Awards, media coverage and recognition for local businesses making names for themselves in the region and beyond

Photos Courtesy of BankPacific

BankPacific Ltd. announced that its shareholders have voted Tricee P. Limtiaco, assistant general manager for administration at the Guam Power Authority, Thomas G. Shimizu, general manager of Ambros Inc. and Jerold W. Filush, certified public accountant; to serve three-year terms as members of the board of directors of BankPacific.

Other board members include Herbert J. Johnston Jr., education director, GCA Trades Academy, Kaz Endo, Mark Fish and Philip Flores, president of BankPacific

Additionally, all members of the board of directors voted to declare a record dividend to the bank’s shareholders to be paid Sept. 5.

Bank Pacific’s offices are located in Guam, Saipan and Palau.

Guam Community College is one of four community colleges nationwide featured in the Lumina Foundation community college spotlight series Inside Out: Community Colleges Far and Wide. The series looks at how community colleges are taking unique and innovative approaches to postsecondary education and making an impact in their communities.

Photo courtesy Lumina Foundation: luminafoundation.org

The Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that “is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all,” according to its website.

In the feature video, Lumina describes GCC as “A small but mighty college, steeped in culture and history, and strong on workforce,” referencing GCC’s” ambitious workforce training programs and longstanding impact on Guam’s economy in our visitor industry, national defense support and regional transportation,” according to a release from GCC.

The video features interviews with GCC students and graduates, faculty, community partners and Mary A.Y. Okada, president of GCC.  A Lumina team of five visited GCC for a week in February.

According to a June 2023 report by Statista, there were 935 public community colleges in the U.S. in 2022.  Statista said in 2020, about 4.7 million students were enrolled in public two-year postsecondary institutions across the U.S.

Photo courtesy of Four Seasons

In October, Four Seasons Explorer, the 10-cabin, 22-guest luxury catamaran, will make Palau its homebase.

According to the Explorer, guests aboard the Four Seasons can make good use of the PADI 5-Star Dive Centre while visiting such sites such as Helmet Wreck, a World War II wreck; Clam City, and Peleliu Wall.

Dominique Felix Leon Guerrero, associate broker-in-charge, realtor and property manager at Century 21 Realty Management, is one of 20 realtors nationwide selected to attend the National Association of Realtors 2024 Leadership Academy Class, a year-long program.

The program begins in January and ends in November 2024 at the NAR national conference in Boston.

Leon Guerrero has a background in executive recruitment, finance, and accounting, as well as several years of experience in real estate. She earned in 2013 a bachelor’s in economics from Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, Calif.

Photos courtesy of the U.S. Small Business Development Center Network

The U.S. Small Business Development Center Network’s 40 Under 40 awards for 2023 recognized three University of Guam graduates from the University of Guam School of Business and Public Administration.

Nadine Deleon Guerrero, Mercilynn Kaneshi Palec, and Benjamin Huk Borja from the Northern Mariana Islands SBDC Network at the Northern Marianas College are among 40 in the nation who received the awards.

Deleon Guerrero, CNMI SBDC Network director, earned her bachelor of arts in communication in 2012 and her master of public administration from UOG in May 2023.

Palec is the CNMI SBDC Associate network director. Palec earned her degree in elementary education from the Northern Marianas College and master of Public Administration degree from UOG in May 2023.

Borja serves as the Tinian SBDC director/business advisor. Borja received his business administration degree in accounting from UOG in 2016.

The Consulate-General of Japan awarded Tamotsu Iizuka and Yoshihiro Sakamoto the Foreign Minister’s Commendation for fiscal 2023 in recognition of their promotion of mutual understanding between Japan and the U.S.

Iizuka is a long-term board member and honorary member of the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Guam, which has supported “the needs of Guamanian and Japanese children suffering from critical illness by making their dreams come true here on the island.”

Sakamoto, a long-time member of the Japan Club of Guam, assisted with hosting the Japan Club of Guam Annual Autumn Festival, acting as the main liaison between the Government of Guam and the Japan Club of Guam.

Mercilynn Kaneshi-Palec was recently named a 2023 “State Star” for her outstanding contributions to the local NMI SBDC Network.

The 2023 State Stars, who were chosen by their SBDC networks, are among the best of the best — those who demonstrate exemplary performance, make significant contributions to their networks, and are deeply committed to the success of America’s small businesses.