Aloha,

When the California Gold Rush of 1848 created an overwhelming demand for food and supplies from Honolulu, it marked the beginning of Hawaii's business community. People and goods quickly began to flow back and forth between the ports of Honolulu and San Francisco. Local merchants realized in order to secure the advantages the Islands had to offer for commerce, they needed to establish common goals and policies for trade as well as address concerns of the island community. In 1850, ten of the state's leading businessmen signed the constitution creating the Chamber of Commerce.

For the past 155 years, The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii has been the premier business organization supporting the business community and economic growth of the State of Hawaii. The Chamber has taken a lead role in establishing many important and prominent organizations in the state, such as Hawaii Visitors Bureau, Retail Merchants of Hawaii, Better Business Bureau, and other well-known services and programs such as Blood Bank of Hawaii, Crime Stoppers of Hawaii and many others that are beneficial to all of Hawaii's citizens.

The Chamber and its members believe in collaboration and continue to build strong ties and work in partnership with the business community, our government officials, Hawaii's military and other organizations to address issues affecting the state and to find opportunities that will support growth, expansion and a thriving economy.

Today, the Chamber represents over 1,100 businesses with over 200,000 employees. We are the largest "voice for business" at the legislature and continue our efforts to improve the business climate in Hawaii. We welcome all newcomers to our island ohana to join us in our efforts to ensure Hawaii continues to have a strong and prosperous future. For information on the Chamber go to www.cochawaii.org.

Sincerely,

Jim Tollefson
President & CEO