On the Island of Molokai, the fifth largest of the eight inhabited Hawaiian Islands, the core values of aloha 'aina and malama 'aina (love and care for the land) guide the shared vision of the Molokai Enterprise Community (EC), the only one in Hawaii. Part of the County of Maui, Molokai has a resident population of about 6,700. However, it has successfully leveraged its annual $250,000 grant for the Molokai EC by an amazing ratio of 35 to 1.

The Molokai EC recently held a Grand Opening ceremony for its Business Information and Counseling Center (BICC): The Kuha'o Center. Residents take great pride in the Hawaiian cultural heritage no matter what their ethnicity, and help perpetuate traditional cultural values, customs, and practices, and Kuha'o is a Hawaiian name meaning "independent." It is the first satellite BICC to open its doors on a Neighbor Island.

Kuha'o Center will house self-help resources including a small business resource library; a state-of-the-art computer lab offering small business software and internet access for business planning; marketing research; business accounting and record keeping. Entrepreneurial training and regular counseling will be available through the Small Business Administration and Small Business Development Network. The majority of programs and services will be free, or provided at a nominal cost to cover materials.

Incubation of small businesses and development support for entrepreneurs was a priority of the Molokai EC's 10-year Strategic Plan, and the Kuha'o Center in large part is the result of efforts by Hawaii State HUD Office Community Builders to help the Island implement its plan. HUD staff helped create the key partnership between the Small Business Administration and the Molokai Community Service Council - the administrative, fiscal, and program staffing agency for the EC. The HUD staff also identified funding support from two local banks.