Grant Writing Guru

08/29/2026

A Night to Remember: Hawai'i Black Business Roundtable

This past Thursday, I had the privilege of attending the Hawai'i Black Business Roundtable. It was an evening centered on insight, connection, and community.

Mahalo to Danielle Wills, Founder & President of the Hawai'i Black Chamber of Commerce – and her HBCC team -- for opening the door to this community.

These types of events remind me of why representation and relationship-building matter so much in business. I left inspired and connected.

Thank you to the incredible panelists who shared their wisdom and experience:

🔹 Alphonso Braggs, President, NAACP Hawai'i
🔹 Vincent Brathwaite, Founder & CEO, Gidens, Inc.
🔹 Danielle Wills, Founder & President, Hawai'i Black Chamber of Commerce
🔹 Ed Young, President, Blacks in Government (BIG) Hawai'i
🔹 Shervelle Hannah, President, WOW Productions – Arts and Theater

A special shout-out to Congresswoman Jill Tokuda, U.S. Representative for Hawai'i's 2nd District, for joining as a special guest speaker and championing small businesses across our islands. Her reminder that our work matters resonated deeply with everyone in the room.

This is what community in action looks like -- leaders, entrepreneurs, and change makers building, strengthening, and uplifting Hawai'i together.

Connection. Collaboration. Opportunity. Together we thrive.

08/29/2026

Last night, Mari and I were privileged to attend our second networking event of the evening -- the Hawaii Black Chamber's Black Business Roundtable at the Entrepreneurs Sandbox in Kaka'ako. And what an event it was…!

The Chamber brought together an incredible cross-section of Hawaii's Black business owners, entrepreneurs, professionals, and community leaders for an evening built around real connection and collaboration. The energy in the room reflected just how diverse this business community truly is.

A highlight was the 30-minute conversation with Congresswoman Jill Tokuda, who engaged openly and thoughtfully with attendees providing: special remarks; a moderated discussion; and genuine Q&A that gave the community a real voice.

It was the kind of candid, impactful exchange that reminds reminds our communities why these gatherings matter.

The evening rounded out with a dynamic panel of Hawaii's Black business and community leaders talking entrepreneurship, leadership, and opportunity, followed by community Q&A and a call to action to keep building on this momentum.

We mahalo the Hawaii Black Chamber for creating a space this welcoming, this substantive, and this well-organized.

Proud to have been part of it.

08/27/2026

I was privileged to attend the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s “Small Business B(AI)sics” workshop -- presented in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii (CCH) -- this morning at the Entrepreneurs Sandbox in Kaka’ako.

About 40 people – of all ages and AI comfort levels – attended. It was a great introduction to AI basic concepts.

Sherry Menor, President/CEO of the introduced the workshop presenter Dean Ahlgren. I think each participant walked away with a new grasp of what AI can do.

08/18/2026

Hawaii's Federal Contracting Boom: A Model for Local Business Growth (Source: Pacific Business News – August 12, 2026)

In just the first two weeks of August, six Hawaii-based firms secured a combined $1.02 billion in Army and Navy contracts — proof that local businesses are more than ready to compete for, and win, major federal work.

A few standouts:

🔹 Laukoa (formerly Dawson) is part of a $699M IDIQ contract for petroleum, oil, and lubricants infrastructure work with the Army Corps of Engineers — building on more than a decade of design-build experience in fuel systems.

🔹 Hensel Phelps landed a $309.65M sole-source contract for construction on the Navy's Red Hill Water Treatment Facility, a critical project to safeguard O'ahu's drinking water.

🔹 Engineering Partners Inc. secured a $30M Navy contract spanning utility system design across eight locations — from Hawaii to Japan, Guam, and beyond — while also competing for a $9.9M Army electrical design contract alongside three other local firms.

🔹 Even companies with mainland roots, like Cayuse Native Hawaiian Veterans, are bringing federal contract dollars back to the islands through a Honolulu office and a $249M Navy ship repair contract.

What this tells us: the federal pipeline for Hawaii firms -- especially those with Native Hawaiian ownership, veteran status, or small business certifications -- is active and substantial right now.

