About
Business Beyond the Reef explores the world of international business from the viewpoint of a practitioner in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Steve Craven is the primary author, and owner of a consulting firm called Kekepana International Services, that he founded after a career in Washington, Honolulu, Taipei, Bonn, Singapore, Vienna, Bratislava and Denver. Business Beyond the Reef was also the name of a radio talk show about international business that Steve co-created for Hawaii Public Radio. Like the radio show, the blog can be about any facet of business, sometimes from Hawaii’s viewpoint, sometimes global. There may be tips on business opportunities, or discussions of trade policy. There might even be posts about Steve’s outrigger canoe racing team – that, too, is Business Beyond the Reef.
Steve knows a bit about international business. He spent 31 years with the U.S. Department of Commerce as a trade negotiator and as a commercial officer assigned to American embassies to help sell U.S. products overseas. He was one of the U.S. negotiators of the Tokyo Round trade agreements, which explains some of his more wonkish interests. Overseas assignments as an American diplomat were in Taiwan, Germany, Singapore, Austria and Slovakia. Negotiations took him often to Geneva, as well as to Brussels, Jakarta, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Kuala Lumpur and Bogota. You get around in this business.
In 2004, Steve set up his own consulting firm, Kekepana International Services, that continues to advise companies on their international operations and how to grow them. Steve currently chairs the Hawaii Pacific Export Council, and serves on the boards of Common Heritage Corporation (developing deep ocean water technologies) and PlanSea.org, a non-profit promoting educational videos about the oceans.
You can find out more about Steve Craven and his company at kekepana.com.
