Guam native Sean Perez has taken the reins as new finance director at Hawai‘i Community Lending.

According to an announcement, he’s excited about making great things happen for the Native Hawaiian community.

“I enjoy hearing the success stories of new homes that we will soon be building and finding for these families,” he says. “HCL’s mission resonates well with me and my passion to help others and assist our community.”

Perez will manage HCL’s finances, accounting, compliance and information technology matters. He’ll also work with HCL Executive Director Jeff Gilbreath and supervising three division managers.

Perez comes to HCL with more than eight years of experience in financial management in the nonprofit and private, for-profit sectors having worked in the legal, social service, health and telecommunications industries as well as with the US Attorney’s Office of Guam and Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands.

In his previous job as director of operations for the Hawai‘i State Bar Association, Perez gained experience in nonprofit financial management and extensive background in accounting, grants management, information technology and human resources.

Currently living in Honolulu, Sean was born in Tamuning, Guam. When he was 10 years old, he moved to Oxnard, Calif., where he attended school and eventually community college. He joined the Air Force Reserves after graduation, leading him to serve three and a half years as an aircrew flight equipment technician at March Air Reserve Base in California.

After his military service, Perez returned to his childhood home of Guam, where he went to college to obtain a degree in finance and economics, and then to pursue a Masters in Business Administration.  On O‘ahu, he enjoys family life with his fiancée and toddler son; fishing and surfing in his time off.

“I look forward to accomplishing great things with HCL and creating new success stories,” he said.

Applications for the Hawaii State Federal Credit Union 2025 student scholarship applications are open through Feb. 28, according to an announcement.

The credit union pledged to award $5,000 scholarships to 20 deserving Hawaiʻi students planning to attend a fully accredited university, college or trade/vocational school during the 2025-2026 academic year.

“At Hawaii State FCU, we believe that investing in education is an investment in the future of our community,” said Andrew Rosen, president and chief executive officer of Hawaii State FCU. “For more than 25 years, our scholarship program has been a cornerstone of our commitment to empowering Hawaii’s students. We look forward to awarding these scholarships to the next cohort of students as they take the next steps toward academic and professional success.”

Since its establishment in 1996, the Hawaii State FCU Scholarship Program has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to help Hawaiʻi students achieve their educational goals. Open to all Hawaii State FCU members and their dependents, the program is designed to support students who demonstrate financial need and a commitment to academic excellence.

Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Attend a fully accredited university, college, or trade/vocational school in the 2025-2026 school year.
• Demonstrate a financial need.
• Attend as a full-time student.
• Apply as an undergraduate or graduate degree-seeking student.
• Have a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average.

The Hawaii State FCU Scholarship Program is administered by the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation. Interested applicants may view frequently asked questions and apply directly through the foundation website at www.HawaiiCommunityFoundation.org/Students.

The online application requires personal and award impact statements, most recent school transcripts, 2025-2026 Student Aid Report from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid Form filing, and list of achievements and community service activities.

Completed applications and all supporting materials must be submitted by 4 p.m. Feb. 28.

For more information on eligibility requirements, required materials and how to apply, visit www.HawaiiStateFCU.com/scholarship.

Founded in 1936, the Hawaii State Federal Credit Union serves state, city and county employees as well as nonprofits and select businesses and their families across the state. The credit union has more than 130,000 members and $2.4 billion in assets. It provides financial advice as well as checking, savings and loan services on Maui and Oʻahu.

For more information, visit www.HawaiiStateFCU.com.

Wailuku’s Empower Fitness Maui was recently awarded a small-business grant from the Human Rights Campaign, which supports LGBTQ+ business owners and strives to eliminate barriers to economic success and LGBTQ+ equality.

“Being a business owner means that I get to be a leader in my community. I can build a space and a community that our LGBTQIA+ people can feel safe, seen, and grow in ways that go well beyond physical fitness,” said Staci Fujimoto (she/they), owner of Empower Fitness Maui. “Being gender non-conforming myself, I know that identifying as LGBTQIA+ and/or being gender diverse is a huge barrier to health and wellness. With this help in funding, I am able to also eliminate the barrier that is financial privilege for as many in the LGBTQIA+ community as I can.”

