Hawaii Business Magazine April 2023 by aio Hawaiʻi

The companies of HEI are united by a common purpose — to create a better Hawai‘i. One that thrives economically, environmentally, culturally, and socially, and where all in our community have access to resources and opportunities to attain their dreams. But, this cannot be accomplished alone. Join us as we work with the larger community to create positive change together.

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FEATURES A row of 60-foot articulated diesel buses in the Kalihi bus yard.

We Begin Reporting by Listening to Many Voices Staff Writer and Engagement Editor Noelle Fujii-Oride explains part of Hawaii Business Magazine’s storytelling process and the crucial topics we are covering. 4

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TheBus Adds Cameras as It Modernizes Its Fleet Included are electric buses, but their heavy weight and limited range means other new buses are diesel. Also, a look at Hawai‘i Island’s bus network.

76 Companies/Nonprofits Are Best Places to Work We name all the winners in the small, medium and large categories, and list healthiest and family friendly workplaces, plus best places for women and LGBTQ equality.

Habitat for Humanity on Kaua‘i Builds Efficiently The nonprofit constructs more than its local peers by erecting 15 to 20 homes a year in batches, largely using the labor of volunteers and eventual homeowners.

Key Player in Affordable and Workforce Housing These construction projects are costly and complicated. Sometimes, huge investments from varied forms of private equity are the only way to make it happen. PH OTO BY A A R O N YO S H I N O

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CONTENTS

He Worked Behind the Scenes and Now Teaches It Eric Lagrimas has had many jobs in the music business. Now he’s showing students how it’s done at Honolulu Community College.

These Businesses Are Shifting the Spotlight to Native Plants Too often, introduced species like pineapples are used as icons of Hawai‘i. Some companies want us to focus instead on native species. 12

Local Companies Honored for Excellence in Home Care We talked with Tanya Fernandes, CEO of Ho‘okele Home Care, one of the companies honored, about how they serve 300 seniors on O‘ahu and Maui. 74 O N T H E C OV E R

This Nonprofit Wants to Feed Kaua‘i with Local Food Mālama Kaua‘i helps prospective farmers to start up, and established ones to scale up, and distributes their crops around the island. Photo: Chicks from Mama Jeth’s Farmstead. 14

Illustration by Kelsie Dayna

SPECI A L A DV ERTI SI NG SECTI ON S Best Places to Work Profiles Learn more about how select companies have created workplaces where employees are engaged and committed. 35

HAWAII BUSINESS (ISSN 0440-5056) IS PUBLISHED 10 TIMES A YEAR BY PACIFICBASIN COMMUNICATIONS. ©2023 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. APRIL 2023 VOL. 68/NO.9

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PHOTO: AARON YOSHINO; COURTESY OF MAMA JETH’S FARMSTEAD

Doing It Right When You Bring in a Leader from the Mainland Jason Higa, who leads Zippy’s Restaurants and Movers and Shakas, offers 5 Steps to onboarding new leaders to Hawai‘i. 9

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Listening to Many Voices and Telling Their Stories This month’s column is by Staff Writer and Engagement Editor Noelle Fujii-Oride.

ATTENDED A GATHERING over Presidents Day weekend to learn about legislative proposals seeking to increase the state’s conveyance tax to significantly boost funding for land conservation, rental housing and homeless services. The gathering, hosted by the Hawai‘i Housing Affordability Coalition, was held at Ho‘omana Thrift Store at the mouth of Kaua‘i’s Wailua River. Most of the folks attending were houseless, some of them, they said, for more than 10 years. But perhaps the most moving story was shared by Lourdes Torres, a farmer and owner of Sustainable Boost. Torres had slowly developed relationships with nearby houseless individuals, who would charge their phones, get water and cook meals at her Wailua shop. So when her business nearly went under because of Covid, those individuals helped make her products, like flours and powders made from locally grown ingredients, so her business would survive. Torres was amazed by their reciprocity and implored other community members to build relationships with individuals experiencing houselessness and remember they deserve empathy. After all, many households are financially vulnerable and could easily become homeless themselves. Twenty-nine percent of Hawai‘i households have little to no savings and incomes that barely cover their basic needs, according to a 2022 report by Aloha United Way. It only takes one emergency or rent increase for them to drop into poverty. Another 15% of local households already live in poverty. LIVED EXPERIENCE

This gathering was part of a larger movement to elevate the voices of locals experiencing houselessness and get them involved in changing policies that no longer work. Nicky Winter, executive director of Wahiawā-based homeless services provider Achieve Zero, says it best: “How do we solve the single biggest crisis without talking to the people experiencing it?” Often, she says, it seems like we forget that people experiencing homelessness are humans, too. I think that’s also important in journalism, and I’m reminded of a blog post written by journalist Margaret Meyers and DEI practitioner Janeen Williamson, “How We Can Advance Equity and Inclusion Through the Stories We Tell” (tinyurl.com/22ew9wfv). They wrote for Long Dash, an online consultancy founded by The Atlantic. They emphasized that writers become better storytellers when

they honor lived experiences. “Occasionally as writers, in our training toward objectivity, we use language that might minimize or invalidate a person’s lived experience,” they wrote. “Allowing storytellers and the people whom we interview to express how their race, ethnicity, or gender, for example, affected them will help represent a fuller picture. Representing the full picture as much as you can is important. People’s lived experiences are not up for debate.” Honoring lived experiences can help bridge divides between readers and people who are different from them. Ignore those lived experiences, and journalists are at risk of perpetuating biases and stereotypes when our role should be to dismantle harmful narratives and provide new understandings. Like Hawaii Business Magazine Editor Steve Petranik wrote in last month’s editor’s column, journalists have a responsibility to not only get the facts right but also to be aware of the consequences their work can have on the people they cover. FIVE FOCUS AREAS

Hawaii Business Magazine’s editorial team has set five areas outside of our regular business reporting on which we plan major projects: on housing, education, regenerative tourism, sustainability, and how lower-income working families cope with the high cost of living. We picked these topics because they encompass some of the state’s biggest social and economic challenges and opportunities. And, based on the reader survey we did last year, they’re topics that our readers want to know more about. These are complicated topics, and we plan to speak with people most impacted by them. We do our best to seek out new and diverse voices and perspectives, but if there are some whom you feel are not on our radar, please let us know. Feel free to email us at feedback@hawaiibusiness. com or contact me directly at noellef@hawaiibusiness.com.

NOELLE FUJII-ORIDE, STAFF WRITER AND ENGAGEMENT EDITOR

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 & Interim Publisher STEVE PETRANIK stevep@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 534−7584 Editorial Managing Editor CYNTHIA WESSENDORF cynthiaw@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 534−7529 Staff Writer & Engagement Editor NOELLE FUJII-ORIDE

Event Series 2023

Need to Know Series THE PR OM IS E AN D R E A L I T Y O F R EG EN ER AT IV E T O UR I S M WE DN E S DAY, APR I L 19, 202 3 YWCA Laniākea Elizabeth Fuller Hall

Hawaii Business Magazine hosts inperson conversations with community leaders about critical issues in our state throughout the year. This event will focus on how local organizations are making regenerative tourism work and how to expand efforts moving forward.

UPCOMING EVENTS: WEDNESDAY, MAY 10, 2023

Women Entrepreneurs Conference Prince Waikiki Hawaii Business Magazine and Central Pacific Bank present the inaugural Women Entrepreneurs Conference. The event will be inspiring and fun, but mostly provide women business owners with solid, actionable information that will allow them to gain more funding and discover other resources to support the growth and success of their businesses. More details to come. JUNE 2023

Need to Know: Focus on Commercial Real Estate

noellef@hawaiibusiness.com Staff Writer CHAVONNIE RAMOS chavonnier@hawaiibusiness.com Copy Editor ELROY GARCIA Interns ASHI BEHL, KRYSTAL SPEAR Design Creative Director KELSEY IGE kelseyi@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 534−7179 Art Director MALLORY ADAMS-NAKAMURA malloryan@hawaiibusiness.com Contributing Designer AMY LOWE Photography Staff Photographer AARON YOSHINO Digital Digital Marketing Director JOELLE CABASA joellec@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 534−7531 Digital Media Specialist MICHELLE TAN michellet@hawaiibusiness.com Sales & Marketing Associate Publisher KENT COULES kentc@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 364−5869 Account Executive MEA ALOHA SPADY meaalohas@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 364−6126 Business Development Representative LIESEL STEINHAUER

liesels@hawaiibusiness.com • (631) 902−7022 Senior Account Coordinator REBECCA BROOKING rebeccab@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 534−7560 Events Manager MAGDALENA DURAK HERSHEY magdalenad@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 534−7578 Circulation Circulation Manager KIM KOKI kimk@paciﬁcbasin.net • (808) 534−7590 Connect with us on social media: HawaiiBusiness HawaiiBusinessmagazine

YWCA Laniākea Elizabeth Fuller Hall THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2023

10th Annual Leadership Conference Hilton Hawaiian Village

CO R R E C T I O N

We got Terence Young’s title wrong in our March feature on the 20 for the Next 20. He is Chief Operating Officer of Hawai‘i Paciﬁc Health Medical Group, not COO of Hawai‘i Paciﬁc Health. 8

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Hawaii Business is published by

Audience Development Director CHUCK TINDLE chuckt@pacificbasin.net • (808) 534−7521

Chairman and CEO DUANE KURISU President and COO SUSAN EICHOR CFO & Chief Administration Officer KEN MIYASATO Chief Revenue Officer PATRICK KLEIN

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

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

S T E P S

5 Steps to Onboarding New Leaders to Hawai‘i BY JA S ON H IGA

A NEW LEADER RECENTLY MOVED TO HAWAI‘I to join your company. How

do you help that person settle into their new job and community so they call Hawai‘i their permanent home? Jason Higa has had experience with many such leaders as the president of the nonprofit Movers and Shakas and CEO of FCH Enterprises, which includes Zippy’s Restaurants. Here he shares five steps to onboarding your newly relocated talent to ensure retention and workplace effectiveness.

1. FIND A PLACE-BASED COMMUNITY IMMERSION PROGRAM

Most businesses have a company orientation for new hires, but that’s usually only a day or less, which is insufficient to integrate newcomers to the Islands. Enroll them in an extensive community orientation program like Movers and Shakas’ Hawai‘i Talent Onboarding Program, which focuses on local immersion and relationship building that helps ensure newly relocated talent adjusts to Hawai‘i culturally, professionally and socially. Allowing their spouses or partners to participate is added value. 2. LEARN ABOUT THE HOST CULTURE AND DESTINATION

Encourage your new hire to learn about Hawai‘i’s unique culture, history and nuances – vital knowledge when conI L LU S T R AT I O N BY A M Y L OW E

ducting business in the Islands. Immersing themselves in cultural education, community service and networking will improve their knowledge of local and Hawaiian culture and increase their sense of belonging.

everything from pau hana and networking mixers to one-on-one meetings and lunches with other leaders from different industries. Their expanded network of contacts will benefit both them and your company.

3. CONTRIBUTE TO THE COMMUNITY

5. CHECK IN AND FOLLOW THROUGH

All residents of Hawai‘i share responsibility for taking care of their Island home through volunteering with local nonprofits and community programs. Find out what your new hires’ passions are and help guide them to a program. A “buddy” in your company who is already volunteering there can help them find their way.

Your work doesn’t end once your new hires are onboard. Checking in with them throughout their time with the company to see how they’re doing, how their families are doing and gauging their sense of belonging is imperative to ensure they stay with the company.

4. CONNECT WITH OTHERS

Strengthening business and community connections in Hawai‘i is key to a successful local career. Encourage your newly relocated talent to participate in

THIS MONTH’S EXPERT:

JASON HIGA, BOARD PRESIDENT MOVERS AND SHAKAS CONSULTING MOVERSANDSHAKAS.ORG

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

NAME: ERIC LAGRIMAS JOB:

MUSIC PRODUCER, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF MUSIC BUSINESS AT HONOLULU COMMUNITY COLLEGE

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PH OTO BY A A R O N YO S H I N O

M Y

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Launch Pad for Careers in the Music Business BY KRYSTA L SPEA R

BEGINNINGS: “My family is a musical family, so my father and his siblings, where he grew up in the Philippines, were all musicians. “He passed it on to me and my two younger brothers, and as far back as fourth grade, I was playing music. I did the whole rigamarole of middle school band, jazz band, concert band, marching band.” LONG JOURNEY: Lagrimas discovered the world of music production after receiving a brochure from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After graduating in 1999 from Berklee with a degree in music business, he moved to New York City. “My first job offer came from a recording studio and I was basically the lowest guy on the totem pole: rolling microphone cables, setting up things, sweeping up, making coffee.” From there, he worked a variety of jobs, including operations assistant at a record label and selling advertising in Guitar Magazine. MISSED OPPORTUNITY: After a long application process, Lagrimas got a marketing position at Rolling Stone. “My first day for that job was Sept. 12, 2001, a day after the 9/11 attacks. But the job never materialized due to the attacks.” RETURN HOME: “I moved back to Hawai‘i to try my luck and do my own thing because I realized there’s

a music industry everywhere.” In fall 2007, he saw an ad for the new MELE program at Honolulu Community College. The acronym stands for Music & Entertainment Learning Experience. “I thought to myself, ‘Wow, I wish something like this were around when I was in high school. This is going to be a game changer because no one’s doing this.’ ” Lagrimas was hired as the program’s first instructor. MISCONCEPTIONS: “MELE is the only program in Hawai‘i that prepares students for careers in music and entertainment. The misconception is, ‘Oh, you’re going to be a musician.’ “We specifically train students to be a part of the behind-the-scenes of the industry. So whenever you go to a concert, there’s someone doing live sound, someone doing all of the ticketing, someone doing stage management.” MELE offers courses on music publishing, copyright and licensing, and on the recording and production of music using studio equipment. CHALLENGES: Being a music ed-

ucator forces you to wear many hats, Lagrimas says. Students will often ask him for input on their songs or to come to their late-night music gigs. “The program is almost like a miniature industry within

the bigger industry – like a safe space where you’re not going to get chewed out that much. We’re also part coach, part counselor, part motivator.” ON THE JOB: “Every day is a good day, honestly. I mean, even for students who are having challenges with their work, I know they’re having challenges because they’re creatively talented. “A big part of this industry is attitude. And if you maintain a bad attitude or you don’t follow deadlines, you’re going to have issues.” SALARY: “One of the benefits I have as a professor is a steady income.” He says the average salary of an assistant professor can be around $78,000 a year. But the music industry itself is less stable. “Prior to my job in academia, I made money from royalties on projects that I was a part of, and it’s hit or miss. If you got a song on the radio that’s some significant royalty payout.” WHAT IT TAKES: “There’s no substitute for experience. You have to go through it to know what you’re doing.” To survive in entertainment, “you’re going to have to fall, you’re going to have to pick yourself back up multiple times.” THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED FOR CL ARITY AND LENGTH.

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

Shifting the Spotlight to Native Plants Introduced species like pineapples are often used as icons of Hawai‘i, but some local businesses are raising awareness of the Islands’ true native plants through their products and services BY RYAN N COUL ES

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ONA COFFEE, PINEAPPLES AND MACADAMIA NUTS have become such

iconic Hawaiian commodities, it’s easy to forget none are native species. They, along with plumeria, liliko‘i and other plants, were introduced to the Islands in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They are different from plants brought to Hawai‘i by the first Polynesian settlers, known as canoe plants, including kalo (taro), ‘awa (kava) and niu (coconut). And those are different from native Hawaiian species and species endemic to the Islands – endemic meaning they are found nowhere else in the world. PH OTO BY D AV I D C R OX F O R D

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When people began asking them where they could buy their own, States and her husband ran with the idea and opened their online store. Kaulumaika now sells fabric, bedding, stationary and more. “We do hours of research before designing and releasing products because we are passionate about appropriate representation of what a ‘Hawaiian design’ is.” Another local business owner is Kea Peters, a Native Hawaiian artist from ‘Ewa Beach. She runs Kākou Collective, an online store that sells apparel, stationery and other items featuring Peters’ Hawaiian-inspired designs. NAUPAKA, A UNIQUE SPECIES

Matt Schirman, left, and Rick Barboza at the Hui Kū Maoli Ola plant nursery in Kāne‘ohe, which specializes in native plants.

Today, some local business owners are shifting the spotlight toward endemic and native plants – lā‘au kama‘āina – and canoe plants. One of them is Emily States, who started her business Kaulumaika after she and her husband went shopping in search of Hawaiian-themed baby clothes for their first born. “They all had a plethora of commercialized Hawaiian things like pineapples, monstera and English idioms,” States recalls. “But we couldn’t find clothes just with ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i or native Hawaiian plants and animals.” This prompted States to design her original “Kuu Opihi” print for a onesie she made by hand for their baby.

