The business partnership is ‘an example of what a business night is meant to be’

When Mark Tawara, BBA ’91, I met a marketing student Tiffany Tabal, BBA ’08, at Business Night in 2008, both universities Hawaii It could have been predicted that this would be the beginning of a business relationship where the graduates of the Manoa Shidler College of Business would work together several years later as co-owners of a successful marketing, management and technology business.

Tawara has always volunteered his time as a mentor at Business Night, choosing the marketing and management option, Shidler College’s signature student event that pairs experts in the field with current students to provide an educational and fun night of learning as they learn what’s in store for their future career paths. It was at this event that he met Tabal and was instantly “impressed with her communication skills, her composure and her personality.”

“She made a great impression, and I know she will be very successful in the market after she graduates,” Tawara said.

An internship at CommPac, Tabal reached out to Tawara and asked if there were any marketing opportunities while serving as marketing director at Belt Collins Hawaii. Tawara hired Tabal as a marketing intern and offered her a full-time position with the company as a marketing/information resources assistant upon her graduation that same year.

In the year When the company had to downsize due to the global recession in 2009, Tawara tapped into a professional network that helped her land a position as business development coordinator at Bowers + Kubota Consulting, where she would spend the next nine years.

“It was an amazing opportunity to meet Mark when I was a student before I graduated,” Tabal said. “Making that connection helped me get to where I am today.”

Over the years, the couple has kept in touch and served together on boards and committees for various professional organizations. After spending nearly a decade at Bowers + Kubota Consulting, Tabal was looking for a change, and to provide stability, Tawara was looking to hire his first full-time employee at Manageability. LLCIn the year A marketing, management and technology consulting firm started in 2015, Tabal joined Tawara as Marketing/Administration Manager in 2019 and immediately became an invaluable and integral part of the business.

Fast forward to 2021 and Tawara (which also owns Bright Light Digital—a successful digital signage, audio-visual and technology solutions company) has decided it needs a co-owner for management. He didn’t hesitate to ask Tabal to fill those shoes and lead the company alongside him. Tabal became the managing principal and co-owner LLCA woman-owned, low-risk body.

“I am so proud to see Tiffany’s growth from student, to employee, to business owner,” Tawara said. “Our relationship is the epitome of what a business night is meant to be – strengthening relationships between students and local business professionals.”

Check out the Spring/Summer 2022 issue of Shidler Business Magazine for more stories.

Visit UH News To see the 2022 return of Business Night in person.