The firms winning these awards didn't get there by accident. They built the certifications, past performance documentation, and capacity statements needed to compete.

If your business is eyeing federal contracting but isn't sure where to start -- SAM registration; 8(a) or NHO certification; capability statements; or proposal development – now is a good time to get positioned. Opportunities like these don't wait.

08/17/2026

About a month ago, during a golf tournament, my wife Mari won a dinner-for-ten at the Flair European Steakhouse (valued at $1,750) in Honolulu's Kakaako neighborhood.

As a board member of the Honolulu Executives Association (HEA), she decided to use the prize to invite fellow HEA members and their spouses to share the evening.

As luck would have it, the dinner landed on the same night Hurricane Lala's rain, wind, and storm surge were set to begin battering Oahu.

The restaurant staff was kind enough to place our party in a private room. Borrowing a line from the Post Office: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night" was going to keep these intrepid business professionals from a steak dinner with champagne, plenty of wine, great fellowship, and a lot of laughs.

By the time we finished our dinner, the restaurant was packed with other diners brave enough to dine out as the storm approached.

We did run into some rain on the way home. But it was nothing the wine and champagne we had beforehand couldn't handle.

Best part: Everyone made it back safely, just in time to settle in for what turned into a very long, very noisy, and very stormy night…!

Now Mari’s scared to plan any other dinner parties…LOL!

08/14/2026

Over the past 20 years, Mari and I — as Hispanic journalists and Hawaii Hispanic community representatives — have had the privilege of visiting the Mexican Naval Academy tall ship -- ARM Cuauhtémoc -- during its six visits to Honolulu (2005, 2014, 2017, twice in 2024, and 2026).

Each time — including last Friday and this past Tuesday — the ship, its officers, crew, and cadets filled us with immense Hispanic cultural pride. Speaking with the cadets individually, one can't help but admire their dedication and their positive outlook on their futures.

Thanks to our Hawaii Hispanic Chamber, the ship's arrival was greeted by a large crowd, a mariachi dance troupe, Mexican music, and an unbelievably joyous party on the pier.

Reflecting on the past week's events, I realized that — regardless of which Hispanic/Latino culture we’re part of -- these young, brave future naval officers represent the best of all our Hispanic and Latin youth, and we feel a shared joy in that.

Mari and I wish the sailors of ARM Cuauhtémoc fair winds, calm seas, and many bendiciones (blessings).

08/12/2026

08/11/2026

On Sunday afternoon, Mari and I spent a couple of enjoyable hours at the Kapolei Homestead Night Market.

The Market is hosted by the Kapolei Community Development Corporation (KCDC), which represents the four Native Hawaiian Homesteads in Kapolei — home to roughly 1,050 families.

The 2022 Kapolei Regional Plan captured something the Native Hawaiian community had long hoped for: a market of their own.

We've had the privilege of serving as KCDC's grant writers for the past two and a half years, and in 2024 we began drafting the conceptual plan for a market that would bring together 40 Native Hawaiian vendors, musicians, cultural practitioners, and artisans.

It took a full year to design the entire operation around what the community actually wanted — logistics, set-up, vendor recruitment, safety and health requirements, and everything in between.

In early 2025, we applied to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for a $400,000 grant to bring the Market to life. It was approved, and on January 4, 2026, the Market celebrated its grand opening.

The Market featured a free, 90-minute hula show open to the entire community and general public. It was evidence of what the Native Hawaiian community had long requested: a place for families to gather in communal and cultural fellowship.

We continue to look for ways to grow the Market's capacity, so Mari and I introduced ourselves to several vendors and asked what they thought.

Every single one thanked us for creating this great venue. Several mentioned that the vendors have formed a kind of family of their own, which was a wonderful thing to hear.

Congratulations to KCDC and to every vendor building something special in Kapolei.

We're proud to have played a small part in bringing this vision to life.

08/11/2026

On Saturday, Mari and I had the privilege of attending a Honolulu Executives Association networking mixer at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

I felt quite at home there. I was the PHAM’s grant writer for 2 ½ years until 2019 when we started our own company.