SAM SLOM
Board of Advisors

State Senator Sam Slom is a private consulting economist in Honolulu and president/owner of SMS Consultants (since1982). He has been quoted in national publications: Forbes, The Economist, Money, USA Today, CNN, US News, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and Investor's Business Daily. An SMS affiliate, Convention Speakers of Hawaii, provides professional speakers to Hawaii and Mainland forums. Sam has spoken in the U.S., Canada, Australia and NZ.

Originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Sam moved to Hawaii in 1960. He earned a B.A. in Economics & Government from the University of Hawaii Manoa (1963) and an LL.B. from LaSalle Law School (1966). He completed financial management and business condition forecasting with the American Institute of Banking (AIB), and is a seminar graduate in Free Market Economics from the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE).

Running for public office for the first time in 1996, Sam defeated a powerful 22-year incumbent and was elected as a Republican to the State Senate (East Oahu's 8th District, Hawaii Kai, Niu, Aina Haina, Waialae to Diamond Head). He served as Minority Floor Leader and member of the Commerce & Consumer Protection, Economic Development, Education & Technology, Labor & Environment, and Transportation/Intergovernmental Affairs Committees, and member of the Joint Long Term Care Financing Committee and Joint Legislative Committee on Early Childhood Education and co-chair of the bipartisan Legislative Small Business Caucus. Re-elected in 2000 and chosen as Minority Leader, he was a member of the Ways & Means, Judiciary, Economic Development, Tourism and Labor Committees. After reapportionment, which extended the 8th District into Kahala and Diamond Head, Sam was re-elected to a 4-year term in 2002 serving on the Ways & Means, Labor, and Tourism Committees and was one of 12 Senate-House Felix Special Education Investigation Committee members. He was re-elected in 2006 and is a member of the Commerce & Consumer Protection, Economic Development & Taxation and Water, Land, Agriculture and Hawaiian Affairs Committees.

Sam remains President/ Executive Director of Small Business Hawaii (SBH), Hawaii's most effective business advocacy organization. SBH is a private, independent, association of 2,000 firms. Sam is editor/publisher of Small Business News. He published "Jonathan Gullible," (2001), an award-winning private market educational book translated into 40 languages worldwide; he also published Prtitchettã A Collection of Hawaii Political Cartoons (1993) and HawaiiãWe Have a Problem (1998) and,"The Companies We Keep" (2003). He's co-founder of the non-partisan, political action affiliate, Paychecks Hawaii.

An entrepreneur from age seven, Sam was an economist with Hawaii's largest financial institution, Bank of Hawaii, for 14 years (1968-1982), prior to resuming his own business. He directed the Economics Division with overall responsibility for the Bank's business reports, including: Monthly Review, Annual Economic Review, and Construction in Hawaii. A respected economist, Sam was a panel member of major economists for U.S. News & World Report.

Sam has broad financial, legislative, and tax experience. From 1965-68, he was Assistant Director of the private Tax Foundation of Hawaii, Inc. He is an outspoken taxpayers advocate at legislative hearings.

An educator, Sam taught business for the American Institute of Banking, Japan-America Institute of Management Science (JAIMS), University of Hawaii, and from 1976-84, Hawaii's largest private institution, Hawaii Pacific University, as Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Assistant Director of Travel Industry Management.

With an extensive journalism/media background, Sam is a past contributing columnist for publications, including, the Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Pacific Business News, Island Business and MidWeek, and currently, HawaiiReporter. He M.C./produced KHVH radio's "Viewpoint" talk series (1970-75), KGMB-TV's "Voices of Concern" (1972-83), "Perspective" (1983-91); editorialized on KHPR (1987-90). He's a popular guest on TV/radio public affairs series and guest hosts the "Rick Hamada Show" on KHVH radio (830 AM).

Designated an "Outstanding Young Man of America" (1977), and winner of numerous civic and patriotic awards, he's an awardee of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, including a 1990 George Washington Honor Medal for Economic Education, and was named a "Fellow of the Pacific," by Hawaii Pacific University in 1988. He is active in many professional and civic associations. Past president of the Hawaii Economic Association, past secretary, Conservation Council of Hawaii, chair of the U.S. SBA's Advisory Council, Governor's and Mayor's Small Business Advisory Councils, Advisor to Chaminade, KCC, and Hawaii Pacific University Business Councils. Member, University of Hawaii Alumni Association, Hugh O'Brian Youth Foundation, Junior Achievement, Hawaii Winners' Camp, IMUA Project for the disabled Advisory Board and Hillsdale College (MI) Associate. Also, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), Director, Second Amendment Foundation and Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise. Sam was a charter organizer of "Re-Discover Hawaii Kai" and is a member of East Honolulu Breakfast Business Club.

Sam was chosen Hawai'i & Region IX (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Guam, Nevada) "Small Business Advocate of the Year" by the U. S. Small Business Administration in 1991. The IMUA Chapter of the American Business Women's Association in 1997 named him "Business Associate of the Year." In 1998, he was awarded the "Free Enterprise Award" and 1999, the U.S. "Champion of the Merit Shop" from the Associated Builders & Contractors. In 1999 he was a "Guardian of Small Business," of the NFIB. In 2003 he was named a "Natural Collaborative Leader," awardee by the Mediation Center of the Pacific, and the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii bestowed him its first "George Washington Leadership" award in 2003.

A former private pilot, Sam enjoys sports, photography and theatre, coached AYSO soccer, and assisted Hawaii Kai Youth Baseball and Hawaii Kai Dolphins Football. Sam is a father of two adult sons, Sam Mason and Stuart Matthew, (living on the Mainland), Sid Michael (Kaiser High grad and UH Manoa student) and Spencer Madison, (St.Louis 9th grader), "entrepreneurs-in-training," grandfather to Austin James Slom.

Publications by Sam Slom:

Oped in Office of Hawaiian Affairs Newsletter: Knowingly False, Disrespectful and Divisive, 12/7/07
Hawaii Superferry: Tipping Point for Hawaii's Economic Future, 12/5/07