Hawaii Business Magazine November 2022

Plus: UH’s Innovation Engine Most Charitable Companies

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 S I N C E 1 9 5 5

F I G H TI N G B AC K AG A I N S T FA S TB U R N I N G I N VA S I V E G R A S S E S TH AT N OW C OV E R A Q UA R TE R O F H AWA I ‘ I P. 34

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S PEC I A L PR O M OT I O N A L S ECT I O N ‘ AI N A PAUA H I : L AU L I M A

Working Together for a Common Goal T H E D E PA R T M E N T O F H AWA I I A N H O M E L A N D S is tasked with developing and providing lands for the benefit of Native Hawaiians, but there’s a lengthy regulation process that must be followed. The ability to collaborate with other ali‘i trusts, such as Kamehameha Schools, has allowed DHHL to look outside of the government process for solutions.

The standard development process for homestead lots takes about six to eight years since funding is allotted annually by the Legislature.

This means funding can be approved for one phase then it must go back to the Legislature to get approval for the next phase.

“It’s a real challenge because we might get design planning and then we have to wait two to three years before we get construction funding,” says Tyler Iokepa Gomes, DHHL deputy chair. “That’s one of the challenges of being funded by the Legislature is that it depends on the year. It depends on who is the chair of the finance committee. It depends on who’s the chair of capital improvement projects.”

Hawai‘i’s ali‘i created a number of different trusts to address specific social needs. The Bernice Pauahi Bishop trust is devoted to education, and Prince Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole was instrumental in creating DHHL’s land trust. In areas where their missions overlap, a partnership has formed.

“All of these ali‘i left behind what they had to develop a future for their people in a time that was incredibly uncertain about the future for Native Hawaiians,” says Gomes. “Their vision is something that unites all of our organizations, and DHHL is lucky to have a partnership with Kamehameha Schools and fulfilling two ali‘i trust visions in a modern world that I think our founders could not have envisioned or anticipated.”

The partnership is an opportunity for DHHL to look at how Kamehameha Schools’ resources, outreach and community influence can be utilized to support both visions. It’s a creative way to bring more support to beneficiaries.

Once lots are ready for homestead use, DHHL offers diverse options, including residential, agricultural, and pastoral lots. Residential awards can range from improved lots with a new home; vacant lots with the infrastructure in place; or minimally improved vacant lots.

“A new one that we’re just kicking off is called subsistence agricultural lots,” Gomes says. “It’s a slightly smaller, slightly more economical opportunity for household famers versus people who are running a full farming operation.” The first of these lots should be available in the next two to three years.

“There’s a lot of joy and tears and relief from families that have been waiting,” he says, “but it takes a long time to get there.”

“The ability to align on that shared goal of community improvement is really where we're able to leverage the greatest successes.”

-T Y L E R I O K E PA G O M E S , DHHL DEPUTY CHAIR

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

KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS

DHHL's land trust consists of over 200,000 acres on Hawai‘i, Maui, Moloka‘i, La- na‘i, O‘ahu and Kaua‘i.

Committed to serving Native Hawaiian beneficiaries, DHHL offers a diverse selection of homesteads.

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS OF

Healthy Smiles & Local Roots Since 1962, Hawaii Dental Service (HDS) worked towards improving oral health and creating a lifetime of healthy smiles for Hawaii families. Today, as the leading dental benefits provider in the state, HDS serves more than a million residents in Hawaii, Guam, and Saipan. HDS continues to preserve the smiles of Hawaii families for a lifetime by creating a stronger, healthier future for our island communities.

As one of the most charitable companies in Hawaii, HDS fosters a culture of charitable giving and community engagement. Learn how HDS supports our community and improves oral health at HawaiiDentalService.com/HDS60years.

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The G70 Foundation is dedicated, through the spirit of generosity, to improve communities in Hawai‘i through design, education, environment, culture, and community development projects.

our impact since 2002

20 years

fostering a culture of giving

895,000+

in funds given through grants

135+ local organizations served

what we’re passionate about culture & humanities

community development / housing & shelter

design / arts

celebrating the diversity of Hawai‘i’s many cultures

building stronger communities and families

good design makes a difference in the quality of life

education / youth development

environment / sustainability

investing into the future, one education at a time

sustaining people and resources into perpetuity

who we’ve supported this year Beach Environmental Awareness Campaign Hawai‘i (B.E.A.C.H.) • Hawai‘i State Coalition Against Domestic Violence • Hawai‘i Women In Filmmaking • Hawai‘i Craftsmen • Hi‘ilei Aloha, LLC • I Nui Ke Aho • Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture (INPEACE) • Kāpili Like • Ko‘ihonua • Kua‘āina Ulu ‘Auamo (KUA) • Kūlaniākea • North Shore Economic Vitality Partnership (EVP) • The Legal Clinic • Trees for Honolulu’s Future • Ulu A‘e Learning Center • ‘Ohu ‘Ohu Ko‘olau, Inc. • WorkNet, Inc. Through our G70 Scholarship + Mentorship program that began in 2021, we have been fortunate to help assist 5 recipients majoring in Architecture, Civil Engineering, or Interior Design throughout their college journey.

CREATING HOPE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

G70FOUNDATION.DESIGN

Our successes are measured by the positive differences we can make in the lives of others.

1,456

Hours volunteered to communities across Oahu, Maui, the Big Island, and Kauai*

122

Schools and school organizations HawaiiUSA partnered with across the State of Hawaii*

$761,500

In scholarship awards given to graduating high school seniors and undergraduates to further their education since 1990

$738,200

Cash and in-kind donations to various companies, charities, and non-profit organizations*

41

Stipend awards provided to State of Hawaii professional and para-professional educators for career enhancement opportunities*

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*Figures are from 2021 HawaiiUSA Community Outreach activites

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M ore aloha , More care .

As a community-led nonprofit health plan, AlohaCare has a special

commitment to everyone that calls this place home. That’s why we’re especially proud to introduce Imua Loa, our grant and community investment program. It’s how we give back to the many local organizations that keep our islands healthy, happy, and gleaming with aloha.

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A Variety of Alternative Fuel Cars Drive Hawai‘i’s Clean Energy Future Which One is Right for You? To reach the State of Hawai‘i’s carbon neutrality goal by 2045, we need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and shift to more sustainable vehicle options. There are many choices when it comes to buying a fuel-efficient or zero-emissions car.

Learn which one is the best fit for you.

Alternative Fuel Vehicle Comparison HYBRID

PLUG-IN HYBRID

BATTERY

FUEL CELL

ELECTRIC VEHICLES (HEV)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES (PHEV)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES (BEV)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES (FCEV)

BATTERY

ELECTRIC

BATTERY

ELECTRIC

GAS

ENGINE

GAS

ENGINE

• Powered by an electric motor and an internal combustion engine • Requires gas to fuel the internal combustion engine, which charges the battery for the electric motor • Does not require electricity to charge the battery

BATTERY

• Powered by an electric motor and an internal combustion engine • Requires electricity to charge battery for the electric motor and gas to fuel the internal combustion engine • Like BEVs, PHEVs can be charged at home with a standard 120V outlet or dedicated 240V outlet, or at public charging stations

ELECTRIC

• Powered by an electric motor • Requires electricity to charge battery for the electric motor • Most BEVs can be charged at home with a standard 120V outlet or dedicated 240V outlet, or at public charging stations

FUEL CELL

ELECTRIC

• Powered by an electric motor • Requires Hydrogen (H2) gas to generate electricity • In a fuel cell vehicle, hydrogen (H2) gas from the vehicle’s fuel tank combines with oxygen (O2) from the air to generate electricity with only water and heat as byproducts of the process

BENEFITS • Lower carbon tailpipe emissions than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE) • Better fuel economy than ICE vehicles • Lower maintenance costs than ICE vehicles

• Lower carbon tailpipe emissions than HEVs and ICE vehicles. Zero tailpipe emissions when using the electric motor • Better fuel economy than ICE vehicles and HEVs • Lower maintenance costs than ICE vehicles

• Zero carbon tailpipe emissions • Better fuel economy than ICE vehicles, HEVs, and PHEVs • Lower maintenance costs than HEVs and PHEVs

• Zero carbon tailpipe emissions • Better fuel economy than ICE vehicles • Lower maintenance costs than HEVs and PHEVs

Sources: Environmental Protection Agency, Alternative Fuels Data Center. Consumer Reports, U.S. Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory.

We Need a Variety of Alternative Fuel Vehicles to Reach Our Net Zero Future.

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Malama I Ka ‘Aina

Pasha Hawaii is proud to partner with the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative (HLRI) to support a sustainable future for Hawaii. For every personally owned vehicle shipped, Pasha Hawaii will make a donation to HLRI to offset the carbon impact of shipping that vehicle. HLRI is a non-profit organization that works to reforest endemic trees and restore Hawaii’s native habitat for our wildlife.

In conjunction with the launch of MV George III, Hawaii’s first containership to operate on natural gas, our employees joined the Pasha ’ohana to plant the first native Hawaiian trees in our Pasha Hawaii Legacy Forest at Gun Stock Ranch.

Caring for our ‘āina, one tree at a time.

At Hawaii State FCU, when we say we’re “always right by you,” this promise extends far beyond our credit union walls. It is our commitment to serving our state, taking care of our members, and doing our part to strengthen and uplift our communities.

We are proud to support many of the local nonprofits and organizations that are making a difference in the lives of those in need by providing them with resources, help and hope.

Thank you to everyone who has helped to contribute to more vibrant communities and a more resilient Hawaii.

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BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT, AND NONPROFIT AGENCIES ARE UNITED FOR ALICE. SYSTEMIC CHANGE IS POSSIBLE WITH THE RIGHT PARTNERS.

Who is ALICE?

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Invest in ALICE.

We must work together, across sectors, to address the growing ALICE population. The AUW ALICE Fund fuels innovation and solutions for these households to find greater financial stability. The ALICE Initiative, in partnership with Hawai‘i Community Foundation, is driving collective action with 17 local nonprofit agencies over the next three years. You can support the AUW ALICE Fund and join our partners in this work.

OUR PARTNERS FOR CHANGE

Shop Small Hawaii is a community initiative managed by the Patsy T. Mink Center for Business & Leadership, a program under YWCA O’ahu a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization

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FEATURES Manager Michael Goto, center right with pad and black marker, supervises the sale of freshly caught fish at the Honolulu Fish Auction. Read about the auction’s bounce-back from the pandemic on page 86

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Fighting Back Against Epidemic of Wildfires An invasive grass that burns hot and fast has taken over former pastures and cane fields, but coalitions of people are responding.

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2022’s Most Charitable Companies in Hawai‘i 78 companies and nonprofits that donated more than $217.3 million and whose employees provided 78,692 volunteer hours.

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We Track Rising Wages vs. Inflation Since 1969 To see if people are better off than their grandparents, we tracked wages, productivity and the cost of necessities like housing.

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UH a force for economic diversity, Lassner says He describes the system’s statewide impact, seven focus areas for innovation, and how it is nurturing new entrepreneurs.

103

UH Incubator Aims to Take Ideas to Market HITIDE provides faculty, staff and students with tools to commercialize their research.

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11.22

CONTENTS

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF HAWAI‘I LAND TRUST

Hawai‘i Land Trust The trust’s Maunawila Ō ʻ pio Summer Program teaches youth how to build traditional hale plus other skills and exposes them to conservation.

Capitalism: Worst Economic System Except for All Others Editor Steve Petranik writes about how our economic system must be continually reformed with a clear eye on its biggest flaws.

22

Advice on Who Needs to Add a Disclaimer to Their Emails Attorney Martin E. Hsia says disclaimers may help businesses, for instance, by stopping a proposal from becoming a legal obligation.

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Mentoring “can positively transform someone’s life” Jody Shiroma of PBS Hawaiʻi has been mentoring young people for over two decades and tells them to always keep growing.

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My Job is Overseeing the Building of Honolulu Rail Matthew Scanlon says, “A lot of the problems we are currently solving, unfortunately, we inherited from previous management.”

26

Hawai‘i Land Trust Preserves Special Places for the Future It partners with landowners, government and communities to conserve shorelines, fishponds, sacred cultural sites and other areas.

30

New Regular Feature Focuses on Hawai‘i’s Award Winners Kyle N. Chang and Noe Foster’s award-winning MindKloud app uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to support people’s mental health.

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SPECI A L A DV ERTI SI NG SECTI ON S Hawai‘i’s National Philanthropy Day Awards Celebrating this year’s winners as honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Aloha Chapter.

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O N T H E C OV E R

Photo by Aaron Yoshino HAWAII BUSINESS (ISSN 0440-5056) IS PUBLISHED 10 TIMES A YEAR BY PACIFICBASIN COMMUNICATIONS. ©2022 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. NOVEMBER 2022 VOL. 68/NO.5

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PLANT YOUR LEGACY LET’S BE THE GENERATION THAT PRESERVES HAWAI‘I FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

PROJECTFOOTPRINT.COM

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The Worst Economic System Except for All the Others

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according to extensive research conducted and published by many organizations over many years.

“In recent decades, new research on intergenerational economic mobility has established an important set of new facts that should inform our thinking about opportunity and mobility in America,” says a review of that body of research published this April by the Economic Mobility Project of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

“The U.S. has relatively low rates of intergenerational income mobility, especially when compared with other advanced economies, and mobility appears to have declined since 1980.” (Learn more at tinyurl.com/FedMobility.)

Many young people don’t buy the “land of opportunity” lie and neither should anyone else.

THE ADVANTAGE OF AN ANTITHESIS

EPEATED SURVEYS BY GALLUP,

Harvard and other organizations show only about half of young Americans with a positive view of capitalism.

For instance, a 2019 Gallup survey showed that 51% of Americans ages 18 to 39 had a positive view of capitalism and 49% had a positive view of socialism.

I am a fan – and frankly, a beneficiary – of capitalism but I see it the same way Winston Churchill saw democracy: “The worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”

I know lots of reasons many young people dislike American capitalism, but three major currents stand out to me for their selfish audacity and deceit.

First, capitalism – in the form of far too many business leaders and Republican politicians – spent decades denying man-made climate change. Now, when extreme weather is so commonplace as to make denials farcical, these same people often shoot down climate change mitigation by saying it endangers existing jobs and profits, while ignoring that mitigation often creates as many or more jobs while reducing climate catastrophes long term.

Young people and their children will pay the price for capitalism’s climate change crimes while the guilty are six feet under. No wonder many aren’t fans of capitalism.

The second strand of capitalist selfishness is even more audacious. In the hopes of getting more tax cuts and deregulation, much of capitalism’s profits are being cynically funneled to Republican politicians who have lied about the 2020 election results and are undermining America’s democracy.

Hardly the shining city on a hill.

My parents suffered through fascism and communism during World War II, but later found freedom and opportunity in Canada, and I found further opportunity in Hawai‘i.

We benefited from forms of capitalism and democracy that faced continual reform because we were locked in an ideological struggle with Soviet communism.

But it eventually became clear that a Soviet-style command economy could only advance so far and then it collapsed altogether. When it did, we lost the crucial antithesis that had pushed our capitalism and democracy to keep improving.

Our capitalism has become less equalitarian and our democracy has declined in recent years. The Global State of Democracy Indices dropped our “representative government score” from 0.93 in 2015 to 0.84 in 2021. Freedom House gave us 83 out of 100, down from 89 in 2017.

Freedom House gave scores of 100 to three countries: Finland, Norway and Sweden – which all have far more economic mobility than us. Not coincidentally, young Americans often point to those countries as better economic models than America.

Those three countries are often called socialist but are in fact capitalist – they too know capitalism is the best economic system – but they have modified it very differently from our model. We don’t need to become like them, but I think American capitalists have to stop repeating myths and see our system as it truly is – more like how the young see it.

THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY

The third deceit is that the U.S. is the land of opportunity. Yes, we once were but haven’t been for decades, 22

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STEVE PETRANIK EDITOR

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As a local company, we support organizations who improve the lives of our fellow residents. As a technology provider, we invest within our organization and in the community through workforce development initiatives to help launch and advance tech careers.

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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.

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

Need to Know: Environmental, Social, Corporate Governance TH U RS DAY, NOVE M B E R 1 0, 202 2 | 8 :30 -11 : 00 A . M .

(PAN E L B EG I N S AT 9:30 A . M .)

Elizabeth Fuller Hall, YWCA Laniākea IN V ESTOR S, CONSU M ER S A N D EM PLOY EES are studying companies’

environmental, social justice and responsible governance policies. Especially in Hawai‘i, people want to support companies – big and small – that share their values.

Our panelists will help you understand the importance of a smart and responsible ESG strategy, how to implement it, and how to communicate your policies to employees, customers and investors.

For more information on tickets, visit needtoknow.hawaiibusiness.com

noellef@hawaiibusiness.com Staff Writer CHAVONNIE RAMOS chavonnier@hawaiibusiness.com Copy Editor ELROY GARCIA Interns AUSTIN BOURCIER, KATLIN CILLIERS Design Creative Director KELSEY IGE kelseyi@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 534−7179 Art Director MALLORY ADAMS-NAKAMURA malloryan@hawaiibusiness.com Digital Digital Marketing Director JOELLE CABASA joellec@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 534−7531 Digital Media Specialist MICHELLE TAN michellet@hawaiibusiness.com Photography Staff Photographer AARON YOSHINO Sales & Marketing Associate Publisher KENT COULES kentc@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 364−5869 Account Executive KELLIE MOE kelliem@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 364−5897 Account Executive MEA ALOHA SPADY meaalohas@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 364−6126 Advertising Project Manager MICHELLE OKADA michelleo@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 534−7560 Events Director LOREN DOCTOLERO lorend@hawaiibusiness.com • (808) 534−7578 Circulation Circulation Manager KIM KOKI kimk@pacificbasin.net • (808) 534−7590 Connect with us on social media: HawaiiBusiness HawaiiBusinessmagazine Hawaii Business is published by

UPCOMING EVENT:

CEO of the Year TH U RS DAY, DEC E M B E R 8 , 202 2 | 8 :30 -11 : 00 A . M .

Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i

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JOIN US A S W E HONOR Hawai‘i’s 2022 CEO of the Year.

The morning celebration will include a conversation on transformational leadership with the 2022 CEO of the Year, 2021 CEO of the Year Ray Vara of Hawai‘i Pacific Health, Su Shin of Hawaiian Telcom, Dr. Lynn Babington of Chaminade University and John De Fries of Hawai‘i Tourism Authority.

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

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COMMITTED TO THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE, AS WE WORK TO BUILD A MORE SUSTAINABLE AND FOOD SECURE FUTURE FOR ALL.

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

M Y

NAME: MATTHEW SCANLON

AGE:

JOB:

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DIRECTOR OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION FOR HONOLULU AUTHORITY FOR RAPID TRANSPORTATION

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Overseeing Design and Construction of Honolulu Rail Matthew Scanlon says the project will transform O‘ahu and help make travel easier

BY C H AVON N IE R AM OS

BEGINNINGS: Matthew Scanlon says he grew up in Pittsburgh – “a very transit and railroad-centric town.” And though his career has taken twists and turns, he has been involved with transportation and rail projects throughout.

After receiving his civil engineering degree from the University of Utah, he “was doing these 30-year studies” of roadway conditions and “felt like I wasn’t ever getting to see my work actually built.”

He says he wanted a change, so he worked as a transportation engineer in Salt Lake City in 2001, having “the good fortune of being there” when the Utah Transit Authority worked on a massive expansion in preparation of the city hosting the 2002 Winter Olympics.

“It seemed more exciting than just standard DOT (Department of Transportation) roadway projects,” says Scanlon.

HAWAI‘I JOURNEY: He first came to the Islands on vacation in 2001. “I was so close to being one of those people … (who) just don’t get back on the plane,” Scanlon says.

He eventually moved to Ha-

wai‘i in 2012 after getting a job at HART and was a project manager for the Kamehameha Highway guideway until 2015.

He left to work for the San Mateo County Transit District in California, but rejoined HART as director of design and construction last year. He says he liked what Lori Kahikina, HART’s executive director, was doing to turn around the program and organization.

“Lori is a tried-and-true public servant. She believes in being a staunch advocate-defender of the public tax dollars that we’re spending and using.”

PROBLEM-SOLVING: Scanlon says his current role has a “greater level of responsibility, but it’s also an opportunity to really help with decision making that is in the best interest of the project.”

When he was a project manager, Scanlon “struggled seeing some of the decisions and the messaging” that people in his current role were making. He longed for an opportunity to “do it right” and make honest decisions.

Now, as director of design and construction, Scanlon is responsible for construction management,

schedules, the budget and quality of oversight of the construction management teams, and more.

