all the
King’s
Men
WINTER 2020
GRE E NMAGAZINE H AWA I I.C O M
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CONTENTS WINTER 2020
GREEN 2 EDUCATION
In a hectic, fast-paced world, vintage-inspired artist and illustrator Nick Kuchar channels surf, sun and simpler times
4 EFFICIENCY
John Morgan, president and sixth-generation owner of Kualoa Ranch, on sustaining a more than 150-year-old cattle ranch, private nature reserve and family legacy
8 LEGACY
As homage to the original stewards of the land, work began on a series of 14 capes, representing each of the Hawaiian leaders
14 ECO-FRIENDLY
Director of Diversified Agriculture and Land Stewardship at Kualoa Ranch Private Nature Reserve on O‘ahu’s East Side — Hakipu‘u, Kualoa, and Ka‘a‘awa
16 ENDEMIC & INDIGENOUS Landscaping with Native Hawaiian Plants
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PHOTOS: NICK KUCHAR DESIGN CO.
GREEN ENERGY // EDUCATION // EFFICIENCY // ENDEMIC & INDIGENOUS // ECO-FRIENDLY
THE ORIGIN STORY:
Throwback In a hectic, fast-paced world, vintage-inspired artist and illustrator Nick Kuchar channels surf, sun and simpler times by LAUREN MCNALLY
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It’s no coincidence that Nick Kuchar’s art is reminiscent of old-school typography and signage from advertising’s heyday. Before he was translating scenic Hawai‘i locales to paper in his signature retro style, he was studying industrial design at Auburn University and cultivating an infatuation for all things mid-century modern. After college, Kuchar did a stint designing trade show exhibits before ending up in Hawai‘i on an “extended honeymoon” with his wife. (Spoiler: they never left.) Accustomed to scrounging for waves in his native Florida, he was living the dream surfing during the day and waiting tables at night, sketching surf spots and beach scenes around the island and turning them into art prints to hang on the walls of his home. With encouragement from his wife, Kuchar started selling the prints online. One thing led to another, and now he has enough online orders to employ a dedicated shop manager and wholesales to nearly 50 retailers and counting in Hawai‘i, the mainland, Japan and Europe.
EDUCATION
THE BUSINESS:
THE INSPIRATION:
In addition to his evolving line of art prints and merch, Kuchar’s body of work includes a growing portfolio of commissions for a slew of hotels, malls and corporate clients both locally and beyond. This last year, he completed a large-scale illustration for the newly remodeled Queen Kapi‘olani Hotel, created custom artwork for the 2018 Molokai-2-Oahu Paddleboard World Championships and unveiled a mural installation at Jamba Juice Hawaii’s refurbished Kapahulu location. He’s done collabs with local brands like Roberta Oaks and Local Motion and designed promotional artwork for big names like OluKai and Patagonia, with more in the pipeline for 2019. Kuchar spent the fall of 2018 in the accelerator program at Mana Up, where he was selected from among more than 70 applicants to receive coaching on scaling his business for the global market. “There’s so many resources available to us now,” he says. “You just have to be resourceful and know it’s going to be hard but that it’s going to be worth it.”
“Originally I was inspired by travel prints, the old Pan Am-type stuff,” Kuchar says, an affinity he ran with when depicting scenes from his family’s active, outdoor lifestyle. “If I ever get creative block, sometimes it’s best to take a break from it and go back to the roots of why we’re actually in Hawai‘i. The culture, the community, the weather—the closer you get to those things, the easier it is to find inspiration.”
THE AESTHETIC: With its simplicity, vintage-inspired aesthetic and warm, muted color palette, Kuchar’s work paints a rosy portrait of a simpler time, a throwback to Hawai‘i in the golden age. “It’s meant to be fun and whimsical,” Kuchar says. “I drive an old Volkswagen van, a vehicle that makes people smile when you drive by and puts them in a good mood. I like my art to give people that same feeling.”
THE CREATIVE PROCESS:
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photos if I’m going and scouting a location, which is always a place of personal significance,” Kuchar says. “After that, I’ll bring it into the studio, turn it into a digital sketch and start blocking in color.” Though everything is ultimately output digitally, lately he’s been pulling from his fine art background and rendering certain details by hand. Partly to create a “textured, layered effect” and partly in a conscious effort to push himself out of his comfort zone, something he’s looking to do when he produces a number of original acrylic works for Greenroom Gallery this spring. “It’s kind of like surfing—if you ride a bunch of different boards, it makes you a better surfer,” Kuchar says. “It’s the same with art.”
THE “WHY”: “Everybody has a different story for these locations, whether it’s a place they grew up or a place they visited for only 24 hours,” Kuchar says. “So when people ask, I always tell them to pick your print based on which location speaks to you emotionally, and the color palette that fits with your house.” It’s been 13 years now that Kuchar and his wife have called Hawai‘i home. With some of the world’s best surf at his fingertips and a home studio in his backyard, balancing the demands of both a growing business and a growing family—his picture-perfect twin toddlers feature prominently on the @nickkuchar IG—is a challenge he welcomes with open arms. “We can’t imagine ourselves anywhere else,” he says.
“It usually starts with a sketch or onsite
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GREEN ENERGY // EDUCATION // EFFICIENCY // ENDEMIC & INDIGENOUS // ECO-FRIENDLY
Steward of the
Land
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EFFICIENCY
GREEN
AT WHAT POINT DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO GO INTO THE FAMILY BUSINESS?
John Morgan, president and sixth-generation owner of Kualoa Ranch, on sustaining a more than 150-yearold cattle ranch, private nature reserve and family legacy
I started working here 45 years ago, working summers from when I was 14 and we had five employees. Before that, I worked at my friend’s mother’s flower farm in the summers when we were 12. Work ethic was just really strong in our family. That’s what you did, and it was always in agriculture in some way or another. I kept working at the ranch during the summer while I was in college studying economics at Oregon State, and halfway through my second year, I asked my father if I could try to make a career here. There was kind of a hedonistic reason—it wasn’t a bad deal having a surf spot by your house. When he said yes, I moved back and went to the University of Hawai‘i, still majoring in economics because I thought it was a good foundation for understanding everything, whether it’s microeconomics—understanding business—or macroeconomics—understanding the world. But I started to take other things I thought would be appropriate if I anticipated running the place—Hawaiian language, accounting, horticulture, agronomy, marketing—anything to improve my skill set. I had enough credits but I never actually ended up graduating. I had a good job, I had the girl—my wife, who I met at the university—and it was a long commute from Kualoa to UH.
YOU’RE THE SIXTH-GENERATION OWNER OF KUALOA RANCH. CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT YOUR FAMILY HISTORY AND HOW THE BUSINESS HAS EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS? My great great-great-grandfather, Dr. Garret Judd, came to Hawai‘i in 1828 and became a minister for King Kamehameha III. The king sold the ahupua‘a of Kualoa to Dr. Judd after the Great Mahele, when land ownership was first started in a formal way