She gives one example: “Hawai‘i is known for its beaches, but not so much the native plants that live on them. I thought it was really cool to find so many native and endemic species on the beach, like naupaka … a very unique species of plants.” Planting native species can help to counter their rapid rates of extinction, says horticulturist Rick Barboza, who alongside longtime friend and business partner Matt Schirman, runs two nurseries on O‘ahu called Hui Kū Maoli Ola that specialize in native Hawaiian plants. They also work on habitat restoration and rehabilitation projects. “We were the endemic capital (of the world), which you would think we would be proud of. But instead, we dropped the ball and now Hawai‘i’s got the title of extinction capital of the world,” he says. Mālama ‘āina – taking care of the land and sea – is a fundamental aspect of Hawaiian culture. Under this guiding principle, it is our kuleana to protect native flora and fauna that still exist. “There’s a lack of knowledge about this, so there are fewer conversations about it,” says Peters. “I want to hold the space for it. And that’s kind of what the difference is, that we have to just create and cultivate space to have those important conversations, so it’s not completely gone or lost.” ENDEMIC CAPITAL OF THE WORLD

The Hawaiian archipelago is one of the most isolated land masses in the world, so it’s no wonder our islands became the endemic capital of the world. Native plants came to Hawai‘i naturally, in

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one of three ways, easily remembered as the three W’s: wings, wind and waves. A staggering 90% of the native species in Hawai‘i are endemic. That’s over 10,000 endemic species. Species become endemic by evolving in isolated ecosystems over millennia, which results in the development of unique traits. The Hawaiian white hibiscus, for example, is the only hibiscus variety in the world known to have acquired a fragrance naturally. Peters finds inspiration in Hawaiian culture, flora and fauna, but says on her website that she avoids stereotypical imagery. “Many times when people think of Hawai‘i (especially those not from here), the first thing that comes to mind is the beach, perhaps waterfalls, rainbows, and probably hula. Nothing against these subjects at all because they are part of Hawai‘i, but they are not the first ideas I go with because their story is already well told.” Hence her focus on native and endemic species like naupaka, which has several practical uses. It is one of many native plants used in lā‘au lapa‘au – the tradition of Hawaiian herbal healing. The sap from its leaves and fruit contains the chemical compounds saponin and coumarin, which can be used to treat minor wounds, skin allergies, and eye irritation and inflammation. “The naupaka has a white berry that can be used if you get stung by a Portuguese man-of-war,” explains Peters. “Put that on there immediately.” Barboza says there’s a lot of misinformation about lā‘au lapa‘au and that some people are simply doing it wrong. “People that practice lā‘au lapa‘au today, I would say 80% or more of the plants they utilize for lā‘au lapa‘au are introduced and some of them are actually super invasive.” He advises lā‘au lapa‘au practitioners to do their research and only use native Hawaiian and canoe plants. He believes that if you are following a different culture’s traditional medicine, make sure you are calling it by the correct name and are not using invasive plants. “Countless species of plants sold routinely in Hawai‘i bear Hawaiian (or Hawaiian sounding) names but are anything but Hawaiian. In fact, many are invasive and actually do significant harm to our fragile native ecosystems upon introduction into the wild.” H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

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Nonprofit Nourishes Kaua‘i with Local Food Mālama Kaua‘i helps prospective farmers to start up, and established ones to scale up, with an eye on increasing production and access BY N OE L L E FUJ II- OR ID E

to help feed her family and neighbors. Her farm, Mama Jeth’s Farmstead, now houses about 175 chickens on a quarter-acre lot in Waimea, and they produce about 45 to 60 dozen eggs a week. She’s one of 17 egg producers who participated in Mālama Kaua‘i’s Poultry Egg Education Project, or PEEP, which began in 2022 and provided Kaua‘i farmers with startup equipment, supplies, education and peer support. “When they had a program open up, I wanted to join and help out, do whatever I can on my part to help feed the island,” Parbo says, adding that her peers taught her about best practices for feeding schedules and chicken health. Created in 2006, Mālama Kaua‘i’s mission is to increase local food production and access. Its staff of 10, along with hundreds of volunteers, distribute food through an online food hub, keiki and kūpuna programs, and food pantries. In 2022, Mālama Kaua‘i distributed $500,000 worth of food from 130 food producers, 60% of which were minority-owned businesses. Most of those producers were based on Kaua‘i; a handful were from other islands. The nonprofit also collects produce 14

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harvested from the community and donates it to community partners. And it helps farmers build capacity through internships, grants, grant writing and management services, and educational programs. Now in its second year, PEEP helped increase the number of Kaua‘i egg producers from four to 27, says Megan Fox,

executive director of Mālama Kaua‘i. The nonprofit plans to use the program’s third year to support graduates who want to scale further. “Because obviously, the more production everyone’s doing, the more food that’s available for the community, and these are the people that were the most excited on

“WHEN THEY HAD A PROGRAM OPEN UP, I WANTED TO JOIN AND HELP OUT, DO WHATEVER I CAN ON MY PART TO HELP FEED THE ISLAND.” —Jeth Parbo, Owner, Mama Jeth’s Farmstead

PHOTO: COURTESY OF MĀLAMA KAUA‘I

ETH PARBO BEGAN RAISING CHICKENS EIGHT YEARS AGO

Needs a caption please

Mālama Kaua‘i’s online food hub sells about 1,800 eggs a week.

commercial customers across the island. Customers can pick up their groceries or pay $5 for delivery. Fox says the food hub has helped the nonprofit reach more low-income residents; about half of its residential customers use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. Mālama Kaua‘i is planning to scale its

food aggregation and distribution efforts with a new food hub it’s building in Moloa‘a in partnership with the Moloa‘a Irrigation Cooperative, a hui of 70 farms on more than 600 acres. The two-story Moloa‘a ‘Āina Center will have a commercial kitchen, cold storage, processing equipment and a marketing office. Fox says this will take some burden off producers so

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the island about taking it seriously and bringing it to that level,” she says. PEEP farmers provide the eggs that Mālama Kaua‘i sells through KauaiLocalFood.com. Anni Caporuscio, PEEP program manager, says the online food hub is selling about 150 dozen eggs a week at prices competitive with mainland eggs, whose prices have sharply increased over the past year. Higher prices for mainland food means “local food is starting to become pretty competitive and in some cases is less expensive than imported food,” Fox says. “And it just tastes better.” KauaiLocalFood.com became an essential facilitator for farmers and customers when farmers markets closed early in the pandemic. It currently serves over 1,200 residential and

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Baby chicks at Mama Jeth’s Farmstead in Waimea will grow into egg producers for Mālama Kaua‘i and other local vendors.

they can focus on growing food. “Having to run all over the island to sell $50 worth of stuff, it’s not worth your gas,” she says. “But if (Mālama Kaua‘i is) already going to do that run in the vans and whatnot, it makes a lot of sense for us to aggregate.” The new facility is scheduled to be

complete this summer. The nonprofit wants to keep expanding access to healthy local food. One of its newest grant programs helps farmers like Parbo address shortages of broccoli, watercress, carrots, liliko‘i and other crops, and to sell to food pantries and other food access channels.

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Mālama Kaua‘i’s 2022 food insecurity survey found that one in three participating Kaua‘i households were unsure if they would have enough to eat each week, and two in three households had to decide monthly between paying bills or buying food. The survey was based on responses from 177 Kaua‘i residents who represented 472 food-insecure individuals. Fox says Mālama Kaua‘i has accomplished a lot in the 10 years she’s been with the organization, but says she is especially passionate about how it has helped people. Its vendors saw an average 5.9% increase in sales from 2021 to 2022. One of its farmers even reached six figures in sales last year. “It’s really cool to see all those big numbers when you do good work, but it’s cooler when you see that one person and how your work impacts that one person and their business and their family and their kids and, at the same time, you get to see smiles every week of all the people that love their food,” she says. “We’re just pretty lucky we get to do what we do.”

PHOTO: COURTESY OF MAMA JETH’S FARMSTEAD

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The

M AY 1 0 , 2 0 2 3 , 1 1 : 3 0 A . M . to 7 : 0 0 P. M . at P R I N C E WA I K I K I

Hawaii Business Magazine and Central Pacific Bank are proud to present the inaugural Women Entrepreneurs Conference. The conference is focused on helping women entrepreneurs grow their business by providing information on access to capital, revenue growth opportunities, financial management, networking and inspiration. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn from and connect with successful business owners, funders, and key players in Hawai‘i’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. PRESENTED BY

SPECIAL PARTNER

F E AT U R E D KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Jenai Wall,

Ting Xu,

Chairman & CEO, Foodland Super Market, Ltd.

Founder & Chairwoman of the Board, Evergreen Enterprises

SESSION TOPICS

SCHEDULE

• Funding Your Success Stories • Crafting the Perfect Pitch

11:30 a.m. Registration, Networking Expo, Light Bites

• Social Capital: How to Build Your Most Valuable Asset

12:30 p.m. Opening General Session

• Overcoming Fears

1:45 p.m. Breakout Sessions I

• Branding and Marketing in Today’s World

3:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions II

• Sources of Capital and How to Draw on Them

5:15 p.m. Pau Hana

4:15 p.m. Closing General Session

S O M E B U S ES H AVE B EEN D R IVEN OVER 1 M I LLI O N M I LES WITH O U T A M A J O R OVER H AU L . S O H O N O LU LU I S M O D ER N IZI N G IT S FLEE T, I N C LU D I N G B U YI N G M O R E ELECTR I C VEH I C LES . B U T TH EI R H E AV Y WEI G HT A N D LI M ITED R A N G E M E A N S N OT A LL N E W B U S ES TH E C IT Y I S B U YI N G A R E ELECTR I C .

New Wheels for TheBus by CHAVONNIE RAM OS

photography AARON YOSHINO

A PR I L 2 0 2 3

ONOLULU’S NEW ELECTRIC BUSES STILL WEAR THEIR ICONIC YELLOW AND ORANGE ON THE OUTSIDE, BUT INSIDE THEY HAVE QUIETER ENGINES AND SMOOTHER RIDES. “THE

O P E R AT O R S L OV E because DRIVING THEM

they’re really powerful and really quiet,” says Jon Nouchi, deputy director of Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services. People can talk and “not be overcome by the noise and vibration.” The city’s older buses – many still operating beyond their mileage “life expectancy” – are being phased out to make room for new buses – some of them built to meet the fleet’s zero-emissions goal by 2035. But not every new bus is electric. Oahu Transit Services, a nonprofit that operates TheBus and HandiVan for the City and County of Honolulu, is also getting 35 new 60-foot, articulated, fuel-efficient and “clean-diesel” buses over the next three years from Nova Bus, a North American manufacturer, under a deal signed in August. Clean diesel refers to a diesel fuel that is refined to improve combustion efficiency and reduce harmful emissions.

Nouchi says the 60-foot articulated buses will be among the last the city electrifies because of current technology: the heavy weight of their batteries and the limited range of those batteries. The articulated buses, which can seat 54 people, operate on some of O‘ahu’s busiest routes. However, some roads and highways exclude their use: For example, 40-foot buses ply the Mākaha to Ala Moana Center’s Route C instead of the heavier 60-foot ones because of the weight limit on a bridge near Mākaha Beach Park, according to Nouchi. “We don’t necessarily want to be carrying thousands and thousands of pounds of batteries onboard these already heavy, articulated 60-foot buses,” he says. “The impact to the roadways would be pretty terrible, and the cost would actually be quite extravagant.” DTS plans to stop buying diesel buses after fiscal year 2025. SOME COST MORE THAN $1 MILLION

TS also acquired 30 new 60-foot articulated buses prior to the latest Nova Bus deal. These fuel-efficient diesel buses went into service last year. Some of the new 60-foot buses, made by

New Flyer Industries, feature vinyl seating, woodlike floors, beach designs by the doors, and cameras that feed a security monitor next to the driver’s seat. Every bus has custom-built seating arrangements, interior colors, windows and bike racks, based on city requests. The vinyl seats on the new buses are easier to clean than the fabric ones on older buses – a nod to the pandemic and passenger sensibilities, Nouchi says. A 60-foot heavy duty, clean diesel articulated bus costs about $1.1 million, according to DTS. A 40-foot diesel bus costs $600,000, but a diesel/hybrid is an additional $100,000; 40-foot electric buses can cost over $1 million. Nouchi says the federal government covers 80% of the cost of a new bus, and the city pays 20%. The OTS fleet has about 466 buses, including 17 electric buses now in service, with 50 to 60 new buses ordered in a typical year.

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

REPURPOSING OLD BUSES

he minimum life of a city bus is 12 years or 500,000 miles, Nouchi says, though many run well past that – some operate for more than 20 years. “We run these buses about as hard as any agency in the country,” says Nouchi, noting a lot “have gone over the million-mile mark without a major overhaul.” But it “gets harder and harder to find parts” as the buses get older, he says. Retired buses are salvaged for parts, though some buses that are still operational get donated to Neighbor Islands for county bus systems or are auctioned, Nouchi says. Hawai‘i County has received 13 buses from Honolulu for its Hele-On transit system. Most Honolulu buses can stoop down when stopped so passengers can board more easily, but 15 “high-floor” buses built in 2003 are still running, according to Nouchi. In 2015, there was a plan to repurpose old city buses into shelters and showers for the homeless. But the plan died because it was “cost prohibitive,” says Jun Yang, who helped spearhead the project. He is currently the homeless coordinator for the state Department of Transportation. The challenges included where to park the buses, and how to provide water and dispose of wastewater. “At the end of the day, it became pretty expensive to get one of these done to retrofit a bus,” says Yang. GETTING READY FOR RAIL

he city plans to open rail’s first 10 miles from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium this summer or early fall and intends to increase bus service to rail stations. TheBus and HandiVan riders who pay fares with HOLO cards can use them on the rail as well. Bus ridership continues to recov-

A PR I L 2 0 2 3

Some of the new 40-foot, low-floor buses feature vinyl seating (above), which is easier to clean than fabric seats on the older high-floor buses (top).

er from the pandemic. As of December 2022, it was approximately 37% lower than pre-pandemic levels, according to OTS. But average weekday ridership was 116,795, up 15% from the previous year. As of February 2023, average weekday ridership was 127,640. By the end of fiscal year 2024, DTS expects to have completed the procurement of another 19 electric buses, for a total of 36. Currently, OTS has 25 electric vehicle dispensers

and can charge 9 buses at a time, but Nouchi says they will eventually have to add charging infrastructure at its two main facilities and other transit centers across the island. “Electrification is the greatest new, in-place and current thing on our horizon,” he says. “If we burn a gallon of diesel at a power plant and then plug our electric bus in and use the power from that same gallon of diesel — we get five times the mileage for that. “The benefits are so far-reaching, that it’s hard for us to walk away from it.” VISIT THIS STORY AT HAWAIIBUSINESS.COM FOR A VIDEO AND SLIDESHOW.

“

We run these buses about as hard as any agency in the country… (Some) have gone over the million-mile mark without a major overhaul.” JON NOUCHI Deputy Director, Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services

B R I N G I N G N EW LI FE TO HAWAI ‘ I I S L AN D’ S “ H E LE - O N ” S E RVI C E

AWA I ‘ I C O U N T Y ’ S H E L E O N S YS T E M , which includes

its buses, ride-share taxi program, bike-share services and paratransit services, is undergoing a refresh with bigger changes planned. John C. Andoh, mass transit administrator and GM, says his eventual goal is to “rebuild a struggling transit system that has had its challenges over the last 10 years.” That means getting more people accustomed to using public transit rather than relying on cars for travel, developing a strong preventive maintenance program to maintain buses, replacing aging buses and converting to zero-emission vehicles, he says. The system currently has 24 routes connecting communities across the Big Island, with many of them covering vast rural areas.

Bus ridership declined from 663,784 passenger trips in fiscal year 2019 to 325,049 in FY 2021, Andoh says, but rebounded to 582,836 in FY 2022. That rebound was fueled by free fares on fixed routes and paratransit services beginning in February 2021 “to give us time to rebuild the transit system and get people acclimated to having buses all over,” he says. Free fares were also in place from 2005 to 2013 – a period when passenger trips grew from 329,000 to over 1.2 million. The average age of the fleet’s 55 fixed-route buses is 17.8 years, and some are as old as 28, Andoh says. The fleet also includes seven paratransit vans plus vehicles provided by contractors as needed. The county also has funds to purchase 36 buses. The county aims to purchase them over the next three years, according to Andoh. The sizes vary: 26, 29, 35, 40 and 45 feet long. He says the goal is to eventually replace all of the county’s older buses over the next 12 to 14 years.

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

Hawai‘i Real Estate News

Read news and insights about Hawai‘i real estate every Tuesday TO SUBSCRIBE, VISIT H AWAIIB U SIN ESS. CO M /H R EN

Locally Owned, Locally Committed

These 76 companies and nonproﬁts score an average of 90% on employee engagement. The national average is just 32%.

HERE’S WHAT BEST PLACES TO WORK DO DIFFERENTLY They offer the benefits, resources, autonomy and appreciation that employees need to thrive. In return, they get exceptional levels of employee engagement. by C Y N T H I A W E S S E N D O R F

GR E AT COM PA N IES ARE FILLED W ITH MOTI VATED EMPLOY EES who like what they’re

doing and are rewarded for their efforts. They’re the kind of workplaces that many companies strive for but few achieve. In fact, employee engagement – anemic for decades – is falling again. In 2022, just 32% of employees nationwide said they were enthusiastic about their jobs, down from 36% the previous year. The other 68% were indifferent or, worse, disgruntled. The biggest complaints from employees, according to a Gallup survey released in 2022, were unclear expectations, insufficient resources and few opportunities to do the work they’re suited for. But not all companies are flailing. The 76 organizations on Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work 2023 list have thriving environments, where employee engagement averages 90%. In these companies, people were overwhelmingly positive when asked whether the workplace culture allows them to do their best work, whether they’re enthusiastic about their jobs and feel valued, whether they intend to stay on, and six other measures of engagement. See 10 key drivers of employee engagement on page 32.

