Hawaii Business Magazine March 2024 by aio Hawaiʻi

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Jay Ana, President, Young Brothers

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MAUI RELIEF RESPONSE A CASE STUDY IN PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

s the sun rose on August 9th, our islands awoke to the devastation of the Maui wildfires. Within a matter of hours, one hundred people died in the flames, and over 22,000 structures were burned to ash. Over ten thousand people lost their homes, their belongings, and everything they knew as life – just hours before. The most destructive wildfire in US history struck our ohana, our neighbors, our friends. Throughout the night before, industry leaders and agencies exchanged aerial pictures and communications from Lahaina and Upcountry Maui. All information warned of destruction and the devastation to prepare for, but only daybreak would reveal the full impact of wildfires driven by 80-mile-an-hour winds. While government agencies raced into action, Hawaii Foodservice Alliance LLC began to assemble the largest private industry response to a natural disaster in the history of Hawaii. During his time as Lieutenant Governor, then Lieutenant Governor Green collaborated with Chad Buck, a friend and owner of Hawaii Foodservice Alliance, to begin building the framework for how government agencies could partner with private industry in responding to natural disasters. Together, they promoted pre-positioning of food supplies in disaster prone communities with the state’s first Pre-Covery pod placed in Waianae. The pandemic further honed their approach as HFA executed the state’s first mass feeding at the shuttered Ala Moana Shopping Center, and private industry players joined hands with government and NGOs to address community needs. Within the first months of Green’s term as governor, Governor Green participated in KITV’s Kuleana documentary titled “Preparing for Disaster in the Age of Climate Change & Sea Rise.” The documentary outlines how private industry would provide their equipment, aid, and expertise to work alongside government efforts to bring food, water, and aid to the commu-

nities impacted by natural disaster. Seven weeks to-the-day after the premiere of the documentary, disaster struck Maui. HFA’s statewide presence and existing involvement with government agencies made HFA the only company capable of leading the way to bring food, water, and aid to the thousands of our loved ones who escaped the fires but had no home to return to. Within hours, HFA Maui trucks, filled with aid, entered Lahaina while Lahaina was still aflame. To date, HFA’s statewide and west coast operations gifted the following for those impacted by the Maui wildfires: • Over 1350 transportation moves via ocean, air, and land from west coast to Hawaii and inter-island. • Hundreds of thousands of dollars of food, water, and ice purchased by HFA and delivered/donated to food hubs in all areas impacted across Maui. • Tens of millions of pounds of food, water, and aid secured and transported from donors across all islands, the continental U.S., and international groups. • Thousands of hours of warehouse, distribution, procurement, engineering, sanitation, and administrative work. • Forklifts, material handling equipment, fuel, building materials and other supplies to stand up the major Maui distribution hubs.

CHAD BUCK CEO & Founder of Hawaii Foodservice Alliance LLC

In addition, Matson, Pasha, and Young Brothers donated hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of ocean freight to move food and aid from the west coast and inter-island to the port of Kahului. Center for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA), headed by Kuhio Lewis, stood up the desperately needed Kakaako consolidation site on Oahu and the main central distribution site on Maui. Over the course of events, countless individuals and communities came together from across our islands and around the world to support the thousands on Maui suffering unimaginable loss and heartbreak – all bearing witness that there are three things that endure – faith, hope, and love; and the power of kakou in our communities and in our businesses, demonstrating that the greatest of these is love. All of the above goods and services were gifted with aloha, a deep sense of kuleana, and the belief that it will take all of us doing whatever we are capable of, to adequately care for our loved ones in need.

for Hawai‘i CC

for Honolulu CC

for Kapi‘olani CC

for Kaua‘i CC

The campaign for the University of Hawai‘i

for UH Mānoa

IS THE CAMPAIGN FOR HAWAI‘I

The UH Foundation has launched a $1 billion comprehensive campaign – the largest fundraising effort in Hawai‘i history – to fund the university’s highest priorities, which have been carefully vetted to realize our community’s needs. For education, enrichment and enlightenment. For economic vitality and cultural preservation. For our children, our elders, our friends and our neighbors.

The campaign for Hawai‘i’s university is for us. For UH. For Hawai‘i.

for Leeward CC

for UH Maui College

for Windward CC

for UH Hilo

Learn more at UHFoundation.org/4UH4HI

for UH West O‘ahu

We are proud to honor Sharilyn Tanaka from Atlas Insurance Agency and all of this year’s 20 for the Next 20 Awardees. Tradewind Group is a local company with a legacy of commitment to Hawai‘i based on a core belief that our success is dependent on the growth and well-being of our community.

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CHARTING A BRIGHT COURSE FOR HAWAI‘I’S FUTURE

HO‘OMAIKA‘I TO YOUNG BROTHERS PRESIDENT, JAY ANA! Mahalo for your exemplary leadership and unwavering dedication to moving what matters most for Hawai‘i. Jay remains an anchor of strength as Young Brothers carries on its 124-year legacy of serving our island communities. As we look ahead to the next 20 years, Jay serves as an inspiration for all of us to build a brighter Hawai‘i for generations to come.

Stay Connected with Young Brothers www.youngbrothershawaii.com Connecting Our Island Communities

03.24

CONTENTS

10 Filipino Voices Describe Their Lives in Hawai‘i The personal stories illuminate the triumphs and challenges of the second largest ethnic group in the state.

Larry Ordonez broadcasting his weekly “Filipino Radio” program live from his home studio in Mililani.

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HAWAI‘I’S PEOPLE TO WATCH FOR 2O24

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Diamond Bakery Won’t Change Its Classics But Adds New Ones You know its soda crackers, cream crackers and saloon pilots. But have you tried the ube, liliko‘i and Kona coffee shortbread cookies? 73

Leon No‘eau Peralto, Executive Director, huiMAU

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2024’s 20 for the Next 20 – People to Watch in Hawai‘i This year’s cohort includes accomplished professionals from banking, nonprofits, law, food, health care and other fields. 18

Hawaii Entrepreneur Awards: Profiling 27 Winners & Finalists They include founders, innovators, facilitators, visionaries and creative forces. You may read about them here for the first time; it probably won’t be the last. 59

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He’s Sharpened Hawai‘i Saws, Scissors and Knives since 1988 Dexter Freitas creates cutting edges for people statewide from his store and workshop in Kalihi called Keen Kutter Saw and Knife Sharpening Service. 12

Hilo Medical Center Innovates to Recruit Health Care Workers Its residency programs are crucial to bringing in doctors and nurses and persuading them to stay, says CEO Dan Brinkman. 14

H AWAI I B U S I N E S S

Meet the Team that Creates the Magazine in Print & Online It’s been a while since we profiled our staff and we’ve gone through changes. Find out who we are, what we’ve done and what we’re doing now. 8

2O 2O FOR THE NEXT

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HAWAII BUSINESS (ISSN 0440-5056) IS PUBLISHED 10 TIMES A YEAR BY PACIFICBASIN COMMUNICATIONS. ©2024 PACIFICBASIN COMMUNICATIONS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ANY UNAUTHORIZED COPYING, DISTRIBUTION, OR ADAPTATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED AND WILL RESULT IN LIABILITY OF UP TO $100,000. EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING AND BUSINESS OFFICES AT 1088 BISHOP STREET, SUITE LL2, HONOLULU, HI 96813. TELEPHONE (808) 534-7520. POSTMASTER: SEND ALL ADDRESS CHANGES TO HAWAII BUSINESS, P.O. BOX 913, HONOLULU, HI 96808. SUBSCRIBERS NOTIFY THE SAME OFFICE. PLEASE INCLUDE NEW ADDRESS AND OLD ADDRESS (MAILING LABEL PREFERRED) PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I, AND AT ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. SUBSCRIPTION: ONE YEAR $24.99 / TWO YEARS $34.99 / THREE YEARS $44.99. FOREIGN: ONE YEAR $53.99 (US FUNDS). FOR SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES, ADDITIONAL RATES, INFORMATION, NOTIFICATION OF CHANGE OF ADDRESS AND SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE, PLEASE CALL (800) 788-4230. MARCH 2024 VOL. 69/NO.8

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PHOTO: AARON YOSHINO

Photos by Aaron Yoshino

Congratulations Ryan! Hawaii Business Magazine’s 20 FOR THE NEXT 20 HONOREE

Ryan Ashlock President

We’re proud to celebrate Ryan Ashlock who has boldly embraced challenges, inspired others, and demonstrated exceptional leadership. We look forward to witnessing your continued growth and success. Congratulations on your well-deserved recognition!

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It All Comes Down to Great Team Members We are going through personnel changes, so let me reintroduce our staff BY STEV E PETRA NIK

AWAII

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tor until I added publisher duties last year. I arrived in Hawai‘i to stay in 1986 and spent 18 years at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and five at The Honolulu Advertiser. My 15th anniversary as editor of Hawaii Business was Jan. 20, 2024 – an easy date for me to remember because my last duty at The Advertiser was overseeing coverage of President Barack Obama’s first inauguration.

uct wholesale, print, digital media and radio sales experience, and is a graduate of Kaiser High School and UH Mānoa’s Shidler College of Business. He enjoys being part of community organizations, watching his kids play sports and spending time with his family. Pam Saito is our other account executive. Like Yong, she works in the sales department and helps our clients with their business needs and goals through our print and digital products and events. Pam’s experience includes working at the Star-Advertiser as a senior account executive and at Coca-Cola as a key account manager. She was born in Hawai‘i, grew up in Kāne‘ohe and now lives with her husband in ‘Aiea. They have two grown children. “What I enjoy about working for Hawaii Business Magazine are the people and clients I work with,” she says. “Everyone is great at what they do.” Rebecca Brooking has been our senior account coordinator since January 2023, coordinating advertising campaigns and special projects among account executives and business clients. She moved to Hawai‘i in 2016 and lived first in Lahaina before landing in Honolulu after the pandemic. “I am thankful to be here among friends in a place I love,” she says.

OUR SALES TEAM

THE EDITORIAL TEAM

One new team member is YongChae “Yong” Song, an account executive who joined Hawaii Business in December. He has 23 years of promotion, prod-

Managing Editor Cynthia Wessendorf joined us in late 2020, at the height of the pandemic; among her other duties, she produces Hawaii Business’

BUSINESS

was founded in July 1955, which means we will celebrate our 70th anniversary next year. The founders, Ethel and Joe Murphy, had an exceptionally long tenure running the magazine – Ethel remained publisher into the 1990s – but change happens to us all and even she eventually stepped down. Change continues to happen at Hawaii Business, including a lot recently. We are sad to say goodbye to beloved colleagues who are making new career moves but it’s fun to welcome fresh team members with bright ideas and energy. You may remember that Publisher Cheryl Oncea said aloha in this column when she retired at the end of 2022 and that I stepped in as interim publisher at the start of 2023. Well, the role of publisher requires a rare combination of skills and experience, so we eventually decided that the job requires two people. I became executive publisher and Associate Publisher Kent Coules stepped in as co-publisher. We work well together and our different experiences provide a yin and yang for the magazine. Kent joined us in August 2021, bringing 30-plus years of experience in print and digital media, and 16 years in event production, which has proven essential as we add events to our calendar. He and his family have been Hawai‘i residents since 2013. I’ve been in the news business since college – all of it as a reporter and edi-

Steve Petranik, Editor and Executive Publisher

Kent Coules, Co-Publisher

YongChae Song, Account Executive

Pam Saito, Account Executive

F R O M

Top 250, Most Charitable Companies, Black Book and other major projects, and writes feature stories, often with a focus on climate change and education. Her award-winning November 2022 report on the risks of wildfires in Hawai‘i was published nine months before the deadly Lahaina fire. “Long-form stories take you deep into issues facing the state and efforts to improve life here. I love talking with people in Hawai‘i for these articles and learning about their important work,” she says. Staff writer Noelle Fujii-Oride has written about affordable housing, tourism, working families, education and much more. She also leads the editorial department’s audience engagement efforts. Before joining Hawaii Business as a staff writer in 2017, she held internships at the magazine, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Honolulu Civil Beat. She now lives on Kaua‘i. Staff Writer Chavonnie Ramos has been with us full-time since September 2021 after serving two internships with us. Both Chavonnie and Noelle are UH Mānoa journalism graduates, and each served as editor in chief of Ka Leo, the university’s student newspaper. In addition to writing stories, Chavonnie creates videos for our website and social media. She was born and raised in Waipahu and graduated from Waipahu High School. “In my free time you can find

“WE ARE SAD TO SAY GOODBYE TO BELOVED COLLEAGUES WHO ARE MAKING NEW CAREER MOVES BUT IT’S FUN TO WELCOME FRESH TEAM MEMBERS.”

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Rebecca Brooking, Senior Account Coordinator

Cynthia Wessendorf, Managing Editor

Noelle Fujii-Oride, Staff Writer & Engagement Editor

Chavonnie Ramos, Staff Writer

Mallory AdamsNakamura, Art Director

Michelle Tan, Magdalena Hershey, Digital Media Specialist Events Manager

Olivia De Sena, Events Coordinator

me exploring new hiking or food spots around O‘ahu. I’m a transit enthusiast, so you will probably see me riding or posting about TheBus or Skyline rail frequently,” she says. DESIGN, DIGITAL AND EVENTS

Art director Mallory Adams-Nakamura is a Mililani resident and received her degree in graphic design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. After moving back to Hawai‘i in 2018, she worked at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and at MidWeek. She says she’s excited to be a part of the Hawaii Business ‘ohana, where she maintains the magazine’s design standards and works collaboratively with the whole team. Digital media specialist Michelle Tan was born and raised in Honolulu and recently graduated from the Shidler College of Business with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, management, and international business. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and hiking. Magdalena Hershey, who coordinates and orchestrates our conferences and events, has been our events manager since November 2022. She was born in Poland and spent the past eight

years living in New Jersey, New York and Hawai‘i. In her free time, she has made exploring local culture, hikes and beaches a cherished part of her life. Our newest colleague is events coordinator Olivia De Sena, who grew up in Mystic, Connecticut. She’s lived in Hawai‘i for over six years and before joining the magazine, she was the retail manager for Mana Up, where she gained experience in leadership, business development and events. In her free time, you can find her at the Queen’s surf break, watching films or trying new restaurants. The saddest part of our job is saying aloha to longtime colleagues who move on to jobs elsewhere. As I write this, we are preparing for the departure of Creative Director Kelsey Ige, who has been with Hawaii Business for seven years, and Digital Marketing Director Joelle Cabasa, who joined us six years ago. They will be greatly missed, but we are grateful for what they’ve contributed to the magazine and how it served our readers, our clients and the local business community. It’s a legacy of service we can trace to our founders 69 years ago. We’d like to continue that service for at least another 69 years. H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

HB EVENTS CONNECT WITH HAWAII BUSINESS MAGAZINE

L O C A L LY OW N E D , L O C A L LY C O M M I T T E D SINCE 1955.

Our goal is to strengthen the local economy and help our communities thrive.

Editor & Executive Publisher STEVE PETRANIK stevep@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 534-7584 Editorial Managing Editor CYNTHIA WESSENDORF cynthiaw@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 224-7943 Staff Writer & Engagement Editor NOELLE FUJII-ORIDE

FR I DAY, APR I L 5 , 2024 Hilton Hawaiian Village HAWAII BUSINESS MAGAZINE WILL HONOR 2024’s Best Places to Work in

Hawai‘i winners on Friday, April 5, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Wondering what it takes to be a Best Place to Work? Our April issue will feature profiles of the winning companies and nonprofits and outline the strategies and tools they use to create better workplaces. The Best Places to Work celebration is by invitation only. Watch for the opportunity to register for the 2025 Best Places to Work for your chance to make the list and be invited to next year’s celebration!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2024

TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 2024

FRIDAY, JULY 19, 2024

Women Entrepreneurs Conference

AI Hawai‘i Summit

11th Annual Leadership Conference

Prince Waikiki

Mid-Pacific Institute

Hilton Hawaiian Village

For more information on events, visit hawaiibusiness.com/events or contact Magdalena Durak Hershey, Events Manager, at magdalenad@ hawaiibusiness.com 10

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Connect with us on social media: HawaiiBusiness HawaiiBusinessmagazine Hawaii Business is published by

Chairman DUANE KURISU Chief Executive Officer SUSAN EICHOR Chief Operating Officer BRANDON KURISU Chief Revenue Officer PATRICK KLEIN

PHOTO: TRAVIS OKIMOTO

Best Places to Work 2024

noellef@hawaiibusiness.com Staff Writer CHAVONNIE RAMOS chavonnier@hawaiibusiness.com Copy Editor ELROY GARCIA Design & Photography Art Director MALLORY ADAMS-NAKAMURA malloryan@hawaiibusiness.com Contributing Designer KELSEY IGE Staff Photographer AARON YOSHINO Digital Digital Media Specialist MICHELLE TAN michellet@hawaiibusiness.com Sales & Marketing Co-Publisher KENT COULES kentc@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 364-5869 Account Executive PAM SAITO pamelas@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 364-5897 Account Executive YONGCHAE SONG yongchaes@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 228-5078 Senior Account Coordinator REBECCA BROOKING rebeccab@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 534-7560 Events Manager MAGDALENA DURAK HERSHEY magdalenad@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 534-7578 Circulation circulation@pacificbasin.net

Onaona

Carlsmith Ball LLP celebrates PUANANIONAONA (ONAONA) P. THOENE for being selected as one of the 20 for the Next 20! We’re proud of her achievements and wish her continued success.

