{"id":106554,"date":"2019-11-19T15:09:35","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T01:09:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=106554"},"modified":"2019-11-19T15:09:35","modified_gmt":"2019-11-20T01:09:35","slug":"forbes-kauai-cc-entrepreneurship-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/11\/19\/forbes-kauai-cc-entrepreneurship-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Forbes shines spotlight on Kaua\u2018i CC<\/abbr> entrepreneurship professor, students"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Kauaʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr> Entrepreneurship students launch the HI<\/abbr> Joe! pop-up at the Kauaʻi<\/span> Farmers Market. From left to right, Rob Ladendecker (Instructor), Ammon Hoʻopiʻi-Akau<\/span>, Lincoln Emery, Joh Bisarra-Kaleiohi, Aliyah Bisarra-Kaleiohi and Lei Saio.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Kauaʻi<\/span> Community College<\/a> assistant professor and his entrepreneurship students have received significant coverage in Forbes<\/em><\/a>. Contributor John Greathouse, a partner at Rincon Venture Partners, recently gave a guest lecture in Dirk Soma<\/strong>‘s entrepreneurship class at Kauaʻi<\/span> CC<\/abbr>, then interviewed Soma and some of his students.<\/p>\n

The article highlights the students\u2019 capstone project HI<\/abbr> Joe!, a pop-up coffee shop they operate at the Saturday Kauaʻi<\/span> Community Market. In it, Greathouse also refers to Soma as “a respected scholar in the area of Cultural Entrepreneurship.”<\/p>\n

Soma is quoted as saying, “HI<\/abbr> Joe! resonates on a couple of levels\u2014first, as equal partners in this venture, my students and I have established a culture of mutual respect and a sense of commitment to our mission to provide only 100% Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> grown and roasted coffees. Though this increases our product cost, we stay true and don\u2019t look at selling blends.<\/p>\n

“Second, we come to the table with ideas and suggestions that are discussed, vetted and agreed upon by consensus, which aligns with our values of openness and inclusion. Third, HI<\/abbr> Joe! supports our local coffee growers and shares their stories with our customers. By promoting and selling locally-sourced coffee, we can perpetuate sustainability and provide incremental income to local coffee producers.”<\/p>\n