Business View Civil and Municipal | September 2022

22 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 T he Chamber of Commerce Hawaii (COC Hawaii) is a statewide, non-profit organization whose mission it is to serve as the advocate for business in Hawaii. Formed all the way back in 1850, the chamber has a rich history, and is the second oldest of its kind west of the Rockies. COC Hawaii began with 10 local business leaders, who worked to grow local, national, and international commerce, and to meet the needs of representation for Hawaii’s business owners. With over 2,000 members today, COC Hawaii extends their expertise in communications, business advocacy, workplace development and education, and assists members directly through online promotion and access to ongoing programs and events. President and CEO Sherry Menor-McNamara introduces COC Hawaii as the state’s voice of business. “Our mission is to advocate for business. Many of our members are long-standing family businesses that have been around for decades and, obviously, the last couple of years have been devastating for them. To support them, we have invested heavily into our education and workforce development programs, working with various stakeholders in the private and public sectors to strengthen the industry’s talent pipeline. AT A GLANCE HAWAII CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (HAWAII COC) WHAT: Member organisation representing Hawaii’s business community WHERE: Hawaii COC operates from the Pacific Guardian Centre, Honolulu HI WEBSITE: https://www.cochawaii.org/ Hawaii CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (HawaiiCOC) H AWA I I ’ S VO I C E O F BU S I N E S S