TYPICAL DAYS: Scanlon does not

work 9 to 5. He says the job is unpredictable, and his schedule almost always changes and involves a lot of “around the clock” problem-solving.

He spends most of his days in the office but also visits construction sites, often at night because that’s when most crews work.

CHALLENGES: “I feel like all of us

understand that we’ve signed on for a job where our brand is damaged,” says Scanlon. “A lot of the problems that we are currently solving, unfortunately, we inherited from previous management.”

Previously, he says, there was not really a “focused leadership and management group” making the right decisions. But he believes that past management “have always had the best intentions” and that nobody was “trying to really do anything nefarious.”

The embattled rail project has faced criticism over the years for being over budget and behind schedule. Hawaii Business MagaH AWA I I B U S I N ES S

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J O B

“A lot of the problems To cut costs, HART’s that we are board of directors approved a plan this year that would end the rail line at currently solving, Halekauwila and South streets in Kaka‘ako, instead of Ala Moana Center. (tiunfortunately, nyurl.com/RailRecoveryPlan) we inherited.”

Another problem is cracks in colzine did an in-depth report last year on how rail got to $12.45 billion and 11 years late. (tinyurl.com/HBRail) LATEST ISSUES:

umns along the rail line that feature hammerhead shark designs, according to Scanlon. Five stations on the West Side are affected.

Scanlon acknowledges HART’s public image hasn’t been great for a while, “but we all believe in the project,” and adds the agency is working to regain public trust.

HART began trial runs for the system’s first 10 miles this year, which stretches from East Kapolei to Aloha Stadium.

RAIL’S ADVANTAGES:

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Scanlon has seen

—Matthew Scanlon, Director of Design and Construction for Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation

firsthand how rail projects benefit the community. When he worked in San Francisco, he used the train more than his car because he lived near a station. If he wanted to go to town, he never drove his car because “you’d get your window broken out up there.” “(Rail) is going to give people the opportunity to stay here that might otherwise have to leave the island because of the cost of living,” he says.

Scanlon cites the concept of mobility hubs and how younger generations will have the opportunity to live near transit stations and “not have to be so dependent on their cars and sitting in traffic for more hours a day than they need to.”

“It just excites me … seeing the transformative nature of this project and what it’ll mean to Hawai‘i and the livability of neighborhoods that right now are only accessible by a long daily grind in a car.”

THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED FOR CL ARITY AND CONCISENESS.

N O M I N AT E

WE ARE SEEKING 20 FOR THE NEXT 20 – LOCAL PEOPLE TO WATCH Hawaii Business Magazine is accepting suggestions for its annual list of emerging leaders in the Islands

BY ST E V E P E T R A N I K

H AWA I I B U S I N E S S M AG A Z I N E I S S E E K I N G nominations for the

2023 cohort of 20 for the Next 20 – Hawai‘i’s People to Watch.

We are looking for people with a record of achievement in Hawai‘i and the potential to do much more over the next two decades. Their accomplishments can have been in business, government, innovation, nonprofits, education or any other field. Successful candidates are intelligent, skillful, energetic and charismatic people from around the Islands.

Most are in their 30s or 40s, but age is not a consideration. We want men and women who have already achieved much in their fields, done good work in their communities and seem destined to do even more.

If you know someone who qualifies, go to hawaiibusiness.com/ nominations to submit your candidate. The deadline is Nov. 23.

Self-nominations are not accepted.

Our profiles of the 20 honorees will appear online in February 2023 and in the March 2023 print issue of Hawaii Business Magazine.

Due to the volume of nominations, unsuccessful candidates will not be contacted.

B I Z X :

A DV I C E

F R O M

E X P E R T S

Here’s Who Needs a Disclaimer at the End of Their Emails WE’VE ALL SEEN T H O S E disclaimers auto-

matically added at the bottom of emails we receive.

Are they really necessary?

First some ancient history, from the author’s personal recollections.

In about 2005, shortly after email arrived and took over from fax machines, the IRS issued a revision of Circular 230 requiring that if a tax practitioner is providing informal tax advice, a disclaimer has to be added at the end to state that the email is not providing formal tax advice.

Law firms that had tax practitioners had to decide whether they should program their email systems to automatically add this disclaimer only to emails from the tax practitioners, or from all attorneys. It was easier to automatically add the disclaimer for all attorneys. Clients saw attorneys adding this disclaimer, and some of them began adding disclaimers in their emails.

At about the same time, several court cases showed the possible evils of emails being sent to the wrong person, or of internal emails being disclosed in lawsuits. So law firms started to automatically add disclaimers that the emails were confidential, and that if the email was received by someone who was not the intended recipient, the email should be destroyed and not read. Some of their clients followed suit.

The content of this email is confidential and intended for the recipient specified in message only. It is strictl forbidden to ofshare any part of this with any The content this email is confidential and message intended the recipient specified in message only. It isof strictly thirdforparty, without a written consent the sender. If to share any part of this message with any youforbidden received this amessage byofmistake, reply to third party, without written consent the sender. please If received this message by with mistake, reply toso that we c thisyou message and follow itsplease deletion, this message follow withdoes its deletion, so that we ensure such aand mistake not occur in can the future. ensure such a mistake does not occur in the future.

Then the IRS decided in about 2014 to require that tax practitioners stop using the Circular 230 disclaimer, so this was done, but the other disclaimers about confidentiality and misdirected email were retained.

That’s how we got to where we are, with many people using automatically added email disclaimers. And now we wonder whether they are helpful or necessary.

Email disclaimers probably would not be helpful in most circumstances, because mere receipt of an email cannot unilaterally form a legally enforceable contract – the recipient never agreed to the disclaimer. So email disclaimers, alone, cannot unilaterally create legal obligations.

But they may be helpful in preventing the creation of legal obligations, by giving notice, which could be useful in certain circumstances. For example, a business could add an email disclaimer stating that even if price or other terms are discussed, the email cannot create a contract and that no contract is binding on the business unless signed by

a corporate officer. Or it can add a statement that the contents of the email reflect the opinion of the sender, and not necessarily the position of the sender’s employer.

So automatically added email disclaimers are not really necessary for most businesses, but they may make you feel better by stating explicitly what you think all recipients of your emails should understand implicitly: the email is confidential; should be read only by the intended recipient; reflects the opinion of the sender and does not necessarily reflect the position of the sender’s employer; and does not create a contract unless approved by management, even though it may discuss price or other terms.

But note that laws in other countries may differ, and in some contexts, such as federal government agencies and heavily regulated industries (such as the securities industry), email disclaimers are required or strongly advisable.

THIS MONTH’S EXPERT:

MARTIN E. HSIA, PARTNER, CADES SCHUTTE LLP

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

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N O N P R O F I T

W I T H

A

M I S S I O N

Hawai‘i Land Trust Preserves Special Places for Today and the Future

BY K AT LIN C IL L IE R S

With the support of government funding, Hawai‘i Land Trust purchased the Nu‘u Refuge on Maui’s Hāna Coast to preserve it.

H E A L I ‘ I KA ‘Ā I N A ; H E KAU WĀ K E KA N A KA . (Land is chief, and man is

its servant.)

This is one of the guiding principles of the Hawai‘i Land Trust, a nonprofit founded in 2011 through a merger of land trusts on O‘ahu, Maui, Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i Island. With community support, it strives to protect land through conservation easements, stewardship and educational projects, CEO Laura Kaakua says.

“A lot of the successfully protected

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lands, they all originated out of community drive to see a place protected.”

The trust has protected over 20,000 acres across the Hawaiian Islands, including shorelines, fishponds and sacred cultural sites such as Maunawila heiau in Hau‘ula on O‘ahu, she says.

It partners with landowners who want to donate their properties and preserve them via conservation easements – a legal designation that ensures lands are not transformed or developed against the owners’ wishes. On other occasions, the trust will raise money from govern-

ment sources and private individuals to buy land.

“It’s an open, transparent process for the whole community,” Kaakua says.

“A lot of nonprofits and private landowners have stepped up to have a stewardship role. … And the future of those lands was protected.”

Sometimes, when landowners want to develop their property and the community is opposed, the trust mediates conversations between the two sides.

On other occasions, Kaakua says, the trust will try to ensure the development

PHOTO: COURTESY OF HAWAI‘I LAND TRUST

Turning a Coin Shortage Into Meals for the Less Fortunate aligns with the land’s historical and cultural purposes and upholds aloha ‘āina values of deep love, respect and care for the land.

“In some cases, just based on the significance of that particular land, the community doesn’t support development there, because there might be very important agricultural or biocultural resources,” Kaakua says. “If that is the case we can sometimes step in and actually raise funds to purchase the property, so it becomes a win-win.”

From the start, she says, the trust has aligned with conservation-minded individuals. “They’re doing it sometimes primarily because of that love for their land. They get to know that they’ve contributed to something positive for Hawai‘i.”

One of the trust’s partners is Skyline Hawai‘i, a zipline company started on Maui, whose operations have grown to Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i Island. Their ziplines operate on over 20,000 acres of self-managed, preserved land.

Skyline’s owner, Danny Boren, values the partnership and friendship with the trust’s team, including Director of Land Stewardship Scott Fisher, and learning about conservation processes.

“We come from the commercial, business side, but also trying to get involved in conservation,” says Boren. “So having access to someone who has this conservation knowledge, like Scott and his team there, has really been great.”

He says Skyline Hawai‘i wishes to spread aloha ‘āina values to its customers. Boren believes that being stewards of the land should be a guiding principle for businesses which profit off Hawai‘i’s beautiful landscapes.

“We are in the business of showing the beauty of Hawai‘i, the culture of Hawai‘i. So, it’s our responsibility to try to perpetuate that, and there are people like Hawai‘i Land Trust, that’s what they do.”

Foundation contributed an additional $5,000 bringing the total donated to $13,138.05 for the Hawaii Foodbank.

D

ID YO U KN OW THE RE I S A S TATE WID E C O IN S H O R TAG E ?

With so many of our daily purchases shifting to contactless payment, you might wonder why we need coins at all. But many in Hawaii don’t have access to cashless technology, making it difficult to perform simple daily transactions such as using a laundromat or parking meter, or getting exact change back from retailers.

“The coin shortage represents an interesting issue for the financial industry,” said Central Pacific Bank Retail Markets and Operations Executive Vice President Kisan Jo. “While digital transactions are the future, we are still at a point where oldfashioned coins are necessary.”

To address the problem, Central Pacific Bank came up with a way to use spare change to initiate positive change.

CPB’s “Change for Charity” campaign urged people to raid their piggy banks and search their sofa cushions for loose change. 100% of the value of the coins dropped off at CPB branches was donated to Hawaii Foodbank.

“CPB came up with an innovative solution to help address the nationwide coin shortage and assist a significant statewide nonprofit at the same time,” said CPB Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Brandt Farias. “This was a first-of-itskind campaign, and we were pleased with the outcome. In fact, the Hawaii Foodbank would like us to make this an annual fundraising effort.”

“The power of the community pulling together is amazing,” said Hawaii Foodbank President and CEO Amy Miller Marvin. “This generous donation will provide food for more than 27,000 meals to those who are facing hunger.”

While CPB is no stranger to giving — contributing more than $2.4 million to 114 nonprofit organizations in Hawaii in 2021 — this small effort made a big difference in the lives of those in need.

It showed that with a little creativity — and some spare change — we can make a positive change in our communities.

“CPB came up with an innovative solution to help address the nationwide coin shortage and assist a significant statewide nonprofit at the same time.”

- B R A N DT FA RI A S , E X EC U T I V E V I C E P RE S ID EN T A N D C H IEF M A R K E T IN G O FFI C ER C EN T R A L PAC IFI C BA N K

Member FDIC

Change for Charity collected an impressive $8,138.05 in coins. CPB H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

31

“As visionary thinkers, problem solvers, and environmental professionals, there is much opportunity to partner with other community leaders to build strategies for the housing crisis, post Covid-19 work environments, and sustainable growth to the islands we call home.

We believe and see the future. As we continue into a future that requires environmental sustainability, enhanced human health and sociocultural well-being, our job isn’t just to produce new pretty structures, often times it’s for us to re-use what’s already there and repurpose it with new breath so that people can continue to create new stories and memories — that we can continue to make Hawai‘i a home for future generations.”

— K E N N U K U I , G70 , P R E S E N T I N G S P O N S O R

EVENT SERIES

Mahalo to all those who participated in our September 23 networking event and panel discussion on commercial real estate at YWCA Fuller Hall.

PRESENTED BY

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

STUDENT SPONSOR

As a new company here in Honolulu, we feel that it is important to be in tune with the community that we plan to service and the space that we are entering. Through this event, Hawaii Business Magazine has provided that platform. We are confident in the quality of our innovative product line and we hope to share these benefits with our island community. Thank you HB!!!

— M I K E T S U C H I YA, L AN D M AR K B U I L D I N G S U PPLY

“We are aware that commercial real estate has and continues to be an essential entity and driver in the overall economic future in Hawaii. Our students had an amazing opportunity to hear and learn from esteemed industry experts in the field of commercial real estate at this Need to Know series.”

— GERALD TERAMAE, ISLAND PACIFIC ACADEMY

“The recent ‘Need to Know’ event focusing on commercial real estate facilitated a meaningful dialogue amongst industry leaders to address some of the key issues facing our communities as we emerge from the pandemic. After being separated for over two years, it was insightful to gather with colleagues from across the local industry to delve into the critical issues that will shape the future landscape of retail commerce in Hawaii.” — FRANCISCO G UT IE R R E Z, ALEXAND ER & BALDW IN

I N VA S I V E GR ASSES T H AT B U R N HOT AND FA S T N OW C OV E R A Q UA R T E R O F H AWA I ‘ I ’ S L A N D. AS R AINDROUGHT CYC L E S INTENSIFY THEIR “FUEL L OA D S ” A N D MORE FIRES IGNITE , EXPERTS F I G H T B AC K WITH NEW VIGOR AND OLD TOOLS.

by Cynthia Wessendorf PHOTOGR APHY BY

AARON YOSHINO & CHAVONNIE RAMOS

ne segment of the massive 2018 wildfires that burned an estimated 9,000 acres of Leeward O‘ahu started next to Eric Enos’ farm in Wai‘anae Valley.

K A‘AL A FARM AND CULTUR AL LEARNING CENTER backs up to wild-

lands of guinea grass and spindly haole koa trees. Beyond that are the slopes of the Wai‘anae Range, with Mount Ka‘ala towering overhead at 4,000 feet.

Enos has spent decades carving out a small oasis from the former sugar cane fields. Water for the farm’s terraced lo‘i kalo and shade trees originates from Kānewai stream in the Wai‘anae Kai Forest Reserve, which then funnels into dike rock and through hand-laid pipes to his property.

But everywhere around them is hot and dry.

On Saturday, Aug. 4, two busloads of students were visiting when Enos spotted smoke rising from a nearby spot along the narrow road leading to his property. He called the Fire Department, which was already fighting another blaze in Nānākuli.

When they arrived, the trucks couldn’t get close as the fire was spreading downwind toward the town, blocking the road.

“We were totally trapped,” recalls Enos.

He gathered the young people near the taro ponds and hoped the winds would keep pushing the fire away. But as some of the flames crept toward them, Enos and his team furiously doused them with 5-gallon buckets of water from nearby Honua Stream.

It bought time for helicopters from the Honolulu Fire Department, the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife, and the Department of Defense to arrive, dumping water from huge buckets.

The fire burned across three valleys, turning the air black and forcing residents to flee. It took two weeks before rains finally extinguished the stubborn patches in the back of Mākaha Valley, says Clay Trauernicht, a botanist and fire scientist in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management at UH Mānoa.

“If you had asked me earlier if climate change is affecting fire, I would’ve been skeptical,” he says. “But after the 2018 fire … I would say we’re definitely seeing the impacts of climate

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change. Record-breaking heat and incredibly low humidity levels are driving these fires beyond the ability to put them out.”

While Leeward O‘ahu is a hot-spot, brush fires are happening more frequently on every island, and in every location, even the wet windward coasts.

Experts such as Trauernicht are sounding the alarm that the rapid spread of invasive grasses, pronounced rainfall and drought cycles that intensify the grasses’ fuel loads, and more people doing reckless things – sometimes intentionally, as with the 2018 Leeward O‘ahu fires, but often accidentally too – have resulted in a 400% increase in wildfires over the past several decades.

From 1904 through the 1980s, Trauernicht estimates that 5,000 acres on average burned each year in Hawai‘i.

In the decades that followed, that number jumped to 20,000 acres burned.

The good news is there are ways to slow or stop fires, from targeted grazing to creating fuel breaks to ensuring “defensible spaces” around homes. While Hawai‘i rarely sees the kind of infernos that California gets, dramatic changes are happening to the landscape that are making conditions more dangerous.

THE TROUBLE WITH GUINEA GR ASS OMETIME AROUND THE TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY, after the plantation economy had been es-

tablished, wild grasses from the African savanna made their way to Hawai‘i.

Guinea grass, or Megathyrsus maximus, is remarkably hardy. While the grass turns pale and lifeless during droughts, it bounces back after a single rainfall. In heavy rains, long green shoots can sprout overnight.

Guinea grass and fountain grass, along with nonnative scrubland, now cover about a quarter of Hawai‘i’s land, or 1 million acres, says Trauernicht. Much of that land was once used for farming and ranching; it now lies vacant, the remnants of faded industries.

A 2020 report from the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture shows that, of the 1.93 million acres designated for agriculture in the state, only 6.2% was being used to grow crops. Another 40% was being used as pastureland. That’s less cropland than in the 2015 census, which was taken shortly before the closing of the last sugar mill on Maui, HC&S, the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. With many grazing animals gone and Guinea grass grows fields left fallow, nonnative grasses flourquickly after rainfall, ish. And they’re highly flammable. A sinadding to its fuel load gle spark – from a campfire or a car’s hot during dry conditions.

catalytic converter rolling across a field – can trigger massive wildfires, such as the July 2019 blaze in Maui’s central valley that burned through 10,000 acres of old sugar cane fields.

“These monotypic strands of grasses are monstrous,” says Trauernicht. “They just attain enormous fuel loads.

I can’t find parallels anywhere, and I’ve dug deep in the literature, that compares to the amount of fuels that we get with guinea grasses and even fountain grasses.”

The worst-case scenario, says Trauernicht, is when heavy rains trigger rapid growth, followed by severe drought, which withers the grass and turns it into tinder.

“And, boom, our fire risk goes through the roof.”

In September, nearly all of the state fell into the range of abnormally dry to the most dire category, exceptional drought, according to the federal government’s U.S. Drought Monitor.

In the past three years, about 30% of the state has experienced long periods of harsher drought conditions – categorized as severe, extreme and exceptional – where fire risk is high. But the most intense drought in the past two decades was the week of March 9, 2010, when 6.6% of the state was under exceptional drought conditions. Such conditions can kill cattle and crops.

N AT I V E V E G E TAT I O N L O S T ILDFIRES SPREAD TO HAWAI ‘I’ S NATIVE ECOSYSTEMS as well, especially

dryland forests, which have been devastated by fire. About 90% of those forests have been lost over the past century.

Michael Walker, head of the wildland fire program at the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW), has seen entire wiliwili forests destroyed by grass-driven fires.

“They’re not fire adept at all,” says Walker. “When a fire rolls through, it’s just going to kill 100% of them, and they’re not going to come back. The native plants don’t have that ability.”

Walker got interested in fire ecology as a student at the University of Florida, where he examined the fire-adapted ecosystems of the Southeast.

He calls the area “the lightning strike capital of the continent,” where fire is a dominant force in the ecosystem’s evolution. Many pine cones, he H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

37

DOFAW firefighters explains, only release their seeds with the heat put out hot spots of intense fires; the seeds then germinate in the on Aug. 6, 2018, bare mineral soil left behind. along the firebreak But Hawai‘i is altogether different. Historabove Eric Enos’ property. Native ically, lightning is rare and volcanic activity trees are currently was fairly short in duration. Unlike much of being planted in the the mainland, Hawai‘i’s plants evolved “in the foreground area. absence of fire as an ecosystem driver,” he says.

The result is a grass-fire cycle, “where every time a forested area burns, it becomes a more hospitable environment for these nonnative grasses and shrubs to reproduce and thrive,” says Walker. He calls it “the nouveau Hawaiian savanna.”

What’s often missing, he says, are large animals to eat the grasses, as you’d find in Africa. “The pasture grasses and other grasses have started to alter these landscapes in a way that it’s hard to reverse.”

B AT T L I N G W I L D F I R E S ALKER , ALONG WITH ABOUT 200 OTHERS AT DOFAW,

have taken workplace cross-training to new levels. When “gray sky” duties call, teams drop their “blue sky” activities, such as grant writing and restoration work, and gear up to battle blazes.

