Tan, Fitial land on ‘Power’ list

Honolulu-based Pacific Magazine has named Gov. Benigno R. Fitial one of 25 regional leaders “who are making a difference” in its May/June 2006 “Power” issue. He is the only politician from the CNMI who made it to the list.

Notably, the magazine’s “Power 10” list also names Tan Holdings Corp. chief executive officer Willie Tan alongside Australian PM John Howard, New Zealand PM Helen Clark, and Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian as among those “who have the real power” in the Asia-Pacific region.

Others in the CNMI who also made it to the “25 to Watch” list included businessman Robert Jones, president and CEO of Triple-J Group.

On Fitial

Pacific Magazine cited that the newly elected governor “has come to office at a time of enormous challenge.”

Amid the current economic difficulty, it said that Fitial began with “a number of hard decisions” like cutting the Commonwealth government’s annual budget by $15 million, civil service desk auditing to get rid of redundancies, and asking the federal government for a $140-million bailout.

The publication also cited Fitial’s use of his own money for his off-island trips to meet with investors and political leaders.

“This yielded results earlier this year when he convinced Northwest Airlines to start a second weekly service between Saipan and Narita,” said the magazine.

On Jones

Along with Fitial on the list is CNMI-based businessman Jones. For four decades, it said, the Jones family “has been synonymous with growth on Guam and in the Northern Marianas.”

“Today, Robert ‘Bob’ Jones heads a commercial empire that is centered in Micronesia but reaches from Shanghai, China to Oakland, California, and has the potential to go even deeper into the Pacific,” said Pacific Magazine.

The Jones family, which started on Guam, is engaged in the restaurant business, auto sales, distribution, construction, and consulting.

It said that Triple J is growing quickly as a retailer, auto dealer and distributor in the Marshall Islands, a retail consultant to Palau’s NECO Plaza Corp., and is eyeing opportunities in Chuuk and Pohnpei.

This is in addition to Jones’ freight-forwarding and consolidation operation in California and Shanghai.

In Guam, the family just opened a $13-million auto dealership, said the magazine.

Power 10

On the cover of Pacific Magazine’s latest issue are the Pacific region’s Power 10, a group of the most powerful people on this side of the globe.

The circle of 10 includes Willie Tan, 50, chief executive officer of Tan Holdings Corp., a parent company of 14 different companies, including the Saipan Tribune, “that are active in Micronesia and beyond.”

“When people talk about the Asia-Pacific region, the focus is usually either Asia or the Pacific. When Willie Tan talks about the Asia-Pacific region, he is talking about Asia and the Pacific,” said the magazine.

It said that in the most recent fiscal year, the corporation had a turnover of continuing operations of more than $300 million.

Further, the magazine cited the corporation’s tie to Luen Thai Holdings, a Hong Kong-based holding company focused on apparel manufacturing and supply chain business, with 12 manufacturing facilities and 14 offices in nine countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Luen Thai, which went public in 2004, is headed by Tan’s father, Dr. Tan Siu Lin, the publication said.

“In Micronesia, Tan Holdings is making a huge play into tourism with the acquisition over the past few years of three hotels on Saipan, and one on Guam,” it said, referring to Saipan’s Fiesta Resort & Spa, The Grand Hotel, Century Hotel, and Fiesta Resort Guam.

Other Tan Holdings’ operations are a regional freight airline, a marine shipping company, insurance company, regional distribution firm, regional fishing company, and a 10-screen movie theater complex in Guam.

“Willie Tan’s base is so broad, and his reach into the central Pacific via his fishing company and air freight carrier is so deep, that he has the ability to easily expand further,” said the magazine.

Tan shares the Power 10 top ranking list with a president and three prime ministers: Australia’s John Howard, New Zealand’s Helen Clark, Papua New Guinea’s Sir Michael Somare, and Taiwan president Shui-bian Chen.

Other “power” individuals are Maire Bopp Dupont, chief executive officer, Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation; Greg Urwin, Pacific Islands Forum secretary-general; Petter Botten, Oil Search Limited managing director; Hari Punja, Hari Punja and Sons chairman; and John Campbell, Air Pacific managing director and chief executive officer.

’25 to Watch’

Others who are on the magazine’s “25 to watch” regional leaders are: Guam Attorney and business executive Eduardo A. Calvo; Honolulu-based Bank of Hawaii vice president Ron Leach; Nauru’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade, Finance, and Economic Planning David Adeang; Federated States of Micronesia senator Peter Christian; Marshall Islands leading consultant Ben Graham; American Samoa’s president and CEO of The Haleck Group Avamua Dave Haleck, Papua New Guinea’s Environmental Law Center CEO Annie Kajir, Palau’s educator, anthropologist and community leader Kathy Kesolei; FSM’s executive director for Micronesian Conservation Trust Willie Kostka; New Zealand’s Music Executive/entrepreneur Danny Leasavaii; Fiji vice president Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi; American Samoa publisher and editor Savea Sano Malifa; Rongelap Atoll, Marshall Islands mayor James Matayoshi; Samoan-descent Pittsburgh Steelers player Troy Polamalu; Australia’s Pacific Legal Network managing partner John Ridgway; New Caledonia/Solomon Islands’ Secretariat of the Pacific Community Secretary General Dr. Jimmie Rodgers; Tonga prime minister Dr. Feleti Sevele; American Samoa business executive Gerhard Sword; Australia/French Polynesia author Celestine Hitiura Vaite; Pacific Holdings Trust managing partner David Lowell Wickline; and Australia/FSM’s Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission executive director Andrew Wright.

‘Who has the real power?’

Pacific Magazine publisher Floyd Takeuchi said this year’s Power 10 ranking shows a clear trend: business executives focusing on Asia as well as more traditional Australia, New Zealand and U.S. markets and political leaders who play an active role in strengthening the region’s role on the international stage.

While there is little surprise that Howard and Clark would make it to the list, their selection for the second time shows that both countries “remain the dominant diplomatic and financial powers in our region.”

Pacific Magazine came up with its “Power 10” and “25 Leaders to Watch” listings last year.

Gone from the Power 10 inaugural list are Samoans Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, Kolone Vaai and Alan Grey, Papua New Guinea’s Sir John Kaputin and Fiji businesswoman Gaeten Austin.

This was due to a number of reasons: They are either focused on their own projects, are transitioning and have yet to demonstrate real influence, or their business performance, although great, is met by competition.

On the “25 Leaders to Watch,” this year’s list introduced a few names. They consist of politicians, business executives, environmentalists, writers, and athletes.

“As with last year, we believe this list is a good reminder of people starting to exert regional influence and we fully expect some of them to figure on our ‘Power 10’ in years to come,” said Takeuchi.

The feature article was written by Takeuchi himself, editor-in-chief Samantha Magick, and Pacific correspondents.

Takeuchi, who was on Saipan last weekend, said nominations for both listings were made by his correspondents from across the Pacific. In the CNMI, Pacific Magazine gets reports from veteran media man Frank Rosario.