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Hi-Tech Maui

By: Joe Edwards

Swaying palm trees and sun-drenched, sandy beaches surrounded by the brilliant turquoise of the Pacific Ocean. That's the vision most people have of Hawaii, and it's been good to the state, luring millions of tourists from around the world and pumping billions of dollars into the islands' economy.There's plenty to the stat's economy beyond the beaches, however, and if you listen to most folks and watch the progress that's being made on several islands, the future is bright, indeed. Perhaps the best example of a diversifying economy is the island of Maui.

Kihei, in south Maui, is home to the 330-acre Maui Research and and Technology Park, whose prime tenant is the Maui Supercomputing Center. The tech park and the supercomputer, the operations of which were taken over by the University of Hawaii in October, have helped generate jobs and produce a development boom in the area.

"That's one of the things that sets Mauis apart, "said Marsha Wienert, executive director of the Maui Visitors Bureau. It's one of the things that is expected to help attract even more techreleated business to the area as UH students get the training to provide the employees companies would need to set up business here. " Maui's go that brand identification," said state Sen. Sam Slom. " With the supercomputer and the technology park, it has been ahead of the rest of the state for a long time."

Among the other tenant developing cutting edge technology at the park are Oceanit Laboratories, which is developing software that tracks space objects near the earthl and Trex Enterprises, which is working on a silicon chip coating that will greatly improve video and still photographic imaging.

Slom hopes that recently enacted tax incentives and inducements can give Hawaii an even more technology-friendly enviroment. "We've put alot of seed money into technology, and that's going to pay off in terms of new technolog business." He believes decisions such as those by Home Depot to put stores on Maui and Big Island are vote of cofidence in the state's economic future.

"you have an influx of population coming in there," Slom said. "It signaals a renewed optimism in the longerterm growth of Hawaii, but it also indicates that it will be job creators and job seekers who will determine where the groth is going to be."

That's not to say the Garden Island will turn its back on tourism. But it might refocus its efforts to become less dependent on the Asian market, which has been mich more reluctant to come back in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorit attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Already, the state has beefed up its marketing on the U.S. mainland. THe results are beginning to pay off. " I'm hearing a lot of good stories," wienert said. " Alot of properties are saying their bookings are up . We're cautiously optimistic."

state Sen. Bob Hogue says the state needs to continue to look to ways away from leaning on the once freespending Japanese tourist marker to make Hawaii's economy return to running smoothly. " We need to create ways for businesses to prosper," Hogue said.