Doing Business on Kauai

Today Kauai’s economy, among the state’s healthiest, is a combination of tourism, technology, agriculture, education, construction, state/local government, defense and a myriad of businesses that support the local community.

Much of Kauai’s workforce is linked directly or indirectly to the visitor industry. Visitor accommodations, eateries, retail services, transport and activities comprise a significant portion of Kauai’s economy. Kaua`i provides a stable, welcoming atmosphere for tourism related businesses from large corporate hotels and nationwide chain stores to small, privately operated companies.

Kaua`i Economic Development Board

Also supporting the business community on Kaua`i is the non-profit Kaua`i Economic Development Board (KEDB) whose primary purpose is to explore ways to diversify Kauai’s economy, and create and strengthen industries that can flourish on Kaua`i.

The mission of the County of Kauai’s Office of Economic Development (OED) is to work with business, government and community to create jobs and build a balanced and thriving economy. Staffed to support industries such as tourism, film production, agriculture and energy-related programs, OED also has placed heavy emphasis in recent years on supporting emerging industries (such as high tech), and on workforce development. OED is also responsible for collecting data and maintaining statistical information and reports, to be used as a library resource for individuals, businesses and organizations. The public is provided access to materials in the OED library, and to a greater extent on the County’s website. An up-to-date, extensive, interactive database of Kauai-specific economic data can be accessed via OED’s webpage.

In this era of economic growth and stability, OED is poised to strengthen our core industry – tourism – and support emerging industries from the ground up. Efforts to improve infrastructure and the array of services, products and activities to our visitors have been a major focus under Mayor Bryan Baptiste. Refurbished parks, walking tours through business districts, support for agricultural tour operators and the creation of new value-added agricultural products are just a few of the projects ongoing at OED. Partnerships with the business community, our schools and the public at large will help emerging industries such as high tech, health tourism and renewable energy flourish on Kaua`i, while preserving the rural nature of our island home.

The Kauai Economic Development Board and the County of Kauai have published a Kauai Economic Development Plan 2005-2015. To view the plan and for more information on the County of Kaua`i, visit www.kauai.gov.   The County Office of Economic Development can be reached at (808) 241-6390.

Kaua`i Made Program

The Office of Economic Development launched its Kaua`i Made Program that certifies products made on the island by Kaua`i-based businesses and individuals using Kaua`i materials as well as retailers who sell these products. This program enriches the visitor experience through another fun way to discover and explore the island. How many times has a visitor from the mainland or neighbor island asked “What should I buy on Kaua`i?” What’s something unique, that Kaua`i is known for?” This is a great opportunity to “take a little of Kaua`i home to friends and family” by discovering some of the wonderful products that people around the world have discovered.