Be prepared for end-of-year tax preparation.  This free workshop will focus on how current tax rules affect small business owners, what expenses businesses can and cannot deduct, and how participants can avoid common tax mistakes that may create filing problems or raise red flags.

Topics will include home office deductions, vehicle expenses, travel, meals, supplies, professional services, equipment purchases, and depreciation methods such as Section 179 and bonus depreciation, along with important differences between Federal and Hawaiʻi tax treatment.

The 2026 Hawai’i SBIR Conference is coming to Maui on Friday, November 6, and will be held at the Malcolm Center in Kihei, bringing together entrepreneurs, researchers, technology companies, students, and federal agency representatives to explore opportunities through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs.

Part of a statewide series of innovation and entrepreneurship events across the Hawaiian Islands, the conference connects Hawaiʻi innovators with federal agencies and SBIR/STTR funding opportunities through America’s Seed Fund.

MEDB coordinates the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) report for Maui County, a process undertaken every five to six years. CEDS is a Federally mandated, locally-based strategic plan for regional economic development and capacity building, with an emphasis on economic resilience and job creation.

MEDB facilitates community input through a focus group process and synthesizing  comments into a comprehensive report. This report is delivered and presented to policy and decision makers and combined with similar reports from the other counties to provide a “roadmap” document to guide decision-making statewide.