With 26% of the Islands under the forestry division’s jurisdiction, much of it rugged and difficult to access, firefighting can be challenging work. Depending on the weather and terrain, the teams might use hand tools to shovel dirt and bulldozers to cut firebreaks – earthen paths where vegetation has been cleared.

Until recently, their firefighting duties were completely

Starting in the 1990s, an average of 20,000 acres burns each year, which is about four times the average seen in 1904 to 1989. The spike in 1969 was from a single wildfire in Pu‘u Anahulu on the Big Island, which burned 41,000 acres. In 1904, after a huge wildfire burned for months on the Hāmākua coast, Hawai‘i’s forest reserve system was launched and began reporting on wildfires.

Source: Clay Trauernicht, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, UH Mānoa.

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50,000

AREA BURNED (ACRES)

Area Burned Each Year in Hawai‘i Has Risen Dramatically in Recent Decades

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

1904

1913

1922

1931

1940

1949

1958

1967

YEAR

1976

1985

1994

2003

2012

2021

CLAY T RAU E RN I CH T

Botanist and Fire Scientist, UH Mānoa

unfunded, says Walker. Fire suppression had been bundled into DOFAW’s tiny $600,000 annual budget for all forestry and wildlife efforts. Some of its equipment is from the Vietnam War era.

But after the past legislative session, Walker says state funding rose to $3 million, supplemented with grants and federal assistance from the U.S. Forest Service. It’s enough to start purchasing off-road water-hauling trucks that can better reach wildfires and building water tanks in remote areas where helicopters can refill.

The DOFAW team supports county firefighters working in urban areas as well. When the eastern slope of Mānoa Valley burned in September 2020, Walker worked with a “hand crew” on the hillside and directed helicopter drops and water cannon blasts from firetrucks parked along the streets.

“I was concerned it was going to burn houses and more forest,” recalls Walker. “Wild grass burns really hot and really quickly. The fire can get out of control.”

PHOTO: CLAY TRAUERNICHT

Hawai‘i’s Agricultural Footprint Continues to Shrink The drop between 2015 and 2020 was mostly the result of Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. closing on Maui, which took 38,810 acres of sugar cane out of production.

Source: Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture, “2020 Update to the Hawai‘i Statewide Agricultural Land Use Baseline.”

S TAT E W I D E A G R I C U LT U R A L A C R E A G E 2015

2020

151,831 Acres

120,632 Acres

Pasture Acreage

CHANGE -21%

CROPS

AG ACREAGE BY ISLAND IN 2020

62,461

761,429 Acres

765,579 Acres

23,191

7,718

(-31,199 Acres) 552,091

PASTURE

Crop Acreage

+1%

(+ 4,150 Acres)

42,345

115,241

HAWAI‘I ISLAND

KAUA‘I

MAUI

Total Ag:

Total Ag:

Total Ag:

614,552

65,536

122,959 23,277

3,880

37,867 TOTAL AG

913,261 Acres

886,211 Acres

105

18,035

-3%

(-27,050 Acres)

MOLOKA‘I

LĀNA‘I

O‘AHU

Total Ag:

Total Ag:

Total Ag:

41,747

105

41,312

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

39

Ranching and Farming in Hawai‘i: 1937 vs. 2015 The maps show major shifts in the amount of land devoted to grazing and growing crops over 78 years. Pastures are marked in red and farms in black.

As Hawai‘i’s economy changed and agriculture has shrunk, more land is left fallow and grazing animals are removed. Guinea grass and other nonnative species take over the landscapes. They have extremely high “fuel loads,” making fires larger and more intense.

Pasture Acreage

Crop Acreage

KAUA‘I

HAWAI‘I ISLAND

NI‘IHAU

KAUA‘I

NI‘IHAU O‘AHU

O‘AHU

MOLOKA‘I

MOLOKA‘I

LĀNA‘I

LĀNA‘I

KAHO‘OLAWE

HAWAI‘I ISLAND

MAUI

1937

KAHO‘OLAWE

MAUI

2015

Source: Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture, “Statewide Agricultural Land Use Baseline 2015”

BIG ISLAND BURNS HAT HAPPENED L AST YEAR , when the largest fire in recent years exploded on the northwest slope of Mauna Kea on Hawai‘i Island. The 2021 Mana Road fire, which burned 42,000 acres, or more than 62 square miles, started on a red-flag warning day and was swept by winds up into the mountains then branched in different directions.

“There was no way to do a frontal attack, and the ruggedness of that area really didn’t lend itself to being able to put dozer lines in quickly or being able to attack from the flanks,” says Eric Moller, Hawai‘i Island deputy fire chief, who was working on the fire’s incident management team.

As more people and resources arrived from DOFAW, the National Park Service and the U.S. Army Garrison on Hawai‘i Island, the fire eventually was wrestled under control. But it was a herculean effort, with resources stretched thin.

“In California, you’ll hear about a 4,000-acre fire just north of LA with 200 firefighters on the scene,” says Moller. “We’ll have a 20,000-acre fire with 35 people fighting it,” including volunteers.

For context, fire scientist Trauernicht says the Mana Road fire burned 1% of the island’s land area. Over the course of a year, wildfires in California burn, on average, 0.7% of the state’s land area. Across the islands, the percentage of land burned each year can rival that of Western states.

Hawai‘i Island faces some novel challenges as well, such as wildfires crisscrossing through fountain grass, an invasive grass found on the island’s arid leeward side. In the morning, as the winds travel down the mountains, fire is pushed along the dry tops of the grass, burning it off and exposing the moist

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bunches underneath. But at night, he says, the winds reverse course and send the fire back up to burn the now dried-out understory.

“It’s insidious,” says Moller, “and it bounces back from fire very, very quickly.”

Moller says he isn’t an alarmist, but people should know that conditions are changing. “We’re getting bigger fires,” he says. “Lightning strike fires were very rare when I got here (in 2003), yet now it’s starting to happen more often.”

Elizabeth Pickett, co-executive director of the Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization (HWMO), agrees the changes are pronounced.

“Fifteen years ago, we talked about a fire season, and it had a lot to do with when the fuels (grasses) were dry and when it was most windy. Now we’re starting to see fires happen on both the wet and dry sides of every island,” says Pickett.

The threat is real and not going away, adds Moller.

“And we don’t have the money or equipment to effectively safeguard all the communities. They need to take those steps themselves.”

C O M M U N I T I E S TA K E AC T I O N LIZ ABETH PICKET T BEGAN WORKING IN wildfire management as an environmental scientist interested in coastal waters. It became clear, though, that Hawai‘i’s ocean health is directly linked to

to Diamond Head.

From his backyard, a low rock wall drops to arid land below, one of many “urban-wildland interfaces” across O‘ahu’s heavily populated south side. He’s cleared away shrub trees and grasses and created a small-scale firebreak.

The long-term goal is to make the rock wall higher to better protect against the wind and potential flying embers.

He says the biggest worry is a brush fire that starts near the highway, gets swept up the mountain by ocean winds and gains speed as the rising heat of the flames preheats the fuels on the slopes and intensifies the fire.

MICHAEL WALKER

Fire Protection Forester, Division of Forestry and Wildlife

PEOPLE ARE TRIGGERS ICKET T, TR AUERNICHT AND OTHER RESEARCHERS

wildfires, which strip the vegetation and send reef-smothering sediment into nearshore waters.

With Nani Barretto, Pickett leads HWMO, a small Waimeabased nonprofit that punches far above its weight. The organization has become a hub for the wider community – scientists, government agencies, large landowners, neighborhood groups and firefighters at the county, state and federal levels – to share information and resources.

And Hawai‘i, she warns, is a fire-prone state that hasn’t prepared properly for the risks. “Our budgets, our policies, legislation, fireworks laws – nothing has really caught up to the threat that we see on the ground.”

The organization’s first major success came in 2005, when it helped the Kona Coast’s Waikoloa Village create a firebreak between homes there and the wildlands.

Just days after the project was completed, a 25,000-acre fire burned to the break and spared the houses.

Pickett focuses on large-scale issues, such as mapping high-priority areas for vegetation management. But she also works directly with residents across the Islands to help them protect their homes and communities.

The organization’s fire-prevention guides, including Ready, Set, Go and the Firewise Guide to Landscape and Construction, advise people to clear away debris from gutters and under houses, keep lawns short, trim the lower branches of trees, replace wooden fences with stone, invest in shingled roofs made with fire-resistant material, and many other strategies.

Some residents are taking steps. In Makakilo, Craig Fujii, a retired fire captain from Alameda County, California, is well aware of the risks. His house looks out on the foothills of the Wai‘anae Range, with sweeping views

analyzed wildfire records from 2005 to 2011.

They found that grassland and scrubland made up the vast majority of land burned (an average of 8,427 hectares, or 20,815 acres, per year).

But 66% of wildfires actually started in populated areas, and there are far more of those Many neighborkind of fires than most people realize. hoods across O‘ahu sees about 500 to 600 ignithe Islands are vulnerable to fire. tions a year, says Trauernicht, most of

which are quickly extinguished by the Fire Department.

In total, there were 7,054 reported wildfires across the state during the seven-year span studied, and 6,218 listed a cause of ignition. Of those, 1.5% were attributed to natural causes, 2% to arson, 16% to accidents and the rest were “undetermined” or “unknown.”

But in nearly all cases, people are to blame, with the top causes being campfires, fireworks, and heat and sparks from vehicles and equipment, says Pickett.

In the high-risk fire zone of East Honolulu, Elizabeth Lockard, who lives near the entrance to Koko Head District Park, has witnessed numerous ignitions in the park. One was in 2011, when an employee at the park’s public shooting range discharged a flare gun, charring a patch of mountain above the targets.

In 2017, another started higher up the mountain, behind the shooting range. Ocean winds helped spread the fire and black smoke, forcing hikers to scramble down to safety. An investigation into the cause was inconclusive.

Several other fires have broken out in the park, none of them minor, says Lockard. She says she’s frustrated with the nonchalant attitude of investigators and the fact that nothing changes. “But what is the catalyst to change if there’s not loss of life or property?” she asks.

Matt Glei, who lives in Kalama Valley, remembers coming home on the evening of July 4, 2010, to see fire racing toward his house. That blaze started from illegal fireworks.

“The firefighters were running up the mountain in full kit, dragging hoses from a pump truck,” recalls Glei. “It was scary to watch, and it’s hard, hard work.”

Glei is a leader of the Kamilonui Valley/Mariner’s Cove Firewise Community, which is part of a nationwide network committed to reducing fire risk. The local Firewise branch, which is overseen and funded by HWMO, has 15 active groups in the Islands, most on Hawai‘i Island.

The sole O‘ahu community started after a series of fires in 2017 and 2018 burned the valley’s slopes and threatened the farmhouses and nearby suburban development. Today, about 450 households have banded together to protect their neighborhood.

In June, for example, the community rented dumpsters to clear away debris lining an unused gravel road, which serves as a firebreak between a fuel-covered mountain and two dozen homes in Mariner’s Cove.

Managing Vegetation: Where to Start First Managing wild grasses and shrubs is essential for reducing wildfire risk. In 2018 and 2019, the Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization brought together 182 people – lawmakers, landowners, ranchers, emergency responders, community members and others – for six planning meetings across the Islands. Participants mapped areas that have hazardous vegetation and weather, high rates of ignitions, and that pose high risks to communities, natural resources or infrastructure. The results are heat maps that target areas to prioritize.

KAUA‘I O‘AHU

MOLOKA‘I

MAUI

F I G H T I N G B AC K W I T H A N I M A L S A N D T R E E S HILE MOST OF THE FIREWISE COMMUNITIES use peo-

ple and machines to clear away vegetation, others are turning to managed grazing.

On O‘ahu’s West Side, Ka‘ala Farm and Cultural Learning Center operates on a shoestring, but its land management and fire mitigation practices are ambitious.

Enos says the operation recently removed 40 tons of trash that was dumped along Wai‘anae Valley Road and cleared an area for firetrucks to turn around.

The team is now clearing swaths of scrubland and planting trees that do well in the environment, such as mango, sandal42

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Major Roads

HAWAI‘I ISLAND

High Concern

No Noted Concern

Source: Hawai‘i Wildfire Management Organization, “A Collaborative, Landscape-Level Approach to Reduce Wildfire Hazard Across Hawai‘i, 2018-2019.”

A.K. Ahi, left, and wood, ‘ō‘hi‘a lehua and ‘ulu. Much of the hard Eric Enos with grazwork is handled by 10 hungry sheep, which ing sheep at Ka‘ala strip away the bark and leaves of haole koa and Farm and Cultural devour the green blades of guinea grass.

Learning Center.

A.K. Ahi teaches at the center and leads the grazing effort. He cordons the sheep in a mobile paddock and moves them from patch to patch. Eventually, as the animals breed, he plans to move the flock to a large tract of land that adjoins the center.

“The ranch side has 1,000 acres, and it’s all dry grasses. It’s a huge fire hazard for us,” says Ahi. While free-roaming cows and other hoofed animals can wreak havoc in forested areas, “strategic, managed grazing is our best tool for fire-fuels management and risk reduction,” explains Pickett. She says there’s a strong “anti-ungulate” faction among environmentalists, but that Hawai‘i’s wildfire problem would be far worse without grazing.

Ahi also volunteers to help clear a nearly milelong firebreak on a northern slope above the center’s property, which is managed by the Wai‘anae Mountains Watershed Partnership.

Yumi Miyata, the partnership’s coordinator, has introduced a vegetated section to the firebreak made up of native plants, which students in Wai‘anae, Nānākuli and Mililani help grow and plant. She says the goal is to restore sections of the forest and shade out the flammable understory of grasses.

These kinds of vegetated breaks, or lines of trees planted on the landscape, helped slow down the intensity of the Mana Road

fire on Hawai‘i Island, says Trauernicht.

While low humidity and high winds caused the fire to rip through grazed pastureland, it bypassed areas with trees. “You can see that the fire burned around those areas,” he explains, while the grazed areas failed to stop the fire’s spread.

Many of the island’s large landowners are looking at how they can “disrupt the continuity and connectivity of the grasslands with tree planting,” he says. Parker Ranch, for example, is working on a huge reforestation project on 3,300 acres of grassy pastureland on the slopes of Mauna Kea. Trauernicht says he’d like to see the state government get on board and subsidize agriculture as a public good. “There are lots of examples in Europe of forestry agencies paying farmers to graze fuels, just for the fire risk reduction.”

In the meantime, the Parker Ranch restoration and smaller projects like those at Ka‘ala Farm are making an impact. Now, Pickett says, is the time to scale up efforts throughout Hawai‘i’s vulnerable communities and landscapes.

“One of the biggest things we need to prepare ourselves for in relation to climate change is fire,” she says.

“The more we do toward wildfire preparedness, protection, mitigation, and even community building is climate change resilience in action.”

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

43

P R E S E N T E D BY

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

HO STED BY :

Unyong Nakata, Nakata Advisory, LLC

SP E CI AL G U E ST S I N C LU D E :

Kitty Yannone CommPac

Kūha‘o Zane Sig Zane Designs

LISTEN NOW AVA I LA BLE E V E RY OT HE R T HU R S DAY O N TH ESE PO D CA ST PL AT FO R M S : Locally Owned, Locally Committed

Ed Schultz Hawaiian Host Group

WE SAY

YES TO GIVING

Hawaii Business Magazine celebrates a decade of recognizing charitable companies statewide. Since the inception of this annual issue,

First Hawaiian Bank has donated $50,975,620 to organizations and causes dedicated to solving community challenges and enriching lives.

Member FDIC

Aloha!

It takes a collective effort to provide the resources needed to best support Hawaii’s residents, whether it’s access to quality healthcare or enhancing educational opportunities. It is evident that the business community shares a common goal of giving back and investing in causes that will positively impact the quality of life for people in the islands.

This mindset of giving back to a cause that is greater than just an individual or company is nurtured and cultivated at First Hawaiian Bank. Our employees participate in a variety of bank-wide programs, consistently donating their time, talents, and resources to initiatives they are passionate about.

This is especially true of our employee-led Kokua Mai initiative. Since its inception in 2007, our employees and retirees have donated more than $10 million to local non-profits. In 2021, 98% of our employees donated $910,225 and we look forward to another successful campaign in 2022.

With more people struggling with today’s economic challenges, First Hawaiian Bank and our employees have an opportunity through these donations as well as our Community Care volunteer program to lift up the most vulnerable in our community – our keiki, at risk youth, kupuna, and those facing mental or physical challenges. Alongside Hawaii’s charities, we are working to create real positive change in the communities we serve.

For the last decade, Hawaii Business has reported on the charitable contributions made by companies in the state. We applaud their efforts to shine a spotlight on non-profits and the workforce that is selflessly supporting the physical, emotional, and economic health of Hawaii and the people that call these islands home. We hope that this issue continues to inspire companies and individuals to generously give back in whatever way possible.

FHB.com

Robert S. Harrison Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer, First Hawaiian Bank

First Hawaiian Bank’s Kokua Mai program continues to see an increase in donations and participation from our employees who are proud to say “Yes” to giving back.

Year

Partiticipation

Total Donation

2021 98%

$910,225

2020 98%

$877,457

2019 99%

$813,760

2018 99%

$811,705

2017 99%

$756,679

2016 99%

$722,163

2015 98%

$708,764

2014 98%

$637,781

2013 98%

$633,826

2012 96%

$605,000

DONATED

$10 million

to charities since Kokua Mai’s inception in 2007

GAVE

$4.39 million to

200 charities in 2022

Member FDIC

2022

These 78 companies and nonprofits gave more than $217.3 million and 78,692 volunteer hours

BY CYNTHIA WESSENDORF

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

47

Alaska Airlines

A–C

ABOUT: For-profit commercial airline

AHL

ABOUT: For-profit architec-

ture, interior design, planning, sustainability, existing building services and historic preservation firm EMPLOYEES: 96 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $78,552 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 2,251 / $78,552 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Aloha United Way, HUGS, Ho‘ōla Nā Pua, Child & Family Service, YMCA AHL.DESIGN AID FROM THE COMMUNITY HELPS KEEP PEOPLE

fed, lifts them out of poverty and gives young people a better chance for a brighter future.

Each year, we survey companies and nonprofits to quantify that generosity. This time, 78 reported their figures for 2021: In total, $217.3 million was contributed in cash and in-kind donations, as well as $3.3 million in employee donations and 78,692 volunteer hours.

The dollar figure is more than double the previous year’s, thanks to the inclusion of the state’s largest philanthropic organizations: Hawai‘i Community Foundation, the UH Foundation and Kamehameha Schools.

Each receives hefty amounts of donations and investment dollars, then funnels them back into the community in the form of grants, scholarships and investments. They, along with the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation, were the top four givers on the 2022 Most Charitable Companies list.

Among for-profit companies, Hawaiian Electric Industries took the top spot with $5 million in cash and in-kind donations, followed by First Hawaiian Bank, Hawaii Dental Service, Matson, Kaiser Permanente and Hawai‘i Foodservice Alliance.

While these top 10 givers played an outsized role, many other generous companies and nonprofits made an impact in strengthening Hawai‘i’s food security, health outcomes, educational opportunities, environment, culture and quality of life.

DOES YOUR COMPANY BELONG ON THIS LIST? If you’d like to receive surveys for this list and others, please contact cynthiaw@hawaiibusiness.com.

Alaka‘ina Foundation

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travel2change, American Red Cross – Hawai‘i, Aloha United Way, Kanu Hawaii, ClimbHI ALASKAAIR.COM

Alexander & Baldwin Inc.

ABOUT: For-profit commercial real estate owner, operator and manager EMPLOYEES: 611 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $977,000

ABOUT: Nonprofit Native

ALEXANDERBALDWIN.COM

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $1,610,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Aloha Green Holdings Inc.

Hawaiian organization EMPLOYEES: 1,200

Pauahi Foundation, UH Foundation, Chaminade University, Alaka‘ina Digital Bus Program

ALAKAINAFOUNDATION.ORG

Alan Shintani Inc.

ABOUT: For-profit general contracting for historical, federal and residential properties EMPLOYEES: 61 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $8,069 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 180 / $2,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

ABOUT: For-profit statelicensed medical cannabis dispensary EMPLOYEES: 100 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $106,000 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS: 260 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

AccesSurf, Honolulu Zoo, Hawai‘i Health & Harm Reduction Center, Hawai‘i Appleseed, Hawai‘i LGBT Legacy Foundation AGAPOTH.COM

Alexander & Olivia Foundation, Hawai‘i Foodbank, HUGS

ALAN-SHINTANI.COM

LEGEND

48

EMPLOYEES (HAWAI‘I): 10 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $250,105 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Top 10 Donor

1st Place Employee Giving

2nd Place Employee Giving

3rd Place Employee Giving

2022 American Savings Bank

H AWAI ‘ I ’ S M O ST C H AR I TAB L E C O M PAN I ES

ABOUT: For-profit

banking and financial services company EMPLOYEES: 1,117

AlohaCare’s Francoise CulleyTrotman, left, with Sunny Chen of Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition and the Mana Mama Mobile Clinic funded by AlohaCare.