WHAT PUTS A WORKPLACE AMONG THE “BEST”

Hawaii Business Magazine’s partner in identifying the Best Places

A PR I L 2 0 2 3

I L LU S T R AT I O N BY K E L S I E DAY N A

to Work is Workforce Research Group, which conducts extensive surveys of employees and company representatives. Employees’ responses count for 80% of the final score, while company representatives’ responses make up 20%. The results were strong, even for participating companies that didn’t make the final cut for the Best Places to Work. That’s because each of the companies participating in the surveys had confidence in their work cultures, or are proactive in seeking unfiltered information to make improvements, says Peter Burke, president of Workforce Research Group. Companies that made the Best Places to Work list reported higher overall scores in core employee experience, as measured by the 10 drivers of engagement, and their employees were markedly happier with their compensation, training, paid time off, retirement plans and workloads. These Best Places to Work emphasize supportive cultures, employee well-being and work-life balance. The latter is particularly important as many people are reclaiming boundaries after work hours ticked up during the pandemic and half of employees and managers said they were burned out. While setting boundaries is sometimes disparagingly called “quiet quitting,” new research from software company Qualtrics finds the opposite. Among employees reporting a good work-life balance, almost two-thirds said they’re willing to go above and beyond for their organizations. Here are some of the tangible benefits that companies on the Best Places list provide to achieve that balance, as well as a sense of security and well-being:

• 17 offer health insurance the first day on the job • 19 cover at least 75% of dependents’ health insurance costs • 19 provide maternity leave at full pay, and 12 provide paternity leave • 42 train managers to spot and deal with burnout • 30 prohibit people from working on vacation • 29 allow at least half of their staff to work from home • 49 pay for community service during work hours • 8 grant sabbatical leaves • 76 organize fun activities Check out the chart on the next page for a sampling of each company’s benefits. WHAT MANAGERS CAN DO

Beyond benefits and programming, managers can help improve workplaces through simple actions. Burke from Workforce Research Group suggests that managers show genuine empathy for their people, give meaningful praise and regularly ask them: What can I do to make your job easier? What do you feel is a waste of time? What parts of your job do you love and want to do more of? For organizations that are serious about changing course and creating workplaces that bring out the best in people, participating in Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work program gives them the feedback they need to point the way forward.

B E S T P L A C E S T O W O R K : B E N E F I T S AT A G L A N C E

% employee % dependent medical medical coverage coverage paid by paid by employer employer

# of paid holidays per year

Employee % of Retirement ownership executives who are contribution programs female match? (e.g., ESOP)?

% of employees who telecommute

Employees required to take time off?

Company Name

Co. profile page

AHL

100%

75%

Yes

27%

100%

American Floor & Home

95%

60%

Yes

47%

Yes

American Savings Bank

75%

Yes

40%

60%

Yes

Aqua Engineers Inc.

87%

Yes

17%

Yes

Atlas Insurance Agency

100%

50%

Yes

58%

20%

Yes

Bayer Hawaii

75%

Yes

67%

Yes

Bowers + Kubota Consulting Inc.

100%

Yes

21%

Castaway Construction & Restoration LLC

100%

20%

40%

Central Pacific Bank

90%

74%

Yes

15%

40%

Yes

Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours

100%

Yes

67%

Child & Family Service

99%

74%

100%

27%

Yes

Chun Kerr LLP

100%

Yes

16%

44%

Yes

Control Freaks Hawaii

100%

25%

30%

Corteva Agriscience

74%

50%

Yes

40%

10%

Yes

CW Associates CPAs

100%

60%

97%

Yes

Decision Research Corporation (DRC)

90%

15%

90%

Diagnostic Laboratory Services Inc.

95%

90%

Yes

33%

20%

Yes

Diamond Head Dental Care

100%

75%

Yes

Dynamic Planning & Response LLC

75%

Yes

50%

Edward Jones

80%

70%

Yes

38%

40%

EnviroServices & Training Center LLC

100%

Yes

100%

Express Employment Professionals of Hawaii

98%

Yes

71%

25%

Finance Factors Ltd.

100%

50%

Yes

16%

90%

First Hawaiian Bank

94%

72%

Yes

41%

22%

Yes

First Insurance Company of Hawaii

100%

89%

47%

40%

G70

99%

50%

Yes

40%

80%

Hawai‘i Community Foundation

100%

50%

67%

95%

Yes

Hawaii Dental Service (HDS)

100%

74%

Yes

50%

86%

Yes

NR = No response H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

B E S T P L A C E S T O W O R K : B E N E F I T S AT A G L A N C E

% employee % dependent medical medical coverage coverage paid by paid by employer employer

# of paid holidays per year

Employee % of Retirement ownership executives who are contribution programs female match? (e.g., ESOP)?

% of employees who telecommute

Employees required to take time off?

Company Name

Co. profile page

Hawaii Diagnostic Radiology Services

100%

50%

18%

20%

Yes

Hawai‘i Energy / Leidos

75%

Yes

100%

The Hawaii Group

100%

83%

14%

Hawaii Information Service

100%

Yes

66%

100%

Yes

Hawaii Mortgage Experts

100%

50%

60%

90%

Yes

Hawai‘i Public Radio

100%

50%

Yes

57%

53%

Hawaii State Federal Credit Union

100%

50%

Yes

30%

57%

Yes

HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union

100%

95%

29%

50%

Yes

HEMIC

100%

50%

Yes

50%

Hickam Federal Credit Union

100%

Yes

50%

Yes

HiEmployment

99%

20%

Yes

50%

20%

Imua Family Services

100%

50%

Intech Hawaii

100%

Integrated Security Technologies Inc.

100%

Yes

50%

62%

Yes

Island Insurance

100%

50%

Yes

27%

75%

Island Palm Communities LLC

80%

Yes

56%

Kapili Solar Roofing & Painting

100%

Yes

Kilauea Pest Control

100%

43%

28%

Lawson & Associates Inc.

100%

Life Cycle Engineering

70%

25%

Yes

10%

Makai HR

100%

Yes

70%

91%

N&K CPAs Inc.

100%

Yes

38%

60%

Nagamine Okawa Engineers Inc.

95%

Yes

New York Life Insurance Co.

Yes

80%

60%

Nordic PCL Construction Inc.

91%

94%

Yes

17%

Yes

Northwestern Mutual Hawaii

75%

Yes

60%

50%

Yes

Oahu Country Club

100%

Yes

Office Pavilion

100%

50%

47%

NR = No response 26

A PR I L 2 0 2 3

% employee % dependent medical medical coverage coverage paid by paid by employer employer

# of paid holidays per year

Employee % of Retirement ownership executives who are contribution programs female match? (e.g., ESOP)?

% of employees who telecommute

Employees required to take time off?

Company Name

Co. profile page

Okahara and Associates Inc.

100%

50%

14%

10%

Pacific Administrators Inc.

80%

50%

Pacific Biodiesel

100%

80%

15%

Yes

Pacific Whale Foundation

99%

Yes

75%

23%

Pacxa

100%

50%

Yes

20%

98%

Panda Restaurant Group Inc.

80%

50%

Yes

29%

Yes

Parents And Children Together

98%

Yes

88%

75%

Premier Solutions Hi LLC

100%

38%

30%

Prince Resorts Hawaii

100%

Yes

48%

Yes

ProService Hawaii

100%

22%

Yes

55%

43%

Yes

RIM Architects LLC

100%

25%

53%

Ronald N.S. Ho & Associates Inc.

100%

Yes

80%

Servco Pacific Inc.

85%

16%

22%

Servpac Inc.

100%

Yes

15%

Yes

Swinerton

75%

Yes

33%

Yes

USAble Life

84%

77%

Yes

16%

99%

Verity CPAs

100%

Yes

72%

Yes

WATG

75%

50%

Yes

40%

90%

Westpac Wealth Partners

50%100%

Yes

45%

40%

Yes

Windward Synergy Center

90%

50%

75%

10%

U W

ANT

NON E OF H AWA I‘ I’S BEST PL ACES TO WOR K started that way.

NR = No response

A BEST PLACE TO WORK?

Instead, they built workplaces full of engaged employees over the long haul. Many used this annual confidential survey to understand their strengths and weaknesses, and to hear what their employees really thought – the good, the bad and the ugly. Register today for the 2024 program at BestPlacesToWorkHawaii. com. There’s no risk in participating; the names of registered companies that don't make the Best Places list are not released to the public.

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

LARGE COMPANIES 25O OR MORE HAWAI‘I EMPLOYEES

T H E RE MAI N I NG L AR G E C O MPAN I ES AR E L I ST E D AL P H AB E T I C AL LY

American Savings Bank HEADQUARTERS:

Honolulu

EMPLOYEES: 1,075 HI

asbhawaii.com

Bayer Hawaii HEADQUARTERS:

Leverkusen, Germany

EMPLOYEES: 473 HI

Central Pacific Bank (CPB) HEADQUARTERS:

Bowers + Kubota Consulting Inc. HEADQUARTERS: Waipahu EMPLOYEES: 264 HI

Honolulu

EMPLOYEES: 766 HI

cpb.bank

Child & Family Service

bowersandkubota.com

HEADQUARTERS: ‘Ewa

Beach

EMPLOYEES: 358 HI childandfamilyservice. org

First Hawaiian Bank HEADQUARTERS:

Honolulu

EMPLOYEES: 1,949 HI

fhb.com

First Insurance Company of Hawaii HEADQUARTERS:

2. Diagnostic Laboratory Services Inc.

3. Parents And Children Together

dlslab.com

pacthawaii.org

HEADQUARTERS: ‘Aiea EMPLOYEES: 694 HI

A PR I L 2 0 2 3

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 292 HI

Honolulu

EMPLOYEES: 252 HI

ficoh.com

PHOTO: COURTESY OF BOWERS + KUBOTA CONSULTING INC., DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORY SERVICES INC. AND PARENTS AND CHILDREN TOGETHER

hawaii.bayer.us

BEST PL ACES TO WORK:

L ARG E C O M PA N I E S

Hawaii State Federal Credit Union

MEDIUM COMPANIES 50-249 HAWAI‘I EMPLOYEES

HEADQUARTERS:

Honolulu

EMPLOYEES: 386 HI

hawaiistatefcu.com

HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union HEADQUARTERS:

Honolulu

EMPLOYEES: 387 HI

hawaiiusafcu.com

Island Palm Communities LLC HEADQUARTERS:

Schofield Barracks

EMPLOYEES: 387 HI

islandpalmcommunities. com

Panda Restaurant Group Inc. HEADQUARTERS:

Rosemead, CA

EMPLOYEES: 470 HI

pandarg.com

Prince Resorts Hawaii HEADQUARTERS:

Honolulu

EMPLOYEES: 1,290 HI

New York Life Insurance Co. HEADQUARTERS: New York, NY EMPLOYEES: 110 HI

princeresortshawaii.com

hawaii.nyloffices.com

PHOTO: COURTESY OF NEW YORK LIFE INSURANCE CO., EDWARD JONES AND SWINERTON

Servco Pacific Inc. HEADQUARTERS:

Honolulu

EMPLOYEES: 1,059 HI

servco.com

2. Edward Jones

3. Swinerton

edwardjones.com

swinerton.com

HEADQUARTERS: St. Louis, MO EMPLOYEES: 136 HI

HEADQUARTERS: San Francisco, CA EMPLOYEES: 130 HI

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

BEST PL ACES TO WORK:

M E D I U M C O M PA N I E S T HE REMAINING M EDIUM- S IZE C O MPANIES ARE LISTE D A LP HABETICALLY

AHL

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 90 HI

ahl.design

American Floor & Home

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 137 HI

americanfloorandhome.com

Finance Factors Ltd.

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 114 HI

financefactors.com

G70

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 101 HI

g70.design

Hawai‘i Community Foundation

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 73 HI

Aqua Engineers Inc.

hawaiicommunity foundation.org

aquaengineers.com

Hawaii Dental Service (HDS)

HEADQUARTERS: Kalāheo EMPLOYEES: 93 HI

Atlas Insurance Agency

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 95 HI

atlasinsurance.com

Castaway Construction & Restoration LLC HEADQUARTERS: Kahului EMPLOYEES: 96 HI

castawayhawaii.com

Corteva Agriscience

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 129 HI

hawaiidentalservice.com

Hawaii Diagnostic Radiology Services

cwa.cpa

hawaiipublicradio.org

HEMIC

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 117 HI

Decision Research Corporation (DRC)

hemic.com

decisionresearch.com

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 106 HI

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 77 HI

EnviroServices & Training Center LLC HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 52 HI

gotoetc.com

A PR I L 2 0 2 3

Hickam Federal Credit Union

ProService Hawaii

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 216 HI

Ronald N.S. Ho & Associates Inc.

HEADQUARTERS:

Port Orchard, SC EMPLOYEES: 68 HI Honolululce.com

N&K CPAs Inc.

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 57 HI

nkcpa.com

Nordic PCL Construction Inc.

HEADQUARTERS: Edmonton, EMPLOYEES: 154 HI

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 50 HI

hawaii.nm.com

Oahu Country Club

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 146 HI

oahucountryclub.com

Pacific Administrators Inc. HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 51 HI

pacadmin.com

Pacific Biodiesel

HEADQUARTERS: Kahului EMPLOYEES: 81 HI

hickamfcu.org

biodiesel.com

Island Insurance

Pacific Whale Foundation

islandinsurance.com

pacificwhale.org

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 146 HI

pacxa.com

Life Cycle Engineering

Northwestern Mutual Hawaii

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 58 HI

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 88 HI

proservice.com

kilaueapest.com

Hawaii Mortgage Experts HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 60 HI

Pacxa

HEADQUARTERS: Kailua EMPLOYEES: 60 HI

pcl.com

Hawai‘i Public Radio

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 69 HI

Kilauea Pest Control

hawaiidrs.com

EMPLOYEES: 169 HI

CW Associates CPAs

kapiliroof.com

Alberta

hawaiimortgageexperts.com

hawaii.corteva.com

HEADQUARTERS: Waipahu EMPLOYEES: 119 HI

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 73 HI

HEADQUARTERS:

Indianapolis, IN

Kapili Solar Roofing & Painting

HEADQUARTERS: Wailuku EMPLOYEES: 145 HI

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 68 HI

rnsha.com

SMALL COMPANIES 15-49 HAWAI‘I EMPLOYEES

T H E R E MAI N I NG S MAL L C O MPAN I E S ARE L I ST E D AL P H AB E T I C AL LY

Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours

HEADQUARTERS: Kahului EMPLOYEES: 32 HI

ceramictileplus.com

Chun Kerr LLP HEADQUARTERS:

PHOTO: COURTESY OF WESTPAC WEALTH PARTNERS, EXPRESS EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS OF HAWAII AND HAWAII INFORMATION SERVICE

Honolulu

EMPLOYEES: 32 HI

chunkerr.com

Control Freaks Hawaii

WestPac Wealth Partners

HEADQUARTERS: Kahului EMPLOYEES: 15 HI

controlfreakshawaii.com

Diamond Head Dental Care

HEADQUARTERS:

San Diego, CA

HEADQUARTERS:

EMPLOYEES: 39 HI

Honolulu

westpacwealth.com

EMPLOYEES: 28 HI

DiamondHead DentalCare.com

Dynamic Planning & Response LLC HEADQUARTERS:

Honolulu

EMPLOYEES: 33 HI

dynapnr.com

Hawai‘i Energy / Leidos HEADQUARTERS:

Honolulu / Reston, VA

EMPLOYEES: 31 HI

2. Express Employment Professionals of Hawaii

3. Hawaii Information Service

expresspros.com/HonoluluHi

hawaiiinformation.com

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 21 HI

hawaiienergy.com

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 18 HI

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

BEST PL ACES TO WORK:

S M A L L C O M PA N I E S

The Hawaii Group

Premier Solutions Hi LLC

thehawaiigroup.com

premiersolutionshi.com

HiEmployment

RIM Architects LLC

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 28 HI

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 20 HI

hi-employment.com

Imua Family Services

HEADQUARTERS: Kahului EMPLOYEES: 43 HI

imuafamily.org

Intech Hawaii

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 22 HI

intech-hawaii.com

Integrated Security Technologies Inc.

HEADQUARTERS: Waipahu EMPLOYEES: 32 HI

istechs.net

Lawson & Associates Inc. HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 22 HI

lawsonsafety.com

Makai HR

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 26 HI

HEADQUARTERS:

Anchorage, AK

EMPLOYEES: 15 HI

Servpac Inc.

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 27 HI

servpac.com

USAble Life HEADQUARTERS:

I believe in this organization’s leadership.

usablelife.com

Verity CPAs

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 20 HI

veritycpas.com

I believe this organization values me.

WATG

This organization is committed to producing highquality products/ services.

HEADQUARTERS: Irvine, CA EMPLOYEES: 18 HI

watg.com

windwardsynergycenter.com

Office Pavilion Hawaii

I like what I do for this organization.

Little Rock, AR

Nagamine Okawa Engineers Inc. noeihawaii.com

EMPLOYEES: 24 HI

Windward Synergy Center

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 24 HI

Based on this year’s survey of Hawai‘i employees, here are the main factors that lead to employee engagement:

rimarchitects.com

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 22 HI

makaihr.com

10 K E Y D R IVE R S O F ENGAGEMENT

HEADQUARTERS: Kailua EMPLOYEES: 17 HI

I understand what is expected of me.

I typically feel I make daily progress at work.

I have fun at work.

I have sufficient autonomy to make decisions.

HEADQUARTERS: Honolulu EMPLOYEES: 42 HI

op-hawaii.com

Okahara and Associates Inc.

HEADQUARTERS: Hilo EMPLOYEES: 34 HI

okahara.com

A PR I L 2 0 2 3

This organization treats me with dignity, not as just a number.

