This story was originally posted on June 6 on UH News.
A partnership between the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE) in the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business and the Family Business Center of Hawaiʻi (FBCH)—a nonprofit, member-based forum, housed within the Shidler College—is expanding career-ready opportunities for students by engaging with local family businesses.
“Family businesses are the foundation of our local economy, often driven by entrepreneurial spirit and innovative problem-solving,” said Sandra Fujiyama, executive director at PACE. “Partnering with the Family Business Center of Hawaiʻi allows us to immerse our students in this dynamic environment, providing invaluable hands-on learning while simultaneously offering fresh perspectives and solutions to these vital businesses.”
Innovating auto accessories with Servco
In fall 2024, Sungwoo Kim, Riley Lau, Roma Malasarte, Veronica Parayno and Timothy Lum from the UHMānoa Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) Department and the College of Engineering worked on a challenge from Servco to find new ways to grow its auto accessories business. The students examined different solutions, including 3D printed models, virtual reality visualization tools and mobile kiosks. They settled on an approach that combined new store concepts with AI based sales tools as a future look for accessory sales for Servco.
“Working with Servco taught me how essential customer research is when making business decisions,” Malasarte said. “I learned that the value of teamwork, communication and consistency can lead to big impact.”
Custom scheduling app for Malu Productions
In spring 2025, Malu Productions, an award winning entertainment company, challenged students to come up with solutions for its long-standing challenge of scheduling performers for shows. ICS students Vincent Chan, Nathan Chee and Dodie Madriaga built a custom scheduling app, specifically tailored for Malu’s unique workforce, multiple shows and diverse roles.
“What the students put together is perfect for our industry,” said Titus-Maximus Tanuvasa of Malu Productions. “We are very excited to be a part of this collaboration, and hope to participate again.”
Revamping websites to generate connections
Ben Franklin Crafts challenged a multidisciplinary team from the College of Engineering, ICS and Shidler College to reinvigorate online activity for its craft store. BJ Ramel, Aaron Ramos, Elijah Saloma and Salina Thongsisavath came up with a strategy to create more online communities and activities for crafting. They re-envisioned a website that was centered around finding new projects, joining classes and connecting with other crafters.
PACE recognized the Ben Franklin Crafts team with the Tora and Choko Miyasato Award, funded by Shidler alumnus Al Miyasato in honor of his grandparents, to highlight the importance of collaboration across disciplines.
PACE and FBCH teamed up with UH’s IT Leap-Start Experience Excelerator Program to help the HawaiʻiChildren’s Discovery Center. Adrienne Kaneshiro, an ICS student, helped to overhaul the center’s website. She migrated the entire website to a new platform, which made it faster and more user friendly.
The vision and dedication of PACE Entrepreneur-in-Residence Jeff Hui and FBCH Program Manager Cara Sawai-Mangan were pivotal in establishing this collaboration.
“Witnessing students from diverse backgrounds tackle complex business challenges and deliver tangible solutions underscores the immense potential that exists when academia and industry collaborate,” said Hui. “This collaboration not only equips our students with essential skills but also injects fresh perspectives and innovation into our local business community, paving the way for future collaborations and mutual growth.”
Companies interested in participating in future semesters are encouraged to connect with PACE at pace@hawaii.edu.
