2022 ASB Environmental, Social and Governance Report

THRIVING ECONOMY

FOSTERING ENTREPRENEURSHIP

showcasing their best business plan ideas before a panel of esteemed judges for a chance to win up to $25,000 for their school. ASB provides curriculum support and “how to” videos to guide teachers and students through the process. Our bankers are paired with schools near their branch to provide additional support and mentorship throughout the 10-week program. In 2022, the annual KeikiCo Contest received 128 entries from nearly 400 students and 17 schools across our state and ASB awarded more than $140,000 in unrestricted funding to nine schools. As an added bonus, ASB sweetened the deal and gave students on the first place teams a $250 cash prize to invest in their future education. As an additional incentive, students can earn a savings match bonus of up to $250. All winning schools join ASB’s Bank for Education Ohana. This group receives valuable perks, including priority consideration for additional grants, volunteer service projects performed by ASB teammates, student scholarships, internships and more. Since the Bank for Education program began in 2010, ASB has donated more than $1.6 million to public and private K-12 schools across our state. In addition to KeikiCo, ASB has supported other K-12 entrepreneurship efforts, such as Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders, the Hawai‘i Agricultural Foundation’s Young Entrepreneurship Program and Kupu’s Hawai‘i Youth Sustainability Challenge, all of which are programs that teach Hawaii students about entrepreneurship, innovation, STEM, environmental stewardship and leadership.

For decades, tourism has been our No. 1 economic engine, but we know all too well how susceptible the industry is to national and global threats. We are committed to create a sustainable and diversified economy. With Hawaii’s unique geography, climate, culture, natural resources and population, we can attract the best and brightest talent from across the world. We are passionate about nurturing and developing local entrepreneurs and the innovation and accelerator community. ASB is a proud supporter of several local business accelerator programs, including Blue Startups, a 13-week program for tech-focused companies, Mana Up, a 12-week program for consumer-packaged goods companies with a Hawaii influence and Elemental Excelerator, a nonprofit accelerator for climate tech deployment. We have also been long-time supporters of our state’s student entrepreneurs at the Hogan Entrepreneur Program at Chaminade University and the University of Hawaiʻi’s Shidler College of Business and Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE). We recognize that innovation and entrepreneurship begin from the earliest days in the classroom. In 2015, ASB created the KeikiCo Contest, designed to foster innovation and entrepreneurship among our state’s youngest learners. Students in grades 3 to 12 submit a written business plan and a two-minute video pitch DEVELOPING HAWAII’S NEXT GENERATION OF ENTREPRENEURS

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