1O.

I understand how my work impacts organizational success.

OTHER CATEGORIES M O ST FAMI LYFRI EN DLY

H EALTH I EST

TO WORK FOR I N H AWA I ‘ I

N E I G H BO R I S L AN DS

PL ACE S TO WORK

C O M PA N I E S

Panda Restaurant Group Inc.

Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours, Maui

B E ST RESTAU RANT

SMALL EMPLOYER

Professionals of Hawaii 2. Hawai‘i Energy / Leidos 3. USAble Life

Professionals of Hawaii 2. Hawai‘i Energy / Leidos 3. Integrated Security Technologies Inc.

1. Swinerton 2. New York Life

MEDIUM EMPLOYER

Insurance Co. 3. Nordic PCL Construction Inc.

1. Swinerton 2. AHL 3. Hawaii Dental Service

(HDS)

LARGE EMPLOYER

Consulting Inc. 3. Diagnostic Laboratory Services Inc.

2. Prince Resorts Hawaii 3. First Hawaiian Bank

1. American Savings Bank 2. Bowers + Kubota

BEST PL ACE TO WORK

R OO K I E O F TH E YE AR Makai HR

BEST YOU NG BU S I N E S S

B E ST FAMI LY- OWN E D

TO WORK FOR

PL ACE TO WORK

Makai HR, founded 2018

Lawson & Associates Inc.

1. Bowers + Kubota

Consulting Inc.

AC E S TO

MEDIUM EMPLOYER

1. Express Employment

BES

1. Express Employment

BEST PL ACE TO WORK ON THE

HALL OF FAME! NUMBER OF YEARS ON THE LIST

ST PL AC BE E

O WORK

FOR WOMEN

SMALL EMPLOYER

1. Westpac Wealth Partners 2. Hawai‘i Energy / Leidos

BEST PL ACES TO WORK FOR

LGBTQ + EQUALITY SMALL EMPLOYER

Edward Jones, 19 Servco Pacific Inc., 19 Island Insurance, 17

1. Hawai‘i Energy / Leidos 2. Ceramic Tile Plus and

1. Hawaii Mortgage Experts 2. New York Life

Nordic PCL Construction Inc., 17

MEDIUM EMPLOYER

ProService Hawaii, 17

LARGE EMPLOYER

Mutual Hawaii 2. New York Life Insurance Co.

Bowers + Kubota Consulting Inc., 16

LARGE EMPLOYER

Atlas Insurance Agency, 15

MEDIUM EMPLOYER

Insurance Co.

1. Bowers + Kubota

Consulting Inc. 2. Hawaii State Federal Credit Union

Exclusively Yours

1. Northwestern

1. American Savings Bank 2. First Hawaiian Bank

Pacific Administrators Inc., 15

American Savings Bank, 14

Technologies Inc., 12

Central Pacific Bank, 14

Pacific Biodiesel, 12

First Hawaiian Bank, 13

Swinerton, 12

Imua Family Services, 13 EnviroServices & Training Center LLC, 12 The Hawaii Group, 12 Hawaii State Federal Credit Union, 12 Integrated Security

Hawaii Diagnostic Radiology Services, 11 Intech Hawaii, 11 Panda Restaurant Group, 11 Hawaii Mortgage Experts, 10 Pacxa, 10 Parents And Children Together, 10

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

PRESENTED BY

Join our host Unyong Nakata of Nakata Advisory as she talks with some of Hawai‘i’s most inﬂuential business and community leaders.

Bettina Mehnert AHL

John De Fries Hawai‘i Tourism Authority

AVAILABLE EVERY OTHER THURSDAY ON THESE PODCAST PLATFORMS: Locally Owned, Locally Committed

Paula Fuga

Mana Wāhine Productions

S PEC I A L PR O M OT I O N A L S ECT I O N

2023 HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS PROFILES best places to work Employees’ views about their workplace have changed dramatically over the last three years – engagement, morale, life balance and community commitment now often play a bigger role in workplace satisfaction than compensation. Employees have spoken in the 2023 Best Places to Work Survey. Read on to fi nd out where they work and why they love their jobs. Platinum level winners have made the list 10+ years, Gold winners 5-9 years, Silver winners 2-4 years and Bronze winners one year.

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

S PEC I A L PR O M OT I O N A L S ECT I O N

HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023

13 ye ars!

PLATINUM

First Hawaiian Bank

‘23 BEST P LACES TO WORK WINNER

2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 The benefits our employees appreciate:

IRST HAWAIIAN BANK is Hawaii’s #1 bank because of its people. Relationships are their strength, and excellence is revealed in even the smallest detail, whether it’s enhancing the financial future of their customers, or strengthening the communities in which they live. Not only has this led to market leading performance, in 2023 First Hawaiian Bank has also received Newsweek’s “Best Bank” award for the State of Hawaii, is Hawaii’s top ranked bank in Forbes Magazine’s “America’s Best Banks” list and has been named as a Best Place to Work by Hawaii Business Magazine for 13 years. As Hawaii’s first and largest bank, FHB is celebrating 165 years of being a trusted advisor to generations of individuals, families, and local businesses, enabling them to embrace life’s possibilities as they build a secure financial future. This commitment to building lasting relationships and connections, creates enduring customer loyalty and empowers its employees to make a positive impact in the community every day. The Bank’s 2000+ team members are passionate individuals who gain deep satisfaction in knowing that their work has the power to uplift others. They work together to

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improve the financial well-being of their customers; volunteer their time and talents to assist non-profits; and mentor new team members to foster growth within the organization. Known for its innovative culture, the bank is investing in technology enhancements to modernize its approach to relationship banking – enhancing both digital and in-branch customer experiences and providing customers the information they need to make sound financial decisions. The bank is also creating greater efficiencies within the organization by reducing manual processes – creating a highly engaged team that is agile, dynamic and adaptable to an ever-evolving world. FHB also invests in its employees with programs that provide continuous learning opportunities, leadership development, and compelling career paths that allow individuals to grow both personally and professionally. Popular among employees is the 24/7 online learning center, and the Bank’s award-winning leadership courses such as the Emerging Leaders Program, Women’s Leadership Forum, the Circles of Growth Program and the Bank Fundamentals workshops. The team at FHB embraces the bank’s core values of caring, character and collaboration, creating an inclusive work environment

• Professional leadership and career development opportunities • Flexible remote work schedules • Fun company sponsored community service volunteer activities • Generous company match of up to 7.5% to retirement plans with the ability to contribute to Roth IRA with after tax income • 11 paid holidays, plus 4 paid float days • Paid medical, dental and vision coverage • Life insurance, long term disability, long term care and business travel accident insurance coverage • Company match to dependent care/elder care spending account • Subsidized meals at on-site employee lunchrooms • Popular tuition reimbursement program for continuing education • Convenient on-site fitness centers and lactation rooms • Free on-site annual health screenings and flu shot • 50% bus pass subsidy • Pet insurance • Discounted identity protection and banking services

where employees are treated like family, making it possible to build a rewarding career and develop lifelong friendships. FHB is actively recruiting for a variety of different roles. To join the team at Hawaii’s best bank, visit fhb.com/careers.

999 Bishop Street Honolulu, HI 96813 www.fhb.com/careers

B E S T P L A C E S TO W O R K

It all starts with yes. FHB.com

What it takes to be Hawaii’s No. 1 bank. Our people make us Hawaii’s No. 1 bank. Every day, First Hawaiian Bank’s team members are committed to making a diﬀerence, enhancing the ﬁnancial future of our customers, and strengthening our communities. These passionate individuals have made us one of “Hawaii’s Best Places to Work”—for the 13th year. To all of our dedicated team members who live our values every day, congratulations and thank you. To join our incredible team, visit fhb.com/careers.

Member FDIC

S PEC I A L PR O M OT I O N A L S ECT I O N

HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023

14 ye ars!

PLATINUM

American Savings Bank

‘23 BEST P LACES TO WORK WINNER

2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

Left: ASB hosted a statewide Pumpkin Pie Drive-Thru for its teammates in November, as part of its annual Teammate Appreciation Month festivities.

MERICAN SAVINGS BANK

(ASB) values collaboration, celebrates diversity and recognizes and rewards teammates for speaking up. Paired with their unstuffy culture, award-winning benefits and unique work perks, they’re not your basic bank, and they’re proud of it. “We are honored that the ASB Dream Team voted us a Best Place to Work for 14 years in a row,” said Beth Whitehead, executive vice president and chief administrative officer. “Our teammates are the heart and soul of ASB, so we make sure to work hard to provide an excellent teammate experience.” Investing in an excellent teammate experience begins with feedback, a key component of ASB’s culture. Many of ASB’s award-winning benefits, such as weekly paydays, casual dress code, student loan repayment assistance and wellness and birthday holidays were inspired by their teammates. Committed to creating a welcoming workplace

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where all teammates feel valued and respected, members of ASB’s IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Allyship, Safety) Council recommended that Juneteenth be added to the company’s holiday schedule. The holiday is now observed annually at ASB. Teammates also provided input for the design of the ASB Campus, from the free Starbucks machines and fitness center to the arcade and outdoor lanai games. Recognizing and celebrating teammates for their valued contributions is part of ASB’s DNA. Teammates enjoy fresh-pressed orange juice on Mondays and celebrate work anniversaries and birthdays with soft serve ice cream every Friday. As part of its annual Teammate Appreciation Month festivities, ASB hosted an annual Mahalo Party celebration where teammates across the state gathered for delicious food from top restaurants, collaboration activities, oversized lawn games, live music and more. ASB also gifted Thanksgiving pies to more than 1,100

teammates across five islands and an additional $200 gift card to help brighten their holidays. With teammates feeling supported by ASB, they were able to focus their efforts on taking care of customers and the community. Staying true to ASB’s vision, teammates contributed more than 12,300 volunteer hours and $212,000 to ASB’s annual Kahiau Giving Campaign, resulting in the largest Kahiau donation since 2011. ASB’s commitment to provide an excellent teammate experience is the reason they’re voted a Best Place to Work in Hawai‘i year after year.

PO Box 2300 Honolulu, HI 96804 (808) 627-6900 www.asbhawaii.com

B E S T P L A C E S TO W O R K

At American Savings Bank, we’re committed to being a great bank making dreams possible and providing an excellent experience for our customers, community and teammates. We’re not your basic bank and we’re proud of it. Our unstuffy culture, personal and professional growth opportunities and award-winning benefits – including weekly paydays, generous paid time off, student loan repayment assistance, 401(k) match and wellness and birthday holidays, are just some of the perks our teammates love about ASB. Mahalo to our teammates for voting us a Best Place to Work 14 years in a row!

Join our Dream Team!

Scan the QR code or visit asbhawaii.com/careers.

S PEC I A L PR O M OT I O N A L S ECT I O N

HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023

19 ye ars!

PLATINUM

Servco Pacific Inc.

‘23 BEST P LACES TO WORK WINNER

2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

ROM AUSTRALIA TO HAWAI‘I,

Servco’s team members (also known as Team Servco), are a collective of over 2,000 like-minded individuals. Guided by a value-driven business model, Servco is a diversified business with operations in automotive distribution and retail, car sharing, musical companies, and venture & growth capital. As the company’s journey of innovation continues, Servco is evolving to provide mobility solutions to serve the needs of its customers and communities in Hawai‘i and beyond. “As my grandfather, Peter Fukunaga, used to say ‘You either grow or die. There is no middle ground,’ ” said Mark Fukunaga, Chairman & CEO. “Change is always with us and I’m grateful to be surrounded by team members who exemplify our Core Values of Respect, Service, Teamwork, and Innovation, and have helped

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Servco thrive during these times.” Servco’s Leadership Acceleration Program provides the opportunity to lead and accelerate change in the company’s global business and operations in a two-year rotational program that results in a leadership role. Spouses and children of employees are also eligible for scholarships to pursue a college degree from the Servco Foundation. In December 2022, the company completed a full renovation of its corporate headquarters in Honolulu. Designed with collaboration in mind, the two-story building features an innovative and open concept floor plan, encouraging its team members to foster new ideas. In addition to investing in professional growth, Team Servco members enjoy competitive compensation packages, generous subsidies on family medical and dental premiums, and discounts on

Servco products and services. Servco was the first company to offer a profit-sharing program in Hawai‘i for its team members, and it’s a benefit that continues today. Team members are encouraged to lend their time to building better communities by volunteering with local nonprofits. This year, our team members are focusing their service efforts on four areas: Youth Services, Earth, Wellness, and Social Mobility. Servco also recognizes the hard work of its team members through company events including an annual Team Servco Dinner and a bi-annual Family Fun Day. For more information on joining one of Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work for the past 19 years running, visit servco.com/careers.

2850 Pukoloa St., Ste. 300 Honolulu, HI 96819 (808) 564-1300 servco.com

B E S T P L A C E S TO W O R K

S PEC I A L PR O M OT I O N A L S ECT I O N

HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023

17 ye ars!

PLATINUM

ProService Hawaii

‘23 BEST P LACES TO WORK WINNER

2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

OMPANIES DEPEND ON PROSERVICE HAWAII for

human resource services and expertise to power their businesses. Recognizing that their 380 employees go above and beyond to deliver a great client experience, ProService provides its team with a mission-driven culture that grounds them in purpose, and exceptional benefits that allow employees to live, work and enjoy life in Hawaii. Since its founding in 1994, ProService has grown tenfold and for the 17th year in a row, the ‘PROhana’ has voted it one of Hawaii’s Best Places to Work. As a family-oriented company, ProService strives to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to supporting working parents. While paid parental leave is a relatively uncommon benefit in the U.S., eligible ProService employees can enjoy 12 weeks of paid parental leave – making the HR company a

B E S T P L A C E S TO W O R K

great place to start and grow local families. “Having time together as a family, especially in those early weeks, was so crucial to helping me learn how to become a father and settle into our new life without worrying about work, ” said Jordan Valcourt, IT Infrastructure Manager at ProService Hawaii. “After having my two kids, I cannot imagine working for a company that doesn’t offer this benefit,” Robbi Bright, a Senior Implementation Manager, added. “Even more than the benefit itself, I appreciate the culture of flexibility at ProService. I feel empowered to make decisions that are right for me as an employee and as a mom,” Bright explained. In addition to supporting families, the ‘PROhana’ enjoys hybrid work options, competitive compensation with weekly paydays, 401(k) matching, pre-tax health and dependent care spending accounts, and a values-driven work environment. With

continuous learning as one of the company’s core values, employees also receive career development opportunities, student loan repayment assistance, and continuing education benefits. “Our core values give our company a strong sense of purpose and guide us in building a thriving and positive culture,” said Ben Godsey, CEO of ProService. “Investing in the well-being of our employees helps us to deliver outstanding service and value to our clients.”

6600 Kalanianaole Hwy., Ste. 200 Honolulu, HI 96825 (808) 725-6877 proservice.com

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

S PEC I A L PR O M OT I O N A L S ECT I O N

HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023

1 7 ye ars!

PLATINUM

Island Insurance

‘23 BEST P LACES TO WORK WINNER

2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

HAT DOES IT TAKE TO

be in business for over 80 years, rank in Ward Group’s top 2% of U.S. property and casualty (P&C) insurers for 15 years, and make Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work list for 17 years? A local team of caring experts who are “Island strong.” Since 1940, Island Insurance has provided personalized solutions and superior service to Hawai‘i’s families and businesses as the only locallyowned P&C insurer in the state. Built on a solid foundation of local values, Island continues to support its employees and give back to the community in a myriad of ways. Island employees enjoy: • Competitive benefits including medical, dental, drug and vision coverage • Flexible remote work schedules and casual dress attire • Paid vacation, observed holidays, floating holidays and sick leave • 401(k) savings plan with company matching contributions

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• Profit sharing • Employee discounts on insurance products • Continuous training and leadership development programs • College scholarship opportunities for children and grandchildren of employees • Fun employee appreciation events and giveaways • Free on-site flu and COVID vaccinations • And more! To highlight one program, Island’s wellness “boot camp” encourages healthy lifestyles through four months of specially planned challenges and educational webinars. Employees receive credit for their participation and can enter to win prizes like Hawaiian Miles and gift cards at the end of the summer event. The culmination of boot camp is a fun fitness competition where teams vie for bragging rights in events such as planking, long jump and hula hoop. One of the core values that unites Island employees is a shared

commitment to local communities. In 2022, the Island Insurance Foundation contributed over $1.2 million to charitable organizations and is recognized as one of the top 25 most active private foundations in Hawai‘i. Its corporate donation program also matches donations up to $500 per employee per year, and employees are given 15 hours of paid work time annually to volunteer and support approved local nonprofit organizations. For more information and to learn how you can join the Island ‘ohana, please visit www.islandinsurance. com/careers.

1022 Bethel Street Honolulu, HI 96813 (808) 564-8200 www.IslandInsurance.com

B E S T P L A C E S TO W O R K

2023

15 Years

Your Navigation Partner. atlasinsurance.com | info@atlasinsurance.com | (808) 533-3222 201 Merchant Street, Suite 1100, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

S PEC I A L PR O M OT I O N A L S ECT I O N

HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023

14 ye ars!

PLATINUM

Central Pacific Bank

‘23 BEST P LACES TO WORK WINNER

2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

ENTRAL PACIFIC BANK (CPB) was founded in 1954

by World War II veterans who fought for their country, yet faced social inequities when they returned home. With their “Go for Broke” spirit, they established CPB to help all of Hawaii’s people achieve their financial dreams. CPB believes relationships with its customers and community, begins with how it takes care of its own employees, which today is nearly 800 people statewide. After the COVID19 pandemic, the company remained committed to its in-office, hybrid, and remote employees. To create more engagement, CPB opened a $3 million “Friendship Floor” above its flagship Main Branch in Downtown Honolulu. The more than 12,500 square foot facility features an open concept, multi-functional space to collaborate and create. It includes eight conference rooms, 80 hoteling workstations, treadmill desks, privacy rooms, lounge, game room and kitchen with complimentary beverages.

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CPB also prioritized employee health and well-being. For the eighth consecutive year, employee outof-pocket health care costs didn’t increase. Employee training, team building, and career advancement opportunities to promote from within continues to be a priority. CPB provides in-person and web-based training sessions, as well as $3,000 in tuition reimbursements, and financial assistance when purchasing a home. The bank recently named a “Chief Happiness Officer” to help create a healthy work/life balance. The Employee Club sponsors themed events and individual departments are provided funds to host team building activities. Employees are encouraged to start or join a club, some of which include hikers, movie lovers, foodies, and gamers to spark new interests and strengthen bonds. CPB and its employees enjoy giving back. In 2022, the CPB Foundation contributed more than $1.8 million benefitting 100 local nonprofit

organizations. Employees devoted more than 6,200 hours of community service and donated $430,000 of their own money to Aloha United Way. CPB employees are also provided up to three days of paid community service leave each year. Central Pacific Bank has a legacy of serving all of Hawaii’s people and continues to treat its customers, community and employees with aloha. It is why employees are “Proud to be CPB.”

220 South King Street Honolulu, HI 96813 (808) 544-0500 www.cpb.bank

B E S T P L A C E S TO W O R K

S PEC I A L PR O M OT I O N A L S ECT I O N

HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023

13 ye ars!

PLATINUM

Imua Family Services

‘23 BEST P LACES TO WORK WINNER

2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

OMMITMENT TO SERVING

the early childhood developmental needs of children and their families is at the heart of Imua Family Services and the Will Smith Imua Discovery Garden. Through a wide variety of services and programs, we stimulate and motivate our children’s curiosity, learning and development. In combination, our offerings provide a pathway to help children move forward towards reaching their full potential. We have come to call this “The Imua Way.” Central to this concept are the many staff members at Imua Family Services who are the key to adhering to the promises we make to our community: cultural generosity through in-person human experiences; championing creative vitality for the many communities and visitors within Maui County; an unwavering commitment to inclusion of children of all abilities; and ensuring that play and sharing joy are at the heart of all we do.

B E S T P L A C E S TO W O R K

Equally important to the focus Imua brings to serving the community is its dedication to those who staff its programs. One way that Executive Director Dean Wong has worked to empower the agency’s staff has been through their inclusion in annual planning retreats, which have been the source of many ideas to improve and grow the organization over the years. “To move a canoe forward, each team member must be working in sync. While we all sit in different seats and play different roles, we must also understand and push toward that unifying goal,” says Wong. Through many services and programs, Imua Family Services and the Will Smith Imua Discovery Garden champion creativity and experiential learning - what we commonly refer to as “play.” We are honored to welcome our 13th recognition among Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work and continue to commit to sharing that spirit of play in all we do.

(808) 244-7467 www.imuafamily.org www.imuagarden.org Imua Family Services Early Childhood Development Center 161 S. Wakea Ave. Kahului, HI 96732 West Maui Service Center, Lahaina Molokai Service Center, Kaunakakai

Imua Discovery Garden 2471 Main St. Wailuku, HI 96793

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

S PEC I A L PR O M OT I O N A L S ECT I O N

HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023

12 ye ars!

PLATINUM

Hawaii State FCU

‘23 BEST P LACES TO WORK WINNER

2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

LWAYS RIGHT BY YOU isn’t just a tagline. For Hawaii State Federal Credit Union employees, it’s a way of life. It’s also a promise, to treat our members fairly and like family. And to always consider what’s best for them in all we do. After nearly three years apart, our employees are making the most of our ability to meet in-person rather than through a screen. To work, celebrate and collaborate side-by-side, and most importantly, make new memories together. Even more exciting has been the continued growth of our Hawaii State FCU family, as we recently opened three new branches in Safeway locations on O‘ahu and Maui – providing members with convenient access to our full suite of financial services while they shop. Our employees are the cornerstone of our organization. They provide our more than 120,000 members statewide with outstanding service experiences and accompany

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them along their financial journeys day in and day out. They are also the reason why we place so much importance on hiring and retaining hard-working, talented individuals – providing them with the tools and resources to ensure that they can perform their jobs successfully. One way Hawaii State FCU does this is by providing employees with a competitive compensation and benefits package. We also take care of our employees’ physical, mental and financial health and well-being by offering a number of wellness and engagement activities, financial literacy classes, and counseling in-person, over the phone and online. In addition, the credit union also encourages employees to contribute actively to our community, donating time, resources and support a number of local nonprofit organizations. We also strive to provide a workplace that is fun, productive and offers opportunities for professional and life-long learning and

growth. With our new Hawaii State FCU headquarters building nearing completion, it further underscores our long-term commitment to offering an innovative and collaborative environment in which our employees can truly thrive. As a company, Hawaii State FCU is committed to emphasizing trust, respect and integrity in all we do, and fostering solid relationships that help strengthen our organization, our members, and our community.

560 Halekauwila Street, #5 Honolulu, HI 96813 (808) 587-2700 www.HawaiiStateFCU.com

B E S T P L A C E S TO W O R K

S PEC I A L PR O M OT I O N A L S ECT I O N

HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023

12 ye ars!

PLATINUM

EnviroServices & Training Center

‘23 BEST P LACES TO WORK WINNER

2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

ETC is proud to sponsor annual community service days where the entire company takes time out of their busy schedules to give back to the communities in which we live.

NVIROSERVICES & TRAINING CENTER (ETC) has been

safeguarding the environment throughout Hawai‘i and the Pacific Rim since 1994. Our mantra, “We’ll Take Care of It” isn’t just something we say, but a commitment to delivering exceptional work to our clients and an approach to caring for our employees. It has served as an inspiration for Hawai‘i’s leading environmental consulting and engineering firm as we approach 30 years of business. When asked what makes ETC one of Hawai‘i’s “Best Places to Work,” each employee may have a slightly different response - the people, the perks, the philanthropy, and of course the free snacks. But the answers all center around a culture where employees are happy, feel supported, and work towards shared success. Team members build peer relationships through Popcorn Fridays, weekly pau hana, Bring Your Pet to Work days, and festive holiday parties. Our office culture

B E S T P L A C E S TO W O R K

encourages employees to develop and grow together through monthly Lunch & Learns and collaborative work spaces. Our team of scientists, engineers, and professionals are the cornerstone of EnviroService’s success. Our dedicated staff work closely with clients, providing high-quality, personalized service; and are why we place such great importance on recognizing and retaining talented, experienced professionals. We look for opportunities that will bring the most value to our employees’ lives. Great health care benefits, an employer assistance program, continued education subsidies, annual flu and vaccination clinics, and flexible work from home schedules are a few of the benefits we provide with the long-term goal of employee well-being and work-life balance. Respect and care for others doesn’t end within our office walls. Employees eagerly participate in annual food drives and community service projects ranging from ben-

efit walks, removing invasive algae, and serving meals at homeless shelters. Employees are also encouraged to nominate grants to be given to local non-profit organizations from ETC’s charitable gift fund. Mahalo to our EnviroServices ‘ohana for making us one of Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work for 12 consecutive years! Your hardwork and thirst for continuous improvement allows us to continue our journey taking care of our employees, clients, community, and the environment.

EnviroServices & Training Center 505 Ward Avenue, Suite 202 Honolulu, HI 96814 info@gotoetc.com (808) 839-7222

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

S PEC I A L PR O M OT I O N A L S ECT I O N

HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023

11 ye ars!

PLATINUM

Intech Hawaii

‘23 BEST P LACES TO WORK WINNER

2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

HIS YEAR INTECH HAWAII is celebrating our 32nd year in business and our 11th year as a Best Place to Work company. Intech CEO Sam Gridley said “Thanks to our awesome team of almost 25 members for making Intech a fun place to work, learn, and grow! I believe we have the best clients in Hawaii who entrust us with managing their technology, safeguarding their environment from cybercrime, and meeting compliance.” As a kama‘aina company, Intech believes in creating opportunities for local IT professionals to have long, successful careers in Hawaii. Our company’s mission is “Helping People Succeed” which encourages ongoing training and certification by offering benefits such as paying for study time, training materials and tests. Employees grow professionally and financially by passing courses or achieving new certifications, which also helps our company deliver the latest IT, Cybersecurity

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and Compliance services. We put a lot of emphasis on our core values by recognizing people when they display these values. Using a peer-to-peer recognition platform, people thank their peers and include monetary rewards from a pool that’s replenished monthly. People use these “Intech Bucks” for gift cards. While IT can be a stressful profession, the culture of team encouragement helps keep everyone motivated and appreciated. Our President, Branden Baker said, “We put a lot of importance on recruiting employees who have qualities such as humility, intelligence, and a thirst for learning. The company’s recruitment process focuses on identifying the most talented individuals who will fit into Intech’s welcoming culture.” Moreover, Intech offers a cutting-edge onboarding process to get people up to speed and ready to help. Intech’s company culture is all about cultivating talent, expand-

ing technical and professional skills, and fast-tracking careers. Branden says that Intech is where young techs come to ‘up their game,’ and after three years with the company, they are not the same person as when they started. With a 30+ year track record of service delivery, Intech looks forward to many more years contributing to the tech industry in Hawaii.

Pioneer Plaza 900 Fort Street Mall, Fl 17 Honolulu, HI 96813 (808) 596-9500 www.intech-hawaii.com

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10 ye ars!

PLATINUM

Parents And Children Together

‘23 BEST P LACES TO WORK WINNER

2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

T PARENTS AND CHILDREN TOGETHER (PACT), we are

committed to carrying out our mission of working together with Hawai‘i’s children, individuals, and families to create safe and promising futures. At more than 400 employees strong, we help 15,000 clients annually with essential services that support early learning, abuse prevention, behavioral health, community building and poverty prevention. Over the years, PACT has built its reputation as a trusted statewide resource by staying true to its values while demonstrating an enduring commitment to the local community. Our authentic and compassionate approach allows our team to work alongside our clients while collaborating with industry partners to realize our vision of Hawai‘i as a peaceful, safe, and vibrant community with opportunities for all to fulfill their dreams.

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We’ve recently relocated to our new headquarters in Kapālama to our long-awaited permanent home. Originally Queen Lili‘uokalani’s place of refuge, the estate was named Kalaulanilawapuni to honor the Queen’s legacy while advancing our complementary missions in serving all people of Hawai‘i. Kalaulanilawapuni allows our team to continue delivering on our client-centric work to guide families on a path to bright futures. In addition to PACT’s administrative offices, the estate houses PACT’s Family Peace Center, Early Intervention Family Strengthening and Intensive Support Services that will further accelerate our critical work and deepen our statewide impact for future generations in need. We live by the Hawaiian saying ‘Mōhala i ka wai ka maka o ka pua – Flowers thrive when there is water, just like people thrive when conditions are good’. We strive to create ideal conditions for people to thrive, internally with one another

and externally with our clients and industry partners. Everyone at PACT shares in the common goal of doing everything possible to make Hawai‘i the best home it can be. Regardless of the job or position, every individual has a chance to contribute to PACT’s mission and help build a strong culture of respect, excellence, and compassion for the people we serve. While we offer a competitive benefits package, people choose to be a part of PACT because of our non-negotiable values and meaningful impact we make in the lives of many.

1300 Halona Street Honolulu, HI 96817 (808) 847-3285 ParentsAndChildrenTogether.org

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First Insurance Company of Hawaii

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(FICOH)

FIRST INSURANCE COMPANY OF HAWAII (FICOH) was

founded in 1911 in a small second floor office on the corner of King and Fort Streets. Today, we are a company of 250 associates whose collective dedication and drive have kept us at the forefront of the industry for more than 110 years. Hawaii’s oldest property and casualty insurer, FICOH protects its customers with an unrivaled suite of personal and commercial risk management solutions. Proud of its family-like culture, FICOH is taking active steps to preserve and foster in-person connections while continuing to offer flexible work options for its associates. We view creating a collaborative and engaging work environment as going hand in hand with successfully delivering on our commitments to our customers. In addition to a robust benefits program, FICOH offers its associates flex time, part-time and full-time telecommuting options, an interactive

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wellness platform offering up to $650 in annual incentives, generous parental and caregiving leaves, and a profit-sharing program that gives associates a personal stake in the company’s financial performance. In 2019, FICOH opened its first-ever satellite office in Kapolei to reduce the commutes of associates who live on the west side, furthering its commitment to helping associates balance work and life. FICOH recognizes its responsibility to Hawaii and endeavors to make it a vibrant place through community leadership, volunteer service and charitable contributions. In celebration of its 111th anniversary in 2022, the First Insurance foundation donated $111,000 (approximately 15% of its total giving) to local environmental nonprofits. The $111,000 commitment included a tree-planting partnership with Mālama Learning Center to support native reforestation efforts on the slopes above Makakilo, with FICOH associates, family and friends volunteering their

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time and labor. FICOH also stakes its success on continuous learning, providing its associates with professional development opportunities in Hawaii and beyond thanks to its relationship with Tokio Marine and its group companies in the U.S. and around the world, as well as mentorship and tuition-assistance programs and bonuses for achieving industry designations. To learn more, visit us at https:// www.ficoh.com/about-us/careers/.

1100 Ward Avenue Honolulu, HI 96814 (808) 527-7777 www.ficoh.com

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Island Palm Communities LLC

OR THE SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR, Island Palm

Communities (IPC) employees ranked them as one of Hawaii’s “Best Places to Work.” The top reasons cited were professional and personal development opportunities, a commitment to the team’s safety and well-being, and a diverse and inclusive workplace. “It’s important that our staff know they’re valued and that their hard work is appreciated not just by our residents but by our management team and their co-workers,” said Ka’eolani Winner, Director of Property Management, IPC. “In 2022, we established our ‘Hype Squad’ to support our Malama Program. Here, our employee volunteers create and drive dedicated local team member acknowledgment, recognition, and celebratory events—peer-to-peer inspiration and motivation. This Hype Squad is in addition to our generous corporate programs. We also realize the importance of happy and challenged staff and offer several professional and personal development

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opportunities, including leadership and skills training, mentorship, and cross-training.” Lendlease owns and manages military housing projects, including IPC, across the U.S. in partnership with the Army. This collaboration has benefited countless military spouses who have built their careers at a Lendlease community and are looking to continue working at another Lendlease-owned military community when their spouse is reassigned to another location. With just under 400 employees, IPC offers a full range of benefits to its full-time employees, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, a matching 401(k) plan, paid vacation, sick leave, and a wellness and incentive program that encourages team members to volunteer in the community. Consistently meeting the needs of their team members, IPC added new benefits such as discounted gym memberships, new Fitbits annually, online health and well-being counseling, healthy meal delivery three times a week, hybrid work environments, pet insurance, and other perks including sponsor-

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ship of quarterly walking challenges with individual and team prizes. “Supporting communities where we work and live is integral to our business,” said Jeff Williams, Project Director of Lendlease. “Our employees take great pride in what they do for our residents and each other—their commitment and resiliency during the most challenging times is a testament to a safe and happy workplace.”

North Regional Office 215 Duck Road Schofield Barracks, HI 96857 (877) 487-4323 www.islandpalmcommunities.com

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N&K CPAs, Inc.

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Left, A few of our WE Committee Members Jenifer Sampang, Stella Hunt, Leah Bell, Alexander Komatz and Taylore Arcalas Below, Sadao Nishihama and Glenn Kishida, founders of N&K CPAs, Inc.

Celebrating 50 Years

ADAO NISHIHAMA & GLENN KISHIDA started N&K CPAs,

Inc. in 1973. The firm was originally opened under the name Nishihama & Kishida CPAs, with a staff of only 9. As we celebrate our 50th year of business, we also celebrate the evolution of our firm through the decades, having grown to have 10 principals and over 60 employees, serving over 1,000 local clients. In the 5 decades N&K CPAs, Inc. has been in business, the world has changed drastically and through our resilience, we found strength in our foundation – our culture, our leadership, and our people. Through the years, we saw these challenges as an opportunity to engage with our people and clients in new and invigorating ways that paved the way for the changes we made in our operations so we could remain nimble, adapt to our ever-changing external environment, and most importantly

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meet the needs of our people. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we also celebrate our place on the 2023 Best Places to Work listing. Our people-centric approach has positively influenced the experience of our people at all levels and we firmly believe that every member of our firm has a hand in creating a positive work environment, which is a pillar of our firm’s vision. One of the most impactful ways we have accomplished this is through the establishment of our Work Environment Committee, a group of volunteer members represented from each division of the firm. These individuals are influential in key elements of our culture. Bringing people together to connect remains a big request throughout the firm. In response, this group has hosted a number of events including Appreciation Day, Holiday Party, Pau Hana’s, a Beach Clean-up and most recently, a Superbowl Luncheon. We are proud to be a business

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in Hawai‘i for 50 years and want to thank our clients for their trust and extend our gratitude to our current staff and alumni for their service. Our journey would not have been possible without you all.

