Oahu Economic Development Board

What Oahu Economic Development Board does

The Oahu Economic Development Board (OEDB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 735 Bishop Street, Suite 424 in Honolulu, Hawaii, that serves as a convener and program administrator supporting the growth, retention, and recruitment of businesses and appropriate jobs on Oahu. Its core operating model is relational rather than transactional: OEDB aligns stakeholders across business, government, non-profits, academia, and community to address economic, social, and environmental challenges in Hawaii. The organization does not sell a commercial product; its revenue base is composed primarily of private-sector contributions from a roster of major Hawaii corporations, supplemented by programmatic government funding.

OEDB's substantive outputs are organized around five named programs and subsidiaries. Punawai o Puuhonua, a jointly-controlled Community Development Entity (CDE) formed in 2012 with American Savings Bank, administers New Markets Tax Credit allocations and has directed over $225 million to community projects in healthcare, education, and hospitality. Aloha Connects Innovation, launched in 2020 with the Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii and Sultan Ventures, deployed $6.8 million in CARES Act funding to place 626 individuals with 199 companies in sustainable and innovation sectors. The Higher Skills Academy (Aloha Response) is an educational program founded by the late CEO Pono Shim that has trained over 1,500 participants in ALOHA Spirit Values. The Above the Sides podcast, launched in 2021, extends this thought-leadership content via Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The Honolulu County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for 2023-2027 is a multi-stakeholder planning process that engaged nearly 1,000 community participants and grants OEDB official access to federal Economic Development Administration funding.

OEDB's go-to-market is community-led: a four-person staff (President and CEO, Operations Manager, Community Innovation Connector, Community Outreach and Compliance Specialist) supported by a board drawn from major Hawaii corporates delivers programming through direct stakeholder relationships and government partnerships rather than through product distribution. Catherine Awakuni Colón serves as President and CEO, having succeeded Pono Shim, who passed in April 2022. The geographic footprint is explicitly Oahu and the state of Hawaii, with no claim of global operations. There is no proprietary technology stack; the product surface is programs, convenings, and federally-backed capital deployment.

Name

Oahu Economic Development Board

Legal name

Oahu Economic Development Board

Website

https://oedb.biz

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OEDB is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that convenes Hawaii business, government, and community stakeholders to advance job creation and economic resilience on Oahu through New Markets Tax Credit allocations, workforce programs, and the Honolulu Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Public Administration (92)

SIC

Miscellaneous Business Credit Institution (6159)

akta.pro primary industry

Official Development Assistance (ODA) Program Management (BPADAOAC)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Workforce development programs
• Community development entity
• Tax credit allocation
• Nonprofit economic strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Sector Donations: OEDB is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization funded mainly by the private sector. The organization accepts contributions and pledges to support its mission of economic development, workforce development, and community resilience on Oahu.
2. Government Grants and Programs: OEDB receives funding through government programs including CARES Act funding ($6.8 million for Aloha Connects Innovation) and administers New Markets Tax Credit allocations for community development projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

OEDB is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that serves as a convenor advancing the growth, retention, and creation of local businesses and jobs on Oahu. It administers community development programs including the Punawai o Puuhonua Community Development Entity for New Markets Tax Credit allocations, the Aloha Connects Innovation workforce program, the Higher Skills Academy ALOHA Response training, the Above the Sides Podcast, and the Honolulu Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for 2023-2027.

