From July 22 to 27, I was in New orleans, Louisiana where I attended the annual National Conference of State Legislatures. I attended meetings, caucuses, and met with other politicians and leaders from the business and non-profit sectors. On the the first night there, I attended an organized dinner with the Hawaii delegation. In the middle of the dinner, a government relations businessperson took me over to another dinner hosted by the National Capital Coalition for Capital to stop by, which I did not RSVP for. I said “hello” to a young successful businessman I had become friends with over the years and a number of other businessmen and some politicians from other states. They surprised me with an award, the “2008 Champion of Small Business” from the National Coalition for Capital. I received the award and made a small speech.
