The Chamber’s nominees for Business Person of the Year

This year’s nominees for the Saipan Chamber of Commerce’s Business Person of the Year award have both shown exemplary leadership and business excellence and their achievements and contributions have left an indelible mark in their companies, their peers, and colleagues and the CNMI community in the past year.

It is with great pride and honor to introduce this year’s esteemed nominees—Emma Perez and Perry A. Inos Jr.—who are both outstanding in their own rights and, by sheer dint of hard work, imagination, and will, are making names for themselves in the twin worlds of business and advocacy.

Emma Perez

President, 500 Sails Inc.

As one of the driving forces and proponent of Chamorro culture and a champion for nonprofit organizations in the CNMI, these are but two of the accolades that Emma H. Perez has become known for in local circles in Guam and the Northern Marianas. Add on the word “dreamer” and “doer” and one gets a complete picture of a leader who knows what she wants and how to get them.

Being a pro at what she does, a good number of Perez’s aspirations have come true. A great help is 30 years of non-profit finance and accounting experience she has tucked under her belt. She is also experienced in overseeing millions of federal funds that have been critical to the success of the organizations she has worked with.

After calling San Francisco her home for many years, Perez and her husband, Pete, packed their bags and moved to Saipan, where she used her skills as a lifetime nonprofit professional to help the CNMI’s nonprofit sector become stronger. That was 10 years ago. She has not looked back since.

The couple’s return was compelled by Emma’s desire to fulfill her vision of reviving the dying art of canoe building and ancient Chamorro navigation and using this to generate jobs leading to the development of a thriving maritime industry. The realization of this dream came with the creation of 500 Sails.

At 500 Sails, Perez conceives, plans, and implements strategic initiatives that prepare local workers for success in new jobs that she helped to create. Her initiatives are now coming to fruition.

“As co-founder of 500 Sails, I was drawn to the work of bringing back the Chamorro canoe because, as a Chamorro from the mainland, I found the story of how we lost our canoes tragic and the long-reaching repercussions were hurting our people. Having the canoes back gives our youth a cultural grounding and helps us all recognize the importance of the natural world,” she said.

Perez’s efforts have led to numerous collaborations and partnerships with the public and private sectors. In the business community, she is considered an amazing talent for bringing groups and individuals together to focus on common goals and interests.

In fact, prior to co-founding 500 Sails with her husband, Perez was instrumental in strengthening the mandate of the Marianas Association of Non-Governmental Organizations in providing leadership and assistance to local nonprofits.

Perez finds inspiration in working with people who share the same ethos and values. She considers the team at MANGO as the personification of what a good team is. “The passion they feel for helping the community, combined with their ever-increasing skills, makes any time I spend with them rewarding. In many ways, it feels like a ‘village’ where everyone helps everyone else,” she said.

For all her hard work, Perez takes delight in seeing and meeting the individuals and organizations whose lives she has touched through her work.

“It dawned on me a few years after 500 Sails started its work that children in the CNMI today will always have canoes in their lives, something that had been missing for centuries. One time during a sail, a young girl said, ‘Please slow down!’ When encouraged that it was safe, she said, ‘I’m not scared, I don’t want this to end.’ Success!”

Perez considers her husband one of two people who have greatly influenced her. “My husband has inspired me with his crazy big dreams. We tend to feed off each other’s ideas and our skills are different, yet we complement each other very well.”

Her grandmother, the late Remedios LG Perez, was also a great influence in Emma Perez’s life and work. Well-known as a Guam educator and author of the book Guam: Past Present and Future, Remedios LG Perez wrote and illustrated the book as part of the University of Guam’s Micronesian Area Research Center’s collection.

Emma Perez found validation for her life’s work while poring over her grandmother’s book. “As I looked through it, I found a picture she had drawn of a Chamorro canoe over 75 years ago—10 years before I was born. …I did not get the chance to really know my grandmother, but in that moment when I saw that drawing, I felt her presence in everything I had done in the last decade. In that book, I saw that I was continuing my grandmother’s work.”

Be it in business or life in general, running into challenges is a given and Emma Perez is not one to shy from it. For her, the lack of ethos and values are detrimental to both people and the organization.