999 Bishop St., Suite 2200 Honolulu, HI 96813 (808) 524-2255 www.nkcpa.com

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Child & Family Service

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Perks of working at CFS:

• In addition to 15 paid annual holidays, employees are allowed time off to provide volunteer service, for their birthdays, and for preventative health. • Leadership development and training through an academy cohort where employees learn from peers and local leaders. • A Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Committee - as the state’s largest Hawaii-born human services organization, CFS remains at the forefront of innovative beliefs and values in the workplace. • Extensive benefits and an inspirational experience that will leave you feeling good about the work you do.

Artwork drawn by a youth CFS participant.

FS BRINGS HOPE TO FAMILIES AND CHILDREN IN HAWAI`I. Each of our nearly

400 staff members believe in the core values of Humility, Ownership, Perseverance, & Engagement. These guiding principles touch every aspect of our 124-year-old organization and service delivery that strengthens families and fosters the healthy development of children statewide. CFS helps Hawai`i families address serious life issues, with life-changing results. Hawai‘i’s family-centered full-service nonprofit offers careers that make a lasting impact and reach. As a workplace, CFS offers its employees the most heartwarming reason to come to work every day – the families we serve and the

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people – family, community, and teammates. They think long-term about the future as opposed to just the here and now and are committed to making lasting change by strengthening families and fostering hope for keiki in Hawai`i. If this sounds like you, consider joining our `ohana with positions available statewide.

impact we make in the community. CFS offers an array of family strengthening programs statewide designed to prevent abuse and neglect, heal from trauma, and empower those we serve with tools and confidence to sustain positive changes in their own lives. CFS helps families embark on a healthy, thriving future and meets them where their needs are, in their neighborhoods, in their homes, and with their friends and family. Annually, CFS provides direct services to more than 14,000 individuals and touches the lives of another 75,000 through phone calls, educational presentations, and by providing for those visiting walk-in family centers. Our staff care deeply about

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91-1841 Fort Weaver Rd. Ewa Beach, HI 96706 (808) 681-3500 www.childandfamilyservice.org

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HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023

Finance Factors

OR OVER 70 YEARS, Finance Factors has helped generations of Hawai‘i’s people realize their financial goals and achieve homeownership. Today, Finance Factors is the state’s largest locally-owned depository financial services loan company, specializing in residential and commercial real estate lending and operating 13 branches across four islands and a mortgage center in Guam. This is the seventh time Finance Factors has been honored as a Best Place to Work. Finance Factors knows that supporting its 113 employees’ physical, emotional, and financial health is essential to building a great workplace and helping employees thrive. The company has many long-time employees, some with 15+ years of service, attributing its high retention rate to its flexibility, culture and benefits. Finance Factors offers onsite, remote and hybrid work models for eligible positions, 100% paid Kaiser medical insurance, transportation and gym membership subsidies,

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fundraisers, supporting 40 Hawai‘i nonprofits and donating $127,000. Rob Nelson, president of Finance Factors, explains that the people, culture and mission set the company apart. “I’m energized by our smart, driven and compassionate colleagues who know Hawai‘i’s unique market and do good every day for our neighbors and community,” he stated. “Our employees are the reason for our company’s success, so we work to create connections, engagement, and a tight-knit work environment.” Member FDIC/Equal Housing Lender/NMLS #449916

onsite immunizations, stress management sessions and health walks. Employees can also participate in one-on-one retirement planning sessions, financial seminars and 401(k) matching. Finance Factors’ “Mahalogram” employee recognition program reinforces a culture of appreciation throughout the company. Ihilani Carter, a customer service representative, shared her experience working for Finance Factors. “As a frontline representative, being able to make connections with our customers is very rewarding, especially with those who have been with the company from the beginning,” Carter said. “The ‘ohana culture extended to staff and customers gives me the confidence and motivation to be a successful employee.” Finance Factors encourages employees to be active in the community through non-profit gift matching and corporate volunteer events. Last year, the Finance Factors Foundation and Finance Factors Family of Company employees participated in various community service initiatives and

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1164 Bishop Street, Suite 300 Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 www.FinanceFactors.com

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Express Employment Professionals

ONGRATULATIONS TO EXPRESS EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS and Lisa

Daijo & Chad Higa (Express owners) for achieving “Best Places to Work Winner” for their 7th consecutive year. “It is an honor to be nominated as one of ‘Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work’ and to be considered with other great companies that are helping their employees succeed. We focus on constantly improving and creating an “employee-first” company culture emphasizing family, work/ life flexibility and mental well-being to contribute to the rebuilding efforts of our community,” says Higa. Express Employment Professionals is a locally-owned staffing agency, opened in Honolulu and Pearl City in 2007, and are “in the business of people.” From job seekers to client companies, they have helped people thrive and businesses grow. Hundreds of Hawai‘i companies have relied on their great customer service and top-notch results of

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organization to foster a trusting, safe, solutions-minded environment to encourage employees to see, “how can we make our company better?” Through this open dialogue, benefits that supported the team, such as paid family medical, and an increase in financial opportunities (profit sharing, quarterly bonuses) have been provided. While other businesses were bringing staff back into the office post-COVID, Express employees wanted to have the option of continuing to work from home and to have flex-hours to balance work/life responsibilities, which Express was more than happy to provide. Additionally, there was a renewed focus on showing appreciation through programs such as ‘Employee of the Month’ and travel incentives for professional training and personal travel. Through these efforts, their team remained engaged and intact with less than a 4% turnover rate. Express feels that their high levels of employee happiness are a testament to their ‘employee-first’ company culture. We congratulate Express Employment Professionals on their 7th consecutive “Best Places to Work Winner!”

providing quality candidates. Their areas of expertise are with candidates in general / skilled labor, professional, office administration and medical / clinical positions. During the “Great Resignation,” companies saw their experienced employees exit and struggled with recruiting suitable replacements, especially with the high amounts of turnover. Express Employment avoided that due to their highly desired company culture and continues to distinguish themselves as an ‘Employer of Choice’. Due to developing and appreciating their staff, they have successfully helped their company clients and job-seekers. They focus on closing the GAP – by providing Growth, Appreciation, and being Present with their team. While increased pay would provide a temporary fix, they strategically work on long term solutions and focus on providing benefits and opportunities based on their employees’ feedback. Company leadership emphasizes open-communication throughout the entire

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1130 N. Nimitz Hwy, Ste A-135 Honolulu, Hi 96817 (808) 525-5225 www.expresspros.com/honoluluhi

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Northwestern Mutual Hawaii

OR OVER 53 YEARS, NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL HAWAI’I

has helped families across the Hawaiian islands on their financial goals. As a company, we exist to free people from financial anxiety. That’s why we approach financial planning differently. Instead of starting with our clients’ finances, we start with them: their lives, their families, their priorities. By creating trust-based relationships with our clients and developing a diverse workforce amongst our team of financial advisors, NM Hawai’i continues to positively impact our community. “Our compass as an organization is set to the mission of ‘elevating the trajectory of people’s lives’. It permeates all that we do, from who we hire, to how we do business. I believe you win more often than not, by simply doing the right thing. It is no coincidence that we have grown as rapidly as we have in the past five years,” Jamie Delgadillo, Managing Director of Northwestern Mutual Hawai’i. Our focus on skill development, commitment to diversity, and extensive support system allows our advisors to meet clients’ needs

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in an encouraging work environment that has shown adaptability and a winning combination for success through any financial climate. Northwestern Mutual Hawai’i has experienced rocket-like growth since 2018. The firm has grown total insurance production 215%, total investment production 218%, new advisor production by 722% and led the country in the number of new advisor businesses launched in 2022. Fifteen advisors from the firm achieved or exceeded Million Dollar Roundtable status, an industry production recognition. Nationally, Northwestern Mutual was again named one of the World’s Most Admired Companies® in its industry according to Fortune’s annual survey conducted in 2022. Outside of the office, NM Hawai’i has donated time and treasure to Make-A-Wish Hawai’i by putting together a team for the Jingle Rock Run and donating gifts in their annual Holiday Toy Drive. We continue to support the education of the next generation of leaders in Hawai’i with a $50,000 endowed scholarship for students at Shidler College of Business. As an office, we

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were excited to participate in the return of the Honolulu Pride Parade in October 2022 and are looking forward to this event for years to come. As we continue to grow our presence in Hawai’i, we are charged with purpose to continue the work of uplifting the community, helping clients with what matters most, and creating a diverse and equitable workplace for our leadership team and advisors.

737 Bishop Street, Suite 1700 Mauka Tower, Honolulu, HI 96813 (808) 521-2345 hawaii.nm.com DISCLOSURE: NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL IS THE MARKETING NAME FOR THE NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY (NM), MILWAUKEE, WI.

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Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours

to work with each and every one of them.” Employees receive competitive salaries, a full benefits package including health, dental and chiropractic care, a $50,000 life insurance policy and our IncentFit Program that incentivizes healthy activities including $1 paid every day they walk 8,000+ steps, $2.50 to go to the gym, $25 to get their annual Flu Shot, $75 to get the Covid Vaccine, $50 to get their annual physical, subsidized gym membership, step challenges, birthday bonuses, and a matched 401K retirement plan. Ceramic Tile Plus has everything you need, and more than you imagined, providing beautiful finishes for Maui’s new home or remodeling projects.

ERAMIC TILE PLUS AND EXCLUSIVELY YOURS, a

second generation family owned business, has been supplying tile, stone, natural stone and quartz countertops and cabinetry to their customers for over 46 years. This is the sixth year it has been recognized as one of Hawaii’s Best Places To Work. “This recognition is a real source of pride for us” says James Doran III company President. “Most of our employee team have been with us for 10-28 years and to see that they value and enjoy their work experience is rewarding. An important part of our Father’s legacy is that we do our best to support and take care of our employees because, as he impressed upon us, they are our most valuable resource. More than that - they’re our Ohana. I am proud

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25 South Kahului Beach Road Kahului, HI 96732 (808) 871-7595 www.CeramicTilePlus.com

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Hawai‘i Energy

(administered by Leidos)

HIS PAST YEAR, HAWAI‘I ENERGY witnessed a surge of

interest in their programs, as many community members felt the financial squeeze of shockingly high energy bills. Supply chain issues, global unrest, and the increasing environmental impacts of climate change all contributed to increased energy costs, and as local businesses and residents rebudgeted and rebalanced their finances to account for the changes, the Hawai‘i Energy team was ready to support their efforts with energy-saving solutions. Hawai‘i Energy program’s mission is to educate on and incentivize energy-saving choices throughout the community. Their team has put the community’s needs at the forefront of its programs, and they haven’t shied away from adapting and adding to their offerings in order to better serve the community. In response to the bill

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increases, Hawai‘i Energy provided more financial support through increased rebate levels and grant funding, updated program offerings, and communicated even more customized solutions to high energy bills. Hawai‘i’s 100% clean energy transition requires passionate, driven, and adaptive leadership and Hawai‘i Energy’s team is comprised of members that embody those qualities and move the needle in a big way. Their work culture is designed to support community-wide collaboration, while fostering leadership skills required to perform this challenging, but rewarding work. Employees have access to company sponsored professional development opportunities, a virtual learning suite, bi-annual trainings on diversity and inclusion, and human-centric wellness plans. Those wellness plans include paid family leave for any par-

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ent of a newborn, gym membership & equipment reimbursements, flexible hours, and hybrid work schedules. If you stop by their office, you might even see them participating in group yoga and meditation sessions hosted by their employees! Hawai‘i Energy’s commitment to the community is a critical piece of their success. Hawai‘i Energy is proud to be one of Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work for the sixth year!

45 N King St 5th Floor, Honolulu, HI 96817 (808) 537-5577 hawaiienergy.com

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HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union

Meaningful and worthwhile work HawaiiUSA values our workforce and empowers them to do meaningful work. Our employees have the opportunity to make a real impact on Hawaii households by improving their financial wellbeing. We take our commitment to members seriously. Enabling employees to reimagine and improve our member experience is a big part of our culture, and how we strive for continuous learning and improvement as an organization. We also hear a lot that working at HawaiiUSA feels like family, and that’s good validation that our people feel valued and respected. Employee engagement and benefits From generous benefits to community giveback opportunities, there are many ways we fulfill our Life matters commitment to our employees. They appreciate that we cover 100% of their single medical, drug, vision, and

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dental. They also love receiving paid volunteer time, our pay it forward program, and matching their charitable donations up to $250 per year per employee. Tuition assistance for higher education is another special way we invest in our workforce.

HawaiiUSA become sustainable for the next 86 years.

Developing leaders

Learning organization

We‘ve created a comprehensive leadership development program to strengthen our leaders and invest in their success. With better leaders, you see better outcomes such as greater employee engagement, increased member loyalty, and organizational sustainability. We’ve been around for 86 years and the constant is that our employees are our most important asset. We owe it to them to create an environment of learning where they can develop their skills in order to best serve our membership. When leaders complete this program it’s a tremendous learning milestone and proof of commitment to helping

We strive for high performance in everything we do. Perfection is not the goal; rather, we demonstrate high performance at HawaiiUSA by continually learning, growing, innovating, and improving. Being a learning organization means that we encourage employees to experiment and not be afraid of making mistakes, as long as we learn and grow together. We use data to inform our decision-making, and follow guiding principles to ensure we’re keeping the member at the center of everything we do.

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1226 College Walk Honolulu, HI 96817 hawaiiusafcu.com IG: @hawaiiusafcu FB: facebook.com/hawaiiusafcu

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Aqua Engineers, Inc.

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Kaua‘i Train Ride

Movie Day on O‘ahu

WARD WINNING AQUA ENGINEERS, INC. is a 100%

employee-owned company which owns, operates and maintains water and wastewater facilities state-wide. From its humble beginnings on Kauai 43 years ago to today’s largest and most experienced water and wastewater management company in Hawaii, Aqua operates approximately 40 wastewater treatment facilities, 17 water systems and over 70 wastewater pump stations. Four of our wastewater treatment plants are R-1 facilities, producing the highest quality effluent and conserving millions of gallons of potable water every day. Aqua’s mission is to deliver excellence in the operations, maintenance, management and engineering of our clients’ water and wastewater systems, while supporting the health and safety of the community and protecting our environment through innovative, sustainable services and solutions. In 2006 the company was sold to the employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). David Paul, President/CEO, says, “Aqua continues our founders’ tradition of providing the best value in water and wastewater operation & maintenance services. We

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Aqua Engineers’ benefits include: • Annual License & Certification Bonus Program • Annual Incentive Program • Health/Dental/Vision – Aqua pays 7590% of premium for employee-owners & their dependents • Life Insurance & Long-Term Disability Insurance • Retirement Plan: 401k Plan with 2% match and Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) • 15 Days PTO/10 Paid Holidays Per Year • Paid Training, Licensing and Certification • Leadership Development Training Opportunities • Wellness Program & Quarterly Activities • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) • Company Uniform/Shoe Allowance

continue to train our employee-owners and recruit licensed operators who can make a difference in our employee-ownership culture.” As a service provider, Aqua considers its employee-owners as its most important asset. Our benefits include competitive compensation and a share of approximately 50% of operating income in distributions through annual cash bonuses & retirement profit sharing contributions. The other 50% goes to employee-owners as “shareholders” through stock price growth. Employee-owner growth and development remains our number one priority. Through company paid training, licensing, certification and bonus programs, we help our employee-owners further develop their skills and prepare them for internal advancement into challenging careers that maximize their abilities and personal satisfaction. We believe that employee-ownership promotes greater commitment through a shared understanding of key business disciplines and a culture of greater unity. Although separated by islands, employee-owners are able to network (via travel and videoconferencing) by participating in various company activities: staff meetings,

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trainings, stock valuation celebrations, employee appreciation lunches & activities, community projects & events, holiday parties, etc. Our President’s Messages and quarterly ESOP newsletters also help keep the Aqua Ohana informed statewide on a regular basis!

3560 Koloa Road, Kalaheo, HI 96741 (808) 332-7381 www.aquaengineers.com

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HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023 GOLD

HEMIC

OUNDED IN 1996 AS A KAMA‘ĀINA COMPANY

dedicated to serving Hawai‘i’s businesses and workers, today HEMIC is a diversified family of companies with insurance products and risk management services developed for Hawai‘i’s evolving needs. “We are guided by our core values of excellence, integrity, connection and belief – belief in the importance of what we do, the people we serve, and what we can achieve working together,” says Faye Bueno, Vice President of Administration. “By extension, we believe in creating a ‘best place to work’ for our employees. When we provide an environment that fosters creativity, encourages problemsolving and imbues a spirit of excellence, this results in the best service for our customers.”

BEST PLACE S TO WORK WINNER

The new HEMIC Tower in Downtown Honolulu was purposefully designed with this goal in mind. It offers a modern home where the family of companies can connect as a single enterprise and work together to deliver complementary, end-to-end solutions for Hawai‘i businesses. Says CEO Marty Welch, “The HEMIC Tower was carefully designed for our people and our purpose. We intentionally developed workspaces to support collaboration and innovation, and efficient, effective work. We created a comfortable, engaging place where our staff can thrive. We believe strongly in investing in our employees. We support their professional growth and the pursuit of their goals with individual development plans, mentorship programs, and technical training, including industry-related designations.”

HEMIC EMPLOYEE BENEFITS INCLUDE:

• Leadership & career development opportunities • Benefit allowance for medical, dental and other insurance, cash out option • Company-paid life, AD&D, and longterm disability insurance and identity theft benefit • Pre-tax 401K with 6% company matching • Tuition reimbursement & student loan repayment assistance • Parking, bus pass and travel allowance • $1,000 charitable giving match • Unlimited coffee and ice cream bar • Generous PTO, 15 paid holidays – plus your birthday off!

Business Address: Mail 915 Fort Street, Honolulu HI 96813 ‘19

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Mailing Address: P.O. Box 3376, Honolulu HI 96801 (808) 524-3642 www.HEMIC.com

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Prince Resorts Hawaii

SILVER

OR MORE THAN 30 YEARS, PRINCE RESORTS HAWAII

(PRH) has been known for its outstanding luxury hotels and championship golf courses. The company has now solidified its reputation as a great place to work as well. PRH has an enviable record of employee satisfaction and retention, critically important in today’s changing labor market, perhaps this is due to its practice of empowerment and trust in employees. It is inherent in everything they do. From upper management to line staff, every employee is encouraged and trained to make independent decisions that positively impact either the guest experience or the company’s operations. Good decision making is the result of a clearly defined vision, expectations, and an approachable leadership. “We trust our employees to go beyond what is expected to let our guests know of their importance to

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us,” said Shigeki Yamane, president of PRH. “Our leadership team treats employees with the same respect and Aloha that we all show toward our guests. Genuine care for each other is a big part of our team’s success and happiness.” The nurturing environment created by leadership, with a focus on lifetime wellness, attracts generations of families to become part of the Prince Resorts Hawaii ohana. Looking for ways to provide employee fulfillment, corporate and employee-initiated programs, including local school outreach/internship programs and Make a Difference community projects (with paid community days), have been launched with great success. To provide further growth opportunities, the Prince Leadership for Tomorrow (a platform for innovative collaboration across all hotels) is in its second year. With the all-inclusive benefits package PRH offers, and its mentorship and recognition programs, employees have the opportunity to build a career with a company that

keeps them engaged, challenged and connected to the community. PRH owns three luxury hotels and golf courses: Prince Waikiki, The Westin Hapuna Beach Resort, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Hawaii Prince Golf Club, Hapuna Golf Course and Mauna Kea Golf Course. Prince Waikiki was recently awarded a 4 Diamond rating from AAA and all three hotels hold Hawaii Green Business Awards. PRH is a subsidiary of Japan’s Seibu Holdings, Inc. and part of Seibu Prince Hotels Worldwide.

100 Holomoana Street Honolulu, HI 96815 (808) 956-1111 www.princeresortshawaii.com

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HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023

Austin, Tsutsumi & Associates, Inc.

SILVER

M A H A LO TO O U R P R I N C E R E S O R T S H AWA I I T E A M F O R

taking us beyond the expected.

N 2008, AMERICAN SAVINGS BANK (ASB) set a goal to be-

come the employer of choice in the state. Fast forward to 2019, and ASB is celebrating 10 consecutive years as one of Hawaii’s Best Places to Work. How did they do it? “We started by really listening to our teammates and collaborating with them on what they wanted in their experience,” said Beth Whitehead, EVP and Chief Administrative Officer. “After a lot of honest conversation and teamwork, we went to work, creating the fun, unstuffy and collaborative culture we are known MAUN A KE A B EAC H HOTE L AUTO G R Afor P H today.” CO L LE C TIO N Making dreams possible – ASB’s vision – doesn’t just apply to customers and the community; it applies to the bank’s 1,100+ teammates. In 2019, the bank unveiled the biggest investment in its teammates to date: the ASB Campus, a brand new building that brings togeth-

er approximately 650 teammates from five locations. The Campus is being celebrated as one of the most innovative worksites in Hawaii, with amenities including outdoor lanai, relaxation rooms, fitness center, arcade, and training rooms. During the planning process for the Campus, a group called the Campus Council played a key role in shaping the teammate experience. The group provided input on everything from furniture and exercise equipment to artwork and even lunchtime etiquette, resulting in teammates feeling real ownership of the space. doing part THE Additionally, WESTI N HA P UASB NA Bis E AC H REits S ORT to help the community around its new building. The Campus doesn’t include a cafeteria by design – encouraging teammates to frequent nearby eateries and shops. Since 2015, teammates have contributed more than 8,000 volunteer hours through bi-annual Seeds of Service

Chinatown cleanups, which will continue on a regular basis. ASB’s work perks aren’t limited to the Campus. All teammates enjoy a casual dress code, weekly pay, professional development, wellness programs and ample opportunities to provide feedback. “We know that in order for our teammates to make dreams possible, it takes more than just throwing words on a wall or a fancy new building,” Whitehead. “This P RI NC E said WAI KI KI is why we invest time and energy into the teammate experience. Our teammates are what make ASB a best place to work!”

We are proud to share this journey with you all. Logo

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A P‘16 R E MIE R ‘17 CO L L ECT‘18IO N O F ‘19 LUXU RY REPO S OBox RTS 2300, Honolulu, HI 96804 (808) 627-6900 AND GO L F CO U R S E S O N O ‘AH U AND H AWAI‘ I IS LAND www.asbhawaii.com

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Diagnostic Laboratory SILVER Services, Inc.

HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023

The molecular team at DLS headquarters in Halawa.

S THE LARGEST LOCALLY OWNED MEDICAL LAB IN HAWAII, DIAGNOSTIC LABO-

RATORY SERVICES, INC. (DLS) provides state-of-the-art microbiology, molecular and toxicology testing. There are more than 50 DLS patient service centers across Hawaii, Guam and Saipan. With over 800 employees, DLS is proud to have been selected by Hawaii Business Magazine as one of the Best Places to Work in the state in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Our DLS ‘ohana represents our ICARE values of innovation, compassion, aloha, respect, and excellence. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we came together and faced down many challenges brought forth by restrictions, safety concerns and an ever-growing demand for lab services. The agility and adaptability of

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Opening of our newly renovated lab in in Waimea, Hawaii

our hard-working teams throughout the organization were key to the success in tending to the needs of the communities we serve. Our transparent and inclusive culture emphasizes open door and two-way communication across the company, where we passionately care for our employees and are deeply grateful for their professionalism and dedication. We strive to provide our teams with the latest tools, techniques, and resources that enable them to grow and deliver tremendous service for customers. Our Career Connections program guides employees to positions where they feel they can make the greatest impact and use their strengths. DLS encourages employees to be their best selves at work. The longstanding DLS Lokahi Committee is focused on fostering a culture of inclusion and engagement that integrates representatives from each department. Yearly, they organize several “pop-up” events, contests and meals that celebrate holidays, our anniversary and lab week. “We consider it a privilege that

the people of Hawaii count on us to provide for their health care,” says DLS President Mark Wasielewski. “That comes with the responsibility of taking care of our employees so that they can continue to work in a way that exemplifies the ICARE values while maintaining a healthy work/life balance. Their expertise and caring are what makes DLS the home for great science and great people. I am so honored to celebrate being a Best Place to Work with my DLS ‘ohana for the third year in a row!”

99-859 Iwaiwa Street Aiea, Hawaii 96701 (808) 589-5100 DLSLAB.com

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HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023

Lawson & Associates, Inc.

Critical thinking challenges the status quo, looks for new truths, and asks, “….but why?” We stay competitive and adapt to new challenges and environments. SELF DISCIPLINE is essential. Our actions matter. We commit to DWYSYWD (do-what-you-say-you-willdo). People depend on us, and we rely on each other. Self-discipline is transformative. We establish healthy habits and follow through. ETHICS guides Occupational Health and Safety, our company, and our profession. Ethics are always part of decision-making. We know what is right and then do it. H.O.T. Communication is Honest, Open, and Timely, allowing for transparency, which creates trust. LEADERS strive to be the best, individually and organizationally. Like a pride of lions, each leader is an essential part of the group protective, brave, and willing to fight

AHALO! BEING HONORED

as a Best Place to Work for the third year means a lot to us. It means we are walking out our core values and collaboratively contributing to a workplace that people enjoy, find purpose in, and make authentic connections. We are the #LawsonTribe. We pay attention, have each other’s back, listen to our customers, and row in the same direction. Our #tribe may not be the right fit for everyone, but finding your people is a good feeling. LOYALTY is not easily earned, so we nurture it and guard it. Loyalty requires teamwork and trust. We protect the (Lawson) shield by upholding our core values. CONTINUOUS LEARNING develops new skills and knowledge. Level up! Seek improvement and progress to higher performance levels. We build our Safety Intelligence and critical thinking as unique tools.

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– and strong enough to stand alone when necessary. Now the Whale in the group stands out amongst us all. Whales are unique and valuable. Whales know how to focus on what matters and use that focus best to manage their time, resources, and assets. We create high-performing teams where everyone knows where to focus their efforts to achieve outstanding results together.

1312 Kaumualii Street Honolulu HI 96817 (808) 441-5333 www.lawsonsafety.com

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Decision Research Corporation

OCALLY OWNED AND HEADQUARTERED in Honolulu

since inception in 1971 with a regional office in Philadelphia, Decision Research Corporation (DRC) has been providing thoughtfully engineered enterprise software solutions for the P&C insurance industry, while continuing to further the technological landscape of Hawai‘i. DRC’s clients include an impressive gamut from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies located nationally and across the globe. DRC’s core values are strongly rooted in Hawai‘i: Live Aloha and Practice Pono, A Trustworthy Partner, Highly Competent and Capable, Deliver Results, Pleasure to Work With, and Completed with Care drive the culture of the business and exter-

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nal relationships. The foundation of aloha beginning at our headquarters extends worldwide to a strong community of our clients who share these values. DRC‘s focus on employee well-being and the strong culture across the organization makes it a Best Place to Work. A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered including flexible schedules, 401k matching, healthcare and wellness benefits. In addition to taking care of its employees, DRC is committed to its corporate social responsibilities and supports local and national initiatives. Activities include working with environmental and social organizations to give back to the local communities by supporting the Nature Conservancy, hosting food drives for the Hawaii Food Bank and Feeding America, and lo‘i patch clean ups, amongst many other activities. Enabling the next generation of technology professionals is key to finding and cultivating local talent. DRC accomplishes this through events that serve University students including sponsoring a university fund, hosting office open house

HAWAI‘I’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2023 SILVER

events, and an internship program that resulted in 50% post program hire at DRC. DRC recently pledged to support the state initiative, Good Jobs Hawaii in their efforts to support Hawai‘i’s workforce acceleration – building a better future for our islands. “We are honored to be recognized as one of Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work. The incredible talents of our 150 employees – not only in Hawai‘i but across the US – are what pushes DRC to success and allows us to do more for our clients, for Hawai‘i, and the world” stated Karen Yamamoto, CEO and President.

1601 Kapiolani Blvd #1100, Honolulu, HI 96814 (808) 949-8316 www.DecisionResearch.com

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Kapili Solar Roofing & Painting

APILI SOLAR ROOFING & PAINTING IS AN OUTSTANDING COMPANY that provides

exceptional roofing, solar and painting services in Hawaii. Known for its quality work and exceptional customer service, Kapili is also known for being a great place to work. There are several reasons why Kapili Solar Roofing & Painting is the best place to work. First, Kapili Solar Roofing & Painting provides a positive work environment. Employees are encouraged to communicate openly and honestly with one another, and mutual respect is a core value of ours. This positive work environment leads to a more productive and enjoyable workplace for everyone. Additionally, the company promotes teamwork and collaboration, which fosters a sense of community and camaraderie among employees.

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Kapili Solar Roofing & Painting values the growth and development of its employees. The company offers ongoing training and development opportunities, such as certification programs and safety training, to ensure that employees have the necessary skills and knowledge to perform their job duties effectively. This investment in employee development demonstrates the company’s commitment to the success of its employees. Kapili prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of its employees. Roofing and painting can be dangerous work, but the company takes every precaution to ensure that employees have the proper safety equipment and training to perform their jobs safely. Additionally, the company provides health benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, to help employees stay healthy and productive. Kapili provides competitive pay and benefits to its employees. The company recognizes the importance of fair compensation and provides a salary and benefits package that is both fair and competitive. Our employees are also eligible for a retirement savings plan, which helps them plan for their future and retire-

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ment. Kapili has been committed to giving back to the community. The company has a philanthropic spirit and supports local charities and community organizations. This community-focused approach creates a sense of purpose and pride among employees, who feel that they are part of something larger than just their work. Kapili Solar Roofing & Painting is the best place to work because it provides a positive work environment, values the growth and development of its employees, prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of its employees, offers competitive pay and benefits, and is committed to giving back to the community. These qualities make Kapili Solar Roofing & Painting a great place to work and a company that employees are proud to be a part of!

94-221 Leonui Street Unit A Waipahu, HI 96797 (808) 621-7663 www.kapiliroof.com/ tradesmen-careers

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Kaua‘i Affiliate is Habitat for Humanity’s Top Builder in Hawai‘i The nonprofit erects 15 to 20 homes a year in batches, largely using the labor of volunteers and the eventual homeowners BY NO ELLE FUJII-O RIDE

our years ago, Hanapēpē resident Ashley Conner thought homeownership was out of reach. She had lived on the Garden Island for most of her life and worked three jobs to afford rent on the 600-square-foot studio she shared with her two sons. Then she learned about the nonprofit Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity, whose staff helped her to get qualified for a home of her own. With that done, she spent seven months building the home in the 24-acre ‘Ele‘ele Iluna subdivision, with the help of family members, co-workers, volunteers and other Habitat homebuyers. “To be able to give (my sons) a home where they have a yard to take care of, they have a house to take care of, maintenance, keeping your walls clean and just simple things like that, has given them a sense of stability,” she says. Her sons are now 12 and 15, and she has an infant daughter. “They know we’re never going anywhere.” Kaua‘i Habitat is the highest producing Habitat affiliate in the state and constructs 15 to 20 homes a year for low- and moderate-income homebuyers. The Kaua‘i nonprofit is the only local affiliate that develops its own sub68

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divisions in addition to building on land partner homebuyers have purchased on their own. This enables the nonprofit to build homes in batches, saving both money and time. Those homes are helping to fill gaps in Kaua‘i’s housing supply. According to the state’s 2019 Housing Planning Study, Kaua‘i needs 375 for-sale homes between 2020 and 2025 for households that make between 30% and 80% of the area median income. For a Kaua‘i family of four, that’s between $34,200 and $91,200 a year. “If it wasn’t for Habitat and this home, we wouldn’t be here. We would have been forced off by now for sure,” Conner says. “The cost of living out here is unbelievable and it just sets you up for failure.” SELF-BUILDS

Stephen Spears, who served as Kaua‘i Habitat’s executive director from 2001 to 2002 and 2007 to 2020, estimates the nonprofit has provided about 1,000 people with stable places to live since it was founded in 1992. The affiliate was created after Hurricane ‘Iniki destroyed 1,500 homes on Kaua‘i and damaged more than 5,000 oth-

ers. Since then, Kaua‘i Habitat has built 228 homes and repaired 37 across the island, including some on Hawaiian homelands, with the help of 4,641 volunteers who contributed 239,723 hours of work. Habitat homes are built on land owned by partner homebuyers, by Kaua‘i Habitat or in Kaua‘i Habitat subdivisions. Kaua‘i Habitat requires partner homebuyers to commit at least 30 hours a week to construction – called “sweat equity” – in lieu of a down payment. Milani Pimental, the organization’s executive director, says homebuyers do at least 65% of the construction while being instructed by Habitat supervisors. Subcontractors are only used for the drywall, electrical and plumbing work. The homes Kaua‘i Habitat builds are meant to be simple and decent. They often have rectangular shapes, small lānai, exterior siding made from engineered wood, and asphalt shingle or fiberglass roofs. A four-bedroom, two-bathroom home will have about 1,250 square feet of living space. The homes are sold to homebuyers based on the price of construction, not market value. Pimental says a two-bedroom home in its newest subdivision, Waimea Huaka‘i, costs about $177,000

PHOTO: COURTESY OF DAVID BIEKER

Ashley Conner spent seven months building four simple homes for her family and others at ‘Ele‘ele Iluna subdivision on Kaua‘i’s west side.

to build; a four-bedroom costs about $200,000. The modest sizes, volunteer labor, plus private contributions, grants and affordable mortgages from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program, keep costs low. “It’s such hard work, then plus working with three jobs on top of it and trying to have fun with the kids,” Conner says, adding, “but I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. And I felt like I had a whole community holding my hands, rooting for me, saying ‘It’s OK. You don’t have to do this forever.’ ” BUILDING IN BATCHES

Located in the western town of Hanapēpē, Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity’s headquarters makes use of the property’s past life as a lumberyard. Staff,

volunteers and homebuyers sort and store building materials out of an open warehouse there, and the spacious yard allows trucks to easily load up for transport to the build sites. It’s also where Conner spent her first day with Kaua‘i Habitat, prefabricating wall framings with other volunteers and homebuyers for the four homes they were batch building in ‘Ele‘ele. Erik Mann, executive director of the Hawaii Habitat for Humanity Association, says Kaua‘i Habitat’s ability to build homes in batches and on larger parcels of land sets it apart from other local and national affiliates. Most affiliates build one or two homes a year at scattered sites, he says. “Kaua‘i is a pretty unique affiliate and one we should be proud of,” he says. The association provides technical assistance

and loans to the local Habitat affiliates. Kaua‘i Habitat has experimented with different construction methods and processes to build faster and cheaper. One of those methods is prefabricating wall framings so that it only takes a half day to raise them at the build sites. It has also learned that building homes in batches of five maximizes the efficiency of a single on-site Habitat construction supervisor, who guides the homebuyers and volunteers, Spears says. The pandemic disrupted operations, but before Covid, it would only take seven months to complete five homes. Standardized processes also mean homebuyers must follow the nonprofit’s guidelines for interacting with vendors and contractors. Homebuyers, for example, can’t tell an electrician to add 10 more outlets because that would skew H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

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“STILL ALMOST EVERY SINGLE DAY AS I DRIVE AWAY AND LOOK BACK, (I’M) JUST ASTONISHED THAT’S MINE. I BUILT THAT.” —Ashley Conner, Kaua‘i Habitat homeowner and board member

or if different construction methods can be used to save money. A SAFE COMMUNITY

Conner and the three other Habitat homebuyers finished their homes in July 2019. She and her sons were so excited to be home that they slept on a rug with blankets and pillows before there was furniture in the house. Conner recently welcomed a baby girl, so she’s no longer working three jobs. And her mortgage payments are based on her income, so she can work

Kaua‘i Habitat staff, volunteers and homebuyers have completed 122 out of 125 homes in its ‘Ele‘ele Iluna subdivision.