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

NAME: DEXTER FREITAS JOB:

OWNER OF KEEN KUTTER SAW AND KNIFE SHARPENING SERVICE

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PH OTO BY N I C K S M I T H

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Cutting Edge He’s been sharpening Hawai‘i’s knives, scissors and saws since 1988 BY A IMEE WICKLER

BEGINNINGS: Dexter Freitas was born and raised in Kalihi, where he has been running Keen Kutter Saw and Knife Sharpening Service since 1988. “My wife’s uncle originally started this business back in the early ’50s,” he says. “Eventually I took it over after learning the trade. I retired from my previous job and have been doing this since.” SATISFYING CUSTOMERS: “I enjoy doing the work. I don’t make a lot of money, but it keeps me busy and I like the customers. It is important to take care of your customers because they are the ones that come back and spread the word.” He serves both businesses and consumers, with many of the latter being people who cook or sew and want sharp knives and scissors. “I do most of the print shops across the state. So, I get the circular saws mailed to me because if not they would have to ship to the West Coast,” says Freitas. He also sharpens saws for

companies that recut wood to make furniture or musical instruments. He even sharpens the ice scraping blades of Ice Palace Hawaii’s Zamboni. “My industrial customers are what keeps most of my bills paid. The knife sharpening and scissor sharpening is all the extra stuff I make on the side.” NEW TECHNOLOGY: “The biggest challenge is keeping up with the new different types of technology and tools that companies are designing. My equipment here is limited to the standard.” He must be strategic when investing in new equipment. “It’s an upfront expense and I have to think about if I can generate enough business to sustain that equipment,” he says. DAY IN THE LIFE: The shop is at 738 Gulick Ave., in a mixed commercial and residential part of Kalihi. He and his wife live upstairs from the shop. Freitas begins his day by cleaning his shop, watering his plants and feeding his

shop cats before opening the doors. “I’m only open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. I don’t open on the weekends because I’m partially retired,” he says. “A lot of people ask me why I’m only open for six hours. I say, look at me – I should be fully retired! But I keep it going for you guys.” After closing, he does paperwork or works on projects. SUCCESSOR: Freitas is look-

ing for a person to take over the business. “It’s going to require someone to be trained because most of this equipment here is specialized.” “Whoever takes it over, I’m going to help them because I don’t want the business to fail and there’s not too many of these. In fact, some of the work I do, I’m the only one that does it in the state of Hawai‘i, and so I have to keep my customers. If I stay in business, they stay in business.”

THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN L I G H T LY E D I T E D

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Residencies and Other Strategies Help Staff Hilo Medical Center BY CYNTHIA SWEENEY

tors and nurses, Hilo Medical Center says it is nearly fully staffed thanks to its residency programs and other recruiting strategies. HMC’s three hospitals, 14 outpatient clinics and other facilities cover the east side of Hawai‘i Island, from Hāmākua to Ka‘ū. Its network includes 166 inpatient beds and 45 long-term care beds, and 1,450 employees – all part of the Hawaii Health Systems Corp., a state agency that receives annual state subsidies. HMC’s residencies are crucial to recruiting doctors and nurses, says CEO Dan Brinkman.

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“After graduating from John A. Burns School of Medicine at UH Mānoa and doing an internship on the mainland, the odds of those residents returning are very, very low,” he says. “Medical schools don’t keep doctors here; residency programs keep doctors here. Where you last do your training, that is where you are working.” Six residents a year graduate from HMC’s Hawai‘i Island Family Medicine Residency Program, and a high percentage of those doctors stay on the island or in the state, says Brinkman. HMC also contracts with national employment companies that cast wide nets to recruit the right candidates. “In the past, there may have been the idea that because we are rural and don’t

Graduates of HMC’s 2023 nursing residency program were all offered positions at the hospital.

have a lot of money, we should offer medical professionals less pay. That doesn’t work,” Brinkman says. “Or worse, we would get individuals who have a poor work history or are not at the top of their game anymore.” The strategy is to recruit physicians who appreciate Hilo’s small-town way of life, and to pay them within the 40th to 60th percentile of their profession. “That’s about average, not the highest, not the lowest,” he says. The overall approach has resulted in low physician turnover, and HMC is now staffed with about 100 doctors,

PHOTO: COURTESY OF HILO MEDICAL CENTER

ESPITE HAWAI‘I’S OVERALL SHORTAGE of doc-

FOR THE NEXT

20 0 20

CONGRATULATIONS TO TORRIE INOUYE

for helping us better meet our customers’ needs.

Bank of Hawai‘i congratulates Torrie Inouye and all of this year’s 20 for the Next 20 honorees. Thanks to this group of inspiring and talented young leaders, Hawai‘i’s future looks brighter than ever.

Congratulations to this year's 20 For The Next 20 honorees, including our Managing Director, Spencer Dung. Thanks to you and the entire team at WestPac® Wealth Partners for supporting Hawaii by helping our business owners, families, and individuals make smart financial decisions.

Registered Representative and Financial Advisor of Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS). Securities products and advisory services offered through PAS, member FINRA, SIPC. Financial Representative of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America® (Guardian), New York, NY. PAS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Guardian. WestPac Wealth Partners LLC is not an affiliate or subsidiary of PAS or Guardian. Insurance products offered through WestPac Wealth Partners and Insurance Services, LLC, a DBA of WestPac Wealth Partners, LLC. CA H AWA I I the B UNext S I N20ES S is not issued or Insurance License #0H85712 | 2024-167947 Exp. 01/26 | The 2024 Hawaii Business Magazine 20 for award endorsed by Guardian or its subsidiaries. No compensation was provided in connection with obtaining this award.

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Brinkman says, though the center is still looking for a few specialists, such as oncologists and gastroenterologists.

Melani Jumapit was named one of two nurse residents of the year in October 2023.

RECRUITING AND TRAINING NURSES

HMC says it was the first hospital in the state to implement a nursing residency program – an approach since adopted across the state. For 13 years, HMC’s residencies have trained nursing graduates in specialties like obstetrics and ER so they can serve in those areas right after their residencies. Hawai‘i Community College and UH Hilo both have nursing programs, and HMC offers specialized training to 2025 graduates a year, while paying them $76,000 to start. Within about a year, they may be eligible for RPN III positions, which pays $103,000 per year, according to HMC. Brinkman says the training produces high-quality nurses who often stay with the hospital long-term. “We want them to transition immediately to working” on-island instead of

“MEDICAL SCHOOLS DON’T KEEP DOCTORS HERE; RESIDENCY PROGRAMS KEEP DOCTORS HERE.” —Dan Brinkman, CEO, Hilo Medical Center

Congratulations

TRACY CAMUSO and Hawaii Business Magazine’s 2024 20 for the Next 20 Cohort!

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feeling the need to go elsewhere, Brinkman says. “It’s expensive, but compared to what we would have to pay for contract workers and others, it’s a good investment and cost-effective in the long run.” Many nurses retired during and after the pandemic, so the hospital offered positions to the entire 2023 graduating class from both schools, bringing in almost 40 new nurses. “The best thing about this program is that many of these graduates are from East Hawai‘i. It’s a good job with good working conditions, and many will stay with us for 10 to 30 years,” he says. Brinkman says the evolution of remote work has helped with staffing at HMC as well, provided one spouse can work remotely from home. “That has significantly broadened the market of professionals for us, and probably overall for the state as well.”

TODAY’S STUDENTS, TOMORROW’S LEADERS

FAITH INNOVATION LEADERSHIP Learn more at HBA.NET or scan the QR code

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

MEET THE 2024 COHORT OF HAWAI ‘ I ’ S P E O P L E T O W AT C H

Hawaii Business Magazine is proud to honor 20 accomplished people who are poised to have a major positive impact on Hawai‘i over the next 20 years. Turn the page and learn about each of them.

BY R YA N N N O E L A N I C O U L E S , K AT H R Y N D R U R Y WAG N E R , C H AVO N N I E R A M O S , V I C K Y V I O T T I AND CYNTHIA WESSENDORF

PHOTOGR APHY BY KIANA LIU, NICK SMITH , A ARON YOSHINO

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H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

DA N A

SHAPIRO

ANA SHAPIRO F E L L I N L OV E

with ‘ulu on her second trip to Hawai‘i Island. The versatile and nutritious fruit had fallen out of fashion, but a movement was afoot to bring breadfruit back to shelves and plates. “‘Ulu wasn’t mainstream at all,” Shapiro says. “It was still 20

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CO-FOUNDER AND GM, H AWA I ‘ I ‘ U LU C O O P E R AT I V E

very niche, but within that niche, it was buzzing.” It was 2010, and she had finished her master’s degree from Ben-Gurion University in Israel, where she had spent her early childhood on a kibbutz. She traveled to Hawai‘i Island and reconnected with farmers she’d met there during an undergraduate field program

with Cornell University and a summer job running an agrotourism program. That second trip to the island never ended. Shapiro eventually started an ‘ulu farm with her husband, where she learned how challenging the fruit can be. For example, ‘ulu ripens within days of being cut, giving it a short shelf life.

“There was a lightbulb moment when I thought maybe there’s an opportunity to help ‘ulu farmers work together to be more successful than they could be on their own,” Shapiro says. Adapting the collectivist model of the kibbutz, she co-founded the Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative in 2016, where she serves as GM. The co-op has grown to about 150 owners, mostly small farmers on Hawai‘i Island, many of them Native Hawaiian. Farmers pay low entry costs to the group and annual dues in exchange for technical support. More importantly, the ‘Ulu Cooperative purchases their crops at fair prices and provides guaranteed markets, Shapiro says. At processing facilities in Hilo and Kona, the breadfruit is cooked and packaged, ground into flour or turned into other products. One market for the farmers is public schools, where ‘ulu was often on cafeteria menus before the pandemic. Shapiro is now working with Lydi Morgan Bernal, the O‘ahu Farm to School coordinator at UH, to supply schools with sample boxes. “Dana really understands the need for education in order to bring breadfruit back as a staple food source for Hawai‘i,” Bernal says. She adds, “The past perception was that co-ops are too difficult, farmers can’t work together. Dana has really disproven that perception.” Shapiro has also been successful raising capital from social-impact investors and getting grant money. She’s now spearheading an agroforestry project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will distribute $6 million to Hawai‘i farmers for planting trees, including ‘ulu. – CY N T H I A W ES S EN D O R F

JOSH

WISCH

FOUNDER, HOLOMUA COLLECTIVE

O S H W I S C H H A S A D R E A M – a thriving Hawai‘i

working class – that was initially driven by watching his parents work multiple jobs in rural Ohio just to make ends meet. “At one point, they were working four jobs between the two of them,” he says. He first advocated for policy change in high school as part of a student group pushing a tax levy so teachers could get a pay raise. “We got ourselves on local TV, interviewed in local newspapers, put a ‘Pass the Tax Levy’ float in the homecoming parade, and had a massive rally in the high school gym the night before the election.” The tax levy passed by just 44 votes. “I saw you actually can make a difference in politics, and every vote really does matter.” He met his wife, Malia, who is from Kailua on O‘ahu, while studying public policy and management at Carnegie Mellon Uni-

versity. After Wisch graduated from law school at Georgetown University in 2002, they moved to Kailua. He worked at two law firms but transitioned to campaigning for state politicians whose values mirrored his own. He initially met his friend Josh Green in 2004, when Green was first running for state representative on Hawai‘i Island and Wisch supported his campaign. “Josh and I hit it off immediately,” says Green, now the governor. “We quickly discovered that he went to Carnegie Mellon the same years that I was there during my medical training. He often jokes that we’re two Joshes from Pittsburgh, obsessed with the Steelers, that married local, Asian women.” Wisch spent a decade in state government, including as special assistant to the attorney general and deputy director of the Department of Taxation, then served as executive director of ACLU Hawai‘i. In 2022, he launched Holomua Collective, a nonprofit committed to making Hawai'i more affordable for working families. “We've started holding what we call ‘Demystifying Government’ sessions,” says Wisch, to give people a better understanding of how government works so more people can get involved in local politics. It’s also working to create a more accurate picture of a livable salary in Hawai‘i when you account for the cost of local housing, food, health care and other factors – how local people actually cope. Green says, “Holomua Collective is very focused on advocating for local families. It goes right to the heart of our needs, which is making sure people can afford to live and have homes here.” – RYA N N N O EL A N I C O U L ES

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

Sharilyn Tanaka

S H A R I LY N

TORRIE

SENIOR VP OF PERSONAL LINES/INDEPENDENT AG E N T S , AT L A S INSURANCE AGENCY

EXECUTIVE VP AND C H I E F DATA O F F I C E R , BANK OF HAWAI‘I

INOUYE

TA N A K A

INSUR ANCE WAS

Sharilyn Tanaka’s first job out of college. “When I started, I thought I’d work for a couple of years and then figure out what to do with the rest of my life,” she says. “I never left. It’s the best industry, the best career.” She says she loves the complexity of insurance and its ever-changing nature. “There is always something to learn. I enjoy helping people, too, whether it’s finding them the best coverage or, if need be, guiding them through a loss.” Tanaka attended UH Mānoa and lives in ‘Aiea with her husband and three young sons. At Atlas, she manages 41 independent agents in her division, which she grew by 50% in 2023. She was instrumental in launching Atlas’ Private Client Group, which focuses on high net-worth clients. “This segment of business has been successful on the mainland but there was no one in Hawai‘i who was doing that,” says Tanaka. “Sharilyn continues to progress and grow as an emerging young leader, not just here at Atlas but also within the community,” says Atlas President Chason Ishii. “She is very involved in the housing industry in addition to the insurance industry, as it is so important in shaping the future. Her positive enthusiasm is infectious.” When the Maui fires hit, Tanaka leveraged her expertise and connections to help secure federal funding for small business recovery, and provided counseling and education on how to navigate insurance claims.

Imagine having your dad as your high school physics teacher. For two years. But Torrie Inouye – and her dad – lived to tell. After graduating from ‘Iolani School, she earned a degree in economics from Stanford and then spent nearly 20 years working in California: at Intuit, National Funding (where she was the company’s first female president) and Union Bank.

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EING A TEEN IS TOUGH ENOUGH.

