21 minute read
Inside BIA-Hawaii: In Her Sights
Jess Leorna, CEO and archery enthusiast, targets the Islands’ construction challenges
BY BRETT ALEXANDER-ESTES PHOTOS BY ANJJ LEE
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Back in Fairbanks, Building Industry Association of Hawaii CEO Jess Leorna “always had a deep freezer full of salmon and game meat,” she says. “My husband is a bow hunter, and his annual hunting trip produced at least one caribou to add to the freezer.
“In fact,” she smiles, “when I was eight months pregnant, my husband arrived at 4 a.m. from his hunt and we processed meat for the entire morning and next day.” Eventually, Leorna picked up a bow herself and would round up Scotty and their young daughter for a “family-friendly 3D archery shoot in a hidden forest just out of town.”
Now Leorna is targeting construction strategies at BIA-Hawaii, where she started as CEO soon after COVID19 made landfall.
“The biggest impact of the pandemic has been first, the fear and anxiety that comes with the knowledge that no one is 100 percent safe,” she says. “Any individual and business can see hardship, even if they are considered ‘essential.’ Projects have been pushed back, and we still see a labor shortage even in the face of unemployment highs.
“Consumers are uncomfortable with in-home work, such as remodels or upgrades. Industry professionals are finding it difficult to execute projects with these economic pressures, while local government is passing bills that increase the cost of homes immediately—for example, the electric vehicle requirements that went into effect this summer (Bill 25, which mandates electric vehicle charging stations in most new Oahu multi-family builds). BIA and our Government Relations Committee are working tirelessly to
slow down new legislation that increases the cost to build during the pandemic.” Leorna, who sits on “It is imperative to the Executive Officers Council of the National Association of Home the strength of our economy that the Builders, says the NAHB in October succeeded in building industry negotiating the removal of electric vehicle chargremains agile.” ing station requirements from the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code. “It is imperative to the strength of our economy that the building industry remains agile and is able to offer jobs to Hawaii’s residents without increased burden or additional restrictions,” she “My most valuable experiences at says. “The best survival strategy is to Expertcity were in relationships,” she work together. Collaborate with agen- says. “Learning to be open to take cies and sister associations who under- on new challenges, managing budgets stand the problems presented. The … and learning to work closely and industry has power in numbers, and collaborate with executives and departassociations like BIA and NAHB are ment heads.” the voice of the industry.” Leorna later moved to Interior
Leorna learned early on that collab- Alaska Home Building Association, oration is a success multiplier. which she describes as similar in
Concentrating in political science purpose but smaller in scope than and global peace and securities at BIA-Hawaii. the University of California–Santa “Alaska and Hawaii share simiBarbara, she was aiming for a career in lar challenges,” she says. “I would international law and eventually, a U.S. say they have a similar impact on ambassadorship. “I love travel, culture their industries simply because both and people,” she says, “and learning states are so far removed from what about intricacies in culture that can Alaskans call ‘the lower 48’ and we make or break relationships.” call ‘the Mainland.’
Instead, she went straight from “Both states need to find ways to her cap-and-gown ceremony to increase affordability of homes and Expertcity, a new high-tech venture. address the shortfall of homes. Alaska “I was excited by the ideas of start- developed a financing entity that is up companies: how they function especially creative and works to get and scale in their early years,” she people into homes, while offsetting says. “The company had cool prod- increases to the cost to build and buy. ucts, and was ahead of its time.” “The Alaska Housing Finance
Products included GoToMyPC and Corporation (AHFC) is a self-support-
GoToMeeting, and the company ing public corporation that provides grew “exponentially,” she says. special, Federal-approved loans Leorna became a finance liai- to Alaskan borrowers. The entity son. She joined an Expertcity provides financing options for multiteam that “had incredible family complexes and single-family accounting knowledge, and taught homes, loan programs for low- to me a substantial amount of corpo- moderate-income families, consumer rate accounting.” She also worked education, weatherization and energy with executives who shared an rebates, grants, homelessness initiatives “extensive amount about implementa- and rental assistance programs, and tion of systems and operations”—all new housing choices for seniors. leading to a junior controller position “The entity pays dividends into in San Francisco some years later. the state reserve while offering these
Jess Leorna sits on the board of the Executive Officers Council of the National Association of Home Builders.
