PAGE 3 Put a ring on it Gemkell goes exclusive with luxury brand PAGE 3 C MBJ Front Top Banner_FHP.pdf 2 1/16/19 11:01 AM M Y CM Beep, beep! MY Vehicles, population rise on Guam CY Never too late? CMY Agencies lag with Volume 16 No. 21 www.mbjguam.com February 18, 2019 - March 3, 2019 K payments t INDEX To the victor the spoils BY JOHN I. BORJA PLAIN ENGLISH ................................................2 Federal contracts rolling out Journal staff JAPAN ........................................................................4 MARSHALL ISLANDS ....................................5 BY MAUREEN N. MARATITA such as an architectural and/or engi- At the turn of PALAU ...............................................................6, 13 the new year, gov- Journal staff neering firm, or set aside, for example EDITORIAL ............................................................8 for small businesses. ernment of Guam agencies accrued OPINION .................................................................8 According to Journal expert Major contract awards for Guam receivables of ap- COMMENTARY ...................................................9 are in the present cycle of requests for columnist Boris Hertslet, prime con- tracts on Guam have been averaging proximately $6.93 EDITORIAL CARTOONS...........................8, 9 interest and requests for proposals. million in power A number of these contracts are about $650 million annually, with at QUOTABLE ............................................................9 bills and $2.29 mil- multiple award construction con- least $150 million of that due to go LEGISLATIVE REVIEW ..............................11 to small businesses. However, given lion in water bills. tracts, awarded to more than one Many GovGuam BRIEFCASE .........................................................19 company or joint venture — with the rate at which solicitations are ap- pearing, Guam will likely pass those agencies typically FOCUS ............................................................20, 21 a base year and four option years, meet deadlines on Perez whether their source is Department of numbers this year. MILITARY ............................................................23 their power bills Defense fiscal year funds, or special Most recently a number of the DATABANK .........................................25, 26, 27 contracts have been pre-solicita- within a month of their billing date, funds such as the Japanese mamizu but some agencies are struggling with funding for the Guam buildup. tions to gauge interest — in line with contracting policy — though the paying for their water bills. Others are sole-sourced — de- The Guam Power Authority and signed for one specialist company SEE SPOILS ON PAGE 12 Guam Waterworks Authority each month disclose their financial re- Weekend at Bernie’s ports with the Guam Consolidated Commission on Utilities. The most re- PERMIT NO. 76 PERMIT NO. cent reports were discussed on Jan. 22. U.S. POSTAGE PAID POSTAGE U.S. USPS MARKETING MAIL USPS MARKETING BARRIGADA, GUAM 96921 GUAM BARRIGADA, According to GPA spokesman Artemio Perez, a majority of the GovGuam agencies are consistent in making a payment each month. Like any other power service customer, the agencies are able to keep an open line with GPA in order to make sure payments are met in a timely manner. Photo by Justin Green by Photo “All customers receive the same level of care and attention,” Perez said. “Each payment extension request is considered based on account con- LABEL ditions, past payment performance SUBSCRIBE Bernadette N. Valencia, vice president and general manger for Micronesia and Okinawa at Matson Navigation and other factors.” He added that if an Co. celebrates her award of the Guam Business Magazine 2018 Executive of the Year. The award was announced agency fails to make a payment with- at the EOY gala on Feb. 2 at the Hyatt Regency Guam. (Back row, from left) Meghan Hickey, business editor, Glimpses Media; Milton K. Morinaga, vice president, director and managing director of P.H.R. Ken Micronesia Inc.; in an agreed deadline, a late payment PUT YOUR NAME HERE — HERE NAME YOUR PUT Lee H. Vensel, country managing partner, Deliotte & Touche LLP, Guam and Micronesia; Richard W. Hart, owner, charge is applied. principal franchisee and president, Apple Pacific Restaurant Group; Monte D.M. Mesa, general manager, Guam Premier Outlets and Tumon Sands Plaza; Michael B. Makio, president and principal architect, Taniguchi Ruth GPA’s financial report showed Makio Architects; Gerard A. Cruz, president and CEO, Community First Guam Federal Credit Union, all 2018 EOY nominees; and (front row, from left) Maureen N. Maratita, publisher, Glimpses Media; Valencia; and Gov. Lourdes SEE LAG ON PAGE 12 A. Leon Guerrero. 