By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

THE Guam Chamber of Commerce honored over the weekend two of the island’s business pioneers.
Inducted into the Chamber’s Guam Business Hall of Fame were Atkins Kroll and former Governor Paul M. Calvo, president and chairman of the board of Calvo Enterprises Inc.
Paul Calvo and his brothers took the helm of the Calvo businesses in 1963 after the passing of their father, Jake Calvo.
In 1975, Calvo Enterprises Inc. was established as the parent company for the Calvo family business. From 1979 to 1982, Paul Calvo served as governor of Guam and was a three-term senator in the Guam Legislature prior to his gubernatorial term of office.
Upon his departure from public office in 1983, Calvo led a major restructuring effort for Calvo Enterprises Inc. Marginally performing companies and assets were liquidated and operations streamlined.
This reorganization set the foundation for explosive growth for the company in the succeeding years. As president of Pay-Less Markets Inc., Calvo was responsible for a total reinvestment of approximately $3.5 million in remodels and new equipment for five Pay-Less stores in the last three years.
To accommodate the growth of the company, a new corporate office was opened in 2004 and a new state-of-the-art warehouse facility was built in 2005.
Today, Paul Calvo continues to direct Calvo Enterprises Inc. in strategic alignment efforts in preparation for opportunities in the upcoming years.
Atkins Kroll, on the other hand, was first established by G. David Atkins and Clifton Kroll in San Francisco in 1906 to facilitate trade between the United States and Australia.
In 1914, at the invitation of appointed Guam Governor Captain W.B. Maxwell, USN, through the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, the founders established Atkins Kroll (Guam) Ltd. to coordinate the copra trade in the Pacific islands.
Atkins Kroll Inc. is the oldest corporation on Guam growing alongside Guam’s economy since its establishment over 90 years ago.
Its tremendous contribution to the people of Guam has been through automotive services, sales of consumer products, insurance and shipping services, employment opportunities for hundreds of residents, and major civic contributions to numerous non-profit organizations year after year.
Atkins Kroll’s contributions to the community include donations to the American Red Cross Guam Chapter for typhoon relief aid, the annual Relay for Life for cancer victims, the annual Guam Liberation Day Parade, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Guam’s Baseball Leagues, Junior Achievement, Boy Scouts of America and Special Olympics.
Atkins Kroll is a founding member of the Guam Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Guam.
During the Chamber’s 83rd anniversary celebration last Saturday, the group also recognized Chamber member companies celebrating more than 20 years of doing business in Guam.
Special awards were presented to 28 member companies celebrating 20 to 60 years of serving the Guam community.
“For the past 15 years, the Guam Chamber of Commerce has, through the Guam Business Hall of Fame, paid tribute to outstanding business leaders who have contributed positively to our island’s economic growth. We thank the community of Guam for the continued support of the Guam Business Hall of Fame. It is our hope that all of Guam’s outstanding business role models and visionaries will be given the honor and recognition they truly deserve,” Chamber president Eloise R. Baza said.