The grant program, called “Queer to Stay: An LGBTQ+ Business Preservation Initiative,” served 30 new small-businesses across 19 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico this year, according to a national announcement.

With this fifth iteration of “Queer to Stay,” which originally launched in June of 2020, the program will reach $1 million in total distributed funding, supporting 100 LGBTQ+ businesses and helping them keep their doors open and continue serving their local communities.

“Since its launch, 90% of previously awarded “Queer to Stay” businesses still remain open,” the announcement says. “However, many LGBTQ+ small-businesses are still experiencing economic difficulties from the pandemic’s aftermath.”

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Empower Fitness Maui is a queer, female and locally owned fitness space designed to provide a safe and accessible environment for all bodies. Staff strive to create a workout experience that sees, understands and respects every client and their unique needs. Through mindful movement, first class coaching and an inclusive community, Empower Fitness Maui aims to break barriers of physical and mental well-being for LGBTQ+ people.

The full list of this year’s awardees of “Queer to Stay: An LGBTQ+ Business Preservation Initiative” include the following:

All She Wrote Books (Somerville, Mass.), Burnside Artist Retreat (Locust Grove, Ga.), Cheer Up Charlies (Austin, Texas), Clínica Psicoalternativa (San Juan, P.R.), Cypress Midwife (Oakland, Calif.), Empower Fitness Maui (Wailuku, Hawaii), Everywhere Is Queer (Portland, Ore.), Footprint Wine Tap (Seattle, Wash.), For Them (New York, N.Y.), Jaymes Mansfield Beauty (Las Vegas, Nev.), Kingfish Cider (Jefferson, La.), Little Lion Collective (New Haven, Conn.), Mixx Atlanta (Atlanta, Ga.), Pink Moon Farm (Eatonville, Wash.), Pink Sappho (Chicago, Ill.), Rose Pelvic Physiotherapy (Huntsville, Ala.), Safe Harbor Counseling of Missouri (Saint Ann, Mo.), Secret Spot DTLA (Los Angeles, Calif.), Speed-o Cappuccino (Portland, Ore.), Sunny (Ashland, Mass.), Teatotaller Cafe (Dover, N.H.), Tender Bois Club (Oakland, Calif., Minneapolis, Minn., and Brooklyn, N.Y.), The Bodega Lounge (Brooklyn, N.Y.), The Lemon Girls (San Antonio, Texas), Trans Affirming Training & Consulting (Philadelphia, Pa.), Trudy’s Spot (Hurricane, Utah), Tufting House (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Under the Umbrella Bookstore (Salt Lake City, Utah), Welcome Castro (San Francisco, Calif.), and xHood (Washington, D.C.).

Hawai‘i Community Lending has new members of its board of directors. They are Kawena Beaupré, Jaclyn Kaina and Alapaki Nahale‘a. Returning board members are Billy Pieper (president) and Felicity “Kui” Meyer (treasurer).

Beaupré is senior vice president and general counsel at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, according to an announcement. She is the great granddaughter of pre-eminent Hawaiian scholar and educator Mary Kawena Pukui. Beaupré has built her career and personal life around helping others, fostering community and building a network of trusted relationships. Prior to her work with the foundation, she was an associate in the tax department of Cades Schutte LLLP where she practiced in the areas of tax and finance.

Kaina is executive director of Kaua‘i Economic Development Board, a position she has held since 2022. A proponent of “transformational and servant leadership,” Kaina is an experienced leader who knows what it takes to help communities thrive, the announcement says.

According to the announcement, Nahale‘a believes in a future “where every family is part of a thriving community and where individual and collective well-being manifests a better world for all.” A principal at Islander Institute, Alapaki strives to address systemic issues using island values. 

He leads initiatives around locally rooted community leadership development, sustainable local food system innovation, and community empowered education initiatives.

Pieper was born and raised on O‘ahu. He is senior vice president and director of strategic partnerships with American Savings Bank and has over 20 years of experience in the financial industry. He serves as board chair of Friends of ‘Iolani Palace, Bishop Museum and Ke Ali‘i Pauahi Foundation. 