2 February 18, 2019 - March 3, 2019 www.mbjguam.com Marianas Business Journal Jon Anderson, diacritical accents and all things in between I was very sad to hear of the question was, As Jon knew, pronunciation is a quired (you had to be there). passing of Jon Anderson. or took the challenge. But if you are a broad- Thanks also go to Shooting Star When I first arrived on Guam in trouble to caster these days you don’t have and Red Dragon Production, spon- the early 90s and was considering check. to understand the pronunciation sors Circle K and 76, Coca-Cola and how I would spend my time (and Jon under- symbols or the diacritical marks. Foremost Foods, Bank of Guam, earn a crust) somebody suggested stood those There are a number of online “talk- Hyatt Regency Guam, Island Girl, I go and meet Jon. mysterious ing” pronunciation guides that Philippine Airlines, The Guam I asked him whether my English symbols adja- will give the correct pronuncia- Daily Post, Titan Imports and accent would exclude me from a cent to words tion you seek — from American to of course to those of you who career in broadcasting, specifically in the dic- English pronunciation and varia- showed up and filled the ballroom radio, or whether with CNN’s grip- tionary (the PLAIN tions in between — whether Welsh to capacity. A special mention goes ping coverage during the Gulf War, pronunciation ENGLISH or Australian. All you have to do is to Kentos for welcoming us for the Guam listeners would be familiar key) diacritical click on the word or an icon. … After Party. … enough with the accent, since CNN marks (such Maureen N. Maratita had (and has) a number of British as the acute If you have to handle recog- Since I am naming names, reporters and anchors. and grave ac- nitions at an event, as I do for thumbs up goes to the Dusit Thani (He thought audiences would cents in French) and certainly used example at our galas, that doesn’t Guam Resort for producing the not only accept me, but that my them correctly in his many years as help you with the variety of names best scrambled eggs I have eaten accent would be my trademark.) … pronouncer at the annual regional in our island communities, but (outside of our home) possibly Spelling Bee. … it never hurts to ask people for ever on-island, but certainly in re- Life did not lead me to broad- help. Nobody has yet called me cent memory. It is difficult enough casting as a career path, but Jon It was while we were having an idiot because I checked how to to produce scrambled eggs just on was generous with his time, and I breakfast prior to one of those pronounce their name… the verge of runniness (as they learned a lot about Guam, media Spelling Bees (I was a frequent should be), but to do that for 200 and well, all things in between. … judge of the Spelling Bee at that Which brings me to this year’s people at a breakfast function is time) that he shared that he had Feb. 2 Guam Business Magazine admirable. … I will always remember Jon for been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Executive of the Year “EOY’s Got his mastery of pronunciation. disease. … Talent” themed gala. Thanks are due — Maureen N. Maratita is the publisher at He had either visited a coun- And later one time at lunch we to Emcee Cliff Guzman, Judges Patti Glimpses Media. Publications at Glimpses Media try in our region or elsewhere, discussed how Jon could deal with Arroyo, Phill Leon Guerrero and include the Marianas Business Journal, MBJ Life, knew how to pronounce a name, his failing voice, a tragic effect of a Karen Gayle. It takes a real judge to The Real Estate Journal, Guam Business Magazine, or a place, or whatever the word in disease that he dealt with head-on. … put on a plastic raincoat when re- Beach Road Magazine, Buenas and Drive Guam. 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Share your #experience with us @dusitthaniguamresort Marianas Business Journal www.mbjguam.com February 18, 2019 - March 3, 2019 3 Gemkell signs Number of vehicles on Guam rises with population exclusive deal with BY JOHN I. BORJA Kenzo Journal staff BY JOHN I. BORJA Guam’s growing population is Journal staff accompanied with an increasing number of vehicles that maneu- Luxury brand ver the island’s roads — a trend Kenzo is set to that can heighten the risk of traffic have its own accidents, according to data from space at The Plaza multiple local and federal agencies. Shopping Center Data from the Guam Department after Gemkell of Revenue and Taxation indicated Corp.