"Industry Connection" is your source for curated industry content designed to keep you in the know. BIA Hawaii is The VOICE of the construction industry and we work diligently to promote our members through advocacy and education and provide community outreach programs to enhance the quality of life for the people of Hawaii.

New BIA Hawaii Website

BIA is thrilled to announce our new website, which offers an updated, clean, sleek look with easy navigation. Take a moment to visit our new site and re-familiarize yourself with all that BIA has to offer.

Thank you to Tricia for her attention to detail and eye for design - the new site looks amazing.

Preventing Fraud in Construction Payments & Vendor Deals

In construction, where large dollar transactions and multiple vendors are common, securing your financial payment channels is very important. Cybercriminals target the construction industry, using fake emails to mislead your Accounts Payable team to send payments to fake accounts.

Protect Your Payments: Always verify any payment change requests with a phone call to a trusted and verified contact at the vendor. Don’t confirm changes by email since the cybercriminals have control of email accounts used to send the fake payment requests and will falsely reply to confirm the changes.

Act Fast on Fraudulent Payments: If a payment is mistakenly sent to a fraudulent account, immediately report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov. Reporting the fraud can increase the chances of recovering the payment.

Building a Stronger, More Connected Hawaii Together Through Technology

As a trusted BIA partner, Hawaii Tech Support is proud to provide regular “Tech Insights,” exclusively for BIA members to help you stay on top of technology trends, streamline operations, and protect what you’ve worked so hard to build. 

For two decades, HTS has proudly partnered with local businesses across the islands to strengthen operations, protect critical assets, and fuel sustainable growth through reliable IT solutions. As a trusted local partner, we understand the unique challenges faced by Hawaii’s building and construction sector and are here to help you make the most of your technology—whether it’s enhancing cybersecurity, optimizing infrastructure, or simply ensuring things run smoothly on and off the job site.

To learn more, contact Stan Lau, Founder/CEO at 808-535-9700 or visit their website www.hitechsupport.net

Good Jobs Hawaii

Trained Candidate Pool Available to BIA Members

Thanks to funding from the Good Jobs Hawaii initiative, on behalf of the Hawaii State Energy Office (HSEO), the lead convener of the Clean Energy Sector Partnership (CESP), an industry-driven collaborative that addresses workforce development issues in Hawaii’s clean energy sector, a pool of trained local candidates is flowing out of clean energy and skilled trades courses at the UH Community Colleges, who are seeking local on-the-job training/internships and employment in clean energy and skilled trades.

Employers who hire these Good Jobs Hawaii students as paid interns or full-time employees are eligible to receive a $2,000 incentive per hire.

If you have any current job openings or internship opportunities that may be a good fit for Good Jobs Hawaii students, please fill out the form below to specify the positions you are looking to fill, and you will be matched with a candidate(s) that meets your needs and receive the incentive payment.

Questions: Jo Ann Cantú, Energy Training Specialist, joann.nmn.cantu@hawaii.gov

Corporate Holiday Gift Ideas From Mana Up

The holiday season can be hectic, but Mana Up Client & Corporate Gifts makes gifting effortless—any time of year! Whether for employee recognition or client and vendor mahalos, the program offers unique, locally crafted gifts from Hawai‘i with just a click. You can also partner with their gifting specialists to create custom sets featuring products from 100% Hawai‘i-based makers. Visit HouseofManaUp.com or email gifts@manauphawaii.com to get started today on your Client & Corporate holiday orders!

Why Attend NAHB 2025?

Announcing Fresh Content on Hot EducationTopics

The International Builder's Show is known for cutting-edge education seminars. In 2025, many favorites are making a comeback, with tons of fresh content and new perspectives that will also be debuting at the show. Uncover info such as how to avoid the 25 mistakes builders and remodelers make. Find the latest national and regional home trends, housing and remodeling outlooks, and how to master pre-construction estimating with fresh content.

Check out the speakers lineup and register today!

Free On-Demand Webinar:

Elevate Your Customer Negotiations: Win-Win Solutions to Resolve Conflicts and Protect Your Business

A single dispute can cost more than you think—time, money, and, most importantly, your customer’s trust. However, when handled well, conflicts can actually strengthen relationships and set your business apart. In this on-demand webinar, learn how to transform customer conflicts into trust-building opportunities.

You will also gain the skills to turn challenging conversations into positive outcomes, learn negotiation tactics tailored for small business owners, and pick up actionable tools you can start using immediately. Don’t let disputes derail your business—make them a path to growth and loyalty.

Welcome New BIA Staff

Jemma Bosch Algarme, BIA Hawaii’s Office Coordinator, brings over 15+ years of experience in both administrative and underwriting in a Commercial Finance Setting. 

Her specialization includes attention to detail, efficiency, effective communication, professional customer service with internal and external customers, team building, and maintaining a positive work environment.

Her focus with BIA is membership, billing, and assisting all departments where there is a need. She is a firm believer in fostering a positive team environment and providing exceptional customer service to both internal and external customers.

Jemma is inspired daily by her husband and family. In her spare time, she enjoys music, dance, martial arts, volleyball and basketball.

Free Small Business Accelerator Cohort

XLR8HI Cohort 9 is now accepting applicants from entrepreneurs, small business owners, and innovators looking to take their business to the next level.

The FREE 4-week virtual program focuses on investment readiness and business scaling. 

The small business accelerator program aims to provide entrepreneurs with the tools needed to secure funding, boost revenue, and expand operations with guidance from experts.

The program is currently accepting applicants on a rolling admissions basis, allowing candidates to apply and receive decisions promptly after submission.