Chamber of Commerce Hawaii
FocusOn: Women in Business, sponsored by Central Pacific Bank
Chamber of Commerce Hawaii’s Events unite the business community to enhance the state’s economic climate by fostering success for businesses and business leaders alike. Attend or sponsor a Chamber event to promote your company, build brand awareness, market to your target demographics, expand your network and invest in your local community.
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The coronavirus has presented a difficult challenge for women in the workforce. Learn from our all-star panel of women - Jalene Kanani, President of NOHO Homes, Marie Kumabe, Principal of Kumabe HR and Tanna Dang, Owner of Eden in Love, as they share their advice, insights, and challenges. We'll cover it all.
Moderated by Jo McGarry, Jo will provide a lively discussion on the
- Stories through their journeys to where they are now
- Challenges and opportunities that each business faced as a result of the pandemic
- How to stay resilient as a leader with insurmountable pressure
Moderator:
- Jo McGarry, VP, CBRE Retail
-
Tanna Dang, Owner, Eden In Love
- Marie Kumabe, Principal, Kumabe HR
- Jalene Kanani, Owner, NOHO Homes
Jo McGarry
VP, CBRE Retail
Jo McGarry is considered one of the foremost specialists in restaurant commercial real estate in Hawaii. With a background in the food and beverage industry spanning more than 25 years, McGarry has a unique approach to the world of restaurant real estate. She was the restaurant specialist at Honolulu Star Advertiser and the publisher of Gusto Magazine for ten years, and the former food columnist with MidWeek, She is also the former owner of the successful Edinburgh Soup and Sandwich Bar," McGarry's", a well loved part of downtown business district life in the capital city of Edinburgh, Scotland . Having spent almost a decade in the local commercial real estate market, Jo brings a wealth of experience in the commercial restaurant field and establishes strong, positive relationships with her clients.
Known for an impeccable reputation and unparalleled market knowledge her current client list is made up of more than 40 of the most cutting edge restaurant owners in Hawaii and includes: The Pint and Jigger; The Pig and Lady; Piggy Smalls , Island Olive Oil, Tamura Enterprises; Bevy Bar; La Tour Cafe and Restaurant, Square Barrels, Village Beer and Bottle Shop, , and several national franchises including Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Pieology Pizzeria and Wendy's. Jo is also the Founder of MoJo. The Business of Food, Hawaii's only full service restaurant advisory company.
Her long running radio talk show, Radio MoJo Plus on ESPN Honolulu, which she co-hosts with sportscaster Bobby Curran is a weekly hour of conversation with chefs, winemakers and occasional sports guests about the food and sports scene in Hawaii and beyond.
Tanna Dang
Owner
Eden in Love
Tanna Dang is the owner of Eden in Love, a lifestyle boutique with locations in Honolulu and Las Vegas. While brick and mortar and online retail is Eden in Love's main focus, Tanna's true inspiration (and love language!) lies in creating opportunities through entrepreneurship and teaching others how to curate the perfect blend of life work integration.
Through the power of retail, Tanna developed Eden For Good (originally named Divas Doing Good) - the give back component of the company - which aims to leverage modern day consumerism to make a global impact in the world. The most notable project was adopting a village in Sri Lanka through Global Hope Network International.
Tanna has been a merchant at Ward Village since 2007, originally bringing her former business The Wedding Cafe to the mall and opening Eden in Love, Cinch and Fred + Kate Events shortly after. Eden in Love Las Vegas opened in 2017 making it the first out of state move for this locally owned business.
In 2020, amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Tanna sought to find new opportunities in retail and has since expanded Eden in Love's online presence while growing an exclusive line of products dubbed "The Heart of Eden".
With a dynamic personality and professional drive rarely seen today, Tanna has been recognized for numerous accolades. She was selected for Pacific Business News 40 Under 40 and took 2nd in the 50 Fastest Growing Companies, a Women Who Mean Business honoree, Honolulu Advertiser's Best of the Best - Honolulu Magazine's Best Wedding and Retail Store, Retail Merchants of Hawaii - Best New Retailer, SBA - Women in Business Champion, SMEI's Distinguished Sales and Marketing Award in the Retail division and first place in the National Retail Federation's This Is Retail video contest.