Tanaka sits on the board of the Hawai‘i Homeownership Center. “I’ve seen how homeownership transforms lives and impacts a family,” says Tanaka. Through financial education and aid, she says, people who have rented their whole lives can now afford their own homes and “provide a stable household environment for their children.” She is also the new board president of the Hawai‘i Independent Insurance Agents Association. A past Patsy T. Mink Leadership Alliance cohort member, Tanaka is on the YWCA board of directors, where she collaborates on the organization’s strategic 10-year plan and works on the YWCA’s 100-year anniversary, coming up in 2027. The YWCA is “near and dear to my heart,” she says. “It’s about helping women business owners, not only in opening and growing a business but also … to overcome obstacles. It’s showing them what is possible, that you yourself are enough to make your dreams come true.” – K AT H RY N D R U RY WAG N ER

Torrie Inouye

When the opportunity at Bank of Hawai‘i arose in 2021, she jumped at the chance to relocate from San Diego, while still keeping her career in high gear. She and her partner have a 4−year-old boy and a 6−year-old girl. “It makes me so happy to be back home and see my kids forming relationships with my family and my friends; the village that is starting to surround them.” She is treasurer of the board at PBS Hawai‘i, which she calls “a pillar in the community. In this day and age, when anyone can create media, it’s hard as a parent to know what to trust to let your children watch without having to look over their shoulder.” Peter Ho, chairman, president and CEO of Bank of Hawai‘i, calls Inouye “a thought leader. World class, dynamic, incredibly capable. On top of that she is a subject-matter expert in data and analytics. And, she’s a little fearless. She’s not afraid to challenge the status quo with the way we do things as an organization.” Inouye says her field is “about finding the nugget and insight in the data, having a conversation with a stakeholder and they say ‘oh, I didn’t know that,’ or you see a business problem and go digging and find the answer.” At Bank of Hawai‘i, she oversees 15 people on the analytics team. “Seeing that lightbulb moment in the people I’m working with and developing, such as when they find a shortcut to do something more easily, or a nugget in the data themselves, that energizes me.” “You can look at information in different ways,” she explains. “You can look at financial statements or earning statements and see a wall of numbers. For me, it’s what is the takeaway? What is the opportunity? It’s a partnership with stakeholders to figure out what we are solving for, then finding the data and visualizing it in a way that makes sense and is instantly comprehensible.” – K AT H RY N D R U RY WAG N ER

SARAH L OV E

PARTNER , LUNG ROSE VOSS WAGNILD

HE FIRST TO REC OGNIZE Sarah Love’s

potential as an attorney was probably her mother. That’s how Love remembers it. “My mom likes to say I was an opinionated child,” she says with a laugh. “So yeah, I think it was always in the back of my head.” Although she ﬁrst earned a psychology degree in Indiana, Love changed tracks and was admitted to UH’s Richardson School of Law. “I think law and counseling or psychology are very similar in some ways because you’re helping people, you’re giving them op-

tions and kind of talking through their issues,” Love says. “But I think on the counseling side, you really have to leave it up to people to make their own decisions. … On the law side you educate your clients, but I think you have more of a role in what’s going to happen, how it’s going to happen.” Love, 45, was born in Texas; her Air Force family moved often and when she was 9, they were assigned to Hawai‘i. Hawai‘i has been home ever since. She joined the law firm of Lung Rose Voss Wagnild in 2006 and became a partner in 2014. Her area of expertise – the legal aspects of the construction industry – has proved to be compelling for her. “The industry is just full of really great people to work with and it’s interesting,” she says. Because so much of the work lands in private arbitration, Love says, specific cases are difficult to talk about publicly. But generally, she says, the more Honolulu shifts from

an isolated “sleepy town” into a globalized economy, the more the construction industry here encounters the same kinds of conflicts as other major cities. At the same time, she has been drawn into the statewide conversation over Hawai‘i’s housing shortage, and was part of the panel at a Hawaii Business event last year on affordable housing. Love just ﬁnished her term as president of the Building Industry Association of Hawaii, where she was succeeded by Hinano Nahinu of Pacific Source, the building materials company. BIA Hawaii fell into debt because it was unable to host its fundraising home shows during the pandemic, but Love managed the sale of BIA property that helped ﬁll the budgetary gap, Nahinu says. “Sarah is an exceptional leader, because of her ability to navigate the association during its most challenging period. … She got things headed in the right direction during 2024.” – V I C K I V I OT T I

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

JAY ANA

Young Brothers’ president in 2020, he says, the company was going through a financial crisis and communication problems with employees and customers. “The center of our troubles was really an issue of trust,” says Ana. The Covid pandemic made it even more challenging. But he was confident he had the “right skill set to lead the organization and drive change.” The interisland shipping company is now in calmer waters and has mended relationships with customers, says one major client. Peter Dames, president and CEO of Servco Pacific, says that in the past, “communication kind of just went through the window,” and that Servco had supply chain and interisland shipping issues with YB. But when Ana rejoined the company as president after a year and a half away, he made Servco feel secure about their relationship, Dames says, adding that Ana is “very transparent, a great communicator and just makes you feel very comfortable as a customer.” Ana credits his father, who served in the Navy, and his mother for shaping his leadership skills and teaching him the values of sacrifice and perseverance. He says his can-do attitude and work ethic is “a byproduct of watching” them. The Filipino American spent much of his childhood in Mililani struggling with communication skills.

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H E N J AY A N A B E C A M E

PR E S I D E N T, YOUNG BROTHERS

“I really spoke Tagalog as a first language and Tag-lish (Tagalog and English) when I was educated,” says Ana. But he has turned communication into a strong suit. Ana graduated from UH Mānoa with a degree in accounting and management information science and has more than 20 years of experience as a finance leader in Hawai‘i’s business community. After working at KPMG and Securitas Security Services, he joined YB in 2014 as director of accounting and finance, where he drove improvements in finance, efficiencies and service and secured investments for the company. Then after 19 months at Advantage Webco Hawaii, he returned to YB as president. “In 2020, the focus was really on making sure that we survived,” he says. More recently, the focus is increasing efficiency. After the devastating Maui wildfires, Ana says, YB was integral to the emergency response and recovery, partnering with FEMA, the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency, American Red Cross and other transportation companies. He says he’s proud that YB, founded in 1900, is in a position “to serve this community for 125 more years.” “And not just by moving cargo but having an impact on the community in a way that other organizations aren’t able to.” – CHAVONNIE R A MOS

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

RYA N

ASHLOCK

PR E S I D E N T, A DV E N T I S T H E A LT H C A S T L E

YA N A S H L O C K ’ S

journey within the Adventist Health n e t wo r k b e g a n when he was born. His mother was a nurse, his father had an accounting practice focused on health care consulting and his grandfather helped start the Adventist Health system. Ashlock was born at Adventist Health Glendale in California and got his first hospital job there. In 2021, he was promoted from COO to president of Adventist Health Castle in Kailua and now oversees a local health system with 1,250 employees, 370 active medical staff members and 70 employed physicians. “It was kind of a full circle moment for me,” says Ashlock. Before coming to Hawai‘i, Ashlock was CFO at Adventist Health Feather River in California. He currently lives in Kailua with his wife and daughter. Before joining Castle, “We were basically a flat, declining revenue organization.” But with strategic growth planning, the hospital increased its operating revenue by 35% from 2019 to 2023. During that time, Castle also invested over $60 million on projects like expanding its operating rooms, upgrading its imaging capabilities and opening new primary care and specialty clinics.

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It was especially important to get specialists in urology, cardiology and gastroenterology on the Windward Side, says Ashlock, so people “don’t have to go into town for that care.” The hospital created the COPE Health Scholars Program, which offers high school and college students hands-on learning opportunities with Adventist. Since 2020, the hospital has hired 50 COPE Health Scholars as full-time employees. Ashlock also spearheaded

a philanthropy program that raised $3 million to support primary care expansion, oncology services and workforce development. Eric Stevens, president of Adventist Health in Northern California and Hawai‘i, says Ashlock “has a very deep heart for his community” and has the expertise, humility and relentlessness to lead an organization. “He’s a deep thinker, is always prepared and will never be the loudest person in

the room,” says Stevens. “But he probably is the most wellthought-out person.” Ashlock credits his staff as his inspiration. “They’re the ones that do that hard work to care for our patients.” “They’re the ones that get me up in the morning, motivated to be able to help support this organization – to put it in the best position possible so we can all support the health and well-being of the community that we get to serve.” – C H AVO N N I E R A M O S

NICOLE

HOKOA NA

C E O , M A U I B E H AV I O R A L H E A LT H R E S O U R C E S

PHOTO: KIANA LIU

ORN AND RAISED ON MAUI, Nicole Hokoana comes

from many generations of people deeply connected to the island. She has a bachelor’s degree in education from UH Mānoa and started her career as a teacher. She loved it, but “saw the limitations of the classroom; the systemic issues that kids were coming in with and that I could not impact, except to nurture the child. I was interested in getting more upstream in helping families.” Hokoana earned a master’s in counseling, specializing in marriage and family therapy. Today, she serves as CEO of Maui Behavioral Health Resources, a tri-agency partnership that comprises Aloha House, the Malama Family Recovery Center, and Maui Youth and Family Services. “My style is to create conditions that foster leadership within others,” she says. “A lot of organizations are about ‘no.’ My approach is, ‘Why shouldn’t we move forward with this?’ as opposed to ‘Why should we?’ This allows your team to take ownership. Great things are happening, not because of me but because I create that environment.” Maui Behavioral Health Resources had already been serving vulnerable populations, such as atrisk teens and people dealing with substance abuse and mental health issues, and it was called upon even more after the wildfires. “I’m no different than any other person on Maui. I wanted to do more to help, and all my staff did. And yet, we have 24/7 residential programs for each of the three agencies. 24/7 is no joke. You’re responsible for people. I had to communicate with staff the importance of and the need for the

service we are already doing.” Anticipating increased and long-term needs arising from the tragedy, Hokoana sought strategic planning support and provided trauma responsive training for her staff. Educator Kailani Jackson, who has mentored Hokoana, calls her “intentional, brilliant, caring, motivational – and quiet.” Amid the wildfires’ devastation, Jackson says, Hokoana stepped up not only as an advocate for those suffering but also to ask: “What can we do as an organization

to be a resource to the whole community? It’s as if she had a huge net, and she was going around bringing people into the safety net.” Hokoana says: “Moving forward, I want to ensure our services are culturally infused. As a Native Hawaiian myself, I still have a lot of learning to do about Hawaiian solutions for Hawaiian problems. Indigenous communities know that grief is communal, and that grief needs to be communally healed from.” – K AT H RY N D R U RY WAG N ER

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

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NAEHALANI B RE E L A N D C O - FO U N D E R A N D PR E S I D E N T, O L A B R E W

OR NAEHALANI BREELAND, this may

be the year when everything changes. In March, her beer and hard seltzer company plans to release its original kī (ti) root-based spirit, ‘Ōkolehao, to its taprooms in Hilo and Kona, with wider distribution near the end of 2024. The distilled beverage has already won international awards, including top honors at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Breeland sees a global marketplace for the new spirit, which has similarities to agave-based products such as premium tequila, she says. She shares the vision of Brett Jacobson, the company’s co-founder and CEO, to have small distilleries dotting the Hāmākua Coast and kī as the state’s largest agricultural commodity. Ola Brew hopes to be the catalyst for that growth. “The way we’ve innovated has been based on what we can source in Hawai‘i,” Breeland says. “Our North Star has always been agriculture.” The company works with about 150 local growers, who supply crops such as ginger, lemongrass, citrus and coffee for the beverage line. Ola Brew also grows kī on its own farm and operates a distillery, both of which are expanding. The past decade has been immersive for Breeland, who was new to the beverage industry. “She learned everything, from fundraising

to corporate business development,” Jacobson says. “She’s quick, nimble and not afraid to get her hands dirty.” Born and raised on Moloka‘i, Breeland left to finish high school at a Colorado boarding school, went to college at The New School in New York City, and lived in places as different as Brazil and the Pacific Northwest. Jacobson met her in Northern California, where she was organizing races to benefit children with cancer. He sponsored her traveling team with products from his earlier venture, Hawaiian Ola energy drinks. The partnership continued when he offered her the job of marketing manager, which turned into an executive role when Ola Brew launched in 2017 using crowdfunding. It now has about 4,000 investors, the majority from Hawai‘i. With so many investors, it would be easy to take shortcuts such as sourcing cheaper ingredients from abroad, Breeland says. But she keeps the company “steadfast with our mission and our values and our morals.” “I value her overall understanding of the impact that our decisions have on the community,” Jacobson says. “The corporation may be focused on the bottom line, but she’s always the voice for the community and the Hawaiian people so everything we do is pono.” – CYNTH I A WES S EN D O R F

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

B I L LY

PIEPER

ROWING UP IN

Hawai‘i Kai, Billy Pieper was teased for being big for his age. These days, Pieper is still head and shoulders above many – but it’s because of his myriad accomplishments. Pieper excelled in football

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S E N I O R V P, D I R E C T O R O F S T R AT E G I C PA R T N E R S H I P S , AMERICAN SAVINGS BANK

and baseball at Kamehameha Schools and UCLA. He also played minor league baseball, and yes, that’s him on a trading card for the Spokane Indians. He graduated from UCLA and received an MBA from UH Mānoa, is an Omidyar Fellow and Pacific Century Fellow,

and is a graduate of the First Nations’ Futures Program. Before joining American Savings Bank in 2021, he held positions at Barclays Bank and Bank of Hawai‘i. “In my current role, I’ve been tasked with addressing housing, because stable

housing is the platform for everything else, driving what the community needs,” says Pieper. “We look for how we as a bank can use the levers and tools we have access to, to increase supply and inventory, and also to increase access by getting consumers ready to be able to buy.” “Billy has a huge heart with a deep commitment to making Hawai‘i a better place,” says Ann Teranishi, president and CEO of American Savings Bank. “He has been an influential force in driving forward ASB’s affordable housing initiatives, including our ‘This is HOME’ First-Time Homebuyer Program, our Hawaiian Home Lands Loan Program, and partnering with Hawai‘i Community Lending and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines to provide more resources to Hawai‘i nonprofits focused in this area.” Pieper currently serves as the board chair for Iolani Palace. “The palace is a gem that has all these case studies of how our ali‘i tackled issues. We can glean from what Kalākaua did, for example. He was big on innovation,” he says. “Iolani Palace is a place of both joy and pain. Joy because of the stories, and pain because there is a lot of healing that needs to happen between groups for all of us to thrive. I’m a bridge builder, and I feel I can make people who are non-Hawaiian feel comfortable and blessed to experience the palace.” He is also a board member for Pacific Islanders in Communication and the Daniel Kahikina Akaka Family Foundation, and a member of the advancement committee for the Polynesian Voyaging Society. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Melodi, and they have three children active in sports and hula. – K AT H RY N D R U RY WAG N ER

DA N I E L

A R I TA

PR E S I D E N T, A M E R I CA N FLOOR AND HOME

HE FIRST DAY was

bumpy. Daniel Arita was 14, starting his summer gig in the accounting department at the carpet company founded by his father, David. Daniel promptly got fired and was moved to a warehouse job. But Daniel was happy to be there, and over the years, worked his way up, learning everything from installing carpet to managing the sales floor. Today, he’s president of

the company, American Floor and Home. Arita received a business degree from Point Loma Nazarene University in California and has also attended many coaching courses, including with Glenn Furuya of Leadership Works and Dale Carnegie. He and his dad are fans of such development courses, both for themselves and for their employees. “He learned from me all the things he shouldn’t do,”

says David Arita. “I sent him to a lot of training and conferences, though, and he has a great memory so what he learns, he maintains. He’s great with suppliers and customers alike, and cares about issues of sustainability with what we sell.” And the elder Arita passed on some of his own business skills as well. “Some advice does boomerang back at me. … Daniel will say, ‘Hey, Dad, remember what you told me?’ ” Daniel Arita serves on the board of Aloha United Way. His wife, Torey, is an emergency medicine physician, and the two share a daughter and a son. In honor of American Floor and Home’s 50th anniversary this year, Arita launched a “We Love Local” initiative to support other local businesses and to foster connections between them. In 2013, American Floor and Home was sold to its employees. Arita says: “My goal is to grow the stock price as high as it can be for the employee-owners. The way to do that is diversifying in other industries that connect with what we are doing.” He’s helped the company expand into kitchen and baths, cabinets and other remodeling areas. Arita is proud of the company’s high employee retention rate, which he says is closely monitored. “When I started, we didn’t have the retention rate we wanted. We changed our process to hire based on our values, which are humble, hungry and people-smart. It means we are bringing on the right candidates. We also go over our employee surveys every year, incorporating changes based on the feedback. Being employee owned, being more transparent, and not micromanaging people, it all makes employees want to stay.” – K AT H RY N D R U RY WAG N ER

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

LEON N O‘E AU P E R A LT O EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HUIMAU

UI MĀLAMA I KE ALA ‘ŪLILI is both a

nonprofit dedicated to the resurgence of Hawaiian ancestral knowledge and a community-based land stewardship in Hāmākua on Hawai‘i Island. The seed that grew into huiMAU was planted in 2003, when Leon No‘eau Peralto was a freshman in high school. “I had a culture class and our final project was to interview one of our kūpuna,” he says. He drove from Hilo to Hāmākua, where his grandfather lived and worked on the same ranch in Koholālele for most of his life. “He was looking out over these pastures in the uplands, lamenting how many koa and ‘ōhi‘a trees that were once there had died and turned into grass. He was no longer able to see or hear all of the native forest birds he remembered from his childhood,” recalls Peralto. It wasn’t just the ‘āina that was becoming unrecognizable. “He longed for that lifestyle he knew growing up that was tied to the abundance of the ‘āina. People lived off the land, which was hunting and farming for our family, but for other ‘ohana it may have been fishing. Things started to change with new land ownership and increases in development.” That conversation profoundly shaped Peralto. He double majored in anthropology and