AlohaCare

ABOUT: Nonprofit health insurance provider EMPLOYEES: 249 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $827,835 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 216 / $31,889 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED: Hawai‘i Primary Care Association –

Patient-Centered Medical Homes, Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, March of Dimes, AHARO Hawaii, Kōkua Kalihi Valley FUNDING COMMUNITY HEALTH INITIATIVES

As a health care plan dedicated to Medicaid and Medicare recipients, AlohaCare is invested in bolstering community health and the safety net.

That means funding community-based initiatives. Imua Loa, a onestop site for sharing information about AlohaCare’s grants, scholarships and sponsorships, will make it easier.

“There are so many organizations that have a lot to offer but may not have all the resources needed to implement their idea,” says CEO Francoise Culley-Trotman.

AlohaCare funds a range of projects, including a tobacco cessation program on Moloka‘i organized with the local American Lung Association, and the Wai‘anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center’s ‘Ewa clinic, for which it provided $75,000 for a telehealth specialist.

Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawai‘i was awarded $35,000 to retrofit a former 22-foot tourism van into the Mana Mama Mobile Clinic. The clinic reaches vulnerable populations for prenatal and postpartum visits, infant checks and other vital services.

“Our goal is to reduce health disparities and contribute to health equity across populations, generations and geography,” says Culley-Trotman.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY FEATURED ORGANIZATIONS

ABOUT: For-profit retail floor-

ing and installation company, with remodeling services EMPLOYEES: 140 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $66,000 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 200 / $30,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Aloha United Way, The Sal-

Aloha United Way, Child & Family Service, Kapiolani Health Foundation, Kupu, Partners in Development Foundation ASBHAWAII.COM

Aqua Engineers Inc.

Bank of Hawai‘i Corp.

ABOUT: For-profit financial services company EMPLOYEES: 2,000

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $2,077,414 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 8,056 / $564,739 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

American Heart Association, Goodwill Hawaii, Kapiolani Health Foundation, Project Vision, UH Foundation BOH.COM

ABOUT: For-profit water and

wastewater operations and maintenance, engineering services, construction management, financial services and energy EMPLOYEES: 88 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $26,286 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Hawai‘i Foodbank and other food banks; American Cancer Society; ESOP Association; school, community and Chamber of Commerce events across the state AQUAENGINEERS.COM

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Advantage Realty

ABOUT: For-profit real estate company EMPLOYEES: 202

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $38,177 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 74 / $10,192 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

UH Foundation – Advantage Kokua Scholarship, Alzheimer’s Association, American Heart Association, Helping Hands Hawai‘i, Ho‘ōla Nā Pua BETTERHAWAII.COM

Atlas Insurance Agency

ALOHACARE.ORG

American Floor & Home

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $1,505,278 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 13,176 / $210,708 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

ABOUT: For-profit insurance agency EMPLOYEES: 95

vation Army, Women Speaking Out, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, New Hope AMERICANFLOORAND HOME.COM

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $267,527 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Hawaii Theatre, PBS Hawai‘i, Parents And Children Together, Hale Makua Health Services, American Heart Association, Child & Family Service ATLASINSURANCE.COM

Blood Bank of Hawaii

ABOUT: Nonprofit sole provider of blood components to Hawai‘i hospitals EMPLOYEES: 114 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $56,206 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

American Heart Association, The Queen’s Health Systems, Hawaii Foodbank, Special Olympics Hawai‘i BBH.ORG

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

49

HOURS: 2,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Bowers + Kubota Consulting Inc.

ABOUT: For-profit engineering and architecture firm EMPLOYEES: 282 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $75,788 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 1,200 / 62,211 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Aloha United Way, Adopt-aHighway, UH Foundation, Filipino Community Center, March of Dimes BOWERSANDKUBOTA.COM

Central Pacific Financial Corp.

ABOUT: For-profit financial institution EMPLOYEES: 755

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $2,130,394 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 5,688 / $487,524

CPB.BANK

Century 21 iProperties Hawaii

ABOUT: For-profit real estate sales EMPLOYEES: 4

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $75,215 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER

Make-A-Wish Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai‘i, The Pantry, Mō‘ili‘ili Hongwanji, Hawai‘i HomeOwnership Center C21IPROPERTIESHAWAII.COM

Child & Family Service

ABOUT: Nonprofit human services counseling EMPLOYEES: 250

EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 169 / $19,727 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Child & Family Service, Kaua‘i United Way, Maui United Way CHILDANDFAMILYSERVICE.ORG

The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation ABOUT: Nonprofit

private foundation EMPLOYEES: 2 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $5,778,333 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Saint Louis School, Punahou PUEO Program, PBS Hawai‘i, UH Foundation, REHAB Hospital of the Pacific CLARENCETCCHING FOUNDATION.ORG

Clinical Labs of Hawaii

ABOUT: For-profit medical and clinical laboratory EMPLOYEES: 839

78,692 TOTAL EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $58,200 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS: 70 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

UH Foundation, Kapiolani Health Foundation, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Hilo Medical Center Foundation CLINICALLABS.COM

50

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D–G Coconut Condos

ABOUT: For-profit vacation

rental management company EMPLOYEES: 11 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $33,178 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Compassion International, Cup of Cold Water Ministries, Ka Hale A Ke Ola, Maui Food Bank, Kumulani Chapel

Dorvin D. Leis Co. Inc.

ABOUT: For-profit mechanical contractor EMPLOYEES: 525

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $191,836 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 500 / $13,401 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

COCONUTCONDOS.COM

Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children, Girl Scouts STEM Project, Habitat for Humanity, Child & Family Service, American Heart Association

Contract Furnishers of Hawaii Inc. (dba Office Pavilion)

LEISINC.COM

ABOUT: For-profit, Herman Miller-certified dealer providing contract furnishings to businesses, government, health care and higher education EMPLOYEES: 41 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $16,107 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Rotary Club, UH Foundation, Ho‘ōla Nā Pua, Women’s Fund of Hawai‘i, Diamond Head Theatre

Finance Factors Ltd.

ABOUT: For-profit company specializing in residential mortgages, CRE loans, savings accounts, certificates of deposit EMPLOYEES: 119 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $99,103 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 1,265 / $9,703 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

OP-HAWAII.COM

Kupu, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i, American Judicature Society, Assets School

Corteva Agriscience

FINANCEFACTORS.COM

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $87,500 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 225 / $20,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

First Hawaiian Bank

ABOUT: For-profit agriculture company EMPLOYEES: 161

Hawaii Foodbank, Kaua‘i Economic Development Board, Agriculture Leadership Foundation of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Farm Bureau, Kauai United Way HAWAII.CORTEVA.COM

ABOUT: For-profit banking and financial services company EMPLOYEES: 2,063 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $4,753,523 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 8,182 / $910,225 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

‘Aha Pūnana Leo, Bishop Museum, Child & Family Service, Kaua‘i Housing Development Corporation, The Queen’s Health Systems FHB.COM

2022 First Insurance Company of Hawaii Ltd.

ABOUT: For-profit company specializing in property and casualty insurance EMPLOYEES: 280 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $703,550 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 900 / $41,400 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

American Heart Association, Aloha United Way, American Red Cross, UH Foundation, Hawai‘i Public Radio FICOH.COM

G70

ABOUT: For-profit architecture, planning and environmental services, interior design, civil engineering, sustainable development and technology services EMPLOYEES: 101 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $145,153 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 2,920 / $2,500 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Pu‘uhonua O Wai‘anae, Hawaii Foodbank, Ulu A‘e Learning Center, Kāpili Like, Hawai‘i State Coalition Against Domestic Violence G70.DESIGN

HAWAIICOMMUNITY FOUNDATION.ORG

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY FEATURED ORGANIZATIONS

Hawai‘i Community Foundation

ABOUT: Nonprofit community foundation EMPLOYEES: 68

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS:

$85,400,000

EMPLOYEE DONATIONS: $20,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

One of the state’s largest grant-makers, the foundation

$217.31 million TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS IN 2021 FROM ALL THE COMPANIES ON THE LIST

Hawaii Dental Service (HDS)

ABOUT: Nonprofit dental benefits provider EMPLOYEES: 128 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $4,749,950 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 87 / $12,323 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

UH’s John A. Burns School of Medicine, UH Foundation, Hawaii Academy of Science, Hawai‘i Foodbank, ‘Iolani ‘Āina-Informatics HAWAIIDENTAL SERVICE.COM

The Hawaii Group

ABOUT: For-profit outsourc-

ing services, accounting and tax services, health care staffing, home care, consulting and advisory services EMPLOYEES: 162 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $22,000

EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 362 / $1,500 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

AccesSurf, Mālama Maunalua, Kapi‘olani Community College and UH, Charity Walk, Special Olympics Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i State Coalition Against Domestic Violence THEHAWAIIGROUP.COM

Hawai‘i Life Real Estate Services LLC

ABOUT: For-profit real estate sales, long-term and vacation rentals

Hawai‘i Foodservice Alliance LLC

ABOUT: For-profit wholesale food distribution and manufacturing company EMPLOYEES: 530 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS:

$2,745,000

TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED: Hawaii Foodbank (O‘ahu and Kaua‘i), The Food Basket (Hawai‘i Island), Maui Food Bank, March of Dimes, Ho‘ōla Nā Pua

HELPING TO FEED HAWAI‘I

H–K

H AWAI ‘ I ’ S M O ST C H AR I TAB L E C O M PAN I ES

supports numerous nonprofits

The Hawai‘i Foodservice Alliance doesn’t just warehouse and distribute perishable foods to stores. The company also pulls products near the end of their shelf life and donates them to Hawai‘i Foodbank on O‘ahu and Kaua‘i, the Food Basket on Hawai‘i Island and Maui Food Bank. Most items are bread, milk and eggs.

“The program began

when we were a startup and has grown to millions of dollars annually in donated food to those in need,” says HFA owner and CEO Chad Buck.

At the start of the pandemic, Buck says, HFA led the first mass food distribution event at Ala Moana Center. Buck says the cars stretched for two miles.

Afterward, Hawai‘i Foodbank asked HFA to be the distributor for events through 2021.

HFA donated a truck to the Food Basket on Hawai‘i Island in 2021.

HFA also partnered with Kaukau 4 Keiki, a USDA child nutrition program devoted to feeding kids during summer break. The company donated logistics and trucking to help distribute food across the Islands.

And employees are included in the company’s largess. Every week, HFA staff can take home two gallons of milk, two loaves of bread and two dozen eggs.

HFAHAWAII.COM

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

51

EMPLOYEES: 42 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $153,261 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Hawai‘i Land Trust, Hawai‘i Community Foundation HAWAIILIFE.COM

Hawaii Medical Assurance Association (HMAA)

ABOUT: Nonprofit health insurance EMPLOYEES: 3

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $155,475 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

American Heart Association, Alzheimer’s Association, American Diabetes Association, Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i, March of Dimes HMAA.COM

Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA)

ABOUT: Nonprofit health orga-

nization, health insurance EMPLOYEES: 1,564

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $1,694,000 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 1,420 / $164,656 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Hawai‘i, Hawaii Foodbank, Aloha United Way HAWAIISTATEFCU.COM

Hawaii Water Service

ABOUT: For-profit water and wastewater utility EMPLOYEES: 50

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $13,350 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS: 176 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

HAWAIIANHOSTGROUP.COM

Hawai‘i Lodging & Tourism Association’s Kaua‘i Charity

ABOUT: For-profit commercial airline EMPLOYEES: 5,667

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $302,000 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS: 3,097 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

The Maui Farm, Special Olympics Hawai‘i, American Heart Association, UH Shidler College of Business, Ke Kula ‘o Samuel M. Kamakau Laboratory Public Charter School (Kai Loa Inc.)

ABOUT: For-profit energy and financial services company EMPLOYEES: 3,597

Hawaii State Federal Credit Union

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS:

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COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $57,246 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER DONATIONS: $5,000

Hawaiian Airlines

HMSA.COM

52

ABOUT: Nonprofit credit union EMPLOYEES: 389 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $384,809 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 410 / $2,333 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

HAWAIIWATERSERVICE.COM

HAWAIIANAIRLINES.COM

American Heart Association, Friends of the Library of

ABOUT: For-profit consumer packaged goods company

Waikōloa Dry Forest Initiative, Friends Of Pu‘u Nui Park, The Food Basket, Maui Food Bank, Hawaii Island Humane Society

UH Foundation and UHERO, Hawai‘i Cancer Consortium, Aloha United Way, American Heart Association, Hawai‘i Community Foundation

ABOUT: Nonprofit credit union EMPLOYEES: 379 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $172,840 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union

Hawaiian Host Group

Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc.

$5,000,000

TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Aloha United Way, United Way – Neighbor Islands, UH Foundation, Hawai‘i Community Foundation, Trust for Public Land HEI.COM

Hawaiian Telcom employees host an e-waste recycling drive on O‘ahu.

Hawaiian Telcom

ABOUT: For-profit provider of integrated communications, broadband, data center and entertainment EMPLOYEES: 1,100 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $1,660,000 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 935 / $85,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED: Hawai‘i Island Adult Care, Hawaii Theatre Center, Aloha United Way, American Heart Association, Friends of Hawai‘i Robotics

VOLUNTEERISM IS ENCOURAGED AND COMPENSATED

Hawaiian Telcom’s Mālama Hours program lets full-time employees spend 40 work hours each year doing volunteer activities.

Not only is it good for the community, says Senior Manager Ann Nishida, but it’s also a powerful retention tool: People get to choose the activities they want to support and do them on regular workdays.

In addition, the company hosts an annual Day in the Community. Held during the workweek, employees sign up for a planned activity, such as cleaning beaches, sorting and packing meals for delivery, or caring for animals.

To support education and digital equity, Hawaiian Telcom donates high-speed internet to schools and organizations. In 2021, the company brought access to the public charter school DreamHouse ‘Ewa Beach.

This year, it donated upgrades to ‘Iolani Palace, enabling it to livestream educational webinars.

Hawaiian Telcom also partnered with Windward Community College to offer six-week paid internships to Native Hawaiian students in information security, network engineering, data center management and other areas.

HAWAIIANTEL.COM

2022 Walk, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i’s Lanakila MultiPurpose Senior Center, Maui Chamber of Commerce’s Made in Maui County Festival, Hawai‘i HomeOwnership Center, Hawai‘i Department of Education HAWAIIUSAFCU.COM

Hensel Phelps

ABOUT: For-profit general contractor EMPLOYEES: 214

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $75,000 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 500 / $6,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Helping Hands Hawai‘i, Wounded Warrior Ohana, Child & Family Service, Kuleana Community Foundation, Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i HENSELPHELPS.COM

Infinium Interiors LLC ABOUT: For-profit contract

office furniture and interior design/space planning firm EMPLOYEES: 22

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY FEATURED ORGANIZATIONS

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $7,701 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 200 / $10,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai‘i, Make-A-Wish Foundation, University Laboratory Charter School, Aloha United Way, Lanakila Pacific, UH Shidler College of Business INFINIUM-INTERIORS.COM

JR Doran Inc. / Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours

ABOUT: For-profit, familyowned tile, countertop and cabinetry store

EMPLOYEES: 30 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $40,000 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 300 / $500 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Hawaii Animal Rescue Foundation, Maui Search and Rescue, UH Shidler College of Business, Friends of the Children’s Justice Center, Maui Food Bank; also, donates parking lot and water every Saturday to nonprofits for car wash fundraisers.

H AWAI ‘ I ’ S M O ST C H AR I TAB L E C O M PAN I ES

Kamehameha Schools

ABOUT: Private, nonprofit charitable educational trust EMPLOYEES: 3,203 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS:

$34,201,641

TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Chaminade University of

Honolulu, University of Hawai‘i, Ho‘okāko‘o Corporation, Saint Louis School, Partners in Development Foundation KSBE.EDU

CERAMICTILEPLUS.COM

Kāhala Nui

ABOUT: Nonprofit life plan community EMPLOYEES: 249 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $771,700 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Alzheimer’s Association – Aloha Chapter, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Meals on Wheels, Kōkua Kalihi Valley, Project Dana KAHALANUI.COM

Kaiser Permanente

ABOUT: Nonprofit integrated

health care organization, health plan and medical care EMPLOYEES: 2,749 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $3,800,000 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS: 5,439 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Hawai‘i Public Health Institute, Filipino Community Center, Project Vision, Papa Ola Lokahi, American Heart Association KP.ORG

Kualoa Ranch donated the use of land for K‘a‘a‘awa Elementary’s garden project.

Kualoa Ranch Hawaii Inc.

ABOUT: For-profit visitor attraction, cattle ranching, diversified agriculture and real estate EMPLOYEES: 270 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $172,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED: Kualoa Ranch Foundation, UH Foundation, Ho‘ōla Nā Pua, Hawaii Rangeland Stewardship Foundation, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

PRESERVING THE LAND FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

The success of Kualoa Ranch’s 4,000-acre tourism, farming and cattle operation depends on being good stewards of the land.

“We know that we are just temporary custodians of our land, and we know that we must care for it and help our local communities so the next generations will thrive,” says President John Morgan, a sixth-generation member of the family-owned company.

In 2021, the ranch removed more than 400 invasive albizia trees and 900 mule’s foot ferns from the vast property, planted 2,739 native plants and maintained a greenhouse with 3,000 native plants.

More than 4,000 pounds of ranch-grown produce and meat were donated to community and animal rescue groups, and 60,000 bottles were recycled to help fund college scholarships.

Kualoa Ranch’s education efforts go deeper as well, as it hosts thousands of students each year and partners with select schools. For example, a plot of land was donated to Ka‘a‘awa Elementary School to use for its farm program.

The ranch also donates its facilities to the Hawai‘i High School Rodeo Association and other organizations.

In addition to the ranch’s efforts, the Kualoa Ranch Foundation operates as a separate entity devoted solely to charitable giving.

KUALOA.COM

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

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TOP 11 NONPROFITS RECEIVING SUPPORT:

MacNaughton

ABOUT: For-profit real

estate development and investment company EMPLOYEES: 18 NO. COMPANIES

1 . UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I/ UH FOUNDATION

22

2 . A M E RI CAN HE ART A SSOCIAT ION

18

3. A LO H A U NI TE D WAY

13

4 . HAWAI I FO OD BANK

10

5 . C HI LD & FAM I LY SE RVICE

9

6 . K A PI O LANI HE ALTH FOUN DAT ION O R M E D I CAL C E NTER

8

7. BOY S & GI RLS C LU B OF H AWA II

6

8 . ( ti e) G I RL SCO U TS OF H AWA I‘I H AWAI ‘ I COM M U NI T Y FOUN DAT ION H O ‘ ŌLA NĀ PUA MARCH OF DIMES

5 5 5 5

Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts, LP

ABOUT: For-profit hotels and resorts EMPLOYEES: 1,225 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $181,460 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 1,203 / $34,856

KYOYAHOTELSANDRESORTS

Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii, Bishop Museum, Hawaii Pono‘ī Coalition, Kealakai Center for Pacific Strings, Lunalilo Home

Lili‘uokalani Trust

ABOUT: Nonprofit private foundation EMPLOYEES: 158

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $181,500 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

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MACNAUGHTON.COM

M4LAW.COM

Matson Inc.

Na Ali‘i Consulting & Sales LLC

ABOUT: For-profit ocean transportation, logistics and supply chain services company EMPLOYEES: 2,441 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $4,017,000 EMPLOYEE DONATIONS: $182,800 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Hawaii Foodbank, United Way (O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, Maui, Kaua‘i, Moloka‘i chapters), American Heart Association, Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, American Red Cross MATSON.COM

ABOUT: For-profit fine jewelry

ABOUT: For-profit real estate

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $265,000 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS: 250 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii, HUGS, Hawaiian Hope, Family Programs Hawaii, Weed and Seed Hawaii LOCATIONSHAWAII.COM

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $360,000 EMPLOYEE DONATIONS: $65,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Hawai‘i Community Foundation, U.S. Vets, KalihiPalama Health Center, Kupu, Hale Kipa

Maui Divers Jewelry Locations

ABOUT: For-profit legal services firm EMPLOYEES: 86

UH’s William S. Richardson School of Law, St. Francis Healthcare System of Hawaii, UH’s John A. Burns School of Medicine, American Red Cross, Maryknoll School, Kidney Foundation

ONIPAA.ORG

sales and services EMPLOYEES: 120

L–P

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $296,120 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS: 300 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon LLP

manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer EMPLOYEES: 180

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $25,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Black coral sustainability research, Hawaii Foodbank, Water Inspired, Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum, Bishop Museum MAUIDIVERS.COM

ABOUT: For-profit Native Hawaiian organization specializing in IT for federal agencies EMPLOYEES: 275

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $199,629 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 10,502 / $3,374 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Purple Mai‘a Foundation, Polynesian Voyaging Society, Hawaiian Hope, Wish for Wheels, APIA Scholars NAKUPUNA.COM

Nan Inc.