Marie Kumabe
Principal
Kumabe HR
Marie comes with 30 years of experience in business, with 25 years specifically dedicated to executive search, human resource consulting and staffing. Her impressive credentials, exceptional skill and commitment to the success of her clients has resulted in a loyal and growing base of clients who trust her to execute their human resources and executive search needs discreetly and effectively. Marie has further held operations executive positions in the airline, education and cruise industry as well as been a professional career counselor. Marie is a recognized leader in Hawaii in the field of executive search and human resources as is demonstrated by her thriving firm and her appointment as the current Faculty Director for the Executive Masters of Human Resources Management program at the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaii.
Marie is highly recognized for her expertise in executive recruiting and assessment, human resources consulting, staffing, training, succession planning, relocation and executive coaching. She is consistently called upon to assist Hawaii's top organizations in tourism, telecommunications, engineering, non-profit and education.
In addition, Marie is highly sought after on an international level for her expertise in Human Resources and Executive Recruitment, indicative of her selection to provide seminars on Executive Assessment, Executive Recruitment, Trends, and Sustainability in HR Executive Team for the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Chinese National Petroleum, the sixth largest company in the world.
Throughout her career, Marie has always made giving back to community a top priority, serving on the board of directors of several community organizations. She has supported Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii, the University of Hawaii's Travel Industry Management Alumni Association, Nuuanu YMCA and as an advisor for Girl Scouts of Hawai`i.
Marie Kumabe has been recognized by Pacific Business News for many awards, most recently for having the top Executive Recruiting firm in Hawaii as well as owning the 5th fastest growing business in the state and has been consistently listed as maintaining one of the top women-owned businesses in Hawaii. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California Los Angeles in International Relations with an emphasis in Business, and her Master's in Human Resources Management was obtained through Hawaii Pacific University.
Jalene Kanani
President & Creative Director
NOHO Home
A natural born creative, textile designer Jalene Kanani began her creative expression through hula, beginning at the age of 3, and within 3 years she was a regular keiki performer in Don Ho’s iconic Waikiki show. As a teenager she became a governor’s model who traveled the United States promoting Hawaii as well as an international hula dancer for Tihati Productions. Her experience as a hula dancer provided a steadfast foundation to ignite her cultural curiosities while defining herself as an ambassador of aloha.
Creativity was not only encouraged but modeled for Jalene, whose mother owned and designed Hawaiian fashion label Wailani Originals: Hula Girl Creations,” a line of t-shirts and bags sold at Liberty House and McInerny in the early 1970s and became her first foray into design. Determined to develop her business acumen to compliment her creative impulses, she earned a B.A. in Political Science which led her to a corporate job in furniture flooring and equipment supply. Working with textile manufacturers afforded her the unique opportunity to forge important relationships within the industry as well as realize the niche markets that had yet to be developed in Hawaii and beyond. Her designs were well-received and she began licensing designs to international manufacturers such as Duralee and Durkan.
In 2008 she established Jalene Kanani Inc., designing commercial carpeting and flooring through ProSPEC contract fabric, where she continued to hone her skills and develop her unique brand aesthetic. Her experience inspired her to parlay her tribal prints into a collection of home goods in unexplored areas of Hawaii's interior industry.
In 2018 she launched NOHO HOME with a line of bedding featuring her distinguished patterns. With dreams of new textiles and product development on the horizon, Jalene’s success in the world of home decor has only just begun.
Date and Time
Wednesday May 19, 2021
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM HST
Wednesday, May 19 2021
9:00 - 10:00 AM
Location
Zoom
Fees/Admission
Chamber members: Complimentary
YP Members: Complimentary
Non-members: $15
Contact Information
Ayaka Hong
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