Hawaii Business Magazine Celebrates the Best in Local Small Business

Thirty-four honorees were recognized as part of this year’s Small Business Administration Awards and Editor’s Choice Awards pau hana celebration at the Prince Waikiki. Three of the honorees were inducted as inaugural members into the Hawaii Small Business Hall of Fame. Thanh Lam, CEO of La Tour Bakehouse, formerly known as Ba-Le Sandwich and Bakery, was one of those inaugural members. He was previously recognized as Young Entrepreneur, Small Business Person of the Year in 2002 and National Small Business Person of the Year in the same year. He said one lesson he’s learned from being in business for 35 years is that to be successful, you have to be honest, maintain the quality of your service and products, and benefit from word of mouth. After all, he said, Hawaii is a small place where everyone knows one another.