ABOUT: For-profit general construction company EMPLOYEES: 1,026 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $156,600 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Make-A-Wish Foundation, UH College of Engineering Scholarship Fund, Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii, Distinguished Young Women, Residential Youth Services & Empowerment (RYSE), Palama Settlement NANHAWAII.COM

2022 Nordic PCL Construction Inc.

ABOUT: For-profit general contractor EMPLOYEES: 250

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $222,238 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 3,500 / $35,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Aloha United Way, Child & Family Service, Special Olympics Hawai‘i, Habitat for Humanity – Honolulu, American Heart Association

NONPROFITS RECEIVING SUPPORT FROM 3-4 COMPANIES:

NORDICPCL.COM

Pacxa

ABOUT: For-profit consulting services, cloud services, managed services, valueadded resale EMPLOYEES: 80 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $27,000 EMPLOYEE DONATIONS: $250 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

American Heart Association, Hawai‘i Executive Collaborative, Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children, Grove Farm Foundation, Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i PACXA.COM

• ACCESSUR F • A LZH EIMER ’S A SSOCIAT ION • A MER ICA N CA N CER SOCIET Y • A MER ICA N R ED CR OSS • BIG BR OT H ER S BIG SIST ER S H AWA I‘I • BISH OP MUSEUM • CAT H OLIC CH A R IT IES H AWA I‘I • H A BITAT FOR H UMA N IT Y

Pasha Hawaii

ABOUT: For-profit ocean

transportation between Hawai‘i and the U.S. West Coast for containerized and roll-on/off cargo EMPLOYEES: 473 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $498,140

PASHAHAWAII.COM

• H UGS • KUPU • MA KE-A -WISH FOUN DAT ION • MAUI FOOD BA N K • SPECIA L OLYMPICS H AWA I‘I

EMPLOYEES: 99 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $152,584 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS: 24 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Ka Lahui Kai, Compassion International, Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai‘i, AccesSurf PACHONDA.COM

S–Z Servco Pacific Inc.

ABOUT: For-profit company specializing in automotive distribution and retail, musical instruments, car sharing, venture and growth capital EMPLOYEES: 2,121 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $290,295 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 1,800 / $138,547 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii, Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders, Palama Settlement, Family Programs Hawaii SERVCO.COM

Swinerton

ABOUT: For-profit general contractor EMPLOYEES: 84 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $100,000 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS: 150 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Kapiolani Health Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii, Habitat for Humanity – Honolulu and Leeward, Child & Family Service, GIFT Foundation of Hawaii SWINERTON.COM

Pflueger Inc.

ABOUT: For-profit new and used Honda automobile sales, leasing, parts and service

H AWAI ‘ I ’ S M O ST C H AR I TAB L E C O M PAN I ES

Symbrosia

ABOUT: For-profit cleantechnology startup reducing livestock methane emissions with seaweed EMPLOYEES: 14 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $10,500 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS: 128 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Kua‘āina Ulu ‘Auamo, Hui Ho‘olako for Hawaiian Initiatives SYMBROSIA.CO

UHA Health Insurance (University Health Alliance)

ABOUT: Nonprofit health insurance, workplace wellness solutions EMPLOYEES: 163

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $1,517,000 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 165 / $2,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

UH’s John A. Burns School of Medicine, Kapi‘olani Medical Center’s Sex Abuse Treatment Center, March of Dimes, American Heart Association, Hawai‘i Community Foundation UHAHEALTH.COM

United Airlines

ABOUT: For-profit commercial airline EMPLOYEES: 1,287

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $352,000 EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEER HOURS / DONATIONS: 186 / $3,821 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Conservation International, Elemental Excelerator, Kanu Hawaii, Girl Scouts of Hawai‘i UNITED.COM

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

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2022 Waikiki Health

ABOUT: Nonprofit, 501(c)(3) Federally Qualified Health Center EMPLOYEES: 204 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $16,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii, Honolulu Pride – Hawai‘i LGBT Legacy Foundation WAIKIKIHEALTH.ORG

Windward Auto Group LLC

Here are the first six students in the Kaua‘i Medical Training Track, which is funded by a $10 million gift from Dr. Priscilla Chan and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

University of Hawai‘i Foundation

ABOUT: Nonprofit provider of alumni services and fundraising for UH EMPLOYEES: 90 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $43,995,000 TOP CAUSES SUPPORTED: UH programs, research and students

EXPANDING ACCESS TO EDUCATION

ABOUT: For-profit new and used car and truck sales, parts and service EMPLOYEES: 97 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $14,100 EMPLOYEE DONATIONS: $3,562 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Susan G. Komen, Kapiolani Health Foundation, special needs children’s programs, Habilitat, Laulima Giving Program

JERRYFORTHEPEOPLE.COM

Y. Hata & Co. Ltd.

ABOUT: For-profit food service wholesale distribution, cashand-carry wholesale store, public warehousing EMPLOYEES: 390 COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $758,000 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Always Dream Foundation, Aloha Harvest, The Salvation Army, Habilitat YHATA.COM

Young Brothers LLC

ABOUT: For-profit interisland freight transportation company EMPLOYEES: 397

COMPANY’S TOTAL CASH AND IN-KIND DONATIONS: $23,500 EMPLOYEE DONATIONS: $16,479 TOP NONPROFITS SUPPORTED:

Aloha United Way, American Cancer Society – Relay For Life YOUNGBROTHERS HAWAII.COM

Last fiscal year, the UH Foundation set a record for new cash gifts and commitments: $165 million, up 65% from the previous year. Many of the donations were from companies on the Most Charitable list that named UH and the UH Foundation as the top recipient in their charitable giving.

Among a total of 22,436 gifts were: • $50 million for ocean research.

• $1 million from HMSA to UHERO. • $3.7 million for the Residences for Innovative Student Entrepreneurs, opening in 2023.

• The first scholarships for LGBTQ+ students.

• Medical school scholarships from Hawai‘i Pacific Health, Kaiser Permanente, and Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg.

The latter donated $10 million for the Kaua‘i Medical Training Track, which pays tuition, housing and transportation for six John A. Burns School of Medicine students with ties to the island and an interest in rural health.

“A strong public university is the key to a vibrant future,” says Tim Dolan, the foundation’s CEO. “We are honored to partner with people who want to directly invest in the health and wellness of Hawai‘i’s people.”

HONORABLE MENTION COMPANY AND EMPLOYEE DONATIONS

ALAKA‘I MECHANICAL CORP.

$6,531

BEAUTI G O DDES S L A S H STUDI O

$2,000

BEL L A P I ETR A DES I G N

$3,500

P EA R L HAWA I I FEDER A L C R EDI T UNI O N

$8,900

STA R S A BOVE HAWA I I

$3,834

T& T TI NTI NG S P EC I A L I STS I NC

$9,500

UHFOUNDATION.ORG

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H AWAI‘I’S M OST CHARITABLE COM PANIES

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Ha__wa__i‘i’s Na__tiona__l Phila__nthropy Da__y C E L E B R AT I N G T H O S E W H O M A K E H AWA I ‘ I A B E T T E R P L AC E

- MEET THE 2022 AFP ALOHA CHAPTER HONOREES

-

CONGRATULATIONS to all the honorees for this year’s National Philanthropy Day Awards!

TH AN K YO U FO R ALL YOU DO FO R OU R CO M M U N IT Y

O U T S TA N D I N G P H I L A N T H R O P I S T:

Dr. Thomas Kosasa O U T S TA N D I N G C O M M U N I T Y L E A D E R S H I P :

John Henry Felix O U T S TA N D I N G F O U N D AT I O N :

HEMIC Foundation O U T S TA N D I N G C O R P O R AT I O N :

HMSA O U T S TA N D I N G F U N D R A I S I N G P R O F E S S I O N A L :

Kerri Van Duyne O U T S TA N D I N G P H I L A N T H R O P I S T ( I N M E M O R I A M ) :

Mary Cooke PRE S IDE NT ’ S AWARD:

Kūki‘o Community Fund

Locally Owned, Locally Committed

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

- I N T RODUCT ION -

TA B L E OF CONTENTS

59

Introduction 60

Dr. Thomas Kosasa Outstanding Philanthropist

62

HEMIC Foundation Outstanding Foundation

64

HMSA Outstanding Corporation

66

John Henry Felix Outstanding Community Leadership

68

Kerri Van Duyne Outstanding Fundraising Professional

70

Mary Cooke Outstanding Philanthropist (In Memoriam)

72

Kūki‘o Community Fund President’s Award

74

Mahalo to Our Partners

I

T

TRU LY

TA K ES

A

V ILL AGE TO M A K E A BET TER

COM MU NI-

T Y. And those devot-

ed individuals on the front lines who partner generous donors with a passion, and community members in need, is what the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) is all about.

Founded in Hawai‘i in 1983, the AFP Aloha Chapter is comprised of those mainly involved in nonprofit development, nonprofit management and fundraising consulting.

The AFP is a chapter of the international organization Association of Fundraising Professionals, with members on O‘ahu, Maui County, Kaua‘i, and Hawai‘i Island.

Annually, the AFP Aloha Chapter celebrates the community’s inspiring and committed fundraisers on the frontlines, along with leaders in philanFrom left to right: Michelle Morihara, Jennifer Oyer, Bran-dee Torres, Pomai Toledo thropy who give not only their funding, but their time and talent as well, to make Hawai‘i thrive. Everyone can make a difference, whether with money, time, or talent.

This year, the Chapter is delighted to welcome these outstanding awardees to a distinguished group of community leaders making a difference: • OU TSTA NDING PHIL A N THROPIST: Dr. Thomas Kosasa • OU TSTA NDING COM MU NIT Y LE A DER SHIP: John Henry Felix • OU TSTA NDING FOU NDATION: HEMIC Foundation • OU TSTA NDING COR POR ATION: HMSA • OU TSTA NDING FU NDR A ISING PROFESSIONA L: Kerri Van Duyne • OU TSTA NDING PHIL A N THROPIST (IN MEMOR I A M): Mary Cooke • PR ESIDEN T’S AWA R D: Kūki‘o Community Fund

NATIONAL PHIL ANTHROPY DAY COMMIT TEE

Michelle Morihara, CFRE, President of the AFP Aloha Chapter Pomai Toledo, Chair Jennifer Oyer, CFRE, Co-Chair Bran-dee Torres, Co-Chair

ADVERTISING PROJECT MANAGER PUBLISHER

Michelle Okada

Cheryl Oncea ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Kent Coules

Kellie Moe Mea Aloha Spady

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Kelsey Ige

Cynthia Sweeney

AFP Awards 2022 is published by Hawaii Business Magazine, in partnership with AFP Aloha Chapter, November 2022. ©2022 by aio Media Group, 1088 Bishop St., Suite LL2, Honolulu, HI 96813.

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- OU T S TA N D I N G PH I L A N T H RO PI S T -

Dr. Thomas Kosasa PHOTO: AARON YOSHINO

Y

OU MIGHT SAY TH AT GI V ING BACK to the community comes

as naturally to Dr. Thomas Kosasa as, well, delivering the more than 10,000 babies that he has over his career.

Dr. Kosasa is one of the leading experts of infertility in the country and has dedicated his life to creating and caring for families. Regarding talk of his generosity, however, he says he would rather “stay on the sidelines.” But generously giving of his time and resources he does, “whenever they ask. Giving back is important, especially when it comes to children and education.”

Local communities have benefited through his donation of computers for children with cancer, the development of local gymnasiums at schools, creating scholarships for students, even giving his time and resources to the Hawai‘i Humane Society.

Dr. Kosasa also serves as secretary of the Hawai‘i

Medical Association, sits on the Kapi‘olani Health Foundation board and is one of Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children’s leading donors.

Dr. Kosasa and his wife, Mi, have also been instrumental in supporting Kapi‘olani’s Pediatric Heart Center, which will be the first and only such center in Hawai‘i. They also support the Sex Abuse Treatment Center at Kapi‘olani, that provides comprehensive services for survivors of sexual assault.

At the University of Hawai‘i John A. Burns School of Medicine, Dr. Kosasa has created professorships and endowments and makes time to impart knowledge of his specialty to students, residents, and fellows.

“Tom’s philanthropic giving makes an enormous impact on thoughtful initiatives that are critical to serving our community’s needs. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this recognition,” said Raymond P. Vara Jr., President and CEO, Hawai‘i Pacific Health.

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- O U T S TA N D I N G F O U N DAT I O N -

HEMIC Foundation Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders students.

Together, we can create a thriving Hawai‘i.

Congratulations to the Kūki‘o Community Fund for being recognized with this year’s President’s Award by the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Aloha Chapter for its outstanding philanthropic efforts for Hawai‘i Island youth.

By supporting educational opportunities for children throughout Hawai‘i Island, the Kūki‘o community has helped open doors for our students and supported workforce readiness, keeping our Island keiki thriving locally.

Visit hawaiicommunityfoundation.org to learn more about how you can work with us to build a better Hawai‘i.

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF HEMIC

I

T’S NOT W H AT YOU GI V E , but

what you do that matters.

“Ahuwale ka po‘okela i kau hana ia ha‘i.” It is through the way you serve others that your greatness is felt, is a saying that serves as the HEMIC Foundation’s guiding light.

HEMIC is the state’s largest workers’ compensation insurer, taking care of over 6,000 businesses and 75,000 workers across the Hawaiian Islands, and the Foundation believes it is their kuleana to support organizations that take care of the local community, especially families and children. It also strives to make a difference for organizations that are meaningful to their employees.

Local partnerships include Reuse Hawai‘i, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Waikiki Community Center, Public Schools of Hawaii Foundation, Parents and Children Together, and the Domes-

“‘Ahuwale ka po‘okela i kau hana ia ha‘i.’ It is through the way you serve others that your greatness is felt...”

tic Violence Action Center.

The Foundation has extended a helping hand—and a lot of sole—to Helping Hands Hawai‘i by helping to film their “Rubber Slippers” commercial. Afterwards, employees donated 1,800 pairs of new rubber slippers to the organization.

Since 2012, the Foundation has raised nearly $200,000 for their longtime partner, the Arthritis Foundation of Hawaii, through HEMIC’s annual golf tournament, employee fundraising efforts, and corporate sponsorship. In 2020, they also created a commercial for the Arthritis Foundation.

In addition, the HEMIC Foundation also supports national and international organizations such as the Convoy of Hope, Humane Society of the United States, Samaritan’s Purse, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Creating a Healthier Hawai‘i for a Better Hawai‘i We would like to congratulate Dr. Thomas Kosasa from Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children, one of our four medical centers, for being recognized as an Outstanding Philanthropist by the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ (AFP) Aloha Chapter.

Dedicated, selfless and humble, Dr. Kosasa and his philanthropic work moves us toward AFP’s vision of a better Hawai‘i, while carrying out our mission of creating a healthier Hawai‘i.

HawaiiPacificHealth.org

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- O U T S TA N D I N G C O R P O R AT I O N -

Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA) 64

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O

V ER THE PA ST 20 Y E A R S, the Hawaii Medical Service Association (HMSA) has generously supported community health programs throughout the islands, while looking towards the future by investing in practitioner education.

In 2021, HMSA gave more than $1.7 million to 82 organizations, including the Blood Bank of Hawaii, Hawai‘i Keiki’s school-based immunization program, Maui Health System’s woundcare program, Punahele Pathways’ eldercare curriculum and The Queen’s Care Coalition.

HMSA has also been a strong supporter of medical and health programs at the University of Hawai‘i, giving more than $12.5 million to UH programs over the past two decades. A $5 million gift to the John A. Burns School of Medicine

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We’re proud to celebrate

National Philanthropy Day by honoring those who make a difference every day.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF KAPIOLANI HEALTH FOUNDATION

Mahalo to the Aloha Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals for raising money and consciousness to help those in need.

had an immediate impact on Hawai‘i’s future doctors at a time when the state is facing a critical shortage of physicians.

HMSA has also been a generous partner of Waikiki Health’s programs over the years, with more than $1 million in gifts and grants awarded. The largest gift was a grant for $800,000 that allowed expansion of the Pu‘uhonua Prison Program that has assisted thousands of offenders on O‘ahu before and after their release from incarceration by providing services and encouragement.

Additionally, HMSA employees give of their own time to organizations they’re passionate about. Last year alone, HMSA employees volunteered more than 1,400 hours.

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- OU T S TA N D I N G C O M M U N I T Y L E A D E R S H I P -

I

N H AWA I‘I, ONE WOU LD BE H A R D PR ESSED TO FIND a nonprofit profes-

sional or business leader who did not recognize the name John Henry Felix.

Felix is Chair Emeritus of the American Red Cross (Hawai‘i Chapter) and has dedicated well over eight decades of service to the humanitarian organization. And at 92, he says he has no plans to retire.

His humanitarian contributions range from international diplomacy to academia, and most notably, fundraising for nonprofit and humanitarian causes world-wide.

Felix was the first baby to be born in St. Francis Hospital, and says he was influenced by the saint’s philosophy, “In giving, we receive.”

He started out as a shoeshine boy on Bethel

66

Street in Honolulu, and diving for coins at Pier 10 to pay for his Boy Scout uniform.

Felix has held a special place in his heart for the care of orphaned refugees. In Vietnam and throughout Asia, he set up facilities for the orphans, personally caring for and consoling them.

In his career responding to international conflicts and disasters, Felix has crisscrossed the globe. From Kalaupapa to Mozambique, he has served those in need, whether they are suffering from famine in Africa, or are amputees in Cambodia learning to run their new prosthetics factory.

He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Tongan Red Cross earlier this year.

He says he is fond of the maxim “When has one given enough? When they have nothing more to give,” and has lived his life accordingly.

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PHOTO: AARON YOSHINO

John Henry Felix

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- OU T S TA N D I N G F U N D R A I S I N G PRO F E S S I O NA L -

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Kerri Van Duyne

PHOTO: AARON YOSHINO

K

ER R I

VA N

DU Y NE

DIDN’ T SET OU T to be

a fundraising professional. But early in her career, when offered the job, she soon found her niche.

Now, Van Duyne is the Vice President of Development of the YMCA of Honolulu. Since 2011, her fundraising efforts have resulted in securing millions of dollars for large capital campaigns which has allowed the organization to flourish.

Even throughout the pandemic, Van Duyne and her team of 500+ volunteers led fundraising efforts across its nine branches raising over $1 million.

“It never feels like an ask. It feels like I’m partnering people who have the means with others who need the help,” she says. “And when you put that together, it makes everyone happy. The best part about soliciting funds is seeing the results.”

Van Duyne has an innate understanding of Hawai‘i’s unique culture, coupled with a keen sense of community needs, allowing her to successfully fundraise for some of the most well-regarded organizations in the state. This year, she has secured $8.4 million in government grants alone.

Van Duyne is also passionately committed to education, which includes St. Andrew’s Priory School.

“When you see someone who couldn’t afford to be able to go to college… finding a solution is really rewarding.”

Mahalo to our donors!

$165 MILLION RAISED FOR UH IN FY22

uhfoundation.org

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- OU T S TA N D I N G PH I L A N T H RO PI S T ( I N M E M O R I A M ) -

Mary Cooke PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE COOKE FAMILY

S

OMEONE

ONCE

TOLD

M A RY

COOK E , “You can be upset about

historic property that’s been neglected, but what are you going to do about it?”

Cooke not only did something about it, she and her husband, Sam, went on to help finance and support the preservation of the Charles Montague Cooke historic property in Mānoa Valley which includes Kūka‘ō ‘ō Heiau.

Their generous contributions also included the Heritage Center of Mānoa, Honolulu Museum of Art, Malama Mānoa, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Garden Club of Honolulu, Garden Club of America, and Punahou School.

Historic preservation became one of Mary Cooke’s passions.

“She loved old buildings, and she found her

role in the community,” said Jessica Welch, Executive Director, Mānoa Heritage Center. “She had laser-like focus and was completely hands-on. It’s rare to find people with vison and also so concerned about details.”

