On Friday, September 18th, the CNMI Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network at the Northern Marianas College (NMC) and Bank of Hawai’i (BOH) gathered to celebrate the recipients of this year’s Small Business Revitalization & Development Grant, also known as the I Kinometi Para I Kumunidåt I Islå-ta Small Business Revitalization and Development Grant. The ceremony took place at NMC’s Board of Regents Conference Room.

The I Kinometi Para I Kumunidåt I Islå-ta Small Business Revitalization and Development Grant is an initiative aimed at revitalizing and supporting small businesses in the CNMI, providing each recipient with $5,000 to help them innovate, expand, and strengthen their operations. This year’s grant recipients are: Aron Corporation, Rock Heart Inc. dba Aquasmith, BPR General Contractor & Consulting Firm, LLC., Marianas Oceanic Solutions and Pacific Behavior Center.

Frankie M. Eliptico, NMC Interim President, expressed the College’s appreciation for Bank of Hawai’i’s long standing support for higher education and applauded the Bank of Hawai’i for their commitment in giving back to Saipan’s business community; also commending the resiliency of businesses who sustained significant setbacks due to back-to-back super typhoons within a span of three months. 

Michael Sakazaki, Senior Vice President and President of Bank of Hawai‘i’s West Pacific Market, expressed the bank’s support saying, “Saipan has been home to Bank of Hawai‘i for many years, and the relationships we’ve built here are what matter most to us. Through every season — the good years and the challenging ones — the people of this island keep showing up for one another with remarkable resilience, and small businesses are often at the center of that. These grants are our way of standing alongside them. We’re grateful to the CNMI Small Business Development Center Network and Northern Marianas College for their partnership and humbled to play a small part in the work these business owners are already doing for their community.”

Each of the five grant recipients shared how the $5,000 grant will help address various areas in their businesses, from overcoming current challenges to fostering innovation and ensuring long-term sustainability.

• Arthur and Jocelyn Arada of Aron Corporation aim to use the award to boost day-to-day operational efficiency and expand overall service capacity. Funds will assist with safely handling, storing and processing larger volumes of used oil and used cooking oil services. Ultimately, the funded project will empower their company to grow a resilient business while fulfilling their priority of keeping our environment and people safe.
• Morito Asai of Rock Heart, Inc. dba Aquasmith, highlighted the importance of improving ocean safety at local beach access points and expanding hands-on speargun safety education. Funds will be used for the installation of two surface exit ropes at Laulau Beach and Obyan Beach to extend across the reef along channels to provide a critical final means of returning safely to shore when ocean conditions deteriorate. Additionally, Aquasmith plans to establish a safe, controlled speargun practice and safety training facility at their onsite location focusing on safety education for beginner and first-time speargun users.
• Brian P. Reyes of BPR General Contractor & Consulting Firm, LLC. shared their services have now expanded to include repairing damaged residential homes following the effects of Super Typhoons Sinlaku and Bavi. BPR plans on using funds to purchase additional construction equipment and tools to meet service demand.
• Kylie Hasegawa of Marianas Oceanic Solutions shared how the grant will support baseline operations by assisting with purchasing equipment (a marine GPS unit, emergency oxygen/first aid kit, underwater reels and transect lines, a digital camera and underwater housing, and other safety equipment like dive floats, flags and surface marker buoys). As a sole proprietor, the cost of equipment and training falls directly on the business where she often needs to rent gear/equipment for projects. This grant award will help eliminate that expense as she looks forward to owning these assets under her business.
• Anneka M. Hofschneider of Pacific Behavior Center, which expands access to behavioral services (assessment, treatment, and training) for local children and families, plans to purchase equipment to support therapeutic, adaptive and assessment materials to enhance services for children with autism and other behavioral and developmental needs. Additional funds will assist with providing student and trainee workforce development through training materials and supporting family access and outreach efforts.

The ceremony included an invitation for attendees to network, fostering connection and collaboration that are vital to the continued success and growth of small businesses in the CNMI. The SBDC encouraged all attendees to continue using SBDC’s services with Kylie Hasegawa, one of this year’s awardees sharing her experience, “I highly suggest reaching out to the SBDC. The staff are incredibly helpful and supportive in all aspects of running a business. Sometimes you just need some reassurance that you’re moving in the right direction, and the SBDC has been supportive since day one. The trainings are incredibly valuable, and I would encourage anyone on the fence to take advantage of SBDC’s trainings and programs they offer.”

Jocelyn Arada of Aron Corporation encourages all who are weary of seeking technical assistance to reach out to utilize SBDC’s services, “If another small business owner was on the fence about reaching out to the SBDC, I would assure them not to hesitate to seek their guidance. Based on my experience, the SBDC provides strictly confidential advising at absolutely no cost. Their team does not just hand out information; they give step-by-step guidance, which is exactly what they did for us throughout our journey in preparing our Small Business Revitalization and Development Grant submission.”

Nadine Deleon Guerrero Kintol, Network Director of the CNMI SBDC concluded stating, “The SBDC and NMC along with Bank of Hawai’i remain steadfast in our commitment to supporting small businesses across the Northern Marianas. This collaboration with Bank of Hawai’i is an essential component of our efforts, ensuring that our local entrepreneurs have the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. We extend our sincerest gratitude to Rose Sumor, Michael Sakazaki and the Bank of Hawai’i team for their continued partnership and trust as we look forward to future awardees of this incredibly generous program.”

The CNMI Small Business Development Center Network and the Northern Marianas College expresses their utmost gratitude to attending Bank of Hawaii officials: Michael Sakazaki, Senior Vice President, Desiree Valerio, Vice President/Relationship Manager and Bank Licensed Employee, Vincent Perez, Vice President and Commercial Banking Officer, Rose Sumor, Vice President and CNMI Branch Manager, and Ms. Joanne Aldan, Assistant Vice President, CNMI Assistant Branch Manager, the Bank of Hawai’i presenting team, management and selection committee for allowing this important initiative and partnership to grow as businesses across the Commonwealth continue to face unprecedented economic challenges.

Bank of Hawai‘i, which has served the Saipan community for 55 years, has awarded 75 small businesses a total of $375,000 through the grant program thus far to help them make a positive impact in their communities.