Meyer is also from O‘ahu. She is a branch manager and residential loan officer at Security National Mortgage Company. With more than 30 years in the mortgage industry, Kui knows how to work with homeowners, buyers, builders and real estate professionals to help members of her community gain and retain homeownership.

In a newsletter, Executive Director Jeff Gilbreath said Hawai‘i Community Lending understands that “homeownership is about more than just a home.”

“It’s about our families reconnecting to land and perpetuating their culture and traditions,” he said. “It’s about being able to grow food to feed ourselves, having a stable place to heal ourselves, and to build our financial assets.”

In 2024, HCL distributed 394 grants and loans into the community, totaling $15.3 million. This resulted in 241 local and Native Hawaiian families successfully building, buying or saving their homes from foreclosure.

“Together, we grew our revolving loan fund to $25 million with products investing in the affordable housing ecosystem, from the home builder to the homebuyer to the homeowner,” Gilbreath said. “At a time when our housing crisis continues to threaten the fabric of our communities and the ability of our people to get on the land and stay there, partners like you have been right alongside us making a difference one family at a time.”

Maui’s labor market is generally improving, although the county’s post wildfire disaster labor force and employed people have been declining, Chief State Economist Eugene Tian said Wednesday. In November, Maui County’s not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.8%, down from 6.8% in November 2023.

“It is true that the unemployment rate alone may not tell the full picture of the labor market,” Tian said. “When people stopped looking for jobs (after last year’s wildfires), they left the labor force. This may result in declining in unemployment rate, the truth might be people were discouraged and gave up looking for jobs or they moved out-of-island.”

A recent report by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization made this observation: “While declining unemployment can indicate an improving labor market, in this case it primarily reflects workers leaving the labor force. Since the fourth quarter of 2023, the number of employed workers in Maui County has fallen by 200, while the labor force has declined considerably more, losing 2,700 potential workers over the same period.”

However, Tian had four indicators to bolster his view that Maui’s labor market is getting better:

1. Unemployment rate has been declining from 8.5% in September 2023 to 3.8% in November 2024 (not seasonally adjusted).
2. Number of people unemployed but still looking for jobs (unemployment) fell from 7,250 in September 2023 to 3,150 in November 2024.
3. Initial unemployment claims decreased from 4,449 in the third week of August to 136 during the second week of December. The average initial unemployment claims for Maui County were 144 per week in 2019 (a normal year before COVID); the December 2024 number is lower than the 2019 number.
4. Non-agriculture payroll job count increased by 3,500 in November 2024 from September 2023 (68,900 jobs in September 2023 and 72,400 jobs in November 2024).

Tian said the US Census Bureau released Hawaiʻi population estimates on Thursday, but only at the state level.

“The new estimates show that Hawaiʻi has stopped losing population since 2023 (increased 1,028), and increased population in 2024 (increased 4,759),” he said. “County-level data will be released in March 2025.  We should know how many people moved out of Maui due to the wildfires by then.”

Bureau of Labor Statistics will revise the labor force and unemployment estimates in March 2025 as well, he said. Due to the increase in estimated population for 2024, the outmigration estimate for Maui might be adjusted downward when county population is released next March, he added.

Good news for lobster lovers. Maui Lobster King has opened at the Azeka Shopping Center in Kīhei.

The new location is described as a seafood boil and Hawaiian barbecue restaurant. It is located next to Maui Pie at the old Taco Bell location on South Kīhei Road.

There’s a customized bib for customers who want to “get down with bold flavors, fresh seafood, and plenty of Dirty Fun with barbecue!” an announcement says.

A cajun seafood boil and barbecue is open from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Built in phases beginning in 1978, Azeka Shopping Center is one of the largest shopping centers in Kīhei. Located mauka and makai of South Kīhei Road, the center has more than 50 restaurants, shops and services in approximately 135,645 square feet of leasable space.