Mānoa Heritage Center serves as a 3.5-acre living classroom dedicated to promoting the understanding of Hawai‘i’s natural and cultural heritage.

Kūka‘ō ‘ō Heiau is the last of 14 intact agricultural heiaus in the ahupua‘a of Waikīkī, and one of the few traditional Hawaiian structures that still exists in Honolulu’s urban landscape.

In her own words, Cooke said, “Historic preservation has been an underlying interest all my life.

And environment is certainly one of my passions… philanthropy is giving; conservation is giving back to try to save…there’s nothing that makes you feel better than to be able to give of yourself to something you think is going to make a difference.”

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF KŪKI‘O COMMUNITY FUND

- P R E S I D E N T ’ S AWA R D -

Kūki‘o Community Fund 72

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T

HE

K Ū K I‘O

COM MU NIT Y

FU ND’S

LONG HISTORY of investing in educa-

tion has made a big impact on Hawai‘i Island students — in school and in life — by providing scholarships, developing educational partnerships, and supporting learning grants for educational programs island-wide.

These programs primarily seek out those who are least likely to attend college due to financial, academic and other barriers.

“To say that the Kūki‘o Fund has been instrumental in bettering the lives of our students would be an understatement,” said Rachel Solem-

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saas, Ed.D, Chancellor, Hawai‘i Community College, Hilo. “Since our first cohort in 2015, the Kūki‘o Fund has enabled 163 non-collegebound students to attend college.”

At Kealakehe High School, Kūki‘o has helped grow the small after school robotics team into a four-year, national-award winning STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Academy. Student support also includes travel opportunities for national competitions, facility modernization, and

“To say that the Kūki‘o Fund has been instrumental in bettering the lives of our students would be an understatement.

Since our first cohort in 2015, the Kūki‘o Fund has enabled 163 noncollege-bound students to attend college.”

R ACHEL SOLEM A A S, ED.D, CH A NCELLOR , H AWA I‘I COM MU NIT Y COLLEGE

travel to the Kennedy Space Center.

By partnering with Hawai’i Community Foundation’s Career Connected Learning program, Kūki‘o is also helping to broaden opportunities for Hawai‘i Island students to find fulfilling careers in their home communities that pay a living wage, and creates a stronger pipeline of homegrown qualified talent for Hawai‘i Island businesses that often struggle to fill STEM-related positions and have to hire from off-island.

Together, we can uplift our lāhui Kamehameha Schools founder Ke Ali‘i Bernice Pauahi Pākī Bishop was a visionary, role model and philanthropist dedicated to supporting others. The Pauahi Foundation continues Ke Ali‘i Pauahi’s legacy of uplifting the next generation of ‘ōiwi leaders by providing scholarships to Native Hawaiian learners pursuing educational opportunities beyond high school.

Find out how you can be a part of Ke Ali‘i Pauahi’s legacy at pauahi.org

2022 HAWAIʻI NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY DAY AWARD WINNERS! HMSA Outstanding Corporation DR. THOMAS KOSASA Outstanding Philanthropist Congratulations on being recognized by AFP Aloha Chapter as philanthropic leaders in Hawaiʻi!

The John A. Burns School of Medicine would like to thank you for your continued support and generosity!

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PHOTO: CGETTY IMAGES

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- M A H A L O T O O U R PA R T N E R S -

Partner Sponsors: Hawai‘i Community Foundation Hawai‘i Pacific Health

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Supporter Sponsors:

Friend Sponsors:

ABC Stores Bank of Hawai‘i HMSA Kamehameha Schools / Pauahi Foundation University of Hawai‘i Foundation

Community Impact Advisors Cooke Foundation HEMIC HoMA HMAA Punahou Schools

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Everyone has the right to thrive At Kaiser Permanente, our goal is to be the champion of health care in Hawaii.

That’s why our commitment to total health extends beyond the doctor’s office to improving the well-being of the communities we serve. Our partnerships in the public and private sector make an impact on people, policies, and places across our island home.

Together, we can build healthier communities and make wellness achievable so everyone in Hawaii can thrive.

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Effective nonprofit clients like the National Kidney Foundation of Hawai‘i, Goodwill Hawai‘i, and Honolulu Habitat for Humanity understand that meaningful impact requires heart and skill. Their compassionate work is as strong as the infrastructure and governance standing up their organizations: Board members who roll up their sleeves to commit time, talents, and treasure. Gone are the days of cushy board seats. The need is too great.

Strong governance, financial management, and succession planning with strategic, focused missions to guide the work.

Creative and compelling communication in all forms and all media.

Emphasis on fundraising fundamentals. Building meaningful relationships leads to transformational gifts.

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Follow Us @communityimpactadvisors

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Jennifer Oyer, Founder and Chief Joy Officer of Community Impact Advisors, presents a check to the Fur-Angel Foundation.

Community Impact Advisors considers it our honor and responsibility to leverage individual action for the collective good. This is the beating heart of philanthropy, the art and science of making a lasting difference for our families, friends, and communities.

“Specializing in the Art of Joyful Giving”

$

$

Paychecks Paychecks To

Living Living Costs Costs

BY NOELLE FUJII-ORIDE

We went back more than five decades to answer these and other important questions: • Are local people’s wages ahead or behind their grandparents’ wages after inflation?

• Did they get compensated for growth in productivity?

• How much money do local people need to pay for housing, food and other necessities today?

• How much debt do local people have?

$

$

WAGES Inflation swallowed up almost all of the wage gains over the past five decades

AVERAGE AN N UAL WAGE S SIN C E 1969 Shaded areas show U.S. recessions $60,000

$50,000

Hawai‘i’s average annual wages, adjusted for inflation, have only increased 16% since 1969.

Wages have increased more than eightfold since then, but the prices for goods and services in Honolulu have increased a lot too. In 1969, the Consumer Price Index was 39.4; in 2020, it was 286.008 – an increase of more than seven-fold.

The wage data comes from a survey of employers who provided the total number of full- and parttime jobs they have and the total amount of their payroll, says Eugene Tian, chief state economist with the Hawai‘i Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. The numbers do not include self-employed jobs.

Tian says the wage increase after accounting for inflation wasn’t bigger due to tourism’s dominant role in the local economy. Tourism jobs often pay low wages and have a higher proportion of female and young workers, who tend to be paid less than their counterparts in other

$40,000

$30,000

$20,000

$10,000

0 1970

1980

“1988” “1989”“199

SOURCE: DBEDT 2021 DATA BOOK

industries, he says.

Wage growth in Hawai‘i has been slower than the U.S. Tian says real wage growth for Hawai‘i was 21.1% between 1990 and 2020; U.S. real wage growth grew 37% during the same period.

FIVE DE CADE S OF PRODUCTIVITY AN D WAGE GROWTH All percentages account for inflation and show the average annual growth rates 10% 9% 8%

WAGE G R OW TH LAGS FAR B EHI ND P R O D UC T I V I T Y GROW TH One factor that drives wage growth is increases in productivity. After accounting for inflation, productivity in Hawai‘i grew an average 0.76% each year from 1969 to 2020 while wages grew by an average 0.29% Productivity increases when more output is produced with the same amount of input (such as hours of labor or investments in equipment) or when the same amount of output is produced with less input.

Tian says productivity in Hawai‘i is measured by dividing the real gross domestic product by the total number of jobs. However, this productivity measure only tells part of the story. Increases in investment and technology can also yield increases in productivity, but an econometric analysis and additional data are needed to calculate that impact.

7% 6% 5% 4% 3% 2% 1% 0 -1% -2% -3% -4% 1970

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N OV E M B E R 2 0 2 2

1975

1990

985” “1986” “1987”

2000

2010 CALCULATED IN CURRENT DOLLARS

2020

CALCULATED IN 2020 DOLLARS

U.S. RECESSIONS

PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH

AV E RAGE A NNUA L G R OW TH RAT E 1 96 9 -2020

1980

1985

0.76% Productivity Growth

1990

1995

WAGE GROWTH

0.29%

Wage growth

2000

SOURCE: DBEDT 2021 DATA BOOK

2005

2010

2015

2020

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

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MINIMUM WAGE Hawai‘i’s Minimum Wage Increases After Years of Stagnation

The state’s minimum wage increased to $12 an hour in October. Under Act 114, passed this year by the state Legislature, the minimum wage will increase $2 every two years until reaching $18 in 2028, making Hawai‘i the first state to enact such a high minimum wage.

Over 192,000 local workers are expected to benefit from this policy, according to the National Employment Law Project, which advocates for workers’ rights.

That includes more than

110,000 women and 168,000 workers of color.

Gavin Thornton, executive director of the Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, says this increase is long overdue.

The center has pushed for an increase for years, and Thornton says he thinks this year’s efforts were finally successful because of a broader awareness that Hawai‘i’s economy is no longer working for ordinary people.

An estimated 59% of local households experienced

financial hardship because of the pandemic – that’s about 78,000 more households than pre-Covid, according to the Hawaii Data Collaborative. Those households include working families that can barely afford housing, transportation, child care, health care and other necessities, plus families living below the poverty level.

Thornton says the minimum wage should be a living wage: “As a society, we should have a principle of anyone that’s working

40 hours a week should be able to put a roof over their head and food on the table,” he says. “My hope is that is gaining broader acceptance.”

He adds $18 an hour is not enough for a minimum wage worker to get by today – and it likely won’t be enough in 2028 because of increases in inflation.

Hawai‘i, he says, will need to keep that in mind when 2028 rolls around. “But it’s going to be a dramatic improvement and one we’re very excited about.”

MINI M UM WAGE The minimum wage increased a lot from 1969 to 2022, but when adjusted for inflation, the gains were small and sometimes disappeared entirely $15.00

$10.00

$5.00

0 1969 1970 1974 1975 1978 1979 1980 1981 1988 1992 1993 2002 2003 2006 2007 2015 2016 2017 2018 2022 SOURCE: DBEDT 2021 DATA BOOK

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N OV E M B E R 2 0 2 2

MINIMUM WAGE (DOLLARS PER HOUR)

MINIMUM WAGE IN 2020 DOLLARS

NECESSITIES One adult with no children would need to make $18.10 an hour during a 40-hour workweek to pay for basic needs without government or other subsidies. A two-adult family would need to make a combined hourly wage of $23.44,

How Much Money Local Families Need to Afford Necessities Today

and an adult with a preschooler would need an hourly wage of $31.21. An adult with two children would need $38.14 an hour, and a two-adult family with two children would need to make a combined $41.04 an hour.

These numbers come from DBEDT’s self-sufficiency family budgets. The department established these budgets in 2008 at the request of the Legislature and updates them every other year.

The budgets assume that

adults are working full time and reflect costs of housing, food, transportation, child care, health care, taxes, and miscellaneous expenses such as for personal care, household supplies, telephone bills and bank fees.

H ER E ’ S H OW M U CH P EO P LE MU ST E ARN TO PAY FOR THE BARE N E CE SSIT IES

One Adult

Two-Adult Family

One Adult and One Preschooler

One Adult, One Preschooler, One School-Age

Two Adults, One Preschooler, One School-Age

State SelfSufficiency Family Budget

$37,646

$48,764

$64,926

$79,342

$85,372

State Median Family Income

$44,505

$99,100

$61,500

$34,400

$108,500

43.1%

18.2%

50%

80%

34.7%

Statewide Families with Incomes Below SelfSufficiency Level

SOURCE: DBEDT 2021 DATA BOOK

“AS A SOCIETY, WE SHOULD HAVE A PRINCIPLE OF ANYONE THAT’S WORKING 40 HOURS A WEEK SHOULD BE ABLE TO PUT A ROOF OVER THEIR HEAD AND FOOD ON THE TABLE. MY HOPE IS THAT IS GAINING BROADER ACCEPTANCE.” GAVIN THORNTON, executive director, Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

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MORE THAN ONE JOB It’s more common for people to hold multiple jobs in Hawai‘i than elsewhere in the U.S.

10%

9%

8%

7%

6%

5%

4% 1995

2000

2005

2010

2015

2020

MULTIPLE-JOB HOLDERS AS PERCENT OF EMPLOYED IN HAWAI‘I MULTIPLE-JOB HOLDERS AS PERCENT OF EMPLOYED IN U.S.

SOURCE: DBEDT 2021 DATA BOOK

The percentage of local workers with more than one job has been declining over the last 27 years. The number of people holding multiple jobs typically decreases during recessions because workers may lose their second or third gigs, Tian says.

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N OV E M B E R 2 0 2 2

It typically takes about seven years for the job market to recover after a recession.

Tian adds that it’s hard to say exactly why the percentage of people with multiple jobs is shrinking, but one possible reason is that workers have other

ways to make money, such as off-the-books jobs.

“It is possible that people get paid by cash and do not need to report as multi-job holders,” he says. “This means the underground economy may be increasing. We don’t have data to do estimates.”

Wages generally only make up 53% of total income, and many higher-income families, for example, supplement those wages with income from investments.

Low-income workers mostly get their earnings from wages and government assistance.

DEBT No surprise, mortgages make up the biggest chunk of most residents’ debt, according to DBEDT’s 2021 Data Book. The share of mortgage debt as a percentage of all household debt has ranged from a low of 71% of total debt in 2002 to a high of 81% in 2007, 2009 and 2010. In 2021, mortgages made up 78% of total debt.

Mortgages made up 70% of household debt for the U.S. in 2021, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

But locals have one of the lowest shares of student loan debt in the nation, Tian says. In 1999, student loans made up 1% of total debt in Hawai‘i. That share gradually increased to 5%, where it’s been since 2013.

Tian says this is partially attributed to the rising cost of higher education, but the low percentage compared with the rest of the United States also points to the fact that many local students are supported by their families. The national rate was 10% in 2021.

Plus, resident tuition at the University of Hawai‘i is often lower than tuition at mainland schools. Tian says: “The student loans include Hawai‘i residents who went to schools on the mainland as well. Culture and lower tuition at UH system are the main reasons” for the relatively low student debt load in the Islands.

Here’s how much debt Hawai‘i households have and what those debts are for

THE FOLLOWING NUMB ER S AR E FOR 2021:

$77,410

$55,480

Total debt per Hawai‘i household

Total debt per U.S. household

$3,970

AUTO LOAN

$5,210

$3,750

CREDIT CARD

$3,060

$60,600

$3,770

MORTGAGE

STUDENT LOAN

$38,830

$5,640

SOURCE: DBEDT 2021 DATA BOOK

H AWA I I B U S I N ES S

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HOUSING Housing prices outpace wages for both buyers and renters Over the last 11 years, the median sales price of a single-family home in Hawai‘i increased 81% and condo prices 65% – far more than average wages increased.

Between 2010 and 2020, average annual wages – not adjusted for inflation – increased only 39%.

(2021 wages not yet available.)

Kaua‘i County saw the largest price increase for single-family homes between 2010 and 2021 at 121% and for condos at 127%.

But the largest year-over-year increases were seen during the pandemic. Statewide, the median price of a single-family home jumped 18% from 2020 to 2021; condo prices increased 13% (single-family homes: $880,000; condos: $510,000). Kelly Liberatore, president of the statewide Hawai‘i Realtors association, says the housing market was inundated with multiple offers brought on by high demand, record low mortgage rates and limited supply. The market hadn’t seen anything like that in the past.

Gross median rents statewide increased by 31% between 2010 and 2020. O‘ahu gross median rents increased the most at 36%, followed by Hawai‘i and Kaua‘i counties, which both had 20% increases.

These percentages are based on five-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Such estimates were not yet available for 2021. According to the Hawaii Data Collaborative, these numbers offer little insight into the pandemic’s impacts on rents as Covid hindered the Census Bureau’s data collection in 2020.

Justin Tyndall, an assistant professor of economics at UH’s Economic Research Organization, says asking rents – based on Craigslist data – have steadily increased during the pandemic. Median asking rents in the first eight months of this year were up 10.9% statewide, 11.1% on O‘ahu, 36.6% on Maui and 9.4% on Hawai‘i Island compared with the same period in 2021. The sample size on Kaua‘i is too small to accurately report.

Tyndall says Maui asking rents have increased so dramatically because its supply has not kept up with demand. While there are some new affordable rental housing projects in the works, such as the 120-unit Kaiāulu O Halele‘a in Kīhei, the 200-unit Kaiāulu o Kūku‘ia in Lahaina, the 324-unit Kaulana Mahina in Wailuku and others, Tyndall says it’s not enough.

According to the 2019 Hawai‘i Housing Planning Study, Maui needs 5,799 new rental units between 2020 and 2025 and 4,605 more ownership units.

“In the scheme of the whole market, it’s a pretty small amount, and the amount that has actually come online is even much smaller,” he says. “So I think ultimately it’s a story about a lack of housing options for people. It’s going to, over the long run, drive up rents.”

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N OV E M B E R 2 0 2 2

STATE M E DIAN SALE S PRICE S The prices for single-family homes increased 81% over 11 years and condo prices increased 65%. $900,000 $800,000 $700,000 $600,000 $500,000 $400,000 $300,000 $200,000 $100,000 0 2010 SOURCE: DBEDT 2021 DATA BOOK

2015 SINGLE-FAMILY HOMES

2020 CONDOMINIUMS

• The number of cost-burdened homeowners has decreased over the last decade, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Cost-burdened means homeowners paid at least 30% of their household incomes on housing. In 2010, 48% of local homeowners with mortgages spent at least 30% of their household incomes on housing. That declined to 39% in 2018, where it remained through 2020.

• In 2020, median-income families were earning 96.5% of the qualifying income needed for a mortgage on a median-priced single-family home, according to UH’s Economic Research Organization. This assumes that 30% of after-tax income is used for mortgage payments.

• In 2020, median-income families were earning 158.6% of the qualifying income needed for a mortgage on a median-priced condo.

STATE M E DIAN GROSS RE N T $2,000

$1,500

$1,000

$500

0 2010

2015

2020

SOURCE: DBEDT 2021 DATA BOOK

• The number of cost-burdened renters has remained relatively consistent, hovering between 55% and 57% over the last 10 years, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Cost-burdened means renters paid at least 30% of their household incomes on housing.

SPENDING

Honolulu residents are spending more on housing and less on other things

AVER AG E A N NUAL SP ENDI NG O N O‘AHU, 2019-2020 Honolulu residents are spending more on many things, including housing and food. The following amounts are in current dollars.

We also show how much spending in each category has changed since 2000-2001.

$799

Cash contributions (Ex.: charities, child support)

$610

Miscellaneous

-20%

$183

Tobacco/ smoking supplies

$8,001

Personal insurance, pensions, Social Security

-52%

+65%

$9,953 Food

$1,379

-26%

+48%

Education

+60%

$55

Reading

-66%

$60,884

$473 Alcohol

-15%

TOTAL 2019-2020 (current dollars)

$583

Personal care products/ services

+42%

-16%

$23,572

$1,967

Housing

+70%

Entertainment

-5%

$3,909

Health care

+74%

$8,213

Transportation

+26%

Increased housing costs have meant fewer dollars going to things like entertainment, alcohol, clothes, personal care and reading.

Locals spent 104% more on utilities, fuel and public services in 2019-2020 compared with 20 years ago.

Tian says this increase is mainly due to the higher cost of electricity, water and cellphone and internet service.

Plus, there are more vehicles per household.

More dollars were also put toward gasoline and motor oil. Locals spent $1,176 on

$1,185

Apparel and services

-33%

gas and motor oil in 20002001 compared with $1,670 in 2019-2020. Tian says the price of gasoline decreased by 8.7% between 2010 and 2020, so the increase in spending came from the larger number of vehicles per household.

SOURCE: DBEDT 2021 DATA BOOK

Meanwhile, expenditures for personal insurance and pensions increased 65%. This was mostly due to contributions for pensions and Social Security, rather than life and other personal insurance.

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OPERATION THAT BRINGS FRESH FISH TO HAWAI‘I CELEBRATES ITS 70TH ANNIVERSARY is a key The Honolulu Fish Auction at Pier 38 ucing part of the state’s biggest food-prod the fishery, industry. The pandemic was rough on but it has bounced back.

BY VIC TOR IA BUD ION O HIN O PHO TOG RAP HY BY AAR ON YOS

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Sales from Hawai‘i’s longline fishing boats are worth between $100 million and $120 million a year at the ports before the fish hit the wholesale and retail sectors and gets marked up, he says.

He says more than 90% of people in the state consume seafood regularly and seafood is a big draw for tourists too. “Tourists come to Hawai‘i not to eat chicken or beef, but what we’re known for: fish,” he says.

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While most people are still asleep, fish are being unloaded at Pier 38 for the auction.

