Kekepana International Services

Who is Kekepana?

Kekepana International Services puts together teams of consultants and experienced businesspeople most anywhere in the world to satisfy the needs of the client.  You can find out more about Steve Craven, our Honolulu-based owner and team leader, here.

Paul Walters brings deep expertise in Asian markets.  Take a look at Paul's background here.

Kekepana is Hawaiian for “Stephen.”  Kekepana’s founder lives in Hawaii, so it seemed a good idea at the time.  It is indicative of the cross-cultural nature of modern business and of Kekepana’s multicultural abilities.  That may sound like “soft” stuff, but business isn’t always about the numbers.  Not if you are in it for the long haul.

Kekepana is pronounced “kay-kay-pah-nah.”

How does Kekepana work?

That depends on your needs and preferences.  Much can be done electronically.  That’s a good thing for a company based in Hawaii.  Hawaii is a wonderful halfway house between the Americas and Asia, but that also means it is equally far from everything.  That said, Kekepana goes where it is needed and adjusts to the client’s needs and wants.  Of course, if you really want to meet on a delightful island in the middle of the Pacific, that can be arranged.

Billing can be by the hour, day, week or month – or can be done on a project basis.  Retainers are possible.

What is our philosophy?

There is always a market somewhere, but sometimes we have to work to find it.  Snowplows have been sold in the desert (that’s not apocryphal), and American-made rubber mats have been sold in South East Asia -- the home of natural rubber (and Kekepana helped pull it off).

International business is not for everybody.  Just about everybody can do it, but it does not make sense for all firms.  If you are satisfied with the business you have now, don’t torture yourself by creating more if you don’t need it.  That last part is important: you may need to go international to grow your company or to defend yourself against competitors coming into your market.  If that isn’t the case, why hire more people or put on another shift if you are satisfied with what you’ve got?  That said, if you want to grow your company and grow your markets, Kekepana can probably help. Remember, if you are in the United States, 95% of the world's customers aren't here.