Product overview

The Oahu Economic Development Board (OEDB) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves as a convenor advancing economic growth, retention, and creation of local businesses and jobs in Hawaii. The organization operates several interconnected programs: Punawai o Puuhonua (a New Markets Tax Credits initiative in partnership with American Savings Bank), Aloha Connects Innovation (workforce development leveraging CARES Act funding), the Higher Skills Academy: Aloha Response (ALOHA values education program), Above the Sides Podcast (knowledge sharing platform), and the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for 2023-2027. OEDB takes a relational approach to economic development grounded in ALOHA spirit values, working to align Hawaii's resources to address economic, social, and environmental challenges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Punawai o Puuhonua: A Hawaii-based Community Development Entity (CDE) that receives allocations for New Markets Tax Credits to support creation of jobs, goods and services in low-income communities.
• Above the Sides Podcast
• Aloha Connects Innovation
• Higher Skills Academy

Products and services

• Punawai o Puuhonua A Hawaii-based Community Development Entity (CDE) co-established with American Savings Bank that receives federal New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocations to support the creation of jobs, goods, and services in low-income communities across Hawaii.
• Aloha Connects Innovation Workforce development program launched with Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii and Sultan Ventures that converts job losses into innovative career opportunities by connecting Hawaii residents with local companies in sustainable and innovation sectors.
• Higher Skills Academy: Aloha Response Educational program founded by Pono Shim to share and practice ALOHA Spirit Values teachings from Aunty Pilahi Paki, training business and non-profit leaders, politicians, educators, and students in relational approaches to leadership and community development.
• Honolulu Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) 2023-2027 Multi-stakeholder, community-driven economic strategy for Oahu developed with federal, state, county agencies and private sector partners to guide economic recovery and long-term resilience from 2023 to 2027.
• Above the Sides Podcast Podcast exploring what it means to think, act, and live aloha, featuring conversations with Hawaii business leaders, educators, and community members. Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Quantifiable outcome

• $225M directed to community projects
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Economic Development Alliance of HawaiicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership to develop and implement the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) and manage the Aloha Connects Innovation program, co-developing economic recovery initiatives for Hawaii.
• Sultan VenturesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner in launching Aloha Connects Innovation to convert job losses into innovative career opportunities, leveraging CARES Act funding.
• American Savings BankcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Partnership between OEDB and American Savings Bank to form Punawai o Puuhonua, a Hawaii-based Community Development Entity (CDE) that receives New Markets Tax Credit allocations to support job creation and community facilities in low-income areas. Since 2012, directed $225M in federal NMTC awards to community projects.
• Hawaii Office of Planning and Sustainable DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState government partner for CEDS implementation and economic development strategy alignment, providing access to federal EDA funding.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hawaii Community Foundation: Hawaii's largest community foundation administering significant philanthropic capital for community development; a much larger institutional actor in overlapping mission space that competes for donor attention.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National nonprofit CDFI providing capital and technical assistance for community development in underserved areas; operates at vastly greater scale than OEDB and shares the NMTC and community development framing.
• Opportunity Finance Network: National network of CDFIs including NMTC allocatees like Punawai o Puuhonua; provides the broader ecosystem context for OEDB's community development finance activities.
• Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism: State government agency responsible for statewide economic development strategy and the state counterpart to OEDB's CEDS convening role; sets the policy framework OEDB operates within.

Direct peers

• Pacific Community Ventures: CDFI and small business support nonprofit operating in Hawaii and the Pacific with a comparable model of combining capital deployment, technical assistance, and convening for economic opportunity.
• Ulupono Initiative: Hawaii-based venture philanthropy investing in local economic development, energy, food, and transportation initiatives; a fellow OEDB contributor and one of the most active Hawaii-focused impact funders.
• Maui Economic Development Board: County-level nonprofit economic development organization for Maui County with a similar mandate of business growth, workforce development, and community convening—operates as a sister organization to OEDB in a neighboring island.
• Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement: Hawaii-based community development nonprofit focused on Native Hawaiian communities with overlapping programmatic reach in capacity building, community lending, and economic development.
• Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii: Statewide economic development convener that directly partners with OEDB on the CEDS and Aloha Connects Innovation program, with overlapping role in coordinating public-private economic development across Hawaii.

Others

• Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco - Hawaii Branch: Federal regional branch that produces Hawaii economic research and convenes community development stakeholders; an institutional counterpart to OEDB's convening role and a source of EDA-aligned policy data.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/185576639
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oahu-economic-development-board

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Oahu Economic Development Board