[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 93 (Tuesday, July 14, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8151-S8152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION'S YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR 
                              OF THE YEAR

 Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize a very 
special Hawaii business person. Charles Wesley Fortner is the recipient 
of the 1998 U.S. Small Business Administration's Young Entrepreneur of 
the Year Award. Mr. Fortner, 28 years of age, is a resident of 
Mililani, Hawaii, and the founder and president of the Honolulu-based 
telecommunications firm, Island Page, Inc.
  In 1994, Mr. Fortner had the courage to move to Hawaii to open the 
business by himself. With two partners who gave him the paging rights 
to the Hawaiian Islands, Mr. Fortner established the business location 
and field tested

[[Page S8152]]

the equipment that carries the paging signals by driving and walking 
all over the island.
  In less than four years, Island Page has grown from a one-man 
operation to a company with a trained staff of 18 employees. Mr. 
Fortner's motivational ability and management style encourage his 
employees to operate the business with a strong customer service 
attitude. Those who know Mr. Fortner consider him the model of the new 
business mentor for the next century.
  Island Page sales totaled $280,000 in 1995 and increased 370 percent 
in 1996 to pass the $1 million mark. Sales for 1997 were expected to 
increase another 50 percent. The company achieved a profit of 12 
percent in 1996 and anticipated a 25 percent return in 1997.
  Mr. Fortner is the man behind Island Page's popular ``Captain Beep 
Beep'' radio campaign. His creative abilities have also played a major 
role in establishing the technical requirements of the company. He 
brought with him to Hawaii a new line of equipment that allowed him to 
operate the business at a lower cost than his competitors. The company 
started in one location on Oahu, moved into the Dillingham community in 
the second year and opened a third location in Hawaii Kai in 1997. 
Mainland travelers can use the Island Page network and local 
subscribers can travel anywhere in the country and receive a page from 
Hawaii.
  I am pleased that Charles Wesley Fortner has been named SBA's 1998 
Young Entrepreneur of the Year. I believe that he embodies the best 
Hawaii has to offer.

                          ____________________