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Native American studies at Stanford University, then earned his master’s in Hawaiian studies and a doctorate in Indigenous politics from UH Mānoa, where he met his partner, Haley Kailiehu, and fellow Hawaiian activist Noelani Goodyear-Ka‘ōpua. Peralto says he and Kailiehu realized “that if we’re going to prevent further disturbance and desecration of our sacred sites, we need to organize as a community, and really invest in the future through educating our youth and restoring the health of our ‘āina.” They founded huiMAU in 2011. Their first project was clearing invasive guinea grass to create a 30-by-30-foot garden of native and canoe plants. They now have a 5-acre farm, where a multigenerational community project is dedicated to sustainable food cultivation and native ecosystem restoration. huiMAU’s food distribution program opened a community hub and store in June 2023. This year the nonprofit plans to expand its selection of organic food and deliver groceries to kūpuna. The ‘āina- and culture-based educational programs reach 30% of Hāmākua’s youth ages 5–17. “Every time I return, the ‘āina is thriving and their capacity to feed and care for their community is extending,” says Goodyear-Ka‘ōpua. “It’s a tremendous inspiration." – RYA N N N O EL A N I C O U L ES

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

K E L LY

M I YA M U R A

PROGRAM OFFICER, THE HARRY AND JEANETTE W E I N B E R G FO U N DAT I O N ELLY MIYAMURA’S DRIVING SPIRIT is to help younger

people get good educations and jobs so they can “live and thrive in Hawai‘i.” Her role at The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation allows her to do just that: She leads the foundation’s education and job portfolios and constantly pushes for more investment in

career pathways that increase local access to high quality jobs. “What I’m most passionate about is ensuring our students know how powerful education is,” says Miyamura. Her experience in education guides her work. She was the first statewide director of college and career pathway strategies at Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education, and she helped manage the first statewide initiative to bring teachers’ voices more often into policy discussions at the state Department of Education, Board of Education and Legislature. At the Weinberg Foun-

dation in 2022, Miyamura launched the Hawai‘i Workforce Funders Collaborative, which helps funders collaborate to align their work and expand their ability to improve access to quality living-wage jobs for residents, especially in underserved communities. “We’re really trying to break the silos, not doing our own thing, but being a convener that brings different stakeholders to the table,” says Miyamura. Chris van Bergeijk, CEO of the Kosasa Foundation, is one of those stakeholders. She says Miyamura is “really good at making people feel like they’ve been heard and that they’re part of the conversation.” “She has this way of helping you feel like she’s in your camp” and investing in the success of others, says Bergeijk. Miyamura also contributes to her faith community at the First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu, where she leads stewardship of the church’s 246 acres in Kāne‘ohe. Under her guidance, the land is being transformed from what had been the Ko‘olau Golf Club into a community resource with sustainable agriculture, conservation management, and education and workforce training. When the Weinberg Foundation looks for partners, Miyamura says, it seeks organizations that support younger people’s “sense of belonging, and their sense of agency and the healing they need.” She says many youths in underserved populations are disconnected from both education and job opportunities, and many “have adverse childhood experiences.” “I want every young person who grows up here to realize they can live and thrive, or come back to Hawai‘i and make this place their home and continue to contribute to it.” – C H AVO N N I E R A M O S

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CHRIS

BAILEY

PHOTO: NICK SMITH

HRIS BAILEY K N O W S the value

of food, in part from growing up while his mother and aunt ran a Thai restaurant in Waipahu. And he spent time working in the industry in Portland while studying business at Lewis & Clark College, and after. He also knows the impact when more value is added to

the food that Hawai‘i’s farmers produce. Bailey is the manager of the Wahiawā Value-Added Product Development Center, administered by Leeward Community College. The 33,000-square-foot manufacturing and teaching facility at 1001 California Ave. was built at a cost of $21.6 million. Production is scheduled to begin in 2024’s first quar-

MANAGER, WAHIAWĀ VALUE-ADDED PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT CENTER

ter and enable companies to process marketable food products, Bailey says. He and the center’s staff have already trained two cohorts, each with 15 business leaders. “We offered a 12-week, not-for-credit course for entrepreneurs in value-added – essentially to take an earlystage product or idea and get ready for market,” Bailey says.

“For the farmers, if they have an excess of crop, or they’re off-grades that they can’t sell to a grocery store distributor, this is a channel for them. Also, we want to educate folks in the ag industry if they want to step into the valueadded space themselves.” Cohort participants so far have included Poni Askew, founder of the Hawaiian Vinegar & Spice Co., which produces vinegar-based beverages like Pineapple Mint Shrub and Meyer Lemon Mint Cardamom. Askew says the center will aid the development of new products. Bailey has an unwavering passion for developing small-business owners, she says, and “his commitment to local entrepreneurship, showcased in his support of small businesses, reflects a genuine desire to see each entrepreneur succeed.” The center includes equipment for manufacturing that startups otherwise could not easily access, Bailey says. That includes food-processing and packaging spaces, refrigerated storage and a high-pressure processing system that preserves taste and color while creating products with longer shelf lives. Bailey moved home to Hawai‘i for the Wahiawā position, which aligns well with his experience in Portland. There, he was business developer for the nonprofit Hacienda Community Development Corp., working with Portland Mercado, an incubator that now supports more than 100 businesses representing diverse populations. “Having access to and support from Chris is invaluable and extends a promising opportunity for all future businesses fortunate enough to engage with him through the center in Wahiawā,” Askew says. – V I C K I V I OT T I H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

TRACY

CAMUSO PRINCIPAL , G70

PUANANIONAONA THOENE OR MOST OF HER ca-

reer, Puananionaona Thoene has bridged her love of Hawaiian culture and the environment with her love of the law. At Carlsmith Ball, she has worked with a team that prepares clients to navigate myriad environmental laws and processes. The aim, she says, is to influence development so it’s in better balance with the environment. Thoene found her way to the profession after business school, which had already sparked her interest in contract law in particular. “Then we started learning about the Walmarts and Costcos of the world, and how these big development companies would go into these rural or Native communities and just decimate the 36

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PARTNER , CARLSMITH BALL

environment,” she says. “I started to think I want to work for the bigger companies, to maybe whisper in their ears and help them make better choices.” She got her degree in business administration from the University of San Diego in 2007 with the aim of going into restaurant management, but found the field wasn’t for her. Going back to school seemed a good option in a recession, and she headed to UH’s Richardson School of Law. The seeds for that career change, as well as her Hawaiian ethic, were planted in childhood: Her father is an attorney, still practicing family law. Her mother died when she was young, but not before imparting knowledge of hula and the Hawaiian language as a native speaker.

Thoene entered immersion school on O‘ahu and continued after the family moved to Hilo; after seventh grade, she boarded at Kamehameha Schools’ Kapālama campus. At Carlsmith, Thoene also has helped to recruit and mentor young lawyers and served as an advocate for environmental concerns within the company, including spearheading an effort to reduce its carbon footprint. Her volunteerism includes an appointment by then-Gov. David Ige to what is now called the State Environmental Advisory Council. “Onaona is already a leader in the firm and in the community,” says partner Katherine Garson of Carlsmith’s Hilo office. “She impresses with both her attention to detail and her grasp of the big picture. Clients appreciate this combination of skills.” “The firm is grateful to have her on our team and appreciates her intelligence, humility and willingness to take on challenges.” – V I C K I V I OT T I

N ENVI RO N M ENTA L AND LAND use planner

with expertise in sea level rise planning, renewable energy and biofuels, Tracy Camuso is helping to build the future of Hawai‘i. Camuso has worked on major solar projects on O‘ahu, including Kawailoa Solar Energy Farm, which covers 620 acres and powers 45,000 homes. She and her team are also working with agrophotovoltaics, with low crops like sweet potatoes being planted underneath solar panels, allowing agricultural land to do double duty. She launched G70’s newest service, sea level rise planning, in coordination with Sea Engineering Inc. “We work on a lot of resort projects, and obviously sea level rise is a huge factor,” she says. “Yet organizations tend to be reactive, rather than responsive, so this is about helping people think about protecting their biggest asset in the future, instead of focusing only on the immediate needs. It’s, ‘By X year, this part of your property will be underwater. Do you need to move your lobby?’ Not everyone wants to talk about it. When you get a client who wants to, it’s like, ‘Right on.’ ” Camuso grew up in Kāneʻohe and attended Castle High School. “I was in public school all the way up to my master’s at UH Mānoa. I’m a believer in what you can do if you work hard.” She initially planned a career in politics and worked in the office of U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye and at the state Legislature. Camuso joined G70 in 2005, as an executive assistant. “I got my master’s at night. I think my staff is inspired – it shows that at G70, the oppor-

tunity is here if you want it.” Camuso’s tenacity stands out, says Kawika McKeague, another principal at G70. “To rise into a leadership position, as a local girl, it’s somewhat of an anomaly in the world we operate in. She can deal with whatever obstacle comes her way and uses that progress to be the warrior she is. She lends a wisdom and aloha to the people she works with and the clients she serves.” Married with two sons, Camuso also serves on the board of the American Red Cross of Hawai‘i and is a mentor with the Hawai‘i Society of Business Professionals. “There is a purpose in what I’m doing, working on projects that make Hawai‘i a better place. I care. My kids are going to live here. Believe me, I care.” – K AT H RY N D R U RY WAG N ER

Tracy Camuso

RAOUL

M AGAÑA SENIOR VP AND DIVISION MANAGER OF THE CONSUMER PRODUCTS DIVISION, FIRST HAWAIIAN BANK HAD EIGHT YEARS

Raoul Magaña

with the nuns and then eight with the Jesuits,” Raoul Magaña says about his early education. “I was used to structure.” An avid sailor and swimmer while growing up in Los Angeles, Magaña sought an adventure-packed, globe-trotting career. After earning a degree in foreign service from Georgetown University, Magaña joined the Navy, with deployments to the Western Pacific, Iraq and Afghanistan. After completing his MBA at UH Mānoa, he served as deputy director of the U.S. Treasury’s

Office of Economics and Finance, before joining First Hawaiian Bank in 2014. In 2022, after 20 years of active and reserve service, he retired from the Navy Reserve as a commander. “With his background in military leadership, over the course of his career here at the bank Raoul has learned to apply the same leadership concepts but in a much different corporate culture setting, to connect, to bring people along with him in his vision,” says Christopher Dods, COO and vice chairman of First Hawaiian Bank. Dods says Magaña “comes from a disciplined place of making sure he’s doing the right thing, at the right time, for the right reasons.” Today, Magaña leads 130 people at First Hawaiian, where he is responsible for the bank’s consumer products including deposits, credit and debit cards, consumer lending and home equity lines of credit. He and wife, Leah, have twin 9−year-olds, “a boy and girl, or as we say in my house, one and one and done,” says Magaña. Keeping his ﬁnger on the pulse of global affairs, Magaña serves as board chair at the East-West Center Foundation. “For me, it maintains a point of connectivity to that bigger world and the engines that matter. The center is a place for convening and for furthering responsible approaches to governance, and to dealing with climate change,” he says. Yet, he’s also very attuned to local market dynamics. “The general approach goes back to being an intelligence officer,” he explains. “You gather pieces of incomplete data and come up with sufficient information to be able to make an informed decision. For us it’s, ‘Will this work for the bank, the customers, and the staff? Is it fair for all the people involved?’ We are guided by a lot of data analysis.” He continues, “When I was a kid, my mom would always say that any level of mastery looks easy. The goal is to make it look easy.” – K AT H RY N D R U RY WAG N ER

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

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M Ā L IA SA N D E RS E X E C U T I V E D I R E C TO R , N AT I V E H AWA I I A N H O S P I TA L I T Y A S S O C I AT I O N

’VE ALWAYS HAD A LONGING to under-

stand culture and the desire to be a better Hawaiian,” says Mālia Sanders, who was raised in Mā‘ili and Makakilo on O‘ahu. Hawaiian customs became second nature. “No matter what party we went to or gathering we were at, I had to kiss everybody goodbye from the time that I was little. My mom will attest to this.” Given her sociable personality and love of Hawaiian culture, Sanders gravitated toward a career in hospitality. Her first job was working for Hilton on Hawai‘i Island for nine years. “That’s where I really honed the craft of hospitality and found ways to incorporate my values and heritage into the way that I host people,” she says. She moved back to O‘ahu in 2011 and started working as a coordinator for the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association. “I’ve done every role that you can think of in the organization, and in 2021, the opportunity of becoming executive director presented itself,” Sanders says. She says she was scared but ready. “Sometimes the kuleana chooses you.” John Aeto, who has served on NaHHA’s board for over 20 years, praises Sanders’ leadership. “She’s played several roles with us and has hit home runs in each one. She’s gone from

working behind the scenes to now being at the forefront of the industry and taking a leadership role in regenerative tourism.” NaHHA strives to ensure the tourism industry benefits Native Hawaiians, accurately represents Hawaiian culture, honors Hawaiian values and uplifts “Native Hawaiian leaders as the future of our tourism industry,” she says. One initiative, the Pākōlea program, supports Native Hawaiian-owned small businesses. “We help businesses grow their capacity, distribute, and attract buyers so we can have more Native Hawaiian products in retail stores in the visitor industry,” she says. “The goal is to get rid of the products that don’t speak to Hawai‘i and replace them with products that are more authentic.” Another mission is creating shared spaces for tourists and locals alike to enjoy. “When tourism had its boom, local people felt pushed out of Waikīkī. So how do we bring locals back to reclaim that space?” One way, she says, is with her working with hotels to offer package deals for residents. Aeto applauds her leadership. “She’s very resourceful in using what’s available to a small nonprofit by pinching pennies when we need to, finding great partners and using the leverage of other organizations.” – RYA N N N O EL A N I C O U LES

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

JA S O N

THUNE

VP - FIBER S T R AT E GY A N D D E PLOY M E N T, HAWAIIAN TELCOM

ASON THUNE GREW UP ON O‘AHU wanting to be a

pilot and, when the time came, he looked for colleges that offered aviation programs. But he did not meet the requirements, so he went with business, his backup plan. “I wanted to do something where I could leverage whatever

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I learned in school to make Hawai‘i a better place,” he says. He majored in management information systems at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s college of business. Thune says the program was fun because it entailed having “conversations with people and learning about how businesses run.” Thune landed an internship with Hawaiian Telcom during summer 1998. He says he enjoyed the culture and people there and, after graduating, he got a full-time job

with the company as an inventory management specialist. He says he found a lot there to pique his interest. “ I j u s t ke p t m ov i n g around, primarily to just find ways to serve, to find ways to make our community a better place,” he says. Over his 25 years with the company, he has worked in customer operations, network operations, network planning and IT. Since 2020, his teams have been working to expand Hawaiian Telcom’s fiber broadband infrastructure to rural areas, primarily on the Neighbor Islands. Last year, that included all of Keālia and Lāwa‘i on Kaua‘i, all of Pāhala and parts of Ka‘ū and Puna on Hawai‘i Island, all of Lāna‘i and most of Moloka‘i. Thune also manages over $68 million in federal grants that fund the installation of fiber broadband at more than 240 local schools. He says another goal is to provide access to fiber broadband for every home and business in the state. “That’s a lofty goal,” says Su Shin, president and GM of Hawaiian Telcom. “But really, it’s a leader like Jason that is making that vision, and actually building it out there with his teams. “And he’s not just taking it on because it’s his job,” she says. “He’s genuinely passionate about what it is we’re doing.” The company is now at 50% of its goal for homes and businesses, Shin says. She says Thune is a “great example of a local boy doing good.” Thune says he’s proud to work for a local company like Hawaiian Telcom, which was founded in 1883. “I want to make sure that I can do whatever it takes so that the next generation of employees can retire, and this company is here for another 100 years.” – C H AVO N N I E R A M O S

SPENCER

DUNG

MANAGING DIRECTOR A N D W E A LT H MANAGEMENT ADVISOR, W E S T PA C W E A LT H PARTNERS

PENCER DUNG D I D N ’ T A LWAY S

want to work in financial services. His mother and grandfather worked as financial advisors and he often helped with office work like filing papers, which “wasn’t super exciting.” “When I graduated, I just wanted to keep playing water polo,” he says. Dung was born and raised in Honolulu and graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in economics. He also played water polo there, but

since that wasn’t a feasible career, he decided he should learn about money. After all, he says, the lack of it prevented him from doing the things that he wanted to do. His first “real job” was with a private mutual fund company on Wall Street that worked with family business owners. There, he learned that wealth management and investments are a “very small piece of somebody’s financial plan” but are important to know because they help an individual understand how

to do the “less glamorous things” like budgeting and working on insurance policies, wills, trusts and taxes. “That’s when I decided I wanted to dedicate my professional life to helping people understand that and make better financial decisions – so they don’t have to work because they had to, but they could pursue what they wanted to,” says Dung. Now he loves working in the industry. After six years at Foresters Financial in San Diego, Dung moved back to Hawai‘i in 2018 to be closer to family and to help the community here. As managing director and a wealth management advisor at WestPac Wealth Partners, Dung wears multiple hats: He works with clients, recruits and trains new financial advisors and oversees operations at the firm’s O‘ahu and Maui offices. Dung gets great joy from “watching clients achieve their goals and watching advisors grow and be able to do that for others.” Longtime friend Brett Katayama, CEO and chief estimator at J. Uno & Associates, is also Dung’s client. He appreciates Dung’s “methodical approach” to wealth management and financial education. “His main focus is not to run the numbers and see how the numbers check out,” says Katayama. “His focus is really, ‘What do you want to accomplish?’ He cares about your goals.” Dung wants financial education, literacy and wellness to be “accessible to everybody in the state.” Together, he says, they give people the opportunity to have successful careers and to meet their personal and financial goals. “It’s not just about the money – it’s about taking care of our community.” – C H AVO N N I E R A M O S

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

CEO Year OF THE

Ken Sakurai

On December 6 at the Japanese Cultural Center, 250 community leaders came together to honor Hawaii Business Magazine’s 2023 CEO of the Year, Ken Sakurai of Coastal Construction. Ken’s hard work and success in building homes for working people for 50 years was celebrated over breakfast and a talk story. Attendees learned about Ken’s accomplishments and about the challenges and rewards of building homes in Hawai‘i.