special loans through local banks— snow, and it was minus-30 degrees,” an innovative and holistic approach Leorna says. “When we stepped off to increasing access for people the plane in Honolulu, I took my who truly need affordable down jacket off and breathed housing with the added the warm, humid air— benefit of contribut- it felt clean and clear. ing money to the This was my first state economy in more ways than one.” “The best survival feeling of being at home in Hawaii” —also home to Gladys Marrone, BIA-Hawaii’s strategy is to work Scotty’s relatives. “Then our family whisked us former CEO and a staunch advo- together.” from the airport to our new home, cate of expanding and they brought Hawaii’s housing us food, clothes, toys, options, struck up a and they stopped in to friendship with Leorna check on us regularly. Even at an NAHB conference some during the pandemic, we have years ago. When Marrone recently left a closeness to family now that we BIA-Hawaii, she tapped Leorna for her weren’t able to have in Alaska.” position. Hawaii is a far cry from Fairbanks,
“We moved from Alaska when where Leorna, her husband and our home was still under three feet of daughter Onyxx Wren loved to fish, hike and camp. “Our favorite outdoor adventure is fishing,” Leorna says, “and in Alaska we would fly fish while wading down a river at 3 a.m. when the midnight sun was still high, or take to the icy lakes for some ice fishing—40 degrees in the dead of winter.”
Now the family is exploring new territory. Since moving here, Onyxx has learned the words ‘Auntie’ and ‘Uncle.’ “I think these are just the cutest, sweetest words aside from ‘Mama’ and ‘Papa,’ ” Leorna says. “Due to COVID, Ony won’t attend school until January, but we are looking forward to the culture she’ll experience there. She’ll be washing rice, dancing hula, making poi in class and other practical and cultural activities. Onyxx loves the different species of birds, the beach, the grass, and she loves to visit her cousins.”
And like her mother, who is always up for new adventures, “she’ll wear a colorful lei any time of day!”
Rendering of the proposed science and math building at BYUH IMAGE COURTESY AHL
AHL, Okland to Construct BYUH Science, Math Building
Brigham Young University Hawaii plans to build a three-story, 43,000-square-foot building on campus for math and science classrooms and labs, with completion estimated by the summer of 2022.
Hawaii architectural firm AHL is doing the design and Utah-based Okland Construction Co. Inc. is the general contractor on the project.
BYUH recently saw the demolition of a 60-year-old, one-story building to make room for the new structure, which will house seven teaching laboratories, research and support space, 10 classrooms, offices for up to 30 faculty members and a variety of informal learning and collaboration spaces.
“The site is being raised nearly four feet on a plinth because this particular area on campus is prone to flooding, and BYUH needs to design their new facility in accordance with current FEMA flood maps,” says Ethan Twer, AHL senior associate and project architect. “Our design includes a gracious plaza with a rain garden and shade trees. There is also a sinuous walkway to connect the adjacent road to the main entry of the building.”
The mechanical, electrical and plumbing services were designed for adaptability and, according to AHL, the “plug-and-play” system allows faculty to change programs, research projects and teaching methodologies with little disruption to ongoing instruction.
NAVFAC Honors Engineers of the Year
Naval Facilities Engineering Command Hawaii and NAVFAC Pacific in October announced Engineers of the Year awards for fiscal year 2021. NAVFAC Hawaii announced Red Hill Program Management Officer Cmdr. Darrel Frame Darrel Frame as Military Engineer of the Year and Supervisory Structural Engineer Guar Johnson as Civilian Engineer of the Year at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH). NAVFAC Pacific named Shannon Kimoto as Civilian Engineer of the Year and Lt. Jonathan Zisko as Military Engineer of the Year.
Frame, a civil Guar Johnson engineer, led the integration and daily operations of the Red Hill Construction Program Team and
Henderson Design Group has been selected to redesign the 122-room Kaimana Beach Hotel in Waikiki into a beachfront destination boutique hotel.
In partnership with BlackSand Capital, Private Label Collection and Welcome Stranger, the six-month project is scheduled to be unveiled in December and includes the hotel’s lobby, restaurant, sunset bar, private gathering space and suites. Fleet Logistics Center Pearl Harbor (FLCPH) Fuels Department, forming a model for petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL) operations and construction departments worldwide.
Johnson, a civil engineer, is a lead structural technical expert and has been involved with more than $200 million of Navy Mission Critical requirements. In addition, he developed a review/tracking system of pier load evaluation requests by incorporating current assets and structural engineering studies.
Kimoto is the design and construction (DC) business line senior civil engineer. She serves as the stormwater / low impact development subject matter expert (SME) for the U.S. Pacific Fleet area of operations.
