Networking With Business Pros
By Harvey Rackmil
President of Hawaii Society of Business Professionals
Hawaii Society of Business Professionals (HSBP) quietly marked its 40th anniversary last year, but is looking forward to making a bigger splash in 2015 to introduce more members to the organization, its monthly programs and exclusive boardroom series events.
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With roots in corporate planning, HSBP has grown to encompass a broader range of skills in the current business environment, focusing its efforts on networking and more general business and management topics.
Members represent a wide spectrum of Hawaii businesses, and the nonprofit is slowly growing its rank of young professional members.
The cornerstone of HSBP is the monthly luncheons that feature a range of high-profile leaders and experts on popular topics and current affairs.
January’s program Thursday (Jan. 15) explores the import of Mainland retail chains to Hawaii and the export of local companies to the Mainland. Panelists representing Nordstrom Hawaii, Duke’s Waikiki and CBRE
will discuss the challenges and differences in operating in Hawaii and on the Mainland. (Register for the program at hsbp.biz.)
Previous program topics have included social media for businesses, farm-to-table trends, Ala Moana Center’s expansion, education and election updates, tourism in Hawaii, the military and Hawaii’s business community, and updates from major Hawaii companies such as Hawaiian Electric, Alexander & Baldwin and Hawaiian Airlines.
HSBP’s boardroom series events are on-location presentations exclusive to members. They often involve oneon-one talk story sessions with CEOs or behind-the-scenes tours of companies. Previous boardroom events were held at Hawaiian Telcom, MW Restaurant, Il Gelato, Pacific Allied Products and Honolulu Design Center.
As the HSBP board gears up for an exciting 2015, we urge people to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter (@HSBP_808) and attend our programs to meet other business professionals.