MAHALO TO OUR SPONSORS & PARTNERS

Co-Presenting Sponsors:

Breakfast Sponsor:

Supporting Sponsors:

“As we celebrate Ken Sakurai of Coastal Construction as the 2023 CEO of the Year, we are inspired by the remarkable inﬂuence of his innovative leadership on community development. Much like Ken and Coastal Construction, Office Pavilion has devoted over three decades to creating the best places to live, work, learn and heal in Hawai‘i. Our shared vision for the future of our community is one rooted in hope and promise – a future where our children can thrive in Hawai‘i, creating successful families and businesses for many years to come.“ — WENDY SHEWALTER , PRESIDENT AND CEO, OFFICE PAVILION

“Castle & Cooke Hawai‘i proudly sponsors the 2023 CEO of the Year event. We are grateful to Ken Sakurai, President of Coastal Construction, for years of valued partnership. His unwavering commitment to excellence makes a difference in the lives of so many Hawai‘i families. We look forward to seeing his continued success and the positive impact he has on our industry and beyond!”

“Ken, your visionary leadership is inspiring. It is an honor to celebrate your contributions to building thriving communities across Hawai’i. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition.”

— HARRY SAUNDERS, PRESIDENT, CASTLE & COOKE HAWAI ’ I

— JASON FUJIMOTO, PRESIDENT & CEO, HPM BUILDING SUPPLY

“It is with immense pride that Coastal Construction honors our founder, Ken Sakurai. He has helped so many that we have a loyalty to him that can never be fully repaid. Ken credits his employees, but it’s us who are inspired and motivated by him. CONGRATULATIONS to Ken Sakurai! Truly well deserved.” — FROM OUR FAMILY, FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES, AND ESPECIALLY DA EMPLOYEES, COASTAL CONSTRUCTION

“This year, especially, Hawai‘i has seen exceptional leaders from all its corners rise up and meet many unexpected challenges and demands. JPMorgan Chase is proud to support the CEO of the Year to celebrate the business community and recognize firstclass leadership.” — KELLIE K AO, VICE PRESIDENT, JP MORGAN CHASE CO.

“Congratulations to Ken Sakurai on being recognized as the 2023 CEO of the Year, and for all that he does in leading his company and for Hawai‘i. CW Associates, CPAs is proud to be a Supporting Sponsor of the 2023 CEO of the Year. Thank you to Hawaii Business Magazine for highlighting and honoring the CEOs who are making a difference in our economy and community. It takes everyone to keep Hawai‘i moving forward.” — TERRI FUJII , MANAGING PARTNER, CW ASSOCIATES

“Congratulations to CEO of the Year Ken Sakurai of Coastal Construction! With over 50 years in business and a legacy of humble service to others, building communities and deep commitment to his team, Ken exemplifies servant leadership. UHA is proud to support this event that recognizes leaders who’ve made a difference.” — HOWARD LEE , PRESIDENT AND CEO, UHA HEALTH INSUR ANCE

“Thanks to Hawaii Business by providing insight into the construction industry with the recognition of Ken Sakurai of Coastal Construction. The presentation was both informative and entertaining as Ken and the other panelists shared their insiders’ views of the current residential construction industry and historical perspectives on the important innovations introduced by Coastal Construction. Congratulations to Ken and Hawaii Business.” — MARY FASTENAU, SENIOR PARTNER , ANTHOLOGY

FILIPINOS’ CRUCIAL AND CHANGING ROLES IN HAWAI‘I

They’re part of the second-largest ethnic group in the Islands. This story describes the struggles, achievements and goals of 10 people, showing how Hawai‘i has changed and how that change continues today. by C H AVO N N I E R A M O S PH OTO G R A PHY BY M A R I E ER I EL H O B RO, J EN M AY PASTO R ES A N D A A RO N YO S H I N O

I A M ON E OF THOSE 367, 525 PEOPLE .

My grandparents arrived in the 1970s and I grew up in Waipahu, graduated from Waipahu High and UH Mānoa, and have worked at Hawaii Business Magazine since 2021. In these pages, I will tell the stories of 10 Filipino Americans in Hawai‘i – including accounts of their successes and resilience, their hard work and pride, but also of the loneliness and shame some of them have felt, and the pain of prejudice and exclusion they’ve endured. Their stories help illuminate Hawai‘i’s past and present, from Filipino perspectives. In between each personal story, I will include facts that explain some of Filipinos’ shared histories and their current realities. BEING FILIPINO HELPED HIM SUCCEED

ROL A N D CA SA M INA SAYS HIS R ECIPE for success is simple: “There’s no

formula other than eagerness.” Then he adds, “It’s about me being Filipino.” The company he started in 1995, House of Finance, funded almost $235 46

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million in mortgage loans in Hawai‘i in 2021, Casamina says. Last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ranked House of Finance as the No. 1 guaranteed rural housing lender in Hawai‘i. (For lending purposes, the USDA considers all of O‘ahu as rural except for Hawai‘i Kai to Pearl City, and Mililani, Kailua and Kāne‘ohe.) House of Finance has also ranked among Hawaii Business Magazine’s Top 250 companies and been on the magazine’s Most Profitable Companies list several times in recent years. Though he often faced difficult times when he was young, Casamina says those humble beginnings contributed to his success. He was born in the Philippines and came to Hawai‘i in 1968 at 14. His first job was as a busboy while attending Farrington High School; later, while at UH Mānoa, he worked as a waiter. “I was not always proud to be a Filipino,” he says, adding that people in other ethnic groups in Hawai‘i looked down on Filipinos and that he often felt overwhelmed. On his first day of college, he looked around the classroom and

ILLUSTRATION: CRISTOPHER LAGMAY / ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS VIA GETTY IMAGES

Filipinos have been in Hawai‘i since the 1860s, according to naturalization records. Today, 367,525 people in Hawai‘i have Filipino ancestry, in part or entirely. That’s 1 in every 4 residents. Some have local roots that stretch back many generations and others just arrived from the Philippines in the past few years.

Roland Casamina, president of House of Finance

saw there were no other Filipinos. Casamina felt like “the dumbest guy in this class” and the least qualified. He continued to sometimes feel that way, though he ranked toward the top of the class and landed on the dean’s list. His outlook changed when he graduated with a bachelor’s in business administration in 1976 and was offered a job as a branch manager at International Savings and Loan. At that time, Casamina says, the bank was looking for a Filipino to help attract more Filipino customers. He says he felt unqualified because he was 22 and had no banking experience, but “the VP of the bank at that time said, ‘I’ll take a chance on you,’ and after three months of training, he said, ‘You’re ready to go.’ ” “I was shocked.” Back then, Casamina says, his “dreams were so small” that he had to keep adjusting them as his career advanced. “I was happy to just have food on my table,” he says. Eventually, he decided that he would never allow himself to “stoop that low” as to feel shame again about his heritage and culture. Instead, he would embrace both, with confidence and pride. His hard work paid off: Casamina became VP of International Savings and Loan and only left the company to open House of Finance in 1995 when the bank was bought by a bigger bank. Casamina and L&L Hawaiian Barbecue founder Eddie Flores Jr. spent much of the 1990s raising money for the future Filipino Community Center in Waipahu, and were driving forces behind its completion in 2002. They served as its founding president and vice president, respectively. Casamina spearheaded the $14.5 million fundraiser and has personally donated close to $900,000 to the center. It is described as the largest Filipino community center outside of the Philippines and serves as a hub for educating all of Hawai‘i about the ethnic group’s contributions to the Islands. Casamina also established a $50,000 endowed scholarship at UH Mānoa’s Shidler College of Business and has a student leadership center there named after him and his wife, Evelyn. His advice: “Keep working hard and be loyal to the company you work for.” H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

In 1906, 15 men were brought here from the Philippines to work on sugar plantations and this first group of contract laborers laid the groundwork for the many more “sakadas” who followed. From 1906 to 1946, over 100,000 Filipino men were recruited by the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association.

A FILIPINO VOICE IN STATE GOVERNMENT

JA DE BUTAY H A S OV ER 20 Y E A R S of experience work-

ing in state government and business and is now the state’s director of labor and industrial relations. He says he owes his leadership skills in part to his family’s humble beginnings in the Philippines. “Growing up in the Philippines instilled hunger and inside of me, a desire to succeed,” says Butay. “It taught me the virtue of hard work, shaped my childhood and built my character.” As a child in the Philippines, he says, he had lots of friends but left them and everything else behind when his family moved to Hawai‘i in 1983. He was 13. Butay says his parents moved his family to Hawai‘i in search of a better life. But the working-class family had difficulty assimilating and Butay describes those early days in America as “inauspicious.” As a middle school student, he had a newspaper route in a hilly part of Salt Lake. “I had a route in my neighborhood and every day after school, I would deliver the Honolulu Star-Bulletin,” Butay recalls. When he would load up his bike on Sundays, the papers were especially thick and heavy, he says. It was a test of his will and gave him a sense of responsibility and accountability. “When you’re an immigrant, you want to have your own income or resources – you don’t want to be dependent” on your parents.

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That same thinking carried over to UH Mānoa, where his business degree included double majors in accounting and finance because, he says, he wanted to be “financially independent.” And through it all, he looked to his parents’ sacrifices and hard work as motivation. “As an immigrant, you start at the bottom, and you have no place to go but up.” So that’s where he went: Butay graduated from UH with honors, and eventually got his master’s at Babson College, which calls itself the “best college for entrepreneurship.” He has 13 years of experience working in the private sector, where he’s secured contracts for housing and commercial projects and created marketing

plans to help businesses succeed. His public service experience started when he was an undergraduate working as a legislative assistant for the University of Hawai‘i Professional Assembly. Later, he served as a budget analyst and legislative coordinator for the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism and then as a congressional aide to Neil Abercrombie. Butay has worked in the administrations of Hawai‘i’s three most recent governors, dating back to when he was a deputy director in Abercrombie’s administration, first at the Department of Transportation, and later at the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. He currently heads that department un-

der Gov. Josh Green. Under Gov. David Ige, he served as director of the Department of Transportation for over five years. During his term, he says, DOT completed four major airport construction projects: the $270 million Mauka Concourse at the Honolulu airport, consolidated car rental facilities at Honolulu and Kahului airports, and a federal inspection services station at Kona airport. Butay says people sometimes referred to him as a unicorn in state government “and it wasn’t a good thing.” He says it’s because, at one point, he was the only Filipino in the Cabinet. It’s different now: In Green’s administration, he is one of three Filipino Cabinet members. “We have a long way to go,” Butay says of Filipino representation in state government. “It’s extremely important that the Filipino community is at the table. I need to make sure our voices are heard – ensure we are not out of the picture when critical decisions are being made.” By 1932, Filipinos made up 70% of the plantation workforce, according to a 1939 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. The report says they were paid

an average wage of $467 in 1938, compared with $651 for Japanese workers.

FILIPINOS UNDERREPRESENTED IN HIGHER EDUCATION Left, Jade Butay, director of the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; below, Patricia Halagao, chair of curriculum studies at UH Mānoa’s College of Education, and daughter Marissa Halagao, founder of the Filipino Curriculum Project

PATR ICI A H A L AGAO, A N EDUCATOR

for more than a decade, has worked on getting more Filipinos into higher education and more educational opportunities for Filipino students. She remembers asking a Filipino student, “Why do you think you’ve never learned about yourself in school?” The student replied, “It’s probably because Filipinos haven’t done anything important.” “That was like a big dagger in my heart,” says Halagao. “As an adult, you don’t really make those kinds of connections later in life. But when you’re a child, that would be kind of your as-

sumption – if you don’t see yourself, you haven’t done anything.” As the chair of curriculum studies at UH Mānoa’s College of Education, she has advocated for equity by increasing the number of Filipinos and other underrepresented groups in college and pursuing careers in higher education. While she was on the state Board of Education, she pushed for the development of policies on multilingualism and for the Seal of Biliteracy, which is now awarded upon graduation to students who demonstrate high proficiency in both of the state’s two official languages (English and Hawaiian), or in either of those two and at least one additional language. The seal encourages second-generation Americans to take pride in their multilingual abilities. She and other leaders also successfully encouraged the state Department of Education to move Filipino students out of the Asian category in public schools data. She says it was important “to see the breakdown of the different Asian-Pacific Islander groups because they are very different.” Filipinos on average perform 15% to 20% lower in proficiency standards in public schools and in college-going rates compared to their East Asian peers, according to a 2022 report from the Tinalak Council, a group that supports Filipinos in education and is based at UH Mānoa’s College of Education. Filipino Americans comprise the largest ethnic group in Hawai‘i’s public schools, accounting for 24% of the student population, according to the DOE. At Farrington and Waipahu high schools, the student populations are majority Filipino. For the 2019-2020 school year, Filipinos had a high graduation rate (91%) but low college-going rate (54%), the Tinalak report says, and the number of Filipinos at four-year colleges is disproportionately lower compared to many 50

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other ethnic groups in Hawai‘i. The Pamantasan Council, a UH System organization that seeks to enhance Filipino representation in education, says 14.1% of UH System students are Filipino American. At UH Mānoa, the proportion of Filipino American undergraduate students is 11%. Among graduate students, it’s 5%, and among faculty, it’s 2.5%. Among its 16 deans and interim deans, only one is Filipino American.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 American Community Survey says 69.5% of people with full or partial Filipino ancestry are in the state’s workforce. For the entire Hawai‘i population, the proportion is 66.8%. Of all Filipino workers, 20.3% work in educational services, health care and social assistance; the arts, entertainment and recreation (19.4%); retail trade (14.1%); and construction (7.6%).

FILIPINO STUDENT-LED PROJECT MAKES BREAKTHROUGH W H EN H A L AGAO ’S DAUGHTER M AR ISSA was a sophomore in Punahou

School, she took an Asian history class that only included Chinese and Japanese history. That provoked her to start what would become the Filipino Curriculum Project. “I felt that there was a very big oversight,” says Marissa Halagao. “The fact that Filipinos weren’t included, it communicated to me as a Filipino student that my history, my culture, was not worthy to be studied.” She worked with her teachers to develop a Filipino studies curriculum and contacted students from high schools across the state to inspire others to push for courses that focus on Filipino history. Raymart Billote, a Waipahu High School graduate and current UH West O‘ahu student, was the first of five students recruited for the project. He immigrated to Hawai‘i in 2017 and says adapting to Hawai‘i was difficult at first. In his freshman year of high school, he was part of his school’s English language learner program, but transitioned out when he was a sophomore. After that transition, he felt like he did not fit in because he had classes with students who had grown up in Hawai‘i. “I kind of felt lonely at that time, like I don’t feel like I fit into this group,” says Billote. “That’s when I started to isolate myself because of the language barrier as well.” It was not until his senior year that Billote was recruited by Marissa Halagao for the Filipino Curriculum Project. Like Halagao, he saw how Filipinos were underrepresented in history books, and he was inspired by her. Billote says his relatives who were born here don’t speak a Filipino language and don’t know much about their culture. “Filipino students who were born here, they weren’t given as many opportunities to learn about their heritage,” he says. “In school, they would mention Filipinos, but it’s not as in-depth.” The Filipino Curriculum Project

Left, Raymart Billote, UH West O‘ahu student and Filipino Curriculum Project co-director; this page, Sergio Alcubilla, executive director of the Hawai‘i Workers Center

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

team has grown to 26 students, spread among eight schools across the state, and includes nine members in college. They spent two years lobbying at the state Legislature and also garnering support for the curriculum from other educators and community members. Last year, the team hit a milestone: The state Department of Education says Hawai‘i’s school district is the first in the nation to approve a high school social studies course on Filipino history and culture. The course, named Filipino History Culture, will be offered at two high schools this fall: Waipahu and Farrington. Billote, who encourages his Filipino classmates to be proud of their heritage, is an education major at UH West O‘ahu and hopes to eventually teach the course. “I try to bring my culture with me everywhere I go,” says Billote. “In college when I introduce myself as a first-generation immigrant, I’m not ashamed to do that.” Marissa Halagao, who is now a freshman at Yale University, says it is empowering to learn about people “who look like you” in history books because “how are students supposed to feel validated in themselves if the only people that they learn about, the only role models and people that they look up to have little to no resemblance to them?” There were 7,065 Filipinos in the UH System in fall 2023, according to the UH Institutional Research, Analysis & Planning Office. Community colleges had 4,370, Mānoa 1,834, West O‘ahu 668 and Hilo 193.