As the supervisory general engineer, Zisko oversaw the execution of a $250 million construction portfolio, and staff of 18, at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. He developed numerous processes to create workflow efficiencies and performed project management for the Vertical Electro-Magnetic Pulse Simulator, a
Henderson Design Group, based on the Island of Hawaii, has curated a collection of vintage furnishings combined with custom handmade items to merge Old Hawaii with an eclectic style. The redesign includes an open plan that will connect the lobby to Kaimana Beach, the property’s moniker and top attraction.
“This is an exciting project for us to work on as we are tasked with breathglobally unique facility constructed to test aircraft resilience to electromagnetic attacks.
NAVFAC Pacific also recognized the 2021 civilian and military engineers of the year in the Pacific Area of Operations (AO).
Along with Frame, Johnson, Kimoto and Zisko, the 14 winners representing NAVFAC Pacific, Far East, Hawaii, Marianas, Northwest, Southwest, and Officer in Charge of Construction (OICC) Marine Corps Marianas (MCM) include: • Civilian Engineer of the Year: Michael Ishibashi, NAVFAC Far East; Lee Enzastiga, NAVFAC Marianas; David Gibson, NAVFAC Northwest; Jason Jaskowiak, OICC MCM; and Dr. Michael Fraser, NAVFAC Southwest. • Military Engineer of the Year: Lt. Cmdr. Christian Auger, NAVFAC Far East; Lt. Mark Bush, NAVFAC Marianas; Lt. Corey Devonis, NAVFAC Northwest; Cmdr. Peter Benson, NAVFAC Southwest; and
Henderson to Redesign Kaimana Beach Hotel
Cmdr. Dennis La, OICC MCM. ing new life into a legacy property and restoring its glory without compromising the old charm that has become a favorite of both locals and visitors over the past five decades,” says Eric Henderson, principal and creative director of Henderson Design Group. “Sustainability takes center stage in our creative vision, and our team is excited to bring it to life this year.”
GCA of Hawaii Urges Members to Weigh In on Landfill Law
The General Contractors Oahu, in approximately five years’ time, municipal landfill at nearly double the Association (GCA) of Hawaii has with no alternative available for the cost PVT charges per ton or shipping reached out to its members for sugges- foreseeable future.” the material off-island for recycling. tions on ways to allay rising construc- The GCA also notes under this The day after the bill became law, PVT tion costs stemming from the recent law the “metal and concrete that announced increases in fees. For exampassage of a waste management law. PVT accepts from construction proj- ple, disposal for general non-contami-
Act 73 was signed into law by Gov. ects cannot go to H-Power. In addi- nated debris jumped from $57 per ton David Ige on Sept. 15. According to an tion, PVT is the only permitted facility to $75 per ton, a 31 percent increase. email dated Oct. 13 to GCA members that accepts non-contaminated and GCA members can weigh in on the by Rick Heltzel, Legislative Committee contaminated excavation and dredging topic by contacting Cheryl Walthall chair, the law will “effectively cause materials.” at Cheryl@gcahawaii.org or Gladys the closure of PVT Land Co., the only The remaining options, the associa- Hagemann at Gladys@gcahawaii.org. construction and demolition landfill on tion says, will be to take debris to the
(Front, from left) Jeannie Stewart, Teri Esperanza, the Waikiki Community Center’s Caroline Hayashi and Crystal Antonio, Aloha United Way President John Fink, (back, from left) George Stewart, Jonathan Esperanza and Eddie Laguana.
Hawaiian Cement Delivers Compassion Kits
Hawaiian Cement’s Oahu Ready Mix Division in October partnered with Compassion for Cancer Caregivers for the first delivery of 300 Compassion Kits to the Waikiki Community Center for kupuna in need. The Waikiki Community Center has been the hub for kupuna since 1978. (Left) Eddie Laguana presents the first Compassion Kit to Caroline Hayashi, president of the Waikiki Community Center. PHOTOS COURTESY HAWAIIAN CEMENT
2 Big Island Sort Stations Accepting Construction, Demolition Waste
The East Hawai‘i Regional Sort of the cab). Highway will continue to accept C&D Station on Hawaii Island now accepts • No item shall exceed four feet in and C&G waste, and will accept loads construction and demolition (C&D) any dimension or weigh more than 50 of more than 50 cubic yards if notified waste for disposal with the following pounds. more than 24 hours in advance. restrictions: • No rocks, concrete or grading For more information, go to • A maximum of five cubic yards and grubbing (C&G) materials will be hawaiizerowaste.org, or call the per load will be accepted (a five-cubic- accepted. Department of Environmental yard load will fit in a pickup truck The West Hawai‘i Sanitary Landfill Management, Solid Waste Division with an eight-foot bed filled to the top located at 71-1111 Queen Ka‘ahumanu office at (808) 961-8270.
