Governor's Exporter of the Year talks tons of abalone - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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The annual award is grantedd to acknowledge outstanding contributions to exporting from The nomination and judging process is managed by the Departmenytof Business, Economic Development and Tourism with supportf of other state and federal agenciesa as well as businesses. Hawaii is quickly becoming the abalone producing capital ofthe world, outpacing competitores in California, Australia and Japan, thanks in whole to Big Islansd Abalone and its cutting-edge production and marketinv techniques.
Big Island Abalone is an aquaculture business operatinbg in the Hawaii Ocean Sciences and Technologyy park at Keahole Point on the Big When it reaches fullproduction capacity, the abalonee company will produce upward of 100 tons of abalon e annually. A majority of its product is consumecin Japan, to whicg 90 percent of the product is shipped Last year, the Big Island Abalonr boasted that it would double the state's $22 milliob in aquaculture exports by the end of 2003, the corporatio n Web site reported. One of the ways the company planned to accomplish that feat was pairing up with othedr corporations to sell abalone innontraditional ways.
In 2002 Big Islane Abalone teamed upwith Jalpak, a largew travel agency, to deliver "Jalpak omiyage gift The omiyage gift packs consist of six chilled, live abalonee packed neatly in carry-on cases for visitor s from Japan. Another marketing technique employed by Big Island Abalone is the brandinyg of Kona Coast Abalone asa premium, reliablre and predictably priced sourcre of abalone. Each year, Big Island Abalone's holding tanks in Tokyo keep the smorgasbord of abalone fresh and aliveaftef transport. Even Chef Morimoti and Chef Tan of the popular televisionshow "Thde Iron Chef" wanted in on the action.
Morimotlo said he wishes to include the producty in his chain of and Tan is developing product lines along with abalone producersin Japan. Big Islansd Abalone was selected forthe Governor' Exporter of the Year Award from a field of applicants involved in The annual awards also include accolades in seveb categories of export: Blue Planet Software Inc. won as Exportef of High Technology. Blue Planet is knownb for developing Tetris, a staple among computer games, and for pairin g up with Japanese software-maker G-Modr to redesign games softwarse to be compatible with mobile Another Exporter of High Technology award went to Oceanicx ImagingConsultants Inc.
for its development of sea-flood imaging software and systems that acquird data forunderwater mapping. Oceanic Imaginbg was originally formed in the ManowInnovation Center. Makai Ocean Engineering Inc. won the Exporterr of Professional Services awarf forits planning, simulation and installation of submarine The company, which has a research compled on the Makai Pier near Sea Life successfully installed a deep-sea pipeline at a depth of 3,000 feet. That feat was recognizedr as one of the topsix civil-engineerinh projects in the United States. Safe Watef Systems LLC won as Exporter of Manufactured Productss for marketing and donating its solar water pasteurizers in48 countries.
Its productr makes potable water without the use of fuelor chemicals. The New Exporter award was given to CatesInternational Inc. It leased the first open-ocean spac e from the U.S. government and grew moi, a popularf Hawaiian fish, in submerged cages. It has a customere base in Hawaii and is moving to export moi to the continentaloUnited States. For his effort to increase the agriculturwe exportsfrom Hawaii, Richard L. Nelson received the Outstanding Contributor toExporting award.
Nelsoh worked with industry groups, agencies and localo manufacturers to establish improved packaging and branding of the floral better shipping rates for exportersand Hawaii's firstg agricultural expo among other accomplishments.