When Lei Pedro stepped into the role of publisher and market president of Pacific Business News (PBN), she assumed leadership of one of the most trusted and influential business publications in Hawaiʻi. That role carries more than editorial responsibility; it carries economic influence.
I asked Lei how her journey led her to helm the state’s number one business publication. Her answer was rooted in leadership, mentorship, accountability, and Hawaiian values.
Business journalism, she believes, determines who is visible, who is credible, and who attracts capital. “Business journalism doesn’t just observe and cover the economy; it helps shape it. It provides business intelligence and best practices with editorial integrity to help business grow, advance careers and simplify professional lives. It attracts and follows capital.”
Shortly after taking the helm, Lei made a deliberate, thoughtful shift: PBN would expand its coverage of Native Hawaiian commerce. She joined the board of the Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce (NHCC) and began amplifying Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs, executives, and enterprises.
Why? Because visibility is economic infrastructure.
Native Hawaiian businesses are not peripheral to the local economy, they are employers, investors, and innovators. When their stories are told consistently and credibly, access to opportunity expands.
The timing is critical. Oʻahu unemployment rate is approximately 2.4%, effectively full employment. Yet this statistic masks structural pressure. Many families are working multiple jobs to keep pace with Hawaiʻi’s cost of living.
Meanwhile, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander unemployment remains significantly higher, projected to be 8-9%. That gap is not just a disparity. It is a workforce opportunity.
At a time when employers across sectors report difficulty finding reliable talent, a segment of the population remains underutilized. The question is not whether jobs exist, it is whether career pathways exist that lead to sustainable wages.
When I asked Lei how PBN can help address this imbalance she replied, “We can highlight sectors hungry for talent, elevate companies investing in real pathways and amplify leaders building careers that last. When data is paired with human stories, decisions shift and so does the capital and opportunity flow.”
Her answer was pragmatic. Media can spotlight sectors struggling to hire, highlight companies investing in workforce pipelines, and elevate leaders building real career trajectories. Data, when paired with human stories, moves decision-makers. It influences where capital flows and which workforce strategies gain traction.
If Hawaiʻi is serious about reducing out-migration and retaining Native Hawaiian talent, economic visibility must match economic intent. Employers, policymakers, and investors must see both the workforce need and the workforce potential.
Leadership in the media is not neutral. It determines which stories become strategies. “In media, choosing what to spotlight is an act of leadership,” Lei said. “The stories we weave often become the strategies Hawaiʻi can adopt to move forward.”
Under Lei Pedro’s leadership, Pacific Business News is helping ensure that Native Hawaiian commerce and workforce realities are not sidelined but centered and woven into Hawaiʻi’s economic conversation.
Questions or feedback? Please contact andrew@nativehawaiianchamberofcommerce.org.
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