Center tenants include: Coconuts Fish Café, deVine Wine Lounge, Diamonds Ice Bar & Grill, Fork & Salad, HomeMaid Café, Izakaya Genbe, Java Café, Maui Lobster King, Maui Pie, Miso Phat Sushi, Nalu’s South Shore Grill, Nutcharee’s Authentic Thai Food, Noodles & Rice by Nutcharee, Panda Express, Paniolo’s Steak & Seafood, Peace Love Shave Ice, Peggy Sue’s, Roasted Chiles and Wow Wow Lemonade.

Other merchants are AA Oceanfront Rentals, Ace Hardware, Bank of Hawaii, BEK Inc., Boost Mobile, Da Hair, D.K. Barbershop, Hawaiian Cruisers, Hele Gas Station/Mini Mart, Ikaika Construction, Jonathan Thomas DDS, K&K Law Firm Recovery Law Center, Kaiser Permanente, Kīhei Community Association, Kīhei Wailea Flowers by Cora, Le Bazaar, Maui Mojo Wellness, Maui Pediatric Dentistry, Maui Powerhouse Gym, Maui Toy Chest, Maui VR, Next Level Marble and Granite, Ocean Nail Spa, O’Reilly Automotive, ProArts Playhouse, Skyridge Lending, Snorkel Bob’s, Stellamation, Susu’s Studio & Design, Territorial Savings Bank, US Post Office and Zen Tattoo & Art Gallery.

With visitors choosing to go elsewhere, Maui County can expect “slow progress” in its economic recovery in the wake of the August 2023 wildfire disaster, according to economics professor Carl Bonham, executive director of the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization.

“The recovery is ongoing, and the place we think it’s going to be slowest, besides housing, is tourism,” said Bonham, who spoke with reporters via Zoom Thursday in advance of today’s release of UHERO’s fourth quarter economic forecast for Hawaiʻi. “At the moment, tourism is really suffering. And, you know, there was some optimism around the tournament, the (November) basketball tournament. But if you looked at the daily passenger counts, and you just barely could see any impact of that.”

The UHERO forecast predicts — in rounded numbers — 2.6 million visitors in 2025, 2.7 million in 2026 and 2.8 million in 2027. Those visitor arrivals compare with other, previously more robust years: 2.8 million in 2017, 2.96 million in 2018, 3.1 million in 2019 and 2.97 million in 2022. (The COVID pandemic year saw 807,308 visitors to Maui County.)

Aside from visitor arrivals to Maui, hotel occupancy rates have been anemic too, he pointed out.

In October, Maui County had the lowest hotel occupancy rates in the state at 54.9%, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism’s Hawaiʻi Hotel Performance Report. Statewide, hotel occupancy rates were 70.4% — 77.5% on Oʻahu, 65.7% on Hawaiʻi Island and 74% on Kauaʻi.

The Maui hotel occupancy rates “hasn’t been this low in many, many years,” he said. It would be necessary to “just probably have to go back to, I would say, maybe even the Great Recession, to see occupancy rates this low. And, essentially, what’s going on is just after the residents moved out of the hotels, you know, we haven’t seen the push to bring visitors back in a way that’s adequate to fill the rooms back up.”

Regarding the vacation rental phase-out proposed by Mayor Richard Bissen, Bonham said UHERO is working on a report on the subject, and he didn’t want to discuss it in much detail. (The report is expected in the first quarter of 2025.)

However, “it’s not rocket science to know that if you take in 2025, 30% of the visitor plant off of Maui, it’s going to have a negative impact on the number of visitors who are on island and the amount that they will spend. And that will then impact the recovery of Maui employment, of jobs, particularly in areas like food service and retail, in restaurants. These are the places that have been hit the hardest by post-fire loss of visitor spending, and so you know . . . that policy will make available from housing, and it will have an impact on housing costs, and it will also have an impact on holding down job growth and overall recovery.”

Bonham acknowledged that some visitors would stay in hotels, rather than vacation rentals if they’re unavailable.

“If you lose say, 20% of your visitor plant, your accommodations, it doesn’t mean that visitor spending falls by 20%, and that you know, then visitors necessarily fall by 20%; that some of the visitors will switch from short-term rentals to other accommodations.”

