Micronesian Counselor, Issue 61

Hezel, Francis X. (2006-05-12). Micronesian Counselor, Issue 61. Micronesian Counselor (Report). Kolonia, Pohnpei: Micronesian Seminar. pp. 1–10.

• Has attachment: File:6SRBWRHA.pdf

Abstract: The lead article, Who Will Own Business in Majuro? The Fall of the House of Reimers, by Francis X. Hezel, S.J., recounts the decline of Robert Reimers Enterprises (RRE), long the most prominent locally owned business in the Marshall Islands. It describes the rise of the Reimers supermarket in downtown Majuro as a landmark of Micronesian enterprise and its eventual closure under pressure from Asian competitors, before being sold and reopened under new ownership.

Additional discussion reflects on the broader decline of locally owned firms in the Marshalls, citing competition from foreign businesses and the inability of family enterprises to adapt to changing markets. Comparisons are made to business struggles in Pohnpei and Chuuk, where foreign-owned outlets dominate retail, and references are included to debates in Yap and Kosrae about protecting island ownership. The issue raises questions about the future of indigenous business in the face of global competition.