STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3256

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NOS. 333, 334, 335, 336

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Economic Development and Taxation, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 333, 334, 335, and 336, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of: 

 

Board of Directors of the Hawai'i Strategic Development Corporation

 

G.M. No. 333

BLENN AKIRA FUJIMOTO,

for a term to expire 6-30-2012;

 

G.M. No. 334

VINCENT A. PIEKARSKI,

for a term to expire 6-30-2009;

 

G.M. No. 335

ERIC BRANDON YEE,

for a term to expire 6-30-2008; and

 

G.M. No. 336

ERIC BRANDON YEE,

for a term to expire 6-30-2012;

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees, and finds Blenn Akira Fujimoto, Vincent A. Piekarski, and Eric Brandon Yee, to have the necessary qualifications to be nominated to the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Strategic Development Corporation.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Blenn Akira Fujimoto from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; the Hawaii Strategic Development Corporation; a Senior Vice President and Director with Central Pacific Bank; and the President and CEO of Avalon Group.

 

     Blenn Akira Fujimoto is Vice Chairman, Hawaii Market, of Central Pacific Bank and Chief Executive Officer of Central Pacific HomeLoans, a wholly owned subsidiary of Central Pacific Bank.  Before joining Central Pacific Bank in 2000, he served for twenty years in senior management with Bank of Hawaii, most recently as Vice President and District Manager of the Ala Moana District.  Mr. Fujimoto is a graduate of the University of Hawaii, and of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington.  He is a member of many professional and civic organizations, including Enterprise Honolulu, the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council, Aloha United Way, and the Manoa Valley Theater, among others.  Mr. Fujimoto is a reappointment to the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Strategic Development Corporation.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Vincent A. Piekarski from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; the Hawaii Strategic Development Corporation; a Vice President with Bank of Hawaii; a Senior Vice President with Servco Pacific Inc.; and a member of his law firm.

 

     Vincent A. Piekarski is an attorney with Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel, joining the firm in 1982.  He holds a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and an LL.M. from the University of London.  He has substantial experience in the areas of finance, real estate, and business, and assisted the University of Hawaii in the development of the John A. Burns School of Medicine and represented the developer of the Cancer Research Center.  Mr. Piekarski is a member of both the American Bar Association and the Hawaii State Bar Association, and has been listed in the publication, "Best Lawyers in America" since 2005.  He also served as the Vice President and Director of the Hawaii Chamber Music Series from 1999 until 2005.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of Eric Brandon Yee from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; the Hawaii Strategic Development Corporation; a Senior Vice President and Director with Central Pacific Bank; and the Chairman of DragonBridge Capital.

 

     Eric Brandon Yee is Vice President and Senior Relationship Officer at Central Pacific Bank (CPB), a position he has held since 2005.  In addition to comprehensive wealth management for his clients, Mr. Yee assists CPB in evaluating technology-related and other direct investment opportunities on behalf of the bank's holding company.  His previous banking experience includes Greater Bay Bancorp, Silicon Valley Bank, and Bank of Hawaii, and he has extensive knowledge of the many phases of venture capital investment.  Mr. Yee is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and holds an M.B.A. from the University of Hawaii.  He has served on numerous community and civic boards, including the Boys and Girls Clubs, the American Lung Association, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hawaii.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Development and Taxation that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Economic Development and Taxation,

 

 

 

____________________________

CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair