When Y. Hata & Co. Limited was faced with the new reality of its main customer base being cut off because of the COVID-19 pandemic in March, it quickly pivoted both its physical space and operations. The 107-year-old company is the largest foodservice distributor in the state and its customers include restaurants, the Department of Education, the military, institutional cafeterias and food trucks.

Chamber of Commerce Hawaii’s (COC) President & CEO Sherry Menor-McNamara, JD/MBA ’05, led her organization to make swift modifications to the way it does business. There have been internal pivots for staff, which include video check-ins in the morning and late afternoon, as well as a fun Friday activity to kick start the weekend. External changes have also been implemented, such as modifying a once-bustling events schedule to a new virtual format, as well as ramping up informational webinar opportunities for members.

When Malcolm Inamine, BBA ‘94, EMBA ‘00, reflects on his experiences as a student at the Shidler College of Business, he recalls a time of long hours and copious amounts of work that required steadfast determination. He says he was stretched to physical and mental limits but that the experience helped him to learn to persevere through tough situations.

Shidler alumnus Kevin Fung, BBA ’12, is a finance and property manager at Fung Enterprise and co-owner of Blue Planet Surf Gear. Lately though, Fung’s focus has shifted to the urgent community need to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontline workers at Hawai‘i’s hospitals and health organizations.

Evan Leong, EMBA ’05, is using fundamental skills that he learned during his time at Shidler College to help Hawai‘i through the COVID-19 crisis.

Travis Ito, BBA ’15, is the chief amazement officer of Blue Logic Labs, a digital innovation agency that helps clients solve problems with meaningful digital solutions. He is sharing two information-packed resources to help Hawai‘i residents adapt to a new way of life which involves working from home and collaborating with colleagues digitally.

When Dr. Cedric Strong, EMBA ‘19, launched WePrescribe late last year, he was fulfilling a dream to start a telemedicine company. Since then, WePrescribe, which he co-founded with Dr. Neel Chauhan, has been providing services to more than 100,000 members as a telehealth company in Hawai’i. Now that he is working on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic, the video chat service has seen a 30% increase in patients seeking assistance with general health conditions. 

The chatter was lively and robust amongst the ballroom, foyers and seaside lanai of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel as more than 500 guests gathered earlier this year for Executive Vineyards, the Shidler Alumni Association’s (SAA) premier fundraising event.

The UH Mānoa Shidler College of Business hosted more than 350 donors and students at its annual Scholarship Luncheon at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Resort on November 4. The event provided donors with an opportunity to meet their student recipients and learn first-hand about the impact of their gifts.