“You could also have some new short-term rentals popping up in areas where they are permitted, where they’re already permitted in resort areas,” he said. “Room prices will probably go up, so you would end up with some extra spending for that reason.”

“So, yeah, it’s kind of a complicated mess, but it’s pretty hard to come up with any analysis that would tell you that you won’t end up with too many negatives,” Bonham said of forecasting the impacts of a vacation rental phase-out on Maui. “Any way you slice it, you know, even with additional spending because of higher prices and because of people staying in hotels or resort condos that are legal, you’re still going to end up with a decline in spending and therefore some impact to jobs and overall household income. Just no way to avoid that.”

The UHERO report summarizes Maui’s economic forecast, saying: “Visitor numbers remain subdued, with occupancy rates at historic lows and labor force participation constrained by post-fire disruptions and outmigration. Maui has regained more than half of the jobs lost to the wildfires, but employment remains well below pre-fire levels. Rebuilding efforts will provide ongoing support, but a full tourism recovery is years down the road.”

The UHERO report says “Hawaiʻi’s labor market is softening, shaped by both the Maui wildfires and broader national trends.”

The total number of new hires statewide fell from 74,000 in the first quarter of 2022 to 62,000 by the third quarter of this year. Also, fewer employees are leaving jobs, with job departures down 26% from the first quarter of 2022.

“This reduced labor market activity reflects slower economic conditions on Maui since the wildfires, as well as softer overall Hawaiʻi economic activity,” the report says.

It points out that Maui County’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has gone down from a high of 8% in September 2023 (a month after the wildfires) to just more than 3% in October.

“While declining unemployment can indicate an improving labor market, in this case it primarily reflects workers leaving the labor force,” the report says. “Since the fourth quarter of 2023, the number of employed workers in Maui County has fallen by 200, while the labor force has declined considerably more, losing 2,700 potential workers over the same period. Some of these workers appear to have relocated to other islands or left the state entirely. Estimates from our Maui Recovery Dashboard suggest that nearly 5% of West Maui residents have relocated to the Mainland or another country. Additionally, 3% have moved to another island within the state.”

For Hawaiʻi overall, the UHERO report’s main takeaway is that there’s “broad uncertainty” about the impacts of the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

“Under the assumption of policy changes that are sharp but limited in scope, we will see a short-term boost to Mainland tourism and local income, but there will be medium-term supply challenges and an uptick in inflation. State tax cuts will provide local support. Maui rebuilding will add to an already-buoyant construction cycle, even as home affordability woes continue,” the report says.

The report says UH economists are adopting policy assumptions of “limited magnitude.”

“The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will be extended, and the corporate tax rate will be reduced,” it says. “Tariff hikes will be more limited and targeted than many expect, resulting in a 5 percentage point increase in the tariff rate. Other countries will retaliate with similar tariff hikes. Through deportations, the administration will be able to reduce the number of unauthorized immigrants by 350,000 per year. The policies as a whole will provide a moderate near-term US economic boost, but will result in higher inflation and slower growth in the medium term.”

Queen Kaʻahumanu Center celebrates this holiday season with 12 Days of Giveaways from Dec. 14-25. 

For every $100 spent between Nov. 26 and Dec. 25 at Queen Kaʻahumanu Center, shoppers will receive one entry into the giveaway. To enter, participants must submit their receipts using the online entry form here. Once submitted, participants will receive an email confirmation within 2-3 business days with their total number of entries.

The winners for each day will be announced on Queen Kaʻahumanu Center’s Instagram account, @qkcmaui. Prizes include $500 shopping sprees and other exciting rewards. This giveaway is Queen Kaʻahumanu Center’s way of saying mahalo to the community for their continued support.

And there’s more ways to win prizes. From Nov. 30 through Dec. 31, Queen Kaʻahumanu Center is running a special Gift with Purchase promotion. Spend $200 or more and receive a Holiday Mystery Pack, featuring an exclusive Queen Kaʻahumanu Center holiday ornament and a gift card valued between $5 and $50 from a retailer at Queen Kaʻahumanu Center.

To claim the GWP Holiday Mystery Pack, upload receipts and fill out the form here. Once verified, shoppers will receive a confirmation email with instructions on where and when to pick up their gift. 