Bill 40: Small Contractors Take a Hit
Trade leaders express concern over the law’s impact on a ‘fair and open’ bidding process
BY PRISCILLA PÉREZ BILLIG
Six months after the passage of Bill 40, many of Honolulu’s building industry leaders are pushing back against the law that mandates local city projects valued at $2 million and more must use union labor.
“This version is still a major obstacle to the fair and open competition for city projects funded by our tax dollars,” says Jeffrey Durham, president and CEO Jeffrey Durham of Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Hawaii Chapter, a national construction trade association founded on the merit shop philosophy.
“This bill is highly exclusionary in that it caters to one-third of the licensed contractors in the state who have chosen to be affiliated with labor unions,” Durham says. “By requiring the successful low bidder to become a signatory to organized labor unions for work performed on that project, many highly qualified contractors will not bid on city projects over the $2 million threshold, and effectively raise the cost of city construction projects in Honolulu.”
Durham adds that Bill 40, which became law on June 9, will lead to less employment opportunities as a full two-thirds of the Islands’ construction workforce has no desire to belong to a union and be forced to pay a third party for the opportunity to work in the industry.
“The speed with which local policymakers moved to amend a faulty ordinance that was only a year old speaks volumes about the problems with CWAs (community workforce agreements),” says Keli‘i Akina, president and CEO of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. “Unfortunately, as the Grassroot Institute told the City Council, Bill Keli‘i Akina 40 did not go far enough to mitigate the damage done by the original law. Moreover, the council did not consider how they could help local contractors affected by the COVID-19 crisis by eliminating the restrictive CWAs.”
Akina noted that across the country, states and municipalities have been eliminating CWAs as studies show that CWAs tend to increase the cost of government contracts.
“The changes in Bill 40 do not go far enough to address these cost and delay issues,” Akina says. “What’s more, by retaining a preference for CWAs in city contracts as low as $2 million, the amendments do little to help the 4,500 licensed, non-union local contractors that were hurt by the original law.”
Akina added that if the city is interested in helping small businesses and local contractors recover from the effects of the COVID lockdown, “they should eliminate CWAs altogether and remove other unnecessary restrictions on local businesses.”
The General Contractors Association of Hawaii (GCA) is opposed to government-mandated CWAs, including the recently passed Cheryl Walthall Bill 40, says Cheryl Walthall, GCA executive vice president.
“We believe that publicly funded contracts should be awarded without regard to the lawful labor relations policies and practices of the government contract,” she says. “However, with the passage of Bill 40 into law, we stand ready to work with the City and County of Honolulu to ensure that CWAs are negotiated fairly, with the input of the contractors that will have to administer them, to the benefit of the residents of Honolulu.”
NEWS MAKERS
Ronald “Ron” G. Nishihara has joined CBRE as director of project management for the Hawaii region. He previously was with Trinity Management Group LLC. Denys Ilyichov, his Trinity colleague, joins the CBRE project management team as project manager.Denys Ilyichov “The addition of Ron and his team greatly enhances CBRE’s project management offering in the Hawaii region,” says Kimberly K. Lord, CBRE Hawaii region senior managing director.
Nishihara’s more than 30 years of commercial real estate experience includes all phases of real estate development from consulting and planning through construction management and delivery.
As Trinity principal, Nishihara and his team provided consulting, project and construction management services to notable Hawaii projects, including the Hawaii Public Housing Authority multi-family housing project in Hilo, the Pacific Gateway Center, Edmonson Hall and Hamilton Library at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, the Waianae Police Station replacement, and the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology on Coconut Island, among others.
Putman Promoted to VP at Armstrong Builders
Marc Putman has been promoted to vice president at Armstrong Builders and will continue to oversee construction management for large-scale residential and commercial projects.
Previously he was senior project manager. Putman has more than Marc Putman 10 years of construction experience, overseeing a number of challenging projects from technical concrete structures to custom architectural buildings. He began his career with Armstrong Builders in 2016 as a project manager after working as a superintendent with Kiewit Infrastructure West Co.
“Marc is an instrumental member of our team,” says Armstrong Builders President Jim Keller. “He has performed exceptionally well managing multiple complex projects over the years and hiring and mentoring talented new team members.”
HHF Planners Welcomes Yong
Gene Yong has joined planning and landscape architecture firm HHF Planners, where he brings 30 years of experience in land use planning, master planning, entitlements, educational facilities planning and military planning. His work includes federal Gene Yong infrastructure and facilities planning work for the Navy, particularly its naval shipyards. His work with HHF on the Navy’s recent Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan covered all four of the Navy’s U.S. shipyards and was recognized by the American Planning Association in 2019.
