Five Hawaii companies will be showcased in November at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Honolulu.
Skai Ventures, Big Island Carbon LLC, Sopogy, TREX Enterprises Corp. and HNU-Energy were selected from among 35 companies that applied for the special promotion, the APEC host committee said Tuesday.
The five companies will be promoted with displays at the Hawai’i Convention Center, Ala Moana Center and the CEO Summit at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. They will also be featured on the APEC Hawaii in-room hotel TV channel and the APEC 2011 Hawaii virtual online exhibit.
The heads of state from the 21 largest economies in the Asia-Pacific region and about 20,000 related officials, family members and members of the media will be in Hawaii on Nov. 12-13 for the APEC meeting.
A statewide panel of community and business leaders selected the five companies, including one statewide awardee and one from each of the four main Hawaiian Islands.
The panel included Robin Campaniano, general partner, Ulupono Initiative; Ann Chung, director of Economic Development for the City and County of Honolulu; George Costa, director of the Kauai County Office of Economic Development; Randy Kurohara, director of the Hawaii County Department of Research and Development; Richard Lim, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism; Virginia Pressler, executive vice president and chief strategic officer at Hawaii Pacific Health and chairwoman of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii; and Teena Rasmussen of the Maui County Office of Economic Development.
The panel was looking for companies that have "developed unique, leading and cutting-edge innovations in product development, technology, marketing or delivery; having positively impacted Hawaii’s business environment; having growth and investment potential; and having adopted environmentally sound programs and practices."
FEATURE ATTRACTIONS
The Hawaii companies selected include:
STATEWIDE AWARDEE
Skai Ventures
A venture accelerator focused on inventing, acquiring and commercializing disruptive technologies in the security, biomedical and health care markets.
Founder and CEO: Hank C. K. Wuh
KAUAI
TREX Enterprises
Developed Trex Chemical Vapor Composite Silicon Carbide, or Trex CVC SiC, used to manufacture optical and structural components.
Chairman and CEO: Kenneth Y. Tang
HONOLULU
Sopogy
A developer of patented micro-concentrated solar power technologies, which use mirrors and optics to
intensify the heat energy from the sun, creating thermal energy.
President and CEO: Darren Kimura
MAUI
HNU-Energy
Offers renewable energy generation, energy storage and high-efficiency lighting products for residential and commercial customers.
President: Michael Reiley
CEO: Dan O’Connell
HAWAII ISLAND
Big Island Carbon
Manufacturer of a specialty Granular Activated Carbon in Kawaihae on land leased from the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands by integrating biomass material (macadamia nut shells) from Hawaii island’s macadamia processors.
CEO: Rick Vidgen
