Biography

Sam Slom is a private consulting economist in Honolulu and president/owner of SMS Consult-ants (since 1982). He has been quoted in national publications: Forbes, The Economist, Money, USA Today, CNN, US News, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and Investor’s Business Daily. An SMS affiliate, Convention Speakers of Hawaii, provides professional speakers to Hawaii and Mainland forums. Sam has spoken in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Sam moved to Hawaii in 1960. He earned a B.A. in Economics & Government from the University of Hawaii Manoa (1963) and an LL.B. from LaSalle Law School (1966). He completed financial man-agement and business condition forecasting with the American Institute of Banking (AIB), and Free Market Economics from the Foundation for Eco-nomic Education (FEE).

Running for public office for the first time in 1996, Sam defeated a powerful 22-year incumbent and was elected as a Republican to the State Senate 8th District, Hawaii Kai, Niu, Aina Haina, Waialae to Diamond Head. He served as Minority Floor Leader and member of the Commerce & Consumer Protection, Economic Development, Education & Technology, Labor & Environment, and Transportation/Intergovernmental Affairs Committees, and member of the Joint Long Term Care Financing Committee and Joint Legislative Committee on Early Childhood Educa-tion and co-chair of the bipartisan Legislative Small Business Caucus.

Re-elected in 2000, he was chosen as Minority Leader. Sam was re-elected in 2002 serving on the Ways & Means, Labor, and Tourism Committees and was one of 12 Senate-House Felix Special Education Investigation Committee members. He was re-elected in 2006 and was a member of the following committees: Judiciary & Gov-ernment Affairs, Labor, Higher Education, Economic Development & Technology, Transportation & International Affairs, and Tourism. He served on the 2008 Hydrogen Contract Investigative Committee.

In 2010, Sam was re-elected and is now the only Republican in the 25-member Hawaii State Senate. He is Minority Leader and serves on all 14 committees.

Sam remains President of Smart Business Hawaii (SBH), Hawaii’s most effective business advocacy organization. SBH is a private, independ-ent, association of 1,000 firms. Sam is editor/publisher of Small Business News. He published Jonathan Gullible, an award-winning private mar-ket educational book translated into 40 languages worldwide; he also published Pritchett— A Collection of Hawaii Political Cartoons and Hawaii — We Have a Problem and, The Companies We Keep. He’s co-founder of the non-partisan, political action affiliate, Paychecks Hawaii and is president of the 501 (c)(3) SBH Entrepreneurial Education Foundation.

An entrepreneur from age seven, Sam was an economist with Hawaii’s largest financial institu-tion, Bank of Hawaii, for 14 years (1968 — 1982), prior to resuming his own business. He directed the Economics Division with overall responsibility for the Bank’s business reports, including: Monthly Review, Annual Economic Review, and Construction in Hawaii. A respected economist, Sam was a panel member of major economists for U.S. News & World Report.

Sam has broad financial, legislative, and tax experience. From 1965 — 68, he was Assistant Director of the private Tax Foundation of Hawaii, Inc. He is an outspoken taxpayers‟ advocate.

An educator, Sam taught business for the American Institute of Banking, Japan-America Institute of Management Science (JAIMS), Univer-sity of Hawaii, and from 1976 — 84, Hawaii’s larg-est private institution, Hawaii Pacific University, as Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Assistant Director of Travel Industry Mgmt.

With an extensive journalism/media back-ground, Sam is a past contributing columnist for the Honolulu Advertiser, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Pacific Business News, Island Business and MidWeek, and currently, HawaiiReporter. He M.C./produced KHVH radio’s “Viewpoint” talk series, KGMB-TV’s “Voices of Concern”, “Perspective”; editorialized on KHPR. He‟s a popular guest on TV /radio public affairs series. In 2010, he and partner Malia Zimmerman attempted to buy the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

Designated an “Outstanding Young Man of America”, and winner of numerous civic and patriotic awards, he’s an awardee of Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, including a George Washington Honor Medal for Economic Education, and was named a “Fellow of the Pacific,” by Hawaii Pacific University. He is active in many professional and civic associations. Past president of the Hawaii Economic Association, past secretary, Conservation Council of Hawaii, chair of the U.S. SBA’s Advisory Council, Governor’s and Mayor’s Small Business Advisory Councils, Advisor to Chaminade, KCC, and Hawaii Pacific University Business Councils. Member, University of Hawaii

Alumni Association, Hugh O‟Brian Youth Founda-tion, Junior Achievement—Hawaii, Winners„ Camp, IMUA Project for the Disabled Advisory Board and Hillsdale College (MI) Associate. Also Operation Homefront Director, Second Amend-ment Foundation and Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise. Sam was a charter organizer of “Re-Discover Hawaii Kai” and is a member of East Honolulu Business Club and a supporter of the Independence Day at Maunalua Bay Foundation.

Sam was chosen Hawai’i & Region IX “Small Business Advocate of the Year” by the U. S. Small Business Administration in 1991. The IMUA Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association in 1997 named him “Business Associate of the Year.” In 1998, he was awarded the “Free Enterprise Award” and 1999, the U.S. “Champion of the Merit Shop” from the Associated Builders & Contractors. In 1999 he was a “Guardian of Small Business,” of the NFIB. In 2003 he was named a “Natural Collaborative Leader,” awardee by the Media-tion Center of the Pacific, and the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii bestowed on him its first “George Washington Leadership” award.

A former private pilot, Sam enjoys sports, photography and theatre, coached AYSO soccer, and assisted Hawaii Kai Youth Baseball and Hawaii Kai Dolphins Football. Sam is a fa-ther of sons, Sam Mason and Stuart Matthew, (living on the Mainland), Sid Michael (Kaiser High grad and college student) and Spencer Madison, (St. Louis High School senior), “entrepreneurs-in-training,” and grandfather to Austin James Slom.

Senator Slom being interviewed by Ka Leo Reporter, Sam King.