2020-02-10 North Kohala Enterprise Zone Re-designated by Governor -- press release

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Diane L. Ley Harry Kim Director Mayor Riley Saito Deputy Director County of Hawai‘i DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 25 Aupuni Street, Room 1301  Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720-4252 (808) 961-8366  Fax (808) 935-1205 E-mail: chresdev@hawaiicounty.gov February 10, 2020 NEWS RELEASE North Kohala Enterprise Zone Re-designated Gov. David Ige re-designated the North Kohala Enterprise Zone for another 20 years on January 21, 2020. Enterprise Zones (EZ) reduce poverty and encourage economic development by providing businesses incentives for investment, job creation or increased gross income. More than 375 Hawai‘i Island businesses have participated in the program since 1994. In 2018, the program created or maintained 1,007 jobs on Hawai‘i Island. The North Kohala Enterprise Zone was initially designated in April 2000 and remains one of the five designated zones on Hawai‘i Island. The others are Hamakua, Hilo-Puna, Ka‘u, and Kona. To participate in the program, businesses must be in one of the five zones on Hawaii Island, and must obtain at least half of their income from an approved list of eligible business activities, ranging from agriculture and manufacturing to wholesaling and wind energy production. To receive certification for annual benefits, such as tax incentives, participating businesses must submit a year-end report that indicates they have met the hiring requirements or, for agricultural businesses, increase their gross sales by 2%. Also, at least 50% of the business’ total gross revenues must come from Enterprise Zone eligible activities and for agricultural businesses may include value-added products made from crops grown within an Enterprise Zone and sold at retail by the business. Interested businesses need to submit an application and receive approval from the State Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism. Qualifying criteria include location within an Enterprise Zone; employing at least one employee or, for agricultural businesses, using the 2% increase in gross income criteria; a verification that someone works in the business at least 20 hours a week. There are no application fees for joining the EZ program. Application forms, maps, and general information are available on-line at www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/business/grograms/ez . For questions, contact County Economic Development Specialist Jane Horike at (808) 961-8496. Hawai`i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer