Inspiration, Celebration and Success at the 15th Annual Living & Design Expo
Inspiration, Celebration and Success at the 15th Annual Living & Design Expo
KAILUA-KONA, HAWAI‘I ISLAND— Dedicated to providing a successful business environment in West Hawaiʻi, the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce held its annual Living & Design Expo at the Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay this past weekend. With over 40 exhibitors under one roof, attendees found resources to build a new home, improve existing residences and create comfortable living.
Event sponsors included Honsador Lumber, Dickinson General Contracting, Hawai‘i Community Federal Credit Union, Hawai‘i Gas, Kona Solar, Provision Solar, Renewable Energy Services and West Hawai‘i Today.
On Saturday, February 22nd, celebrations included DJ Darde Gamayo with KAPA radio doing a live remote broadcast and awards for best booths. Royal Pools of Hawai‘i earned 1st Place with the People’s Choice Award, 2nd Place went to Hawai‘i Community Federal Credit Union and Mason Termite & Pest Control earned 3rd Place. Based on scores from Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce judges, Top Shelf Cabinet Solutions was awarded Best Creative Booth Design, Honsador Lumber earned Chamber’s Choice and Island Cooling received Best in Show! The judges were impressed by Island Cooling’s product knowledge, whole house fan demonstration and new solar powered smart home window awnings.
On the expo floor, presenting sponsor Honsador Lumber was front and center with a selection of doors, decks, gazebos, wood products and railings. Hawai‘i Island General Manager Chuck Mailloux explained, “Honsador is a whole home building supply company with everything from the foundation to the roof.” He added, “This expo is an excellent way for us to connect to customers and the community. We generate quite a bit of activity from it every year.”
Nellie Medeiros with Hawai‘i Community Federal Credit Union shared the value of the expo stating, “People come to this show to get inspired and find ways to renovate, fix up or build. We find that a lot of them don’t know what is available and this gives us an opportunity to help people find financing solutions to address their needs.”
Launching their business a year ago at the KKCC Living & Design Expo, Top Shelf Cabinet Solutions doubled their booth space to showcase their quality products that offer functionality with a keen aesthetic. Cabinet colors were combined Cambria marble countertops to provide 'must-have' combinations. Sharilyn Dewey and Laura Conrad explained, "It's important to us to design efficient, beautiful space where people spend so much of their time. A kitchen is a gathering place for families and entertaining. We find ways to create a seamless flow in connecting people with space." With decades of construction and design experience, it's easy to see Top Shelf Cabinet Solution's dedication to quality and craftsmanship.
For Tommy and Yvette Mason with Mason Termite & Pest Control, connecting to community drives their motivation to exhibit each year. They stated, “When we started our business, this show really helped us to expand our reach and grow. We like to come back each year and see familiar faces and be part of the community. We also want to support the Chamber for all that it has done to help us.”
“We had a terrific turn out this weekend,” stated Wendy Laros, Executive Director of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce. Over 1,500 people came through the convention center. Many of our exhibitors mentioned the high level of quality leads this year as well as business generated from past years.” She added, “This is the only show of its kind on our island and we are happy we can do this for the businesses and our community.”
For more information, contact the Chamber at 329-1758 or email info@kona-kohala.com.
About the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce
The Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit member organization with nearly 500 business members located on the west side of the island of Hawaiʻi. The organization exists to provide leadership and advocacy for a successful business environment in West Hawaiʻi and works to strengthen the local economy and promote the community. Find more information at www.kona-kohala.com or 808-329-1758.
People's Choice Award
From left to right: KKCC Chair-Elect Mark Leong, KKCC Board Member Nancy Sakamoto, Mark Costa with Royal Pools of Hawaii (1st Place), Nellie Medeiros with Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union (2nd Place), Tommy Mason with Mason Termite & Pest Control (3rd Place), KKCC Board Member Pam Latinis, KKCC Executive Director Wendy Laros.
Best Creative Booth Design: Top Shelf Cabinet Solutions
From left to right: Mark Short, Sharilyn Dewey, Laura Conrad and Kevin Conrad at their booth at the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce Living & Design Expo 2020.
Chamber Choice Award: Honsador Lumber
Chuck Mailloux, Jocelyn Hirota and the team of Honsador Lumber.
Best in Show: Island Cooling
Island Cooling owner Al Whitworth showing a new product line for the company - the Sol Lux Smart Home Window Awning.