Four elected to Chamber board

The Saipan Chamber of Commerce elected four board members yesterday at the Hyatt Regency Saipan ballroom. They are Alex Sablan, Glen Hunter, Michael Johnson, and Velma Palacios. They will have two-year terms.

Sablan, who is vice president of Corporate Business Development at TanHoldings, is no stranger to the Chamber as he has been a member for over 27 years with over 20 being with the board. “I would like to thank TanHoldings and Jerry Tan for allowing me to have the opportunity to work with the board,” Sablan said.

He intends to work on the ongoing labor issues in the CNMI, as they work with U.S. Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan (Ind-MP) on provisions to the CNMI Workforce Act. “The current law requires individuals to touch back into their home country for 30 days, and then you can start the process, but as well all may know, 95% of our CW workers’ papers expire on Sept. 30 every year,” he said. This would only allow employers to begin the renewal process in April, and this will burden businesses as they will not be able to complete the process in due time, so he proposes to create a provision to adjust the timeframe for renewals.

Another matter Sablan intends to work with the board is the Prevailing Wage Survey and Determination. “We saw a big adjustment in wages through the Prevailing Wages, and we will discuss with Congressman Kilili about the issues that our businesses are facing,” he said.

Hunter, who owns three businesses (The Shack, The Airstream, and Go Hydro), looks forward to working with the board as a representative of small businesses. He also hopes to provide insight on the issues that small businesses in the CNMI are facing and initiatives that will lead to sustainable development. “I am very humbled to be given the opportunity to work with the [Chamber] board and I look forward to working with the newly-elected directors,” Hunter said.

Johnson is the managing partner of Deloitte on Saipan and has been a Chamber member for 29 years, with 15 being with the board. He is a certified public accountant, a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the CNMI Society of Certified Public Accountants, initial chair of the CNMI Board of Accountancy, current president of the CNMI Chapter of the Association of Government Accountants, and current treasurer of the Hotel Association of the NMI. Johnson plans to continue ensuring the accountability and fiscal responsibility of the Chamber.

Palacios is the director of Network of Operations & Engineering at IT&E. Palacios served the last four terms as president of the board and has over 10 years’ experience with the Chamber. She intends to continue the public/private partnership with respect to the CNMI’s workforce issues, infrastructure, and other ways to ensure a sustainable development to support the economy.

Chamber executive director Maxine Laszlo confirmed that the newly-elected directors will be designated to committees in December. They will be inducted at the Chamber’s Business Person of the Year Gala on Jan. 25, 2020.