. Contact Jeanne Skog
Business Information Center, Maui Research & Technology Center, 808- 875-2410
Contact Tom Lutgen
Made In Maui Association, 250 Alamaha Street, Kahului, Maui, HI 96732;
808-871-7711 Contact Paula Hegele
Maui Chamber of Commerce, 250 Alamaha, Kahului, Maui, HI 96732; 808-871-7711
Contact Lynn Woods
County of Maui, Office of Economic Development, 200 South High Street
Wailuku, Maui, HI 96793; 808-270-7710. Contact Roz Baker
Article Courtesy of the Maui Visitors Bureau
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