ADVOCATING FOR WORKERS’ RIGHTS

SERGIO A LCU BILL A CA M E TO H AWA I‘ I from the mainland because it re-

minded him of his family’s upbringing and working-class background. He was born in the Philippines and has five other siblings. His father, who was in the military, was killed during the People Power Revolution in 1986 that ousted Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos. Alcubilla was only 6 then. From that point, Alcubilla says his 52

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Where Filipinos Live in Hawai‘i Source: US Census 2020

28,880

16,459

Maui County

Hawai‘i County

12,861

164,917

Kaua‘i County

Honolulu County

mother, who had been a nurse in the U.S., raised her children on her own. Alcubilla and his family first emigrated to the mainland from the Philippines but eventually came to Hawai‘i because of its large Filipino community. An early memory of his is of seeing so many working-class Filipinos working in Waikīkī in the hotels and service industry. He graduated with a bachelor’s in economics and political science from the University of Florida, and received his law degree from UH Mānoa’s Richardson School of Law. Alcubilla says he felt “this sense of duty – that if I could give back to the community, this would be the best place for us to settle down.” He talks about “our kababayans,” which means fellow countrymen in Tagalog, “who are working low-wage jobs and two or three additional jobs.” He himself worked late nights at Macy’s to support himself while going to law school. Now, as executive director of the Hawai‘i Workers Center, he advocates to ensure workers are paid living wages, have rights and are treated equally. “From our own personal experiences, we just know how hard it is to try to raise a family, to try to make ends meet and really fulfill that immigrant dream.” In 2015, then-Gov. David Ige signed legislation declaring Dec. 20 as Sakada Day to honor the more than 100,000 Filipinos who were brought in to work on Hawai‘i’s plantations during the 20th century. The bill recognized the sakadas’ and the overall Filipino community’s contributions to Hawai‘i.

Lalaine Ignao and Eric Ganding, owners of Sama Sama, a food truck serving drinks inspired by Filipino flavors.

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

Agnes Malate, director of UH Mānoa’s Health Careers Opportunity program

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS EMBRACE THEIR CULTURE

IN 2021 , L A L A IN E IGNAO

and Eric Ganding launched a boba-shop food truck as an homage to their Filipino roots and to honor Ignao’s late grandmother. It is called “Sama Sama,” which translates to “togetherness” in Tagalog. The idea took seed while Ignao was growing up in Washington state: Her family would frequent a Chinese restaurant there and then go to the boba shop next door for dessert. Sama Sama’s menu has Filipino-inspired drinks flavored by ube, leche flan, buko pandan, sampaguita and turon. Ignao says their food truck appears at various events and locations across O‘ahu, including at UH Mānoa. They opened a physical storefront in Leeward Community College’s library in 2023. Ignao points to ingredient shortages and increasing costs as some of their early challenges. And Ganding says the pair encountered people who were skeptical of their plan to open a boba shop. “People thought that we were just going into it as just something on the side,” he says. Instead, they jumped in fully. Today, the couple aims to break the belief that Filipinos need to be in health care or engineering to succeed. “I think society has made it seem like success is about money and material things,” says Ignao. “But I think at the end of the day, success is what your definition is.” Filipino Americans make up the third-largest Asian ethnic group in America, following Chinese and Indian Americans, according to the 2020 U.S. census. With a population of more than 4.2 million, Filipino Americans make up about 18% of the total Asian American population in the U.S.

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English Proficiency Proportion of these ethnic populations in Hawai‘i who say they speak English less than very well:

11%

Chinese

17.3% 5.4% Filipino

Japanese

AGN ES M A L ATE COU LDN’T SPE A K ENGLISH when she emigrated from the

1.7% Native Hawaiian

Home Language Proportion of these ethnic populations in Hawai‘i who say they speak a language other than English at home:

22.5%

Chinese

33.9%

Filipino

LANGUAGE ACCESS FOR ALL

13.8%

12.4%

Japanese

Native Hawaiian

All groups include people of pure and mixed ancestry. Source: 2022 American Community Survey

Philippines at age 7. The only words and phrases she knew were yes, no, thank you and what is your name. Malate grew up in a farming family and remembers living in a bamboo house in the Philippines. Her father worked on a Waipahu sugar plantation when they came to Hawai‘i. Determined to have a better life, Malate says, she learned English by reading books. She values education because it was “transformative” for her and “provides for more resources and opportunity.” Malate is currently director of the Health Careers Opportunity program at UH Mānoa, which recruits and mentors students in health-related careers. Malate is also a language-access ad-

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vocate and helps her family and others get important information and news in their native language. During the Covid pandemic, she says, “there wasn’t really a mobile, collaborative, unified response” to help the Filipino community get access to health resources. Filipinos had the second-highest Covid mortality rate in the Islands, behind Pacific Islanders, according to the state Department of Health. As of April 18, 2022, Filipinos represented 24% of Covid deaths in Hawai‘i. The impact of Covid on Filipinos spurred Malate and civil rights activist Amy Agbayani to establish FilCom Cares, a nonprofit that provides Filipinos in Hawai‘i with outreach, education, and access to resources such as vaccinations and testing. About 59% of those people in the state with pure Filipino ancestry do not speak English at home, according to a 2016 report on non-English speakers in Hawai‘i by the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism. In the U.S., not being proficient in English can lead to miscommunication and hesitancy, Malate says. She describes 56

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a time when she had to accompany her parents to their doctors’ appointments to translate because the medical terms often “were too hard for them to understand.” When she volunteered at vaccination clinics during the Covid pandemic, Malate says, people expressed their thanks. “Just having familiar faces doing the vaccinations gave them confidence and trust,” she says. Malate is president of Ethnic Education Hawai‘i, a local nonprofit aiming to make “communications accessible for all” through different media. One of those is KNDI 1270 AM Radio, a source of news and entertainment for underserved communities. The station broadcasts in 13 languages: English, Chinese, Chuukese, Laotian, Marshallese, Okinawan, Pohnpeian, Samoan, Spanish, Tongan, Vietnamese, Ilocano and Tagalog. Longtime KNDI radio host Larry Ordonez, who has spent more than 40 years working in media, says he feels like he “helped elevate ethnic radio broadcasts beyond the norm studio setting.” In 2017, he became the station’s first on-

air host to do remote broadcasts from his home studio. So when the pandemic hit, he was ready to help the Filipino community. Ordonez does his “Filipino Radio” program on Sundays and Mondays, and broadcasts news in English, Ilocano and Tagalog. During the pandemic he partnered with Filcom Cares to broadcast Covid health information to his listeners. During 2020 and 2021, each of his programs generated an average of about 3,000 to 4,000 listeners. “Ethnic radio fills the gap unmet by mainstream media in reaching out to the underserved,” says Ordonez. Having an outlet to listen to music or news in an individual’s native language is important because people can understand the content and “it gives them that connection to their upbringing,” Ordonez says. Most of the Filipinos who have come to Hawai‘i are Ilocano, from the northern region of the Philippines, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.

A RESILIENT COMMUNITY IN TIME OF NEED

TH E FIR E L A ST Y E A R TH AT DE STROY ED L A H A INA and killed 100

people heightened the struggles of the Filipino community, which made up about 40% of the town’s population. Local Filipino leaders and community members sprang into action to aid the population. “We’re working tirelessly to help Maui recover and rebuild,” says Butay, the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations director. Butay says he has been going to Maui at least once a week to meet with staff and help those affected. His department has also Larry Ordonez, host of the “Filipino Radio” been offering unprogram on KNDI employment insurance and temporary

jobs to affected workers. The Hawai‘i Workers Center has been pushing for a “just and equitable recovery for all workers” on Maui, says Alcubilla, the executive director. At an outreach event on Maui, he said that a lot of Filipino families he spoke with said they were denied FEMA assistance. “For a lot of the Filipino community, they just see that letter that says denial and then they just stop it and they don’t push it further,” he says. “We understand that it’s a denial letter, but it doesn’t mean you’re not qualified for it.” Alcubilla stresses that the community should take advantage of available resources and ask for help when needed. Malate and the FilCom Cares team arranged for volunteers to assist the public at resource fairs by translating important information like how to apply for unemployment benefits, and where to get replacements for lost documents and find housing assistance. When radio host Ordonez heard about the fires, he says he was devastat-

ed. He grew up in Lahaina after immigrating to Hawai‘i, and two houses that his family once lived in were among those destroyed. “A lot of my friends that I went to high school with and friends and neighbors with houses in the area – they’re all gone,” says Ordonez. He used his radio show to help those affected. “Even though there was no power, phone service or internet at that time, we have radio and people still have some cars,” he says. “Some of them can listen. We will ask them to tell their friends about resources that they can tap to help them.” Butay says Filipinos are “just as important as any other ethnicity or race” and will continue to rebuild. “We play an integral role in the state’s economy, culture and society. We’re symbols of immigrant achievement,” he says. “Without the Filipinos, the hotels, the construction, restaurants, health care and other industries wouldn’t be able to survive.”

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H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

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TO AMERICA’S SUPERSTATION! �e Gold Standard in Broadcast Excellence!

#1 for 40+ Years! eports! #1 Traﬃc Radio R tening! is L t n e tm in o p p A #1 s Station! w e N io d a R D E T S #1 TRU

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LEARN ABOUT THE ACHIEVEMENTS AND GOALS OF 27 WINNERS AND FINALISTS WHO ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN STARTUP PARADISE. by K AT H RY N D R U RY WAG N E R , CAT H Y G E O R G E , CY N T H I A SW E E N E Y A N D V I C K I V I OT T I

2O24 HAWAII ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS

THE PANDEMIC PROVIDED NEW PEOPLE, TOOLS AND IMPETUS TO THE LOCAL STARTUP COMMUNITY Will This New Momentum Have a Long-Term Effect, or is it Just a Blip? BY VICKI VIOTTI

H E CH A LLENGES OF A STA RTU P BUSIN ESS are as tough

as ever, but with the growing local ecosystem of investors and new-business support systems, the green shoots of entrepreneurship are encouragingly healthy. And for the Hawaii Entrepreneur Awards, the yield this year is an impressive array of products and services among its finalists and winners. Two of the finalists, Maui Ku‘ia Estate Chocolate and Reef.ai, illustrate the range, from craft chocolate and Isle-grown cacao to artificial intelligence-driven services that strengthen a client’s revenue potential. The Islands’ entrepreneurial sector has grown, says Meli James, president of the Hawai‘i Venture Capital Association, sponsor of the awards. James is also co-founder of Mana Up, a Hawai‘i-based accelerator that helps consumer product companies ascend to the next level. “I would definitely say since I moved home about 11 years ago and joined the organization as president and board member, there’s been a heavy increase in the interest in entrepreneurship,” James says. Covid indirectly enabled some of that increase, she says, by spurring advances in technology and its uses: Remote sales and conferencing platforms, for example, have freed startups from some of the capital-intensive brick-and-mortar requirements for new businesses. And virtual assistants and other digital tools are relieving businesses of even more of those startup chores. The global pandemic also forced

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a pause in economic activity and a disruption in employment, prompting many to strike out in new directions, James says. “Not only did people have an opportunity to do a little bit of a life shift, whether that was by choice or not … many people had an opportunity to take that hobby or that interest and really start a company,” she adds. “I think that was good for small business and entrepreneurship.” Chenoa Farnsworth, one of the leaders in the local venture capital sector, is also a founding partner of Blue Startups, on the team with Henk Rogers and Maya Rogers of Tetris fame. She says that because Hawai‘i was seen as a safe place to be, the pandemic brought “an influx of talent and experience that we didn’t necessarily have before.” “It brings a little more critical mass to the ecosystem,” Farnsworth says. “There are now other people out there working on the same thing: You are not alone.” However, she adds, the jury is still out on whether this new momentum is a blip or will have longterm effects on Hawai‘i’s entrepreneurial landscape. Blue Startups focuses on assisting new technology-centered businesses. Its mentorship program works with roughly 10 companies at a time, for 12 weeks in Honolulu and one in San Francisco. “The reason I’m a big believer in the technology space is it’s one of the few industries that pays enough where we can afford to work here,” Farnsworth says. She points to the Turno platform, which helps to automate interactions between cleaners and vacation-rental hosts, as a success story. Turno leveraged the

Isles’ tourism industry on its path to global potential. Among the company’s newer initiatives, Farnsworth cites its outreach to the Japanese government to bring Japanese companies, and their additional capital, to Hawai‘i. “We are well connected to Asia and we can leverage that connection,” she says. “Finally, that is beginning to bear fruit.” The state’s relatively small population makes it hard to get critical mass for a new industry, she adds, but she says she’s encouraged by the innovative thinking of its younger generations. Sandra Fujiyama is on the front lines witnessing the advent of future entrepreneurs, and she agrees. Fujiyama is executive director of PACE, the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship at UH Mānoa’s Shidler College of Business, which offers an extracurricular menu of entrepreneurship programs and mentorships for students in all majors. Fujiyama sees Hawai‘i’s funding ecosystem beginning to flourish. And that ecosystem was recently enhanced by the arrival of Hi-CAP, a state program that funnels federal money to new startups. Among the startups Fujiyama points to is Pear Suite, a software platform that supports community health-care services. It started at PACE and has rolled out nationally. Problem-solving is crucial for entrepreneurs, and it’s being taught to young students now, she says. “We’re really trying to empower and educate our students on what we call the entrepreneurial mindset,” Fujiyama says. “And if they can go on to build a business utilizing those skills, then wonderful, right?”