COMMERCIAL FISHING IN HAWAI‘I WAS BANNED DURING WORLD WAR II and slowly

resurfaced by the early 1950s. The United Fishing Agency launched the Honolulu Fish Auction on Aug. 5, 1952, and it celebrated its 70th anniversary this year at Honolulu’s Pier 38.

The agency says it’s the only fish auction in Hawai‘i and the only largescale tuna auction in the Pacific this side of Tokyo. Michael Goto, who has been running the auction for a decade, says seafood is a much bigger industry in Hawai‘i than many people might realize.

“The whole business has been overlooked over the years,” Goto says. “It is the number one food-producing industry in the entire state of Hawai‘i. No one else comes close to this industry as far as food production.”

Honolulu’s fish auction is based on the system at Tokyo’s historic Tsukiji Market, opened in 1935 and famous for its tuna auctions. Goto says the Honolulu auction is a big draw for Japanese tourists because “it’s a very familiar culture for them.”

Tours are by reservation only; book one at hawaii-seafood.org/auctiontour.

Goto says an estimated 140 vessels are in the local fishing fleet and those with catch to sell pull up by Pier 38. The auction is open Monday to Saturday, with crews unloading fishing boats in the wee hours.

Fish are weighed and tagged, and their temperatures taken for health and safety reasons. The fish are then put on pallets and iced.

Bidding kicks off at 5:30 a.m. with the fish auctioned individually in the order that each boat arrived. Buyers bid against each other until the day’s entire allotment is sold, with Goto as the auctioneer. On a busy day, 70,000 to 90,000 pounds of fish will be sold. On such days, Goto might spend as many as 14 hours on the job.

“As much as it varies day to day, depending on the vessels that come in, it is a very systematic operation with the sole goal of getting the fish out to the vendors as quickly as possible to be sold to consumers,” he says.

I MP ORTS A RE T HE MA I N COMP ET I TOR

The Honolulu Fish Auction operates like a consignment store. It receives fish from independently owned vessels and sells them on behalf of the vessel owners. The auction collects a commission before paying the vessel owners.

Some of the wholesalers who buy from the auction have satellite locations on the Neighbor Islands, so a lot of the fish is shipped out “to all the major destinations on all islands,” Goto says.

Michael Goto is both manager of the Honolulu Fish Auction and its chief auctioneer.

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Bidding begins at 5:30 a.m. and doesn’t end until everything is sold – up to 90,000 pounds of fish a day.

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Local Fishing Industry Hawai‘i commercial fisheries landed 30.4 million pounds of pelagic species in 2020, a decrease of 17% from the previous year, according to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.

Pelagic fish are those that live in the ocean’s pelagic zone – neither close to the bottom nor near shore. Hawai‘i’s deep-set longline fishery targets ahi – bigeye and yellowfin tuna – and Michael Goto says those two species comprise about 75% of the weight of all fish caught by the local fishery and sold.

He says the auction’s only major competitors are foreign imports because seafood, including ahi, also comes from places like Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and the Marshall Islands. This can substantially change the price of fish on any particular day.

“It’s a gamble for anybody to own a commercial fishing vessel,” Goto says.

Kim Lu of Vak Fisheries, a vessel owner, says it’s expensive to maintain a fishing boat. Costs include pay for the captain and crew, bait, fishing gear, specialized apparel for the crew, supplies, maintenance and diesel fuel.

The pandemic hit Lu and other vessel owners hard.

Lu describes it like a domino effect: Buyers lost customers, wholesalers lost buyers, the auction lost sales and most vessel owners struggled to run their businesses.

Goto says, “We were in the middle of auctioning fish when all of a sudden buyers started walking away because flights were getting canceled and restaurants were closing down.”

Later in 2020, business began to pick up as restaurants opened for takeout, but Goto says it was a “rough two years for the business.”

The Honolulu Fish Auction stayed open throughout the pandemic so fishing crews could keep working, Goto says.

“We didn’t make money at all, but we also couldn’t stop the flow of seafood in Hawai‘i,” he says.

The auction’s post-pandemic rebound was no surprise to Lu: “Fortunately, we live in Hawai‘i where everyone knows fish and everyone loves fish.”

Sliced sections of each fish show buyers what’s inside.

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M E N T O R I N G

Jody Shiroma’s Advice to Mentees: Always Keep Growing

BY S HAWN A TA K A K I

“Y

OU CAN POSITIVELY TRANSFORM someone’s life with

your own experiences,” says Jody Shiroma, VP of communications at PBS Hawai‘i and a mentor for over two decades.

She volunteers with ADvise, a program that mentors young people in the fields of advertising, marketing, digital media, graphic design and public relations.

Shiroma helps with networking and climbing the career ladder, as well as marketing and other professional skills.

And since the start of the pandemic, her mentoring has also addressed work-life balance and stress management.

Back in 2000, Shiroma created a youth board for Sassy/G Magazine, where she was co-owner and editor in chief. She mentored middle and high school students on the board for eight years.

“They were hungry for someone outside of their circle to guide, talk to and really believe in them,” she says.

Board members wrote for the magazine, did community service and ran fundraisers. Shiroma says she helped them grow by giving them challenging projects and guiding them.

“MENTORING GOES BOTH WAYS”

Shiroma says mentorships are not one-sided. “Mentoring goes both ways.

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youth. It is also the opposite.” Among the things she gains are new perspectives.

Her advice for other mentors: “Lead with authenticity and forge relationships with people, whatever age they are.”

And for Shiroma, having a growth mindset is vital.

“People think: I’ve graduated school, I’ve got a job. I don’t need to grow,” Shiroma says. Instead, she says people should never stop growing – and should always be receptive to constructive criticism.

“I’ve had great mentors that have shaped me as a person,” Shiroma says.

One who kept pushing her forward, she says, was Kim Gennaula, Shiroma’s boss when both were at Aloha United Way. Gennaula is now executive director of advancement at ‘Iolani School.

Gennaula will say, “Tell me what your lifelong goals are. I want to help you get where you want to go,” Shiroma says.

Shiroma still occasionally mentors some of the people from her times with Sassy/G Magazine and other organizations.

“I still reach out to people like Kim Gennaula for advice. And people still come to me for advice.”

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

PHOTO: AARON YOSHINO

UH A FORCE FOR ECONOMIC DIVERSITY, PROBLEM SOLVING AND HEALING, LASSNER SAYS He describes the system’s statewide impact, its seven focus areas for innovation, and how it is nurturing new generations of entrepreneurs and supporting physical and cultural healing

BY ST E V E P ETR AN IK

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I

INTERV IEW ED DAV ID L A SS N ER , president of the UH System,

which includes three universities, seven community colleges and six learning centers. Tim Dolan, president of the UH Foundation, also participated in the interview. The transcript has been condensed and edited for clarity.

LET’S START AT THE 30,000-FOOT LEVEL: WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE UH SYSTEM IN HAWAI‘I’S ECONOMY? LASSNER: It is huge. The last estimate

from UHERO was for fiscal year 2020 (July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020), partial-

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ly during the pandemic, was about $3.66 billion in local impact.

That includes sales, employee earnings, tax revenues and so forth. They put us at about 3% of the state’s economy, which is actually ahead of agriculture and utilities. That includes about 22,500 jobs, direct and indirect.

The other impact is our education of students. UHERO estimates the lifetime earnings of different degrees beyond high school, so an associate degree is worth around $300,000 in additional lifetime income over a high school diploma, a bachelor’s degree about $1.5 million, a graduate degree over $2.8 million.

In year 2020, we awarded over 9,300

degrees. The lifetime-earning impact of those 9,300-plus degrees is over $7 billion for those individuals. Then think of that each and every year.

THE UH SYSTEM HAS PUBLISHED THE FIRST DRAFT OF ITS STRATEGIC PLAN FOR 2023-29. GIVE US A SUMMARY OF THAT DRAF T PLAN. LASSNER: We have four imperatives. The

first is “successful students for a better future.” It pulls together all our agendas around graduating more students and providing successful experiences for them along their educational journey, including support they need to be suc-

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PHOTOS: COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I

At the groundbreaking ceremony for the RISE entrepreneurship center and student dorm are, from left: UH System President David Lassner, UH Foundation President Tim Dolan, UH Foundation VP for Administration John Han and UH VP for Budget and Finance Kalbert Young.

cessful as citizens, as employees, as people who start businesses and so forth.

The second imperative is “meet Hawai‘i workforce needs of today and tomorrow.” This grows a lot out of our work during the pandemic, when we realized that even as so many people were losing jobs in the hospitality sector, other employers were struggling to fill openings.

This is about a more complete alignment between what employers need and what our graduates know and learn – both degree and certificate students.

We want to focus on jobs that pay a living wage, including in health care, technology, skilled trades and so forth.

That includes building stronger part-

nerships with employers, so we can stay aligned.

We also want to pay a lot more attention to imparting our graduates with an understanding of innovation and entrepreneurism. They are going to be the ones creating new jobs in Hawai‘i through new business enterprises and ideas. We also want them to understand that the economy they retire from will not be the same as the economy they graduate into. They will be part of that transformation and they need to be able to respond to it.

The third imperative in the draft of the strategic plan is “embrace kuleana to Hawaiians and Hawai‘i.” Our last plan really looked at this priority to become a model Indigenous-serving university.

Within the university we talked about our responsibilities to enroll more Hawaiian students and help them succeed.

And we’ve done quite well at that as a system: We actually have a higher percentage of Native Hawaiian students than there are in the population of Hawai‘i as a whole. That’s not true in every discipline and on every campus, but as a system, we’re doing well. We’ve increased the number of Hawaiian faculty and we’ve increased the number of Hawaiian staff and administrators.

Our board of regents has given us this challenge: Hawai‘i really won’t succeed as a place for all of us – Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians – if we don’t address some of the issues that have challenged Hawaiians in the community for 125plus years. UH should be part of how our entire community comes together to heal – if you want to use the word reconciliation – to bring us closer to dealing with the impact of the illegal overthrow and annexation.

The last of our imperatives is around the economy and should be near and dear to your readers: “Diversify Hawai‘i’s economy through UH research and innovation.”

DIVERSIFICATION OF THE LOCAL ECON-

OMY HAS BEEN AN ELUSIVE HOLY GRAIL FOR DECADES. TELL US HOW UH HOPES TO DRIVE THAT. LASSNER: Our goal is to build and sustain

a thriving UH research and innovation enterprise that addresses both local and global challenges by linking fundamental scientific discovery with applied research that is necessary for the technological innovation to create jobs and advance a knowledge-based economy.

We’ve identified seven areas for research and innovation hubs: • Climate resilience, energy and sustainable ecosystems.

• Ocean, earth and atmospheric sciences.

• Astronomy and space sciences.

• Data sciences and global cybersecurity.

• Health and wellness.

• Food security and agriculture.

• Asia, the Pacific and Hawai‘i.

These are all areas where we think Hawai‘i has some compelling, competitive global advantage.

We also think these are sectors where the expertise and innovations that we develop will bring in money from other places. Our research enterprise is now a half-billion dollars in the latest fiscal year (July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022). That is our largest year ever and it has been growing.

But beyond the money that we bring in to UH to execute projects, when we link that to innovation and entrepreneurism, those can create private companies and private jobs that thrive beyond the specific research funding we bring in.

We think we can be a force for societal transformation here. One thing we’ve been investing in – and it’s already paying off – is Indigenous innovation as a real strength of Hawai‘i and the University of Hawai‘i.

And one of my new favorite gifts is a $4.6 million anonymous gift to fund our

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new Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity. We think we can bring together the pieces so we can learn from how Hawaiians lived and thrived before contact and during those early years after contact, and combine that with the best knowledge that our modern scientists bring us through an understanding of data, the human biome and genetic sequencing. All of this brought together can help create a healthier Hawai‘i and be applicable in other places. Bringing those two types of knowledge together will be valuable in other areas, too, such as ecosystem restoration and preservation.

ONE OF THE FOUR IMPERATIVES IN THE DRAFT STRATEGIC PLAN IS “MEET HAWAI‘I’S WORKFORCE NEEDS OF TODAY AND TOMORROW.” A LOT OF THAT TRAINING AND EDUCATION IS HAPPENING AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGES, BECAUSE IT HAS TO BE FASTER THAN A FOUR-YEAR DEGREE TO SERVE CURRENT NEEDS. TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THOSE JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS.

You’re right: The community colleges have taken the lead on rapid response. A lot of those programs are shorter than even two-year associate degrees. They have focused on partnerships in specific areas where employers tell us they need people.

We’ve been extraordinarily effective in competing for federal dollars.

And we’ve also partnered with counties, which have access to federal funds to get employees back to work.

Key areas for that training have really been in four areas: technology, health care, skilled trades and sustainability/ resilience. The four-year universities are emphasizing these areas as well because many of those jobs – nursing, teachers, many jobs in technology – do require two-year and four-year degrees. We’re all in at every level.

Key to that is a closer engagement with the employer, community and industry groups like the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Chamber of Commerce and Hawaii Business Roundtable.

One imperative in the draft of UH’s strategic plan is “Embrace kuleana to Hawaiians and Hawai‘i.” Above, is a moment from UH’s Hawai‘inuiākea Summer Program.

At left: Gifts from Hawaiian Electric Co. and American Savings Bank were among more than $3.7 million in donations to support the RISE entrepreneurship project.

LASSNER:

TIM, WHAT’S THE MISSION OF THE UH FOUNDATION AND HOW IS IT FULFILLING THAT MISSION?

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DOLAN: The mission is pretty straight-

forward: We’re interested in increasing philanthropic investment across all 10 campuses of the UH system. Although the sort of mothership of philanthropy for us is Mānoa, we want to make sure all our institutions are looked after. So we have staffing in different ways on all 10 campuses.

The way we’re trying to garner more philanthropic support is less about charity and handouts and more about solving

problems. That’s what our donors really want to do most. They want to tackle something they see as not right. Maybe it’s a deficit area, maybe it’s something they feel we’re not focusing enough attention on. Maybe it’s a medical issue. Whatever it is, they want it to improve and they see the university as a way to improve it.

CAN YOU GIVE US SPECIFIC EXAMPLES? DOLAN: Last year, for instance, donors

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came to us and said, “I’m really concerned about the coral bleaching in Kāne‘ohe Bay and what are you doing to help reverse that pernicious cycle?” Donations have supported some really impressive wins in that space because our ocean scientists are among the very best in the world.

You’ll remember the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative’s $10 million gift for better health outcomes on Kaua‘i. That arose out of a concern that it’s hard to staff rural and remote doctors on our Neighbor Islands, because for many doctors coming out of medical school with student debt, the Neighbor Islands may not be their first choice to live. The Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative will help Kaua‘i and the other Neighbor Islands become more attractive for these young people.

WHAT ROLE DOES UH PLAY IN CREATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENTREPRE-

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NEURS? MĀNOA’S SHIDLER COLLEGE OF BUSINESS IS A BIG PART OF THAT, BUT PLEASE ALSO DISCUSS THE ROLE OF OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND CAMPUSES.

“Beyond the money that we bring in to UH to execute projects, when we link that to innovation and entrepreneurism, those can create private companies and private jobs that thrive.”

—David Lassner, President, UH system

LASSNER: You’re right, Shidler is a big

part of it. And we’re really excited about the RISE project, one of our really impactful public-private partnerships.

That’s the remaking of the Atherton Y into an innovation and entrepreneurship-focused student residence hall right across the street from Shidler. It’ll be our first live-learn-work experience modeled on something we saw in Utah.

Our efforts to spark entrepreneurship are taking place in a whole bunch of ways. A lot of it comes out of our research enterprise: We’re trying to get more of our research into the commercial marketplace. Over about seven years, we’ve supported about 140 startups out of UH that have generated a

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little over $10 million in revenue and 120-plus jobs. We’ve got almost 150 patent license agreements in play right now. We’re also chasing federal money for innovation and entrepreneurship – I think we got over $4 million last year as part of that $500 million that I mentioned earlier.

Our inaugural Makers’ Market at the Royal Hawaiian hotel that we ran with our alumni association was pretty remarkable. We had nearly 30 alumni businesses – people with fashion products, beauty products, vintage aloha shirts, food and drink, all kinds of alumni startups. It was multigenerational: We had recent graduates, but we also had people operating businesses that their auntie or mom started. It was so successful that we’re doing another tonight during homecoming weekend.

Engineering is a good example of nurturing entrepreneurship. They do something called VIP, vertically integrated projects, where students carry projects through from idea to design.

This is more than a one semester project and we give them the capacity to do what you have to do in a business, which

is go from idea to sales.

We have business plan competitions, the PACE program, which will be working in the RISE at the Atherton Y property. HITide is the next generation of our internal innovation incubator program for UH students, faculty, alumni.

We’re also active on the Neighbor Islands. We have the Maui Food Innovation Center at Maui College, which has won national awards. It looks at what it takes to get a food product from idea to production, packaging and sales. We’re hoping this will contribute to food sustainability within the state.

We’ve got important initiatives at Kaua‘i Community College: Students there teamed up with students at a Jordanian university for a sustainability summit.

And in the spirit of carrying projects from idea to production, our students have also participated regularly in the national Solar Decathlon. So this is everywhere throughout UH, not just Mānoa and not just engineering and business.

OUTSIDE MONEY FOR UH Extramural funding to the UH System has grown each of the past three years.

“Extramural funding is external investments from the federal government, industry and nonprofit organizations that support research and academic activities conducted by university faculty and staff,” UH says.

About 70% of the funding in the latest fiscal year was directed to programs and research at UH Mānoa, with the rest directed elsewhere within the UH System.

Donations to the UH Foundation are not included in the extramural funding.

Here are extramural funding totals for the past four fiscal years: 2019:

$421.8 million

2020:

$456.6 million

2021:

$485.5 million

2022:

$505 million*

UH received its largest single gift ever: a seven-year, $50 million commitment from Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg to support ocean health restoration.

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Source: University of Hawai‘i * Record year; the previous record was $488.6 million in 2011.

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ONE OF THE FOUR IMPERATIVES IN THE DRAFT OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN IS “EMBRACE KULEANA TO HAWAIIANS AND HAWAI‘I.” WHAT WILL BE THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THAT FOCUS? LASSNER: This covers a lot of areas, in-

cluding workforce. One of the teacher shortage areas is at Hawaiian immersion schools. The DOE is having trouble recruiting enough people with teacher credentials who are fluent in Hawaiian and can teach in Hawaiian. UH’s training of those people supports the schools.

It also supports the goal of building a tourism industry that is more reflective of local culture and Hawaiian culture. It will need people who understand Hawaiian culture and language.

Hilo has created a hospitality and travel sector around what they are doing at Hilo’s Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke‘elikōlani College of Hawaiian Language.

They have the only Ph.D. program in the world focused on revitalization of Indigenous languages. They have people coming from all over the world, looking at how to revitalize their languages, as well as students from Hawai‘i.

The revitalization of the Hawaiian language is grounded in the work of UH faculty, both at Mānoa and Hilo. One of our most heavily enrolled courses across the UH system is the introductory Hawaiian studies course. These include students who are not coming to get a Hawaiian studies degree but are hungry for that kind of education.

We will have a healthier economy in Hawai‘i if our Hawaiian population is doing better. Hawaiians are overrepresented in incarceration, homelessness, health disparities and some health challenges and they are underrepresented at the highest income

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levels and in executive jobs. So when we do our job well, we will address those disparities, and we will have a healthier and a more economically vibrant Hawai‘i.

The imperative is also informing the way we do a lot of our sciences – we’re adopting some of the techniques that ancient Hawaiians used. We’re embracing many of our young Native Hawaiian scientists, who are holding Ph.D.s and bringing together their ancestral knowledge and their scientific learning, to create a more powerful capacity to understand our people and place.

So this is not just about beefing up studies in Hawaiian language. Every unit and department – architecture, engineering, nursing, medicine, journalism – is looking at it. The Hawaiians lived in harmony with the environment and we don’t today. What can we learn from that that is applicable today?

AVAILABLE NOW AT

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RECORD-BREAKING FUNDRAISING YEAR FOR UH FOUNDATION T H E U H FO U N DAT I O N R A I S E D a record $164.98

million from 18,074 donors during the 2022 fiscal year, which ran from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022.

Here are some gifts of $250,000 or more announced this year by the foundation to support UH and its programs: • A seven-year, $50 million commitment from Dr. Priscilla Chan and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to research groups within the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology to support ocean health restoration. This is the largest single gift ever to UH. • $10 million over six years to the John A. Burns School of Medicine from Chan and

Zuckerberg to fund the new Kaua‘i Medical Training Track, a program to help address Kaua‘i’s physician shortage and improve access to health care services.

• $4.6 million donated anonymously to fund the new Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity.

• $3 million from an anonymous donor to endow scholarships at UH Hilo, including one supporting LGBTQ students.

