The 2024 General Election may have seemed like a typical, low-key local affair, but it delivered a few surprises that weren’t exactly on anyone’s radar before November 5.
The key question emerging from the shutdown of SMS is whether Hawaiʻi’s government and private entities are helping or harming local firms through their procurement rules and procedures when hiring local firms for consulting and other work. Additionally, it raises the issue of whether the “buy local” philosophy is genuinely supported by these rules.
As Election Day approaches, a new mindset emerges across the country—one of readiness overreaction. From Coos Bay to Washington D.C., voters are shifting their focus from fear of the unknown to strategic preparation for the future. Whichever candidate wins, this blogger saw Americans embracing resilience, getting ready to adapt and thrive in the next chapter of our nation’s story.
Senator Hirono, therefore, is providing a strategic reminder that fierce advocacy can attract resources back home, even if it clashes with the local preference for subtlety. Which, despite our wish that it was not, is a more effective way to get things done in Washington DC.
The State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) and the Hawai‘i Housing Finance & Development Corporation (HHFDC) have recently confirmed that the state contracts previously held by SMS Research & Marketing Services, which recently shut down operations, have been transferred to other entities.
It seems, the company has fallen on hard times, and its owner took out a loan to bridge the funding gap the company was experiencing, starting in August of 2024.
So the question now becomes more focused as to the current situation at hand, that a company with a large value, and with their work with Maui and the Lahaina wildfire, high profile studies, that in the matter of a few days, the company has shuttered its doors?
And if this shutdown stands, SMS becomes yet another reminder of the ever-changing landscape of businesses, of all kinds, in Hawai‘i.
So, knowing who the candidates are is important. The choice will set a tone for higher education in this state for years, if not decades to come, depending on the longevity of the choice.
The University of Hawaii is soon to select its 16th President as David Lassner, who has led the campus for over 10 years, is retiring. Last week the State of Hawaii was told who the candidates are to replace Dr. Lassner.