Yong’s past projects include planning and entitlement work with Punahou School, Kamehameha Schools, Maryknoll School, Chaminade University, Mid Pacific Institute, Iolani School, the state Department of Education, Shriners Hospital for Children, North Hawaii Community Hospital and the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.
Atlas Promotes Muranaka to AVP
Atlas Insurance Agency Inc. has promoted Keane Muranaka to assistant vice president within the risk and claims management consulting unit. Atlas also Keane Muranaka Ron Nishihara
has hired Adrene Thompson as senior claims consultant and promoted Chris Wong to risk consultant. Both Thompson and Wong will Adrene Thompson join Atlas’ Client Consulting Unit, where their clients will include members of Hawaii’s building industry.
Muranaka will continue day-to-day claims management services across the agency’s commercial and personal lines clientele. He will Chris Wong also monitor local and national court cases impactful to current and future claims settlements.
Muranaka, who has been with Atlas Insurance since 2008, holds a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Thompson, who has 12 years of insurance industry experience and holds a workers’ compensation adjuster license, will specialize in providing oversight for workers’ compensation claim management services.
A former Atlas intern, Wong joined Atlas in 2019 as an associate risk consultant, and is now providing risk consulting services with a focus on safety and technical compliance assistance. Wong holds a bachelor’s from the Shidler College of Business, UH-Manoa.
Chung Rejoins Belt Collins as VP
John Chung, previously vice president and chief engineer at Honolulubased planning, engineering and landscape architecture firm Belt Collins Hawaii, rejoined BCH earlier this year in the same capacity. Chung left John Chung BCH in 2016 and served for nearly four years as public works manager and administrator for the Hawaii State Department of Education.
At BCH, Chung is serving as a principal engineer and project manager for the firm’s civil engineering projects, overseeing site development, master planning, infrastructure assessments and roadway and infrastructure design.
BCH in January merged with Bowers + Kubota Consulting, a Hawaii-based architectural/engineering firm. ...Guam MILCON, continued from page 25 engineering for this deep-water pipeGoing forward, Humay says, BASE expects “to remain
Five Join G70
Hawaii design firm G70 has hired Jeff Merz as a senior planner/ project manager and Dylan Fong as a civil designer.
Merz, who was at AECOM, specializes in master planning, facility assessments and environmental reviews. He will Jeff Merz work alongside both clients and principals to lead project teams through the completion of master plans, environmental reviews and project completion. Fong will assist project managers with the preparation of drawings and reports, construction documentation, material reviews and Dylan Fong project coordination with subconsultants. His backgtound includes an internships at Coughlin Porter Lundeen in Seattle, and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in Honolulu.
Earlier, G70 also announced the addition of three staff members.
Michael Beason joins as civil project manager. A 30-year industry veteran and certified engineer in Hawaii and California, Beason will oversee projects, prepare and present project engineering and public reports, and supervise project teams.
Erin Chow joins as architectural designer. Most recently a G70 intern, Chow will assist in review and preparation of working drawings, coordinate with architect/engineer subconsultants, and synthesize design information for clients and consultants.
Julia Kimoto joins as a civil designer. Kimoto will assist project managers with drawings and reports, construction documentation, material reviews and project coordination with
line installation,” he says, “and will begin mobilizing specialized marine Work Suspended equipment and Guam’s Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) deep diving gear suspended all construction on the island following the Nov. 5 discovery along with materi- of clusters of coronavirus-positive workers on job sites. als for the project in According to the DPHSS, “application of the directive to militarythe first quarter of affiliated construction activities will be coordinated between Public 2021.” Health and Department of Defense public health authorities.” subconsultants. Rick Heltzel busy on Guam for is primarily with the military. We are ing design-build opportunities.” the foreseeable future. Whereas we are involved with several multi-year indefi- Nan Inc., says Nakaima, is likewise exploring a number of private sector nite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts “making the appropriate adjustments” opportunities, our backload of work for Navy design work, along with pursu- on Guam. This includes “mobilizing additional personnel, equipment and other strategic resources.” In 2021 and beyond, Heltzel says, Healy Tibbitts “will continue to pursue both waterfront and deep foundation work on Guam for both NAVFAC and the Government of Guam.” As these and other big-ticket projects gain momentum, Hawaii builders with the capabilities and financial resources to work in Guam, says Black Construction’s P-250 MALS project, combined with the P-260 Corrosion Control Hangar Grossi, “should do very well.” project, is valued at $86 million. PHOTO COURTESY BLACK CONSTRUCTION CORP.