• $1 million from UHA Health Insurance to the John A. Burns School of Medicine to support student learning, in honor of UHA founder Max Botticelli.

W H AT I S U H ’ S R O L E I N M OV I N G T M T FO RWA R D A N D G E T T I N G T H AT T E L E S CO P E B U I LT ?

LASSNER: With the law that was passed,

UH has been institutionally removed from any future decision-making. We will continue to participate and support the new Mauna Kea authority that isn’t yet running. We have a sitting regent who will serve on that and the UH Hilo chancellor is a nonvoting member. UH is a very active participant in astronomy at the summit, but in terms of decision-making, we have become a bystander by law.

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• $1 million from Jay H. Shidler to start the Dean’s Innovation Fund at the William S. Richardson School of Law. • $1 million from HMSA to establish an endowed professorship in health economics at the UH Economic Research Organization.

• $1 million from American AgCredit and CoBank to support the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources’ farmer training program.

• $660,000 from the Alaka‘ina Foundation to support four programs.

• $575,000 gant from the Lumina Foundation to support a more inclusive and sustain-

ISLANDS SAY TOO MUCH EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON UH MĀNOA. WHAT IS THE UH SYSTEM’S ROLE IN NEIGHBOR ISLAND ECONOMIES AND COMMUNITIES? LASSNER: UH Mānoa is the 900-pound

gorilla within the UH System. It’s the only research university in this state.

There is no economic vibrancy in any location without a major research university of some kind. So that’s a reality. Fortunately, UH Mānoa is engaged throughout the state and has programs throughout the state.

Our campuses tend to be among the largest employers on the islands. I think UH Hilo is probably the largest employer in East Hawai‘i. Mānoa’s Institute for

able economy.

• Nearly $450,000 from the Hawai‘i Pacific Foundation to help programs that benefit Native Hawaiian students.

• More than $3.7 million has been raised to support the RISE project in entrepreneurship. That includes these five gifts: • First Hawaiian Bank Foundation and Walter Dods: $500,000 • Hawaiian Electric Industries and American Savings Bank: $500,000 • ProService Hawaii CEO Ben Godsey: $250,000 • Island Insurance Foundation: $250,000 • Rich and Eileen Wacker: $250,000

Astronomy has a presence there. The astronomy program is one of the largest economic sectors on both Hawai‘i Island and Maui.

Our extramural enterprise is a statewide enterprise. Of that $500 million, a large part of that is spent on campuses other than Mānoa. Our community colleges are bringing in extramural dollars to support their research and training agenda.

Some of the huge projects we have are on Maui: the Maui High Performance Computing Center and the Pacific Disaster Center in Kīhei. That’s probably over 100 of the best jobs on Maui working in technology. The same goes for astronomy, up at Haleakalā, and our College of Tropical Agriculture and Hu-

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man Resources. The work we do in agriculture is statewide and our extension agents are scattered around the state, as are our ag research facilities.

Workforce training is statewide, reflecting the needs of the population in each location. UH Hilo has partnerships with many Hawai‘i Island employers to focus on workers in positions that require bachelor’s degrees. Both UH Hilo and Hawai‘i Community College are partnering with the health care sector.

We do work on teacher pathways on the Neighbor Islands as well.

The foundation receives money from Pūlama Lāna‘i, Larry Ellison’s outfit, to support education on Lāna‘i all the time.

Our Molokai Education Center and our Lanai Education Center are the only sources of higher education on those islands, and they support educational programs from all of our campuses.

So we’re everywhere, both through UH Mānoa, which has a statewide kuleana, but also through our campuses and education centers on every island.

One of my favorite things is the graduation on Moloka‘i, which they hold only every four years because they don’t have that many graduates every year. The families come out, who are so proud of

their students, and UH is awarding everything from associate degrees to bachelor’s and master’s degrees and even an occasional Ph.D. to Moloka‘i residents.

MEN HAVE FALLEN BEHIND WOMEN IN UNIVERSITY ENROLLMENT AND GRADUATION RATES, AND THIS IS NATIONWIDE. HOW IS UH HELPING MEN TO SUCCEED IN COLLEGE? LASSNER: We’ve had tremendous success in working with underrepresented populations. Native Hawaiians were underrepresented and are underrepresented in some disciplines, Filipinos, Pacific Islanders, economically disadvantaged students, rural students, first-generation students, those whose parents did not go to college. We expect that what we need to do is dig in using some of those same strategies for men.

It starts with working with the DOE, making connections in the high schools, if not in middle schools and elementary schools, to create an awareness of the importance of going to college. The new DOE superintendent, Keith Hayashi, is a great partner who believes in this as well. We expect to be working more closely.

We will apply the discipline that we

INCREASED DONATIONS The UH Foundation’s fundraising totals have grown over the past four fiscal years:

FU N D R A I S I N G TOTA L S (IN MILLIONS)

200

$164.98 150

100

$71.62

$100.24

$84.71

50

2019

2020

2021

YEAR

2022

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have to help underrepresented populations and say, “Males have become an underrepresented population.”

It’s ironic to think, here in the 50th year of Title IX – which was driven by Patsy Mink being refused entry to medical school because she was a woman – that the story has flipped. We have been so successful in getting women into higher education, that males are now the underrepresented gender. Addressing that is hard work that we know how to do.

ANYTHING ELSE HAPPENING AT UH THAT YOU THINK OUR READERS WOULD BE INTERESTED TO HEAR ABOUT? LASSNER: At UH Mānoa, we have the

largest entering freshman class in our history this year, over 3,100. Our philanthropy number was the highest ever. Our extramural funding was the highest ever.

We are looking at the impact of the pandemic on our key metrics around graduation rates and retention, but all of that was on the upswing for at least five, six, 10 years before the pandemic, depending on the metric and the campus. And we probably took a hit, but we should be able to get that back on track starting this year.

We are focused on the needs of the state I think in ways we never have been before. So it’s really a good news story and where we’re struggling, we’re in good company with what’s going on around the country. Community colleges are struggling everywhere; we are struggling less. Small regional universities are struggling everywhere; we are struggling less.

The community colleges are doing far more workforce training than ever before. Hilo and West O‘ahu are doing more early college, which is one of the ways we’re reaching into the public high schools to get more students.

We’ve developed this program out of the Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office called Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation. We’re really looking at how to become transparent about race, including but not limited to Native Hawaiians, across the university campus. And we’re a national leader in this kind of work.

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FALL 2022 ENROLLMENT DOWN ON ALL CAMPUSES

19,074

23,409

UH Mānoa (-0.1%)

Community Colleges (-4.2%) UH SYSTEM TOTA L

2,977

48,373

UH Hilo (-8.2%)

Students, down 2.8% from fall 2021

2,913 UH West O‘ahu (-3.2%)

DAN MEISENZAHL, UH SYSTEM DIRECTOR OF COMMU N ICATIONS, says the enrollment

figures are not surprising because strong employment markets – like the current one – usually drive down enrollment at UH and elsewhere in the country.

But he adds that UH is outperforming its peers. He says that nationally, public two-year colleges on average have suffered an even larger decline in enrollment over the past four years – down 23% nationally vs. 16.1% for UH. He also says that enrollment figures over the past 12 months do not include about 5,150 students enrolled in noncredit, workforce programs at the UH community colleges – with around half taking apprenticeship programs in skilled trades.

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2,127 Hawai‘i CC (-5.4%)

2,384 Windward CC (-0.1%)

3,069 Honolulu CC (-4.4%) UH COMMUNITY COLLEGES

2,472 Maui College (-9.3%)

23,409 Students, down 4.2%

5,828 Kapi‘olani CC (-4.5%)

6,221

1,308

Leeward CC (-3.0%)

Kaua‘i CC (-2.6%)

UH Mānoa reports its best graduation rates since 2005, when records first began being collected.

• The four-year

graduation rate for students who began in Fall 2017 was 39.7, with another 23.9% of students transferring to other

colleges and universities.

• The six-year graduation rate for students who began in Fall 2015 was 58.9%, with a 27.5%

transfer-out rate.

Find more details and the graduation rates for all UH campuses at tinyurl. com/2h8a6eff.

UH TAKES IDEAS TO MARKET A new incubator called HITIDE provides faculty, staff and students with tools to commercialize their research and innovations

BY CHAVO NNIE RA MO S

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

T

H E H AWA I‘ I SPACE FLIGHT L A BOR ATO RY wants to make sat-

ellites cheaper than the typical 20-yearold used car.

Low-cost cubesat kits usually cost around $50,000 to $500,000, but Amber Imai-Hong, a HSFL avionics engineer and program director for the project, says the team wants to sell its version for less than $5,000.

The package would include a basic power system, onboard computer, communication system to connect with the ground, an infrared camera plus an online course and textbook. The goal is to make aerospace education more accessible and affordable for students.

Imai-Hong says the project received a $500,000 grant to develop the kit and curriculum from NASA’s Artemis Student Challenge. And this fall, Artemis CubeSat joined HITIDE, the new incubator run by UH’s Office of Innovation and Commercialization.

The team hopes to learn about the business side of running a tech company. “We’ve never started our own business before and we’re very interested to see if this

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is something that could be a viable product and be very marketable,” she says.

(Learn more about the project at tinyurl. com/artemiscubesat.)

COMMERCIALIZING RESEARCH

HITIDE stands for Hawai‘i Technology Innovation Development Ecosystem.

The Office of Innovation and Commercialization launched it this year to give faculty, staff and students insights into how to commercialize and spread their innovation and research.

Programs run by most accelerators and incubators last a few months to a year, says George Yarbrough, OIC’s director of innovation and entrepreneurship programs.

But HITIDE focuses on long-term growth versus short-term investment, and its cohorts provide customized education, guidance and support over a period of 12 to 24 months.

“We think that every researcher or academic entrepreneur coming in our program is going to have different needs, so you can’t just blanket them with a curriculum,” says Yarbrough.

The longer program benefits academic entrepreneurs who have fulltime jobs or are full-time students – as opposed to the full-time entrepreneurs who take advantage of traditional incu-

Giuseppe Torri, Nimbus AI’s science lead and an assistant professor of atmospheric science at UH Mānoa, explains Nimbus’ forecasting system.

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bators and accelerators.

HITIDE’s inaugural cohort started in the spring and features three startups in renewable energy. Yarbrough says the curriculum part of the program is completed and OIC is pairing members with aligned mentors and further supporting the three companies, which are: • Hawai‘i Innovation Lab: Developing advanced reflective coating to lower manufacturing costs of solar power mirrors.

• Nimbus AI: Using artificial intelligence systems to improve weather forecasting.

• Edge Energy: Designing adaptable smart devices that monitor and optimize electric grid performance.

HAWAI‘I INNOVATION LAB

HIL’s mission is to engineer “disruptive solutions to tackle high-tech challenges,” says Arif Rahman, the co-founder and CEO of the company, who was formerly a post-doctoral fellow at UH. One of those solutions is creating an advanced reflective coating to reduce manufacturing costs. The reflective coating would replace traditional mirror film used in solar thermal technologies such as concentrated solar power, known as CSP. Rahman says CSP produces electric-

ity more efficiently than photovoltaic because it can make and store thermal energy, which enables power generation during cloud cover and after the sun sets.

But CSP requires large capital investment and costs more than PV. Rahman says that if HIL can successfully commercialize its product, it could reduce the capital cost of CSP mirror film by 50% to 60%. Learn more at tinyurl.com/ hawaiiinnovationlab.

NIMBUS AI

Nimbus AI is creating artificial intelligence technology that predicts short-term cloud movements and forecasts longer term solar trends using historical data, real-time satellite data and machine learning.

Improved forecasting helps utility operators estimate how much solar power will be produced based on factors such as cloud cover and other weather-related events, according to Giuseppe Torri, Nimbus AI’s science lead and assistant professor of atmospheric science at UH Mānoa. “(It can) help reduce the unpredictability of solar energy production,” which could lower energy costs in Hawai‘i, says Peter Sadowski, the company’s AI lead and an assistant professor of computer science. Learn more at tinyurl. com/nimbusai.

U N I V E R S I T Y

EDGE ENERGY

Edge Energy is creating smart devices to monitor and improve electric grid performance.

Founder Kevin Davies, an assistant researcher at the Hawai‘i Natural Energy Institute, a research unit of UH’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, says transitioning to rooftop PV and home electric vehicle charging stresses the grid.

“Utilities are challenged with accepting a large demand for residential PV and EVs while avoiding expensive infrastructure upgrades that ultimately increase electricity costs,” Davies says.

That’s why he says he is developing technology that provides real-time data, analytics and controls to optimize the use of renewable energy in smart appliances, electric vehicles, home battery systems and more. Learn more at tinyurl. com/edge-energy.

BUSINESS SKILLS AND CONNECTIONS

Leaders of all three spring cohort companies say they learned valuable skills to run their businesses and established personal connections in the energy industry. They also valued the longer-than-normal incubator experience.

Davies says a lot of the incubator and accelerator programs he considered joining were “very much like a sprint,” sometimes lasting just two to three months.

He called it “very destructive,” especially for someone like him, with a science and engineering background who likes to “think deeply and slowly and methodically” when developing technology.

That’s why HITIDE intrigued him. “(UH) really understood what we were up against as faculty members and as entrepreneurs

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of technology.”

Rahman says the connections he made are invaluable. “The journey of entrepreneurship is kind of lonely,” but now, he says, he has mentors he can rely on for advice when challenges arise.

Vassilis Syrmos, UH vice president for research and innovation, says developing “deep technology” takes time.

He says that when he started at the university more than 30 years ago, “it was very difficult for faculty to actually commercialize their research.” Now, through improvements, support and investment by UH, it has “become a much more robust innovation ecosystem.”

Syrmos says UH brings in hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding every year that lets faculty and staff do cutting-edge research in science and technology.

“How we successfully commercialize the technology and translate it into real-life products that will benefit society is an art that we’re trying to improve upon and master,” he says.

DIVERSIFYING THE LOCAL ECONOMY

Syrmos says programs such as HITIDE align with the university’s strategic plan. One of UH’s four imperatives is helping to diversify the state’s economy through research and innovation.

“Part of our DNA and mission is to take some of that public funding that has been invested in us mostly from the federal government and turn it into products that actually can help other people,” he says.

UH received a $2.7 million CARES Act grant to start HITIDE. Another $1.8 million will be invested in UH tech startups through the incubator over the next three years, with seed funding provided through OIC’s UH Ventures LLC.

GO TO THIS STORY AT HAWAIIBU SIN ESS. CO M TO R EAD ABO UT OT HE R MEMBERS OF HITIDE’S FAL L 2 0 2 2 CO H O RT.

N O M I N AT E

NOMINATE AN EXCEPTIONAL SMALL BUSINESS IN HAWAI‘I We will select honorees for our annual SmallBiz Editor’s Choice Awards

BY STEV E PETRA NIK

H AWA I I B U S I N E S S M AG A Z I N E I S N OW accepting

nominations for its annual awards honoring outstanding small businesses across the state of Hawai‘i.

Go to hawaiibusiness. com/nominations to nominate a local small business for our SmallBiz Editor’s Choice Awards.

Each winner will be profiled online and in the May 2023 print issue of Hawaii Business Magazine.

Nominees must be businesses based in Hawai‘i with fewer than 100 full-time employees. Tell us about the company, including why you think it deserves an award.

Include specific accomplishments and successes, revenue data for the past three years, plus contact information for you and the nominated company. The revenue data will not be published without the company’s consent.

Local franchises of national companies are not eligible.

Nominations close Dec. 31.

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Improving Brain Health

BY N O E L L E F U J I I - O R I D E

K YLE N. CHANG AND N O E FO S T E R , co-founders

of HealthTechApps, work on their new MindKloud app in Foster’s East Honolulu home.

On June 30, Foster won first place in the American Heart Association’s Hawai‘i Empowered to Serve Business Accelerator grant program.

What is MindKloud and how does it differ from your other apps?

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Foster: It’s a free app that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to log and communicate brain health symptoms and triggers. It’ll be the first time we’ll ask questions about mental health resilience in addition to measuring anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts.

We plan to release it on Feb. 14 in English and Spanish. Later, we hope to make it available in ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i.

Why ask about mental health resilience?

The baseline question in our current app, MyHealthStory 2, asks the user to describe something hard that they accomplished in the last year.

Although the users noted high

levels of anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts, the vast majority smiled at the end of their selfie videos.

We thought that was so incredible. We want to identify the triggers and experiences that help them feel strong and resilient in addition to the triggers that prompt them to feel anxiety for a longer period.

Where did HealthTechApps’ mission of trying to heal a generation come from?

Part of it comes from my experience in the military.

But with Covid, more people are experiencing life through a screen, so the population of screenagers (typically teens and young adults) has gotten bigger. HealthTechApps

LOCATION: EAST O‘AHU

PHOTOGRAPHER: AARON YOSHINO

is just one part of this mission to improve brain health. It’ll take the entire community to fulfill this mission.

You’re going on 10 years with HealthTechApps.

What advice do you have for new startups and entrepreneurs?

Work with people you love, choose something that you love and pursue something that you’re really good at. It does require a ton of work and a ton of hours. Our journey has been pretty amazing because we still get excited when we learn something new – and we’re always learning something new. healthtechapps.com

SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION

A Legacy of Generosity Lives On T H A N K S T O O N E ‘ L O C A L B OY M A D E G O O D ,’ G E N E R A T I O N S O F R O O S E V E LT H I G H S C H O O L G R A D U A T E S H AV E G O T T E N A B O O S T T O WA R D A C H I E V I N G T H E I R E D U C AT I O N A L G OA L S .

Photo: Courtesy of Jhung family

career in the U.S. Army, he then earned an MBA from Harvard Business School— his wife typing up papers for other students for a fee to help pay for their living expenses while he studied.

The lean years of hard work paid off, as Grafton built a successful career in finance, working first as a securities analyst in New York City, then moving H E N G R A F T O N J H U N G was to become a portfolio manager in Calgrowing up in Honolulu in ifornia, and eventually joining Denver the 1930s and ’40s, he didn’t Investment Advisors in Colorado in the have it easy. “[His mother 1980s as a portfolio manCaroline] was a single ager and partner.

“It was important mom, raising three boys, As Grafton’s accomto him to give and she worked as a seamplishments stacked up, he stress and a tailor near never forgot the people and back and help Hickam Air Force Base to people. He cared places that shaped him. make ends meet,” says his One of his favorite sayings for people’s daughter Catherine Jhung. was “local boy makes wellbeing and “They just didn’t have good,” and as soon as he really wanted the was financially able, he set a lot of money, and that best for them.” had a strong impact on up a scholarship fund to my father. I think it really provide four-year college  C AT H E R I N E J H U N G drove him to succeed later stipends for Roosevelt in life.”

High School graduates, in After graduating from honor of his mother.

Roosevelt High School, Grafton went Catherine remembers that her father on to attend the U.S. Military Academy, loved being hands-on with distributing West Point, in 1960 becoming the first scholarships and mentoring students.

Korean-American to graduate from the “It was important to him to give back school. After a brief but distinguished and help people,” she says. “He really

W

did have a heart of gold; he cared for people’s wellbeing and really wanted the best for them.”

After running the Jhung Family Scholarship as a foundation throughout the 1990s and ’00s, helping scores of young people over the years, Grafton converted his foundation into an endowed scholarship fund at Hawai‘i Community Foundation to reduce the burden of administration and ensure that Jhung Family scholarships would be awarded for generations to come. Before his death in 2019, Grafton directed his trust to divide the remainder of his estate to the Jhung Family Scholarship Fund and to create the Jhung Family Vocational Scholarship Fund to benefit even more Roosevelt graduates.

Martha Hanson, HCF senior director of donor relations and communications, says Grafton’s generosity provides at least five new students with scholarships toward their educational goals each year, a gift that will continue benefiting future generations. “It says so much that this ‘local boy made good’ continues to have an impact, now and in years to come,” she says. “Grafton was a man who made the most of every opportunity that came his way, and it’s inspiring to see how much he wanted to provide other people similar opportunities to make the most of their lives.”

Indeed, Grafton’s philanthropic efforts live on, in large and small ways. His daughter Catherine says, “When [he] passed, the very fi rst recipient of a scholarship from the Jhung Family Foundation actually came to my dad’s memorial and spoke about the impact that he had on his life. My dad would have been so proud to see it.”

T O L E A R N M O R E A B O U T H O W YO U C A N I N V E S T I N T H E F U T U R E W E L L B E I N G O F YO U R C O M M U N I T Y A N D C R E AT E A L E GAC Y, V I S I T H AWA I I C O M M U N I T Y F O U N D AT I O N . O R G/I N V E S T I N G/L E AV E A L E G A C Y

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