Projects

A healthy, growing Hawaii-centric economy is based on the responsible management of our natural resources, the health and well-being of our people and the exportation of our expertise to address problems and needs beyond our shores. OEDB has been engaged in every sector of Hawaii’s economy.

OEDB has built and partnered on high-impact, meaningful economic development initatives that bring value to Hawaii’s residents, local businesses, and environment. While the following highlight several major accomplishments from the last decade, OEDB’s relationships and core values of ALOHA remain the most enduring, essential parts of the organization’s success.

●      New Market Tax Credits: OEDB partnered with American Savings Bank to form Punawai o Puuhonua, a Hawaii-based Community Development Entity (CDE) that is able to receive allocations for New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) to support the creation of jobs, goods and services in low-income communities. Since 2012, OEDB and ASB have directed $225M in federal NMTC awards to help fund more than a dozen projects that support local jobs, build resilience, and increase access to much-needed community facilities in the areas of healthcare, education and hospitality.

●      Aloha Connects Innovation: Together with the Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii and Sultan Ventures, OEDB launched Aloha Connects Innovation to covert the loss of jobs into innovative, new career opportunities for residents statewide, while simultaneously supporting local businesses. Aloha Connects Innovation leveraged over $6.8 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to hire 626 individuals with 199 local companies to provide meaningful employment in sustainable and innovation sectors.

●      Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy: To chart a course for economic recovery from the pandemic, OEDB and partners facilitated a multi-stakeholder and community-driven process to develop the 2023-2027 Honolulu Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). The strategy engaged nearly 1,000 people representing business/private sector institutions, nonprofits / community organizations, government agencies (federal, state, city), academia, and philanthropy, and diverse community members from opio (youth) to kupuna (elders) with diverse perspectives across Oahu to identify opportunity to build a diversified, regenerative island economy.

●      The Higher Skills Academy: Aloha Response: Pono Shim founded the Higher Skills Academy to share and practice the teachings from Aunty Pilahi Paki on the ALOHA Spirit Values. The Higher Skills Academy grew from a single cohort to a community of over 1,500 people from business and non-profit leaders, politicians, educators, and students across Hawaii and around the world. OEDB created a series of ALOHA Response videos to share stories of ALOHA and launched the “Above the Sides” podcast in 2021.

Hawaiʻi Community Benefits Consultants

  • Fiscal Sponsor

Leadership Development

  • Higher Skills Academy Cohort

 Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii

 State of Hawaii

NGO and State Organization Consulting/Sectors

  • Education

  • Health

  • Housing

  • Transportation

  • Technology and Innovation

  • Communication

  • Social Services

  • Judiciary

  • First Responders

  • Public Safety

  • Energy

  • Agriculture

  • Food Production

  • Department of Defense

  • Regenerative Tourism