Bank receives two awards
Bank of Guam’s Stop COVID, Spread LOVE campaign has been awarded two 2021 Brand Slam Awards for best crisis communications and social media campaign from the American Bankers Association. The 2021 ABA Brand Slam Awards honor the nation’s top marketing strategies from banks of all sizes with a volunteer panel of more than 70 certified financial marketing professional-credentialed experts weighing in on campaigns from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021.
Stop COVID, Spread LOVE was awarded the 2021 ABA Brand Slam Award for best crisis communications and social media campaign based on weighted criteria for concept, strategy, creativity, execution, and impact.
Bank of Guam ‘s 2020 Year in Review won honors at the 35th International Annual Report Competition organized by MerComm International. This is the fourth time the bank was recognized for excellence in the contest, which is the world’s largest international competition honoring excellence in annual reports from corporations, small companies, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and associations. The 2021 competition saw 1,700 companies competing from 35 countries around the world.
College boot camp recognized
The Guam Community College was named first runner-up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Rethink Adult Ed Challenge, for its Marine Transportation Ship Repair Boot Camp program. There were 203 initial entries submitted, which were narrowed to 85 finalists representing 31 states as well as Guam and the District of Columbia. The top five finalists were chosen based on five criteria: Local or national need, Industry connection, Skill advancement, Learner focused, and Team (rethinkadulted.com/selection-criteria). According to the U.S. DOE, high-quality pre-apprenticeship programs align to industry demand, set clear pathways into apprenticeships and other industry roles, and provide support services for their participants.
The Guam Community College submission highlighted the Marine Transportation Ship Repair Boot Camps that have graduated 75 participants to date, all of whom were offered employment with Cabras Marine Corp. The Ship Repair Boot Camp serves as the model for many of GCC’s work-ready boot camps in many other career fields.
As the first runner-up, GCC will receive $200,000.
GRMC receives American Heart Association Award
The Guam Regional Medical City’s Cardiology department has received the American Heart Association’s “Get With The Guidelines – Heart Failure” Silver Award for its commitment to managing heart failure in patients, and ensuring patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines founded in the latest scientific evidence, with a goal of speeding recovery and reducing hospital readmissions for heart failure patients. Program participants can apply annually for the award recognition.
San Gil
Sports president joins regional executive committee
Valentino San Gil has been named to the Asian Football Confederation Executive Committee, joining 27 others. His term runs through 2023. San Gil is the president of the Guam Football Association.
Bank named to national survey
Bank of Hawaii has been named Best Big Bank in Hawaii in Newsweek’s America’s Best Banks 2022 rankings.
Newsweek partnered with LendingTree — the online marketplace and comparison site for financial services — for its second annual Best Banks rankings. The Best Big Bank in each state needed to have at least one branch per 100,000 residents and at least $10 billion in assets.
Miyashita
Finance executive adds to qualifications
Jason B. Miyashita, senior vice president, Investments and senior institutional consultant at Raymond James in Guam, obtained the Certified Private Wealth Advisor certification, an advanced professional certification for advisors who provide specialized skills required to meet the needs of high-net-worth clients. Fewer than 1% of financial service professionals hold CPWA certification, which is delivered by the Investments & Wealth Institute and is the only credential designed specifically for investment advisors and consultants.
The CPWA curriculum involves in-depth study of the wealth lifecycle – accumulation, preservation, and distribution. The program identifies and analyzes the challenges high-net-worth individuals face and develops strategies to minimize taxes, monetize and protect assets, maximize growth, and transfer wealth. Miyashita is among only 2,000 individuals worldwide who have attained this prestigious certification.
To earn certification, CPWA professionals must meet a five-year experience requirement, complete coursework in advanced wealth management strategies, and pass a comprehensive examination covering 11 core topics, including applied behavioral finance, charitable giving, estate planning, and wealth transfer. To maintain certification, CPWA professionals must meet ongoing continuing education requirements and adhere to the Institute’s Code of Professional Responsibility.
Miyashita holds a number of industry specific qualifications.
UOG receives multiple recognitions
The University of Guam Society of American Military Engineers Student Chapter is one of two chapters in the nation to win the 2020–2021 Distinguished Student Chapter Award from the national SAME association. The UOG chapter tied with the chapter at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
UOG was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a “Top Performer on Social Mobility,” one of the “Best Regional Universities” in the West, and a “Top Public School” for the second year in a row, according to its 2022 Best Colleges Rankings released this week.
The University climbed six spots on the “Top Performers on Social Mobility” list and now sits 40th in the nation among Western regional universities. UOG was also ranked 46th among the top public institutions in the West and 90th among all Western regional universities. Regional universities are those that offer a full range of undergraduate programs and provide master’s level degrees.
The Best Colleges Rankings assesses 1,466 U.S. bachelor’s degree–granting institutions on 17 measures of academic quality. The “Top Performers on Social Mobility” list measures how well schools graduated students who received federal Pell grants.
Power authority receives designation
The Guam Power Authority was awarded the Smart Energy Provider designation from the American Public Power Association, for demonstrating a commitment to and proficiency in energy efficiency, distributed generation, and environmental initiatives that support the goal of providing safe, low-cost, and sustainable electric service. The SEP designation is for two years until Nov. 30 202 and recognizes public power utilities for demonstrating leading practices in four key disciplines: smart energy program structure; energy efficiency and distributed energy programs; environmental and sustainability initiatives; and customer experience. GPA also earned the APPA SEP designation in 2019.