Alexis Akiona L E X B R E E Z Y H AWA I ‘ I H EN I FIR ST STA RTED TH E COM PA N Y, it

was just me and my then-boyfriend, now husband, packing orders from our one bedroom in Kalihi,” says Alexis Akiona

AF TER WO R K IN G FO R STA RT U PS in Silicon Valley for 17 years,

STARTUP PARADISE CHAMPION Susan Yamada PAC I FI C A S I A N C E N T E R FO R E N T R E PR E N E U R S H I P, S H I D L E R C O L L EG E O F B U S I N E S S , U H M Ā N OA

Susan Yamada moved home to Hawai‘i in 2001. She’s amazed to see how far the Islands’ innovation ecosystem has come in the ensuing two decades. Yamada is chairman of the board of the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship at UH’s Shidler College of Business. PACE offers mentorships, training and resources to students across the UH system and encourages the commercialization of ideas bubbling out of UH. When she first took a position there in 2008, PACE had about three programs. “We didn’t have money, but we had a community that gave generously of their time. When we needed judges, coaches, they were always there. That’s

2O24 HAWAII ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS

ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

about the modern alohawear company she founded in 2016. Today, LexBreezy Hawai‘i has a team of 20 and two stores: one in Kailua and one at Ala Moana Center. “I’m just a small-town Hilo girl making waves on O‘ahu and I’m honored to be Entrepreneur of the Year,” she says. “As a Native Hawaiian, I’m proud to be the voice for a lot of upand-coming mana wāhine who are looking to become entrepreneurs.” Akiona “has transformed her startup into a high-demand local fashion brand, revolutionizing the perception of local Hawaiian wear,” wrote the judges of the Hawaii Entrepreneur Awards. “In addition, she generously opens the door for other designers to join her consortium, fostering synergism and creating a platform for them to thrive.” In 2023, Akiona expanded the reach of LexBreezy Hawai‘i by attending trade shows in Las Vegas, Japan and New York City. “It’s our chance to go and showcase what alohawear really is, and what it means to us, and the traditions behind it,” says Akiona. “It’s a whole different ballgame.” She has also launched a street-

wear component, “focusing on what alohawear means in the 21st century. I wanted something that inspires the younger generation, and that is streetwear. I began my career in streetwear, so it’s full circle to incorporate it in.” Akiona says she helped raise more than $100,000 to aid Maui families after the wildfires, via an exclusive release print that benefited Maui, as well as donations from each online purchase. “We worked with Maui Rise and donated directly to the families,” she says. “I wanted to step up.” She also works with the UH Foundation on the Lexbreezy Scholarship, which supports students enrolled in fashion technology or cosmetology programs. In fall 2023, 10 students received financial assistance. “I always wanted to work for myself,” says Akiona. “I wanted to create a legacy. I would tell the younger generation, ‘Figure out what you want and go after it.’ ” Stay tuned for another store opening in 2024, Akiona says. “We are fueled for that, as well as focusing on taking care of my team and the community and looking for even more ways to give back.” – K AT H R Y N D R U R Y WA G N E R

the beautiful part of where we live,” Yamada says. “Now we offer 20 programs. Monetarily, we have earned the trust and respect of our donors. I wouldn’t say money is falling out of the trees, but donors know if we do something, it will be done right and professionally.” The judges of the Hawaii Entrepreneur Awards told Hawaii Business Magazine in an email that Yamada’s “leadership at PACE has been instrumental, transforming it into a hub of innovation with RISE and other programs and initiatives that have invested over $10 million in services, awards and scholarships.” It’s that leadership, they wrote, that earned her the title of Startup Paradise Champion. RISE is a newly opened 374bed, live-learn-work innovation

facility. “The challenge is that the university is so siloed – you have your business students over here and engineers over there,” says Yamada. “Some of the best ideas, but worst business plans, come from four engineers. Getting engineers with our business students, they can work out the business model and then start a phased approach to a company.” RISE is open to graduate and undergraduate students in all majors. “It’s not only about startups, but also getting students to think about how to look at a problem, how to figure out solutions, how to talk to each other – skills the 21st-century workforce must possess. Innovation and technology are our future, and we really need to invest in it.” – K AT H R Y N D R U R Y WA G N E R

AWAIIII BBUUSSIINNES ESSS HHAWA

61 61

2O24 HAWAII ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS

SOCIAL IMPACT ENTREPRENEUR

Circular Design Internship

Hawai‘i Community Lending

ClimbHI

C A R LO L I Q U I D O

J E FF G I L B R E AT H

J U L I E M O R I K AWA

H AWAI‘I IS NOT YET A BU SIN ESS H U B for the tech world, but Carlo Liquido is taking a ground-up approach that he hopes will change that. “Let’s build the talent, and then the companies will come,” he says. With more applicants than it can currently handle, Circular Design Internship pairs job-seeking software designers with mentors, both locally and on the mainland. Its partners include Amazon and Shopify on the mainland and Blue Startups in Hawai‘i. Liquido and seven other designers run the all-volunteer operation. Over the last few months, they have supported 19 projects, with 25 interns and 19 volunteer mentors across 18 companies. “Five years ago, I never would have started this,” Liquido says. “But a silver lining to the pandemic is that there has been a paradigm shift with regard to remote work. Now, we have the ability to live in Hawai‘i and make a San Francisco salary, which was not really possible before.” – C Y N T H I A S W E E N E Y

SIN C E 2 01 4 , HAWA I ‘I COM M UNI TY L EN DING has issued more than $42

THIS PAST YEAR, ClimbHI has engaged more than 170,000 students across the state, from kindergarten through college, with 600 businesses. ClimbHI connects teachers and businesses with events, platforms, and portals, providing job opportunities for students and potential recruits for employers. Its flexibility enables ClimbHI to respond to the greatest needs of our state’s workforce, says Julie Morikawa, the organization’s founder and president. “It’s literally a revolutionary educational tool. We’re trying to create economic self-sufficiency for our keiki, to stop exporting our number one resource, our talent and aloha spirit, to other places,” Morikawa says. In response to the Maui fires, Morikawa says, ClimbHI created an emergency response leadership training program for students. Graduates “emerge as prepared leaders, not just for Hawai‘i’s sake, but for our entire nation and beyond to serve a new model going forward, of how you can come out of tragedies better than when you went into it.” – C Y N T H I A S W E E N E Y

million in grants and loans to support affordable housing for more than 4,300 Native Hawaiian and other local families. “We have a deeper level of knowledge of transactions on Hawaiian Homelands in particular, with team members who reside on Hawaiian Homelands themselves, helping others to get on the land and stay there,” says Jeff Gilbreath, founder and executive director of the community development nonprofit. HCL’s role is to help families overcome financial barriers to home ownership. Gilbreath says he is inspired by the hope expressed by people who come through the program, and ultimately, in their successes. “It’s like seeing individual sovereignty in action – to see families years down the road, their health changing for the better, better family interactions, connections to social networks and brighter opportunities.” – C Y N T H I A S W E E N E Y

ET R EV EN U E R ETENTION

DEAL OF THE YEAR Reef.ai BRENT GRIMES AND C O R E Y G O FF, C O - FO U N D E R S

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measures a company’s ability to retain customers and expand revenue from them. Innovative technology from Reef.ai is able to better leverage the data around that key measure of business success, says Brent Grimes, co-founder and CEO of the Hawai‘i-based company that combines “the best of human and artificial intelligence.” Reef’s success in attracting investors and its commitment to Hawai‘i are why the judges of the Hawaii Entrepreneur Awards picked it for Deal

of the Year. “Raising $5.1 million from investors in 2023 is remarkable given the tough fundraising environment,” the judges told Hawaii Business Magazine in an email. “Reef has a demonstrated commitment to Hawai‘i: Its founders are based here, a number of its investors are Hawai‘i-based and the company is committed to hiring locally.” Reef sells mostly to other software technology companies, Grimes says, “and they have a lot of data about how their customers are inter-

Nake‘u Awai N A K E ‘ U AWA I D E S I G N S

A K E‘ U AWA I, 85, IS OFTEN DESCR IBED A S the

“Grandfather of Hawai‘i Fashion.” During 50 years in the field, the images on his designs have become iconic: maidenhair fern, kukui, lauhala fans, maile. Every year, buyers come to see what “Uncle” has conceived in the Houghtailing Street shop where he has worked for four decades.

acting with their products.” Reef’s artificial intelligence is applied to that data and it provides analysis and guidance, he says. “Reef can isolate those customers that are showing the most signs of risk early on, so they can intervene,” he says. “Another example is on the growth. Many companies will introduce new products and want to sell those new products into their existing

customer base. But most of them don’t have the tools to know who the best customers are to focus on.” Grimes says Reef’s clients range from early-stage startups to larger organizations with hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Reef.ai was founded three years ago by Grimes and Corey Goff, now its chief technology officer. Grimes previously was an executive with San Fran-

2O24 HAWAII ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Fashion is nothing without change, and it’s the same with aloha attire, Awai says. “It’s changed, definitely. The silhouette … the colors. Because there was a time when alohawear was all neon-bright, but now there are subtleties where fashions are coming out in grays and beiges.” Awai’s creations hang throughout the shop: prints in muted shades on fabric from cotton to seersucker in a range of pastels, and garments with splashes of brighter colors mixed in. Familiarity and novelty are both present. What ensures all of it remains Hawaiian, he says, is the use of images that are more local than commercial. Awai compares his approach with that of another noted Island designer, Allen Akina, who also returned to Hawai‘i after time away. “We both came back. He wanted to appeal to Waikīkī and tourists,” he says. “And I wanted to design clothes for local people.” For his five decades of fashion accomplishments, Awai has earned the Hawaii Entrepreneur Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award. “Nake‘u Awai stands as the visionary pioneer who with humble

grace was the first Native Hawaiian designer to use native and indigenous floral in prints,” the judges wrote in an email to Hawaii Business Magazine. “Awai opened the doors of Hawaiian fashion to the masses. For five decades, his unwavering creative spirit and determination have forged a path for succeeding local designers.” After graduating from Kamehameha Schools and the University of Washington, where he studied theater and dance, Awai became a professional Broadway-style dancer, appearing in touring productions and TV variety shows. He nurtured his interest in fashion in costume shops, then came home and started his new career: Carol & Mary stores were the launchpad for his first line under the Nake‘u Awai Designs label. And, while Awai says he doesn’t miss performing, showbiz plays a big role in his fashion shows. Instead of the classic runway walk, he says, he chooses local models who act out characters he assigns them. Search YouTube for “An Occasional Man Nake‘u Awai” to see an example. “If they playact, they can go through the whole segment without being nervous,” he says. – VICKI VIOTTI

cisco-based software company MuleSoft. Reef was born in part out of his experience there. “We were just following our gut instincts initially and doing an OK job,” he says, “but we weren't always making great decisions about how we allocated our resources. “So we pulled a bunch of data about our customers and then aggregated the data and did a simple scor-

ing model as a way to really start to prioritize customers more effectively.” While acknowledging some of the challenges of doing business in Hawai‘i, Grimes says Reef drew investors specifically seeking to invest in the Islands. “People really believed in the company, but also were very interested in helping a business with ties to Hawai‘i take the next step.” – V I C K I V I O T T I

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

2O24 HAWAII ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS

AGRICULTURE/ CLEAN TECH ENTREPRENEUR

Sweet Land Farm E M M A M C C AU L L E Y V EN A F TER EM M A MCCAU L LEY was well into her studies in

culinary arts at Leeward Community College, she hadn’t left the farm far behind. Her mother was part of Wahiawā’s Peterson family and worked on the well-known Petersons’ Upland Farm. McCaulley found her own calling of raising goats while doing a summer job at Surfing Goat Dairy on Maui. She has owned Sweet Land Farm in Waialua since 2010. “I enjoyed what I was doing rather than being in a kitchen all day,” says McCaulley. “This was what I was supposed to do.” The farm, 87 acres that she owns in fee, has about 300 goats. Her culinary skills helped develop a product line that includes various cheeses, caramel, gelato, soaps and lotions. The items are sold at the farm’s onsite store and wholesaled to restaurants and hotels. – V I C K I V I O T T I

Emma McCaulley and her father, Eric Bello

G U N AR S VAL K IR S SU SPEC TS SO M E OF HIS IN TEREST IN FR U IT TREES — cacao,

T E R R A F O R M AT I O N ’ S G OA L S A R E C L E A R , and they’re as big as the Earth.

specifically — is in his genes. His father was a farmer before World War II altered his path and Valkirs himself “was always growing things.” Valkirs had been head of R&D for Biosite, a diagnostics firm in California that was sold in 2007. Maui Ku‘ia He and his wife moved to Hawai‘i G U N A R S VA L K I R S and invested in what became Maui Ku‘ia Estate, a maker of award-winning craft chocolate. The on-ramp was getting involved in a UH cacao field trial. “As soon as I realized I didn’t know anything about it, being a scientist I wanted to learn,” he says. The company is also about giving back: The couple created the Makana Aloha Foundation, which receives 100% of the estate’s net profits, including what is raised through factory tours, to support local nonprofits. – V I C K I V I O T T I

“Our mission is to accelerate the reforestation of the world, that is to say, the restoration of native biodiverse forests, because we believe that this is good for people, communities, ecosystems and ultimately as a solution to climate change,” says Yishan Wong, Terraformation’s founder and CEO. Terraformation The company is set up as a Delaware C Y I S H A N WO N G corporation, he says, because that enables raising of private funding more quickly than a nonprofit. Speed is of the essence, he says. Terraformation partners with companies and organizations worldwide, tapping forestry and science experts to design projects. These projects span the globe from Ecuador to Tanzania. Hawai‘i-based projects include a Bishop Museum seed bank and Pacific Flight at Kaupalaoa, which aims to restore a native forest ecosystem in North Kohala that was destroyed by logging and grazing.

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– VICKI VIOT TI

2O24 HAWAII ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS

CONSUMER PACKAGED GOODS ENTREPRENEUR ETH AN WEST G OT H IS MBA and started Piko Provisions with an eye on the niche baby-food market. But it was his family’s farming history, in Maine and Rhode Island, that helped drive the decision to source it locally in Hawai‘i. “A lot of it has to do with honoring the past,” says West. “I come from six generations of family farmers. … LookPiko Provisions ing back on it now, there’s nothing else ETHAN WEST that I would rather be a part of.” West partners with the Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative and GoFarm Hawai‘i to produce the ‘ulu (breadfruit), Okinawan sweet potato, banana, taro, pineapple, kabocha (a winter squash sometimes called Japanese pumpkin), avocado and kale in Piko’s three puree blends, for infants 6 months and up. More products for younger and older babies are in development. And a new taste tester is arriving soon: a baby daughter.

– VICKI VIOTTI

LE A LA HUM B E RT ’S LI NE OF B O TA NI CA L P R OD UC T S was born out

of her late mother’s similar skin-care business, Island Herbal, and both use plant-based materials and ﬂorals. Her mother learned about the ﬁeld while living in Japan and France and then brought it to Hawai‘i, where she also worked in lei making. Ua Body Humbert named her business LEAL A HUMBERT Ua Body – ua meaning “rain.” Locally sourced components include mango butter, macadamia and kukui oils, and sandalwood. Glass packaging and the avoidance of plastics are part of the brand. “When we relaunched in 2020, we had this slogan, ‘Skin care should be simple,’ ” she says. “It encompasses a lot, and touches on sustainability as well. In this day and age, I don’t understand why a company would not try to be as sustainable as possible.” – V I C K I V I O T T I

Sea Salts of Hawai‘i SANDRA GIBSON

ANDR A GIBSON, WHO STARTED SEA SALTS OF HAWAI‘I 12 years ago, con-

Melanie Kelekolio, chief salt maker and operations manager at Sea Salts of Hawai‘i

siders herself part of a team. Altogether, 17 people, most of them Native Hawaiian, work at the harvesting site in Kona and in the production kitchen on O‘ahu. Gibson says regulation of food products means the salts are processed differently from old ways. Salt water is drawn from deep ocean streams that may have migrated over great distances, and then evaporates naturally, but in a contained environment. “Everybody who’s on the Kona team grew up in Kona, and there are salt ponds there, and a strong cultural connection. … They’re certainly very knowledgeable when it comes to the salt traditions and the salt culture in Hawai‘i.” The company produces gourmet salts and supplements such as magnesium, nigari (used to make tofu) and AstaFactor (astaxanthin, an antioxidant). – V I C K I V I O T T I

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

2O24 HAWAII ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS

AN ONLINE POLL DETERMINED THE WINNER OF THIS AWARD FROM AMONG THESE FIVE FINALISTS. LEARN WHO WON AT THE HAWAII ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS GAL A OR AT HAWAIIBUSINESS.COM AFTER FEB. 29. B Y C AT H Y G E O R G E

TH E POLL A SK ED VOTER S to pick the startup

that they think best represents the interests and goals of Hawai‘i’s Startup Paradise, one that serves as an example for others based on its products, successes, popularity and support of fellow community members.

Maui Chili Chili Oil

Kine Spicy” is sold online only. The early days were marked by trial and error, with “broken bottles in shipping, burnt ingredients while cooking and challenges in sourcing materials,” says Kit. She calls herself the “more aggressive entrepreneur, charging at every opportunity,” while Deron is “more grounded, realistic and calculated in his moves.” This year they plan to test new markets at the Foodex Japan convention. They continue to volunteer in Maui relief efforts and donate a portion of sales to wildfire victims. “The community work done in 2023 was so substantial that running Maui Chili Chili Oil in parallel was an achievement on its own,” Kit says.

DERON AND KIT F U R U K AWA MAUI CHILI CHILI O IL got its start in 2020 when Deron and Kit Furukawa spent many hours experimenting in their kitchen during the Covid lockdown. By December 2020, Deron had concocted a recipe for a chili oil flavored with Chinese spices, Szechuan peppers, crunchy garlic bits and onions. And their business was born. The couple sold their products for a year at local markets, then in 2022 landed a contract to sell at Foodland stores. Deron’s original recipe is the baseline for three flavors: “Mild Kine Spicy,” “Medium Kine Spicy” and “Spicy Kine Spicy.” A fourth flavor, “Yikes!

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other young entrepreneurs. The rebranding aligns with the company’s original mission to heal and educate customers about the nutritional wisdom of traditional Hawaiian medical practitioners, known as lā‘au lapa‘au. The Tripps are passionate about sharing the knowledge of their ancestors. Ola’s paternal great-grandmother, Anita Pua, was a traditional healer. Puna’s maternal great-grandmother was a curandera, a traditional Latin American healer. “My mother juiced for me since I was a toddler,” she says. Puna usually leads the kitchen, and Ola manages the office but occasionally, they swap roles to do “whatever that needs to be done.” In addition to the Hilo cafe, their products are sold at Kilauea General Store, Auberge Mauna Lani, Kohala Grown Market, Island Greens, Plant Based Foods and Umekes.