For full details on both promotions, visit queenkaahumanucenter.com/events.

The Maui Volunteer Coalition for Recovery in partnership with the Ho‘ōla iā Mauiakama Disaster Long Term Recovery Group, is offering a limited number of complimentary POINT Pro subscriptions to Maui’s nonprofit organizations. This initiative aims to strengthen volunteer management systems and enhance capacity to support wildfire recovery efforts.

These one-year licenses grant access to a leading volunteer management platform, enabling qualified nonprofits to streamline operations and focus on their core missions during this critical time.

This special offering is funded by the Hawai‘i Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (Hawai‘i VOAD), a network of organizations coordinating disaster response and recovery in the state of Hawai‘i.

Key Benefits of POINT Pro for Nonprofits

POINT Pro is a volunteer management platform designed to meet the needs of organizations striving for efficiency and effectiveness. With its user-friendly interface, robust analytics, and mobile compatibility, nonprofits can:

• Simplify Operations: Manage schedules, tasks, and communication with volunteers from a centralized platform.
• Enhance Volunteer Relationships: Build engagement with personalized communication and recognition tools.
• Track and Report Impact: Use analytics to measure outcomes and produce detailed reports for stakeholders.
• Expand Capacity: Seamlessly manage larger events and growing volunteer networks.
• Showcase Professionalism: Customize the platform with your organization’s branding for a consistent look and feel.

A limited 100 free POINT Pro subscriptions are available for eligible Maui nonprofits actively engaged in wildfire recovery and community rebuilding. Organizations are encouraged to act quickly to secure their subscription:

• Sign up online at www.mauinuistrong.info/nonprofits. 
• Once your nonprofit is approved, you will automatically receive instructions on the next steps to onboard and begin promoting your volunteer opportunities.

A virtual Information Session will also be held on Dec. 16, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. to walk you through the process and learn about the benefits of this volunteer management system. To register, go to the EventBrite here.

Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc. announced the selection of Kainoa Casco as Vice President of Land Productivity and Asset Management. Casco is responsible for developing and executing strategies to create value by increasing the productivity of unimproved land in West Maui.

“Kainoa brings extensive experience in sustainable land and water resource management combined with deep family roots on Maui,”said CEO Race Randle. “We are thrilled to have Kainoa on our team in this role steering efforts to create value by activating land assets and advancing projects to meet critical community needs, particularly in West Maui.”

With over 15 years of experience in sustainability, renewable energy development and responsible development, Casco previously held key roles with other landowners on Maui. Most recently, he served as Climate + Resiliency Executive at Johnson Controls, Sustainable Infrastructure Hawai’i while previously holding the role of Vice President of Sustainability at Mahi Pono. Casco has led efforts in corporate ESG and sustainability, energy and climate resiliency, water management, agriculture infrastructure, and social impact development. 

“The opportunity to reactivate tens of thousands of acres of valuable land in West Maui is both exciting and humbling,” said Casco. “West Maui is my home, and I feel a tremendous kuleana to support this place in hopes to realize a more resilient future for our keiki. I look forward to contributing to Maui Land & Pineapple Company’s efforts to achieve that future with enhanced stakeholder engagement, agricultural productivity, additional job creation in West Maui, and innovative land stewardship.”

Casco is an active community leader, having served on the boards of organizations such as the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, Mālama Maui Nui, and the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce Oʻahu. He has also advised on key local initiatives, including the Maui County Climate Action and Resiliency Planning Advisory Committee and the Hawai‘i Green Growth Measures Core Team. Most recently, Kainoa was accepted into the 9^th cohort of the Omidyar Fellows leadership program where he is joined by a group of leaders from around Hawai‘i to create future where Hawai‘i thrives. 

Hailing from Lahaina, Casco is a proud graduate of Lahainaluna High School. He went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on Real Estate Finance and a minor in Community Development from Portland State University, followed by completing his MBA in Sustainable Management from Presidio Graduate School. He is a LEED Accredited Professional and holds certifications in energy management, green building, and conducted GRI corporate sustainability reporting trainings.