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around her children’s schedules. The ‘Ele‘ele Iluna subdivision – a lively place, with kids playing in their yards and riding their bikes – has 122 completed homes. And Conner says it’s a respectful, safe community. At press time, the final three homes were under construction. Kaua‘i Habitat, with its 24 staff members and $8.5 million budget, pushed even harder to scale its capacity amid skyrocketing home prices during the pandemic. The nonprofit is working on the first eight of 32 homes in the 6.5-acre Waimea Huaka‘i subdivision, which is within walking distance of Waimea’s hospital, middle school, high school and several grocery stores and eateries. Pimental calls it a “perfect community.” Staff members are also getting ready to start work on two other affordable housing projects: Kauhale o Waipouli will feature 17 units co-developed with the nonprofit Permanently Affordable Living Kaua‘i, and Pu‘u Maluhia in Kalāheo will have six units. Both projects will use Habitat’s self-build model and are on parcels about 0.85 acres in size. “The idea now is if we can work with sellers to negotiate a really great purchase price on land, if we can work – and hopefully things fall in our favor – with pricing on the infrastructure development, we can still continue to bring affordable projects to the buyers,” Pimental says. Conner has been a board member with Kaua‘i Habitat for the last two years and says she’s grateful that she still gets to be part of the organization. As a board member, she’s now one of the people congratulating Habitat homebuyers on their finished homes and handing them their keys. “Still almost every single day as I drive away and look back, (I’m) just astonished that’s mine,” she says. “I built that.”

PHOTO: COURTESY OF DAVID BIEKER

the home’s cost and increase the construction timeline. Spears says small modifications extended construction timelines by 60% when Kaua‘i Habitat was building one or two homes a year. “Once you’re building en masse, like we are and some of the other affiliates out there, you really have to get to this point of standardization and having all your participants in the program understand that, hey, we’re building the same way, same materials, same methods,” Pimental says. It’s also tweaked home designs based on homeowners’ feedback. One change was building closets that are open from floor to ceiling and from side wall to side wall, instead of having smaller openings that require framing and extra corners. This change can save a couple of thousand dollars per house in labor, material and drywall costs, and it’s easier to store items in the new closets. Spears adds that the organization has also changed its culture to develop an ownership mentality among staff. And cost analyses are constantly done to see if certain materials have increased in price

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Getting a Tough Job Done Building workforce and affordable housing in Hawai‘i is costly and complicated. Sometimes, huge investments from varied forms of private equity are the only way to make it happen. BY N OE LL E FUJII- OR ID E

PHOTO: COURTESY OF HIGHRIDGE COSTA

14.4-ACRE PARCEL OF FORMER

sugar cane land in central Maui will soon become the site of the island’s first major workforce rental project in decades. The 324-unit Kaulana Mahina community will have nine 3-story buildings, a recreation center, pool, dog park and play areas. And 60% of its units will have regulated rents for households making between 80% and 140% of the area median income. That’s an annual income of $91,280 to $159,740 for a family of four. The project comes with a big price tag: over $100 million. Its developers say the project is entirely privately financed, with a large share coming from private equity. Housing developers have relied on private equity for a long time, and many in the local community say it will play an increasingly important role in helping to solve Hawai‘i’s housing shortage. A 2019 state study found that 50,000 new housing units are needed to meet demand between 2020 and 2025. Yet the

Editor’s Note: Private equity plays a huge role in the development and ownership of housing in Hawai‘i. This story follows a report in the February issue on the ownership of local rental projects by mainland private equity companies.

Highridge Costa’s Pohukaina Commons rental project will include over 600 units for low- and middle-income households.

number of residential permits authorized in 2020 and 2021 only makes up 16% of that amount. “We haven’t even scratched the surface in terms of addressing that need,” says Colbert Matsumoto, former chairman of Tradewind Capital Group. “And while government has thrown millions of dollars addressing this, their capacity is limited.” Tradewind Capital, a Honolulu-based private equity and real estate investment firm, was an equity partner in the construction of two condo projects: 801 South in Kaka‘ako and Plantation Town Apartments in Waipahu. Many government funding sources for affordable housing are insufficient to meet demand and projects targeting moderate-income households – “workforce housing” – aren’t eligible for them. “Without private sector funding,

we’re not going to tackle the problem,” Matsumoto says. PRIVATE EQUITY BASICS

Financing the construction of affordable and workforce housing is complicated, to say the least. Putting together that capital stack takes mettle, perseverance, creativity, plus a deep understanding of tax laws, the private capital market, and building and zoning regulations. Private equity is essentially an investment of money into a company or project. The money comes from pension funds, endowments, high net-worth individuals and other accredited investors. Those investors become limited partners in the project. This funding source is essential because it helps developers get loans from banks or other instituH AWA I I B U S I N ES S

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tions, Matsumoto says. The amount of equity needed varies by project, but Cayenne Pe‘a, principal of Honolulu-based Alaka‘i Development, says private equity generally makes up 40% of a project’s budget. Besides private equity, she says, few other funding sources can provide the tens of millions of dollars needed. She and Jon Walenstrom developed the $140 million Kapolei Lofts and the $125 million The Element in West O‘ahu to target median-income renters. They say apartments targeting such renters are “sorely missing” in Hawai‘i, and that on the mainland, as much as 20% of new housing is directed toward them. Alaka‘i’s two developments added about 800 such units. “It would not happen without private equity,” Walenstrom says. The two projects were later acquired by New Yorkbased private equity firm Blackstone. GENERATING EQUITY

One major way a project gets private equity is through low-income housing tax credits. The Hawai‘i Housing Finance and Development Corp. awards developers these credits to sell to financial institutions and corporations. The federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program has helped fund the construction and rehabilitation of more than 3.4 million rental units in the country. Purchasers of these tax credits get to offset their federal and state income tax liability for a time in exchange for investing in affordable housing. The equity generated from these credits can make up 40% or 75% of a project’s development cost, depending on the type of credit used, says developer Stanford Carr, who has built a variety of residential communities on O‘ahu, Maui and Hawai‘i Island. But demand for these tax credits in Hawai‘i greatly outpaces supply, and they’re only available to developers of rental units that target low-income households earning less than 60% of the area median income. That’s a maximum annual income of $78,360 for a family of four in Honolulu. Developers of rental units targeting moderate-income households and forsale projects can’t use those tax credits. Instead, they often get their private equity 72

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through partnerships with investors. The Kaulana Mahina apartments in Wailuku received 95% of its equity from Washington, D.C.-based PNC Realty Investors, says Kerry Nicholson, Hawai‘i senior managing director at Legacy Partners. The private real estate firm is based in California and has developed 78,000 apartment units in the country. The remaining equity came from Legacy Partners, Pacific Coast Capital Partners, Dowling Company and Pier Investments. Kaulana Mahina filled the rest of its budget with a loan from PNC. PNC Realty Investors is the investment advisor for the AFL-CIO Building Investments Trust, a mixed fund of over 250 union pension plans that invests in commercial real estate across the country. AFL-CIO’s 76 Hawai‘i affiliates include all building and construction trades. Kaulana Mahina will be the trust’s first major workforce housing investment in Hawai‘i and, as a requirement for its financing, the project will use union labor for construction and maintenance. Nicholson says private equity often makes up a larger share of a project’s budget compared with 20 years ago because interest rates are higher and construction budgets larger. Nationally, material and labor costs have increased 57% since 2000, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council. “The financing structure for projects has changed, and so, oftentimes, developers are expected to come up with more equity in order to qualify for financing because as mortgage rates rise for forsale properties, the number of qualified buyers out there contracts,” Matsumoto says. “And so that increases the risk that a project won’t be able to sell out.” Daniel Nishikawa is executive VP and commercial real estate division manager at First Hawaiian Bank. He says banks impose presale requirements on forsale projects to make sure there will be enough revenue to repay the loan. Loans for rental projects are also sized depending on the income generated from the projects after they’re completed. SOCIAL IMPACT

Private equity has gained a reputation on the mainland for being profit-driven and Hawaii Business Magazine previously reported on the ways that a

large private equity firm appeared to be squeezing profits from its O‘ahu rental communities. But the developers and equity partners we spoke with for this story say investors are often willing to take lower returns in exchange for the social good of providing much needed housing units in the Islands. A little over 600 of the 1,005 condo units at the planned $619 million Kuilei Place project will be priced for households that earn 80% to 140% of the area median income. Alana Kobayashi Pakkala, executive VP and managing partner of Honolulu-based Kobayashi Group, says those units will meet 22% of O‘ahu’s need for for-sale homes for that income group. She says Kobayashi Group couldn’t do that without a partner like Honolulu private equity firm BlackSand Capital, which is led by her brother, B.J. Kobayashi. “We … had to put out an incredible amount of equity to get us at this point before we can start construction,” she says. “We need a partner … that is similar minded on the focus of a broader approach to investment in the state that isn’t just about necessarily the highest return as a singular focus.” Tradewind Capital invests in a variety of housing projects, including mixed-income and luxury communities. Matsumoto says the firm has responsibilities to the community and to generate a return for its shareholders. “Sometimes that means we won’t get the highest return on what we could invest our capital in, but we also have the satisfaction of knowing we’ve done something that is positive for our community,” he says, adding that the firm’s investments can also include buying low-income housing tax credits and making loans to developers. But it still must make economic sense for the firm to invest in an affordable or workforce housing project. It can take years to secure land, get the proper entitlements, conduct environmental and traffic studies, and get financing before construction finally begins. During that time, the cost of capital and construction can change, and projects might face delays from community opposition or other issues. That means there’s a lot of risk for investors to get involved in these types of projects, says Michael Costa, president and CEO of California developer

PHOTO: COURTESY OF KOBAYASHI GROUP

When completed, about 60% of Kuilei Place condos will be priced for middle-income households.

Highridge Costa. He says that investors in affordable rental projects typically want a 13% to 16% overall return. Investors in market-rate projects, on the other hand, generally want overall returns closer to 20% to 25%. These are overall return targets from a share of the annual net cashflow once the project is leased and include proceeds from refinancing and selling the project. “We could not have rent growth, we could have operating expenses go too high, and they could lose the opportunity to make that kind of profit,” he says. “So … we have to give them that type of a target to entice them to come into it.” Highridge Costa has developed and invested in affordable, mixed-use and market rate multifamily communities in 33 states, including Hawai‘i, where it helped develop two apartment communities and has five more in the pipeline. LIMITED STATE FUNDING

Many project developers also rely on financing from the state’s Rental Housing

Revolving Fund to help cover gaps between the equity they’ve raised and the amounts their loans will cover. This fund typically serves rental projects with units for households earning 60% or less of the area median income. In 2022, it distributed a record $320 million and for the first time allocated a share to rental projects targeting households between 61% and 100% AMI. Its two tiers will help finance 2,100 affordable units across 15 projects. However, this funding source isn’t big enough to meet demand. Denise Iseri-Matsubara, executive director of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp., says $100 million from the Rental Housing Revolving Fund will only help finance about 650 low-income units. Hawai‘i needs almost 15,000 rental units for those households, according to the state’s 2019 housing planning study. “You’re going to need billions of dollars, and government could do nothing else if you wanted to build your way out of that,” she says. Last year’s record distribution of

Rental Housing Revolving Fund monies was made possible by a $300 million infusion from the state Legislature. The fund normally gets its money from a share of the state’s conveyance tax revenues, which is capped at $38 million a year. Bills moving through the state Legislature aim to remove that cap so that a larger share of the tax revenues can go toward rental housing. Highridge Costa came up with an alternative financing structure to reduce its reliance on state gap funds. It’s made up of three layers of tax-exempt bonds and the structure allows for higher leveraging than conventional financing with bank loans, Costa says. His company will use this model for the middle-income rental tower in its Pohukaina Commons project. “I think this is the way of the future because they recognize how oversubscribed our programs are,” Iseri-Matsubara says. “So they’re looking at this alternative financing structure, which is exactly the type of creative financing initiatives that we need to see to keep housing going.” H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

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Honoring Home Care BY N OELLE FUJII-O RIDE

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CEO of Ho‘okele Home Care. The provider’s 100 caregivers on O‘ahu and Maui serve 300 seniors. This interview is lightly condensed. How has the pandemic changed home care? We wondered if demand for services would decrease. It didn’t because family members couldn’t visit their senior loved ones. We provided more check-in services, where we visited loved ones to make sure they had eaten, taken their medications and were safe. We also helped seniors

with electronic doctor’s visits. How is your task-based service, Vivia, doing? We started Vivia in 2020 after our clients and caregivers told us they wanted more reliability and consistency. That’s challenging with the traditional home care model where a client tells us the hours they’re looking for and we see who might be available. With the Vivia model, caregivers work with us for 40 hours a week and take care of a group of clients in a certain neighborhood. This gives them a more stable schedule, and our

clients see the same caregiver at each visit. Do you still have a shortage of workers? We still are experiencing challenges with finding employees, but Vivia has helped because we are employing someone full time. Now, one Vivia caregiver can assist 10-20 clients a week because it’s short, more frequent visits. Under the traditional model, a caregiver can assist maybe 2-3 clients a week. www.hookelehomecare.com

PHOTO: COURTESY OF HO‘OKELE HOME CARE

HO‘OKELE

was recognized as one of the country’s highest-ranking home care providers and employers this year. The Best of Home Care Provider of Choice and Employer of Choice awards are based on client and employee satisfaction interviews conducted by Home Care Pulse, a software company that serves the industry. Other local winners include First Light Home Care of Honolulu, BrightStar Care, Right at Home, Bayada Home Care, Divine Touch Home Care Services and Right at Home. I spoke with Tanya Fernandes,

SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION

Designing a Better World through Philanthropy F O R MO R E T H A N 20 Y E A RS , A RC H I T E C T U R A L D E S I G N F I R M G RO U P 70 H A S M A D E G I V I N G B A C K A C O R E E L E M E N T O F I T S C O M PA N Y C U LT U R E .

Group 70 employees regularly work together to volunteer for good causes. Photo courtesy of Group 70.

cations that would fund local projects N 2002, ARCHITECTURE DESIGN in the categories of youth education, firm Group 70 decided they housing and shelter, art and design, wanted to build Hawai‘i-focused sustainability, and Island culture and philanthropy into their company humanities. Working with the Hawai‘i culture. Instead of hosting a one-time Community Foundation fundraiser or sending a (HCF), the G70 team company-wide memo asking “Our vision awards grants to a dozen employees for donations, was to create or more projects each year, the fi rm’s principals decided a program averaging $50,000 in total to take a more proactive approach: G70 established a that could get annual grants. Today, 20 donor-advised fund, a type of our employees years since launching its charitable investment account excited about donor-advised fund, the G70 Foundation has given with the purpose of providgiving back.” close to $1 million and ing grants and donations to nonprofits doing good work in  C H A R L E S K A N E S H I R O , aided more than 130 orgaG 70 P R E S I D E N T nizations in the Islands, the local community. AND COO through a combination of “Our vision was to employee donations and create a program that Group 70 contributions. could get our employees “Throughout the year, we invite excited about giving back, and where grant recipients to our staff meetings they could learn about organizations to present what they do, whether that’s that provide vital services in Hawai‘i,” workforce training for Native Hawaiian says G70 president and chief operating communities or environmental proofficer Charles Kaneshiro. grams. Recently, we supported AssisEach year, G70 invites employees tance Dogs of Hawai‘i and they brought to help review nonprofit grant appli-

some golden retrievers to greet our staff,” Kaneshiro says, with a laugh. “They were a big hit at the office.” “A donor-advised fund is a great way for companies to be inclusive with their employees and for leaders to learn about causes their staff may be passionate about in the community,” says HCF senior director of philanthropy Malia Peters. Since the G70 Foundation began, the Hawai‘i Community Foundation has served as its partner in philanthropy by helping to manage the fund and understand what they as a company are passionate about. HCF coordinates the grant application process, verifies the legitimacy of nonprofits being considered for funding, and distributes grants once they are approved. HCF also handles the fund’s administrative due diligence on a day-to-day basis, ensuring the principal amount is properly invested and in compliance with all state and federal regulations. In addition to supporting good causes, donor-advised funds can be a taxsmart solution for both companies and individuals with philanthropic goals, providing deductions in the year that contributions are made. “We keep our donors updated on the latest happenings and areas of critical need that are impacting us in communities across Hawai‘i,” Peters says. “With our experience working with nonprofits throughout the state, HCF can make recommendations or suggest partnerships where a particular donor’s support could provide opportunities to leverage efforts.”

I F YO U ’ D L I K E T O S TA R T M A K I N G A D I F F E R E N C E I N YO U R C O M M U N I T Y, V I S I T H A W A I I C O M M U N I T Y F O U N D A T I O N . O R G/ D O N O R S T O L E A R N M O R E A B O U T H O W H C F C A N H E L P.

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