Liquid Life and Hā Tonics

Crinkle cookies and mini cheesecakes are the fastest-selling items at UBAE’s store in the City Square Shopping Center in Kalihi. The products are also sold in grocery, convenience and drug stores; the Navy Exchange; and at KTA stores on Hawai‘i Island. UBAE items also have appeared at pop-up events in Japan. Sales, production, packaging and distribution are handled by the couple and their 13 employees. UBAE recently acquired a production space in the same neighborhood as the Kalihi store, and Adrienne-Joy says further expansion plans could be announced this year. Cookies and cheesecakes aside, the company also crafts their ube takes on leche flan, sponge cake, chiffon cake, rolls with coconut cream, and softserve dairy-free ice cream. What fuels the couple’s success and growth is their partnership. “Jeremy is more hands-on, while I’m more in the background and in the books,” Adrienne-Joy says. Their motto from day one: “No risk, no reward!”

O L A A N D P U N A T R I PP O L A AN D PU N A T R I P P FO U N DED Liquid Life in 2015, a

chain of health cafes in Kea‘au, Waimea and Hilo, selling coldpressed juices, salads and sandwiches made with nutritious foods grown in the Islands. But the couple is now pivoting: In March, Liquid Life will rebrand as “Hā Tonics,” specializing in shelf-stable products, and the rebranded logo is expected to roll out in the Hilo cafe. They also sold the Kea‘au and Waimea cafes to

UBAE A D R I E N N E -J OY A N D J E R E M Y JATA A S A D R I E NNE - J OY A ND J E R E M Y JATA A S sold desserts made from

the purple yam called ube out of their van until one day in 2015 when they went all-in, she says. Today, they own and operate the dessert company UBAE, which stands for Ube Before Anything Else.

Kahiau Poke & Provisions T I A R A D E LG A D O I N 2 01 5 , K A HI AU P O KE & P R OV I S I ONS was a side hustle

for Tiara and Hinano Delgado, with customers flocking to their

Hawaii Candy Factory (aka Noms) K AMALANI DUNG, K E E N A N S H I G E M AT S U A N D M I CA H YO S H I N O

2O24 HAWAII ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS

Pearlridge Farmers Market tent for fresh fish and flavorful jerkies. But Tiara says they felt constrained because they shared a commercial kitchen, so in 2018, they opened their own kitchen on Smith Street in downtown Honolulu. The site wasn’t meant to be a storefront but evolved into one as customers sought their products beyond farmers market hours. Tragically, Hinano died during the Covid pandemic in 2020. “He always believed in me and some of my crazy ideas,” Tiara says of her other half. Tiara continues his legacy by honoring the company’s mission and name – in Hawaiian, kahiau means to give generously with the heart. It’s a name her customers understand, too: She says they’ve supported her through some dark moments and many have volunteered to assist with the business, when needed. “My amazing loyal customers supported me, allowing the business to continue.” Kahiau Poke & Provisions’ products include poke poi, ‘ahi spreads, chile pepper water and various flavors of fish jerky. On the company’s catering menu are platters of poke and sushi.

H AWAII CAN DY FAC TORY ’ S business concept is

sweet, sour and surprisingly simple. The company says it purchases candies in bulk, coats them in li hing mui powder at a commercial kitchen and warehouse in Kapolei, then sells the handmixed sweets under the brand Noms. What helps sales is Noms’ packaging. It stands out in candy aisles thanks to the bright hue and colorful caricatures created by the company’s in-house designer, Fred Zaha. The company says it launched Noms in March 2021 during the Covid pandemic with a straightforward mission: to “create snacks and holiday products that people of Hawai‘i can look forward to.” In addition to school and team fundraisers, Noms are sold from a shopping mall kiosk, at convenience stores and drugstores, and retailers focused on the visitor market. To expedite manufacturing, Hawaii Candy Factory’s executive team created an inventory management and ordering system customized to their needs; the system uses low-code, web-based platforms and databases. Hawaii Candy Factory’s sales grew nearly 150% from 2022 to 2023, according to the company. This year, chocolate-based products are scheduled to launch.

INVESTOR OF THE YEAR Donavan Kealoha S TA R T U P C A P I TA L V E N T U R E S X S B I F U N D

to Donavan Kealoha. “You get a little, you give a lot. That’s how it is in Hawai‘i,” says Kealoha. He is a managing director at Startup Capital Ventures x SBI Fund, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California, and Honolulu, and an entrepreneur himself. Kealoha’s first interaction with the firm came about 15 years ago, when it supported a startup he co-founded. Kealoha joined Startup Capital Ventures in 2014, and more recently began working with its third and latest fund, a joint venture with Japanese financial services SBI. He splits his time between Hawai‘i and the Bay Area. “I try to leverage the network I have,” he says, “to bring insights and learning, and help people develop business plans or fundraising pitches.” Because the firm focuses on early-stage investments, he says, “You’re really looking at the person, at their expertise and passion, and if we align in values. Have they identified a unique problem and a unique solution to it? Are they going to be able to get early employees to join their mission? They’ve got to have that – what do the kids say? – the rizz.” Successful investments include WhiteHat Security, a Maui-launched tech company that was later acquired for a nine-figure sum, and Shifted Energy, a Honolulu startup focused on energy solutions. Kealoha is also a co-founder of the Purple Mai‘a Foundation, a business accelerator program created to uplift Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs. “That was in response to being a Native Hawaiian and wanting to see Hawaiians in particular in this space; I wanted to help diversify the system,” he says. Hawaii Entrepreneur Awards judges told Hawaii Business Magazine that they picked Kealoha and his firm for Investor of the Year because of their track record. “For over two decades, Startup Capital Ventures has been a driving force in Hawai‘i’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, and the new SCV x SBI Fund reflects the continued commitment to support innovation here,” the judges wrote in an email. “In addition, Donavan’s remarkable contributions extend to the community through the Purple Mai‘a Foundation, which is dedicated to empowering high-opportunity youth in underserved Hawai‘i communities.” – K AT H R Y N D R U R Y WA G N E R AY ING IT FORWA R D COM ES NATU R A LLY

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

2O24 HAWAII ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS

INTRAPRENEUR OF THE YEAR Micah Kāne H AWA I ‘ I C O M M U N I T Y FO U N DAT I O N FIRST COVID, THEN TH E MAU I W ILDF IRES. The Hawai‘i Com-

munity Foundation is navigating the most challenging era in its history. “And we’re still in the middle of this,” says Micah Kāne,

CEO and president of HCF. “This is an extremely complex disaster. It’s deep, long, emotionally charged, politically charged.” More than 250,000 donors from around the world have given to the Maui Strong Fund, propelling HCF into a global spotlight. “We’re a different organization than we were,” says Kāne. “A lot of evolution had to happen in a short amount of time.” He’s proud of the people on his IT team, who worked 24/7 to fix crashing systems; of the management team that conducted 1 a.m. Zoom interviews with press in different time zones; of the overall organization’s “willingness to grind, at a time when it’s really hard.” HCF’s values align internally and with those of its community partners, he says. That synergy doesn’t develop overnight, he notes, and it’s served the organization well in these times of

extreme pressure. Even before the fires, Kāne “demonstrated innovative thinking and positive impact in the community through his leadership at HCF,” wrote the judges of the Hawaii Entrepreneur Awards, who chose him as Intrapreneur of the Year, an annual award that goes to a person with an entrepreneurial mindset who operates within a larger organization. “Expanding stakeholder partnerships and incorporating the CHANGE initiative, he expanded the scope of HCF to have a broader impact.” Past models for philanthropy, Kāne says, aren’t working. “If someone is hungry, you want to feed them; if someone needs shelter, you want to house them. But if the pipeline is growing faster than philanthropy can support, you have to work upstream … to deal with the real issues.”

For example, HCF has joined the Maui Interim Housing Plan, a collective of government and nonprofit groups aiming to create a pool of 3,000 stable housing units on Maui. “That was a huge milestone for us,” says Kāne. “The way that disaster programs are structured is rapid response and somewhat uncoordinated. You almost have to hit pause and get everyone around the table to figure out what resources you have and what you’re good at or not good at. “The opportunity going forward for Hawai‘i is incredible, to use this as a way to rethink affordability and how we treat the environment. We can revisit how we manage and engage communities in developing the future vision for a place – rethinking people and place, and how they both can thrive.” – K AT H R Y N D R U R Y WA G N E R

TECH ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

Mahina Aerospace A M B E R I M A I - H O N G , LU K E C L E M E N T S , C H R I S TO PH E R A M E N D O L A , FR A N C E S Z H U OK USAT, A SM A LL SATELLITE built and sold by Mahina Aerospace, is ready for space flight, and might put Hawai‘i on the map in the small satellite industry, says Amber Imai-Hong.

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“I really hope we can build this high-tech industry in Hawai‘i to offset the tourist industry and provide a little more economic stability to the state,” says Imai-Hong, who is CEO of Mahina Aerospace, a spinoff of the Hawai‘i Space Lab at UH Mānoa. Mahina’s four-person team developed software and hardware for HokuSat at UH Mānoa. Manufacturing takes place primarily in the U.S., and assembly occurs in Honolulu. Uses for the CubeSats include science research, educational projects and commercial ventures. Since January 2023, Mahina has delivered more than a dozen satellite chips to universities across the U.S., which are used as course materials to help build aerospace programs. – C Y N T H I A S W E E N E Y

Komodo R I C K Y U Y, J AC K M O M O S E R I C K Y UY B E LI E V E S P EOP L E are at their best when they play. He is the co-founder of Komodo, a company based in Honolulu and Tokyo that creates and publishes video games and creative software products. “We try to be a company of consequence. We create products that have elements of play with the goal to empower, educate and entertain people,” says Uy. This April, Komodo will roll out Niuhi (the Hawaiian word for tiger sharks and other man-eating sharks), a program designed to inspire people

– CYNTHIA SWEENEY

40Hammocks MINA SINGSON-BRIGHTMAN, SEBASTIAN BORYS , KIM ANDREELLO AS THE OWNER OF T WO destination event planning companies, Mina Singson-Brightman knows the challenges that large groups face in finding accommodations in Hawai‘i. “They can spend hours online researching accommodations and activities,” she says. “I realized there should be an app to make the booking experience easier.” Singson-Brightman and her two partners built 40Hammocks, a free platform for groups to book premium hotel accommodations. “These groups want an overall experience they can remember, so we focus on four- and five-star hotels,” she says. The app also lets group members track their hotel bookings, and communicate with other members, such as with announcements. Since launching the platform in August, 40Hammocks says it has put together contracts with hotels on O‘ahu totaling nearly $100,000. This year, 40Hammocks plans to expand to Las Vegas; Aspen, Colorado; and Austin, Texas; as well as popular destinations in California including Los Angeles, Palm Springs and Napa Valley. – C Y N T H I A S W E E N E Y

2O24 HAWAII ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS

to learn another language by sharing their favorite manga comics. Players can connect, form a community and translate the stories. Uy says many people begin to learn a language, but it’s hard to stay motivated to achieve fluency. “Fluency in a language is where there are major life rewards. Breaking down language barriers is a big key because otherwise you end up with siloed communities that don’t really get to engage with one another.”

STUDENT ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR I N A B E V E R AG E M A R K E T saturated with beer and hard drinks, Zingipop Sodaworks aims to fill a niche with nonalcoholic soda. Zingipop’s co-owners, current UH student Amelia Stucker and past UH student Adam Sullivan, make and package the sodas in a warehouse in Kalihi and sell them to boutique hotels, coworking spaces and small restaurants on O‘ahu. They recently purchased two new tanks that allow them to double their capacity to 600 gallons and produce four flavors of soda, including fan favorite Ginger Lilikoi. Zingipop Stucker says Zingipop is 100% locally sourced; each can’s Sodaworks label features local farms that provide ingredients. “We want AMELIA STUCKER , to let our customers know where their food is grown,” she says. A DA M S U LLIVA N Stucker has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a certificate in entrepreneurship from Kapi‘olani Community College, and she’s on track to earn an associate degree in accounting from KCC. – C AT H Y G E O R G E

DA NI PA S I ON’S FA S C I NAT I ON with “cute, dainty car products” led her to launch Illicitlover, an e-commerce store (illicitloverjp.com) that sells air fresheners for vehicles. She says the company’s name stems from her personal experiences. “I’ve always felt that I had so much love to give and would get overwhelmed by these feelings. ... I first started this small business as a way to cope with these feelings during a tough time in one of my past relationships ... I focused this energy into art and this business.” Illicitlover She designs each version of the air fresheners and sends DA N I E L L A “ DA N I ” the art to an off-island manufacturer. The whimsical designs PA S I O N reflect Pasion’s childhood, much of which she spent at car shows, surrounded by customized classic vehicles. One design, Turbo the Duck, consistently sells out, she says. Pasion is on track to graduate this summer with a marketing and entrepreneurship degree from UH Mānoa. – C AT H Y G E O R G E

K A HAULE LI O CA ND LE CO. specializes in candles infused with the scents of mango, coconut, papaya, hibiscus and other local favorites. Tahiya Kahaulelio says she was inspired to launch the company in 2020 by her love of the Islands and the rich heritage passed to her by her Nigerian mother and Native Hawaiian father. All of her candles are handmade with coconut beeswax, she says. Coconut wax is costlier than the soy wax typically used in candle-making but has “the cleanest burn of any Kahaulelio candle wax available and plays a significant role in decreasCandle Co. ing my company’s carbon footprint,” Kahaulelio says. TA H I YA Kahaulelio is enrolled in the environmental and inK A H AU L E L I O terior design program at Chaminade University of Honolulu and is scheduled to graduate in 2026. She says that running a business since high school has been demanding but worthwhile. “It taught me self-discipline, among many things.” – C AT H Y G E O R G E

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

2O24 HAWAII ENTREPRENEUR AWARDS

ISLAND INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR Farm Link Hawai‘i C L A I R E S U L L I VA N A N D R O B B A R R EC A OW C A N YO U M A K E locally H E A LT H Y,

grown food affordable and accessible while still ensuring that producers make a living? Achieving both objectives isn’t easy, but it’s how Farm Link Hawai‘i thrives. It is a local online grocery that provides customers on O‘ahu with next-day delivery. But ultimately, its mission is to make Hawai‘i healthier by supporting diversified agriculture.

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Rob Barreca, the company’s founder and chief technology officer, launched Farm Link Hawai‘i in 2015. Most food production businesses in Hawai‘i are very small, he says, so he sought to use technology to spur innovation and collaboration with the local food system. “The other angle we have leaned into more heavily now is realizing the disparity of access for food. Fresh local food can’t be for the restaurants only, or fancy people only.”

Claire Sullivan, CEO at Farm Link Hawai‘i, says diversified agriculture benefits Hawai‘i in multiple ways, including: lessening economic dependency on tourism; reducing factors that lead to climate change; and improving human health, especially among vulnerable populations. “Under Claire and Rob’s leadership, Farm Link is providing Hawai‘i producers with a supportive market and ensuring that everyone on O‘ahu has access to the same great food, no matter where they live,” the Hawaii Entrepreneur Awards judges wrote to Hawaii Business Magazine. For example, Farm Link Hawai‘i accepts SNAP, and beneficiaries of the program automatically get 50% off local produce and poi via the Da Bux program, and free delivery. Beginning this year, the company will be able to process SNAP transactions online, rather than having customers physically swipe their cards when food is delivered. And in March 2024, deliveries will increase to seven days a week. “We are also expanding selection, so we can truly replace a trip to the grocery store,” Sullivan says. “Because we do 100% foods that are locally grown, raised or fished in Hawai‘i, we have to woo producers into the marketplace, or get them to add products, and also support aspiring folks. We think of this as supply building rather than passive supply taking – to build that availability together, in both volume and selection. Our growth is intertwined with that of the grower community.” How will they know they’ve achieved success? “When you are eating 90% local food and not even thinking about it,” says Barreca. – K AT H R Y N D R U R Y WA G N E R

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D I A M O N D B A K E RY, which has been serving Hawai‘i since 1921, continues to roll out new products while maintaining its iconic line of cookies and soda crackers. The recipes for Diamond Bakery’s soda crackers, cream crackers and saloon pilots have not changed since “the beginning of time,” says company President Butch Galdeira, who cites the importance of quality and consistency at the bakery. “That’s what keeps customers coming back. They know the same Diamond Bakery soda cracker they buy today is the same one

LOCATION: KALIHI, O‘AHU

PHOTOGRAPHER: AARON YOSHINO

they’re going to have next month,” he says. The middle distance of the photo shows a worker preparing soda crackers for packing. Some of the company’s newer Hawai‘iinspired ﬂavors include ube, liliko‘i and Kona coffee shortbread cookies. Galdeira says 90% of sales are local but the bakery does have mainland and international buyers. “We continue to innovate and are looking forward to the next 100 years.” diamondbakery.com

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

Quality control workers check ube shortbread cookies as they move along the assembly line at the Diamond Bakery’s main hub in Kalihi.

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