American Savings Bank donates $100,000 to the Pacific Asian Center For Entrepreneurship

HONOLULU — American Savings Bank (ASB), has committed $100,000 to the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE) at the University of Hawaii at Mā
noa (UHM), Shidler College of Business. As part of a five-year commitment, this gift will support entrepreneurial education and help UHM monetize research efforts. In recognition of this gift, one of the co-working spaces will be named in ASB’s honor.

ASB’s gift will go towards the five-year PACE initiative that was launched in February 2014. The goal of the initiative is to raise $2.5 million to create new programs and expand existing ones. Funds raised through the initiatives will also be used to renovate and expand the current location in the Shidler College of Business. The new center will enable PACE to create a vibrant co-working space for entrepreneurial activity at the University. Additionally the new center will double the number of entrepreneurial programs offered, introduce an entrepreneurial curriculum to other UHM colleges, train key faculty on current entrepreneurial instruction, support the commercialization of UHM technology and innovation, and establish UHM as a leader in entrepreneurial education.

“At American Savings Bank we have been investing in Hawai’i’s future for over 85 years. Supporting the PACE initiative is an investment in the next generation of entrepreneurs who will lead our state and support growth in our community,” said Rich Wacker, president and CEO, American Savings Bank.

Under the leadership of dean Vance Roley and executive director Susan Yamada, PACE has become a training ground for future entrepreneurs and global leaders. PACE has expanded to include more than 15 programs to cultivate and support entrepreneurs, encourage entrepreneurial thinking, spawn new businesses, and rekindle ties with Hawai‘i’s business community.

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“ASB’s generous investment in entrepreneurship at the University of Hawaii’s PACE program will enable us to reach more students and faculty with our entrepreneurial programs,” said Yamada. “By creating more entrepreneurial thinkers, our graduates will be poised to accept the challenges of an ever-changing world.”

Since 1925, ASB has served Hawaii’s businesses and communities by providing a full range of financial products and services including business and consumer banking, home loans, insurance, and investments. ASB is one of Hawaii’s leading financial institutions, with online and mobile banking services and branch locations statewide offering evening, weekend and holiday hours. For five consecutive years, ASB has been named one of Hawaii Business Magazine’s “Best Places to Work.” For over 85 years, ASB has been helping build strong communities. Through the Seeds of Service program, ASB team members have contributed more than 16,000 hours of volunteer service, and the bank has given millions of dollars to Hawaii schools, non-profits and community organizations.

Those wishing to learn more or contribute to PACE are invited to contact Unyong Nakata, director of development, at unyong.nakata@uhfoundation.org or (808) 956-3597. Donor recognition naming opportunities are still available.

The Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE) is the home for an integrated set of leading-edge entrepreneurship programs at the University of Hawai‘i. Based in the Shidler College of Business, PACE is dedicated to fostering the entrepreneurial spirit among all members of the University and local community. For more information, visit www.pace.shidler.hawaii.edu or follow us on Twitter @PACEhawaii.

The Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Established in 1949 as the College of Business Administration, the College was named in 2006 after alumnus Jay H. Shidler, founder and managing partner of The Shidler Group. The Shidler College of Business is renowned for its expertise in international management education and is consistently ranked among the nation's top graduate schools for international business by U.S. News. Long recognized for its Asia-Pacific focus, the College is a professional school offering a wide variety of degree, certificate and executive programs. The UH Shidler College of Business is the only graduate program in the State of Hawai‘i accredited by AACSB International. For more information, visit www.shidler.hawaii.edu.

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa serves approximately 20,000 students pursuing more than 225 different degrees. Coming from every Hawaiian island, every state in the nation, and more than 100 countries, UH Mānoa students thrive in an enriching environment for the global exchange of ideas. For more information, visit http://manoa.hawaii.edu and http://manoa.hawaii.edu/news. Follow us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/uhmanoa and Twitter http://www.twitter.com/UHManoaNews.

The University of Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawai‘i System. The mission of the University of Hawai‘i Foundation is to unite donors’ passions with the University of Hawai‘i’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawai‘i and our future generations. www.uhfoundation.org

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From Left to Right: Unyong Nakata, director of development; UH Foundation; Tom Apple, chancellor, UH Manoa; Beth Whitehead, executive vice president & chief administrative officer, American Savings Bank; Heather Schwarm, executive vice president & chief financial officer, American Savings Bank; Susan Yamada, executive director, Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship; and Vance Roley, dean, Shidler College of Business.