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Incoming Chairman's Message
Dear members,
I hope this newsletter finds you well. As we kick off the month, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude and thank everyone for their hard work. Specifically, I would like to extend my thanks to the Hawaii Restaurant Association (HRA) for providing an effective platform for daily restaurant owner-operators to voice their opinions on government policies that impact our daily bottom line.
Through the HRA's connections, we are one step closer to lawmakers who can truly hear the voice of our industry. Key issues such as the tip credit and Senate Bill 1458, which deals with establishing Extended Producer Responsibility for W-waste, are hot on the legislative agenda, and thanks to our leaders, HRA’s Legislative Lead Victor Lim and HRA’s Chairman, Ryan Tanaka, we are fearlessly fighting to ensure our voices are heard loud and clear, and our opinions are valued.
I would also like to express my appreciation to all the HRA Executive Committee Members and Board of Directors for their active involvement in supporting and planning our member activities. It is a pleasure to see the strongest board involvement ever, with active Board Director participation in numerous volunteer initiatives. I want to thank our Past Chairman Tom Jones, Vice Chairman Andy Huang, and Director Keoni Ahlo for their efforts in pushing more attendance for our Hawaii Hotel and Restaurant Show, which is coming up on March 22 and 23 at the Convention Center. For more information on this event, please check out https://hawaiihotelandrestaurantshow.com.
Furthermore, I want to express my gratitude to our sponsors, including HRA Board Director HMAA’s James Idemoto, for their involvement and support for our Legislative Meet and Greet and our Annual HRA Golf Tournament, which not only provides ongoing support to the industry but also brings great connections to our members through these fantastic events. Our HRA annual golf tournament requires not just a massive amount of volunteer time, but the sponsors play a vital role in ensuring its success as well.
Finally, I would like to thank our Executive Director, Sheryl Matsuoka, and our Director of Membership, Holly Kessler, who tirelessly work many hours to execute successful events such as the 75th HRA Anniversary Celebration and the Legislative Meet & Greet to the Hawaii Hotel and Restaurant Show. I would also like to introduce and welcome Ginny Wright, HRA’s Operations Associate who joins our administrative team with 25 years of association management experience!
On behalf of the HRA, I want to thank everyone for their help in making us the strongest representation of the food industry. The HRA truly provides a place where we can all get involved and produce results with great people.
Sincerely,
Ave Kwok
Incoming Chairman
Hawaii Restaurant Association
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