Two to be honored with Lifetime Achievement awards

MAITE, Guam—First Hawaiian Bank and Guam Business magazine will present Lifetime Achievement awards to two recipients on April 28 at the 2018 Businesswoman of the Year gala at the Hyatt Regency Guam.

This year, the Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to Kathleen Cheng-Chi Meng Hsiao and Margaret A. Jones.

The award recognizes businesswomen in the region who have been pioneers in their fields, have worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life in their island community and who serve as role models for businesswomen today.

Hsiao is co-owner and personnel manager of Alpha Insurers and owner of Cheers Travel Inc. and Grand Harvest Inc. and has been in business for 40 years. She graduated with a 1964 bachelor’s in English language and literature at the National Taiwan University, followed by a master’s in academic librarianship from the University of Washington in Seattle, Wash. She came to Guam 47 years ago in 1971 as a young wife and mother, working at the University of Guam, where she became the chairperson of the reference department of the Robert F. Kennedy Library. Her entrepreneurial spirit soon saw her working at Alpha Insurers from 1978 alongside her husband, Joseph. Hsiao also followed her instincts in variously launching the Professional Books store and Double Rainbow Ice Cream and Coffee.

Community organizations that Hsiao has been instrumental in establishing include the Guam Business and Professional Women’s Club, the United Chinese Association and the Chinese School. She is a past president of the Chinese Ladies Association. Hsiao has supported various organizations throughout her years on Guam.

Jones is treasurer of Triple J Enterprises Inc., a group role she has held since 1984. After coming to Guam 57 years ago from Raleigh, N.C., Jones began her formal working life in Guam in 1968 at the Marianas Travel Agency—the first travel agency in Guam. She would also work with Eileen Kershaw, a Guam fine jewelry and gift shop from 1973, particularly involved with its inventory and buying, before joining Pan American Airlines in 1975 as a special sales representative, where she would stay until 1991, when it was sold.

Jones served as a charter member in 1965 of the Guam Memorial Hospital Volunteers Association—or the Pink Ladies as they are known. She is also a past president of the organization that has donated millions of dollars in equipment and other necessities for the hospital. Outside of Triple J’s community support, other organizations that Jones has personally supported through the years include the Guam Women’s Club, the Miss Guam Universe Pageant, St. John’s School as a member of the board and Harvest Baptist Church.

Proceeds from the gala will fund scholarships for students pursuing business and related degrees at the University of Guam, Guam Community College, and Northern Marianas College. (PR)