“The toughest challenges I have encountered were situations where a colleague and I did not share the same ethical standards. That is not necessarily something that can change. …The way to get through those kinds of situations is to take the high road,” she said.

Emma Perez believes that, as a businessperson, her role has now evolved into mentoring and preparing the younger generation. Most importantly, she continues her pivotal role of advocating and raising awareness of the unique nature of the CNMI’s maritime traditions.

“I believe that, by developing our maritime industry, we can create a new industry, bring destination enhancement, provide light cargo transport, and provide our community with access to wind-powered vessels for food security.”

Perry A. Inos Jr.

Managing director and partner

AP Group

At 37 years old, Perry A. Inos Jr. has already earned a reputation in the local business sector as a quietly accomplished business leader whose innovative and sustainable approach has been instrumental in creating businesses that are economically robust and socially responsible, setting new standards in the region.

Inos’ current endeavors span across technology, food and beverage, consulting, health, real estate, and financial technology. Currently, he serves as the managing director and partner at AP Group and its affiliates.

In all his ventures, Inos emphasizes innovation, strategic planning, and community involvement.

A profile provided by the Saipan Chamber of Commerce traces Inos’ journey to have begun with foundational studies at Northern Marianas College, leading to a bachelor’s in business administration from the University of Hawaii and culminating in a master’s degree in business from Southern New Hampshire University.

Inos first saw himself as a public servant beginning as a program manager with the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, after which he joined the Northern Marianas College where he oversaw the institution’s key programs.

Inos then became the director of Statistics at the Department of Commerce, providing the agency with his expertise in economic data analysis and its application in policy and business development.

Inos also served as the director of the Small Business Development Center, where he played a crucial role in fostering local entrepreneurship and small business growth.

In the private sector, Inos became the Business Development manager for Triple J where he demonstrated his acumen in driving business growth and developing strategic partnerships—skills that would prove invaluable in his later ventures.

All in all, Inos’ professional journey, which was marked by the significant positions he held in both government and the private sector, laid the groundwork for his current business and community endeavors.

In his role as managing director and partner at AP Group and its affiliates, Inos has guided the growth of several ventures that include DreamPlay, Marianas Pharmacy, Tapped Out, and Napu Brewing Co. In addition, he is involved in the creation of affordable housing through Vista Homes (LIHTC) and in a financial technology venture, Nakamoto Financial under NF Xpress.

Inos’ vision extends to future businesses such as Xpress, a local marketplace delivery system aimed at bolstering economic growth through small businesses.

He is also keenly focused on the hopeful launch of MPay, poised to be CNMI’s first indigenous digital payment platform for remittances, peer-to-peer, and business transactions, underscoring his commitment to innovation and economic development in the region.

What makes Inos successful in these business ventures is his keen insight on business operations, implementation of astute marketing strategies, and a grounded understanding of financial and accounting principles.

Inos’ community involvement includes his tenure as a former board member and vice president of the Chamber and as the former chairman of the CNMI Zoning Board. He also staunchly advocates for CNMI economic and immigration issues in Washington, D.C.

In addition, Inos continues to support the American Red Cross-NMI Chapter, the NMC Foundation, the Commonwealth Cancer Association, and the CNMI Women’s National Basketball Team, among others. His achievements both in his public and private ventures have earned him the recognition of being named into the Marianas Business Journal’s 40 under 40 awards.

Influenced by past colleagues, mentors, and the unwavering support of his family, Inos has emphasized innovation, strategic planning, and community involvement in all his ventures.

His connection to his heritage and family forms the cornerstone of his values. With roots extending from Rota to Tinian, Saipan, and Guam, Inos draws inspiration from his family—parents Debra and Perry B. Inos, wife Anastasia, and children Gabriella, Ekaterina, and Tamerlan.

His guiding principles include trust, leadership, communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and balance, all underpinned by a strong work ethic and family commitment.

Inos’ advice to budding entrepreneurs underscores the importance of innovation, sustainable practices, strong business foundations, community involvement, and social responsibility—a blueprint for future success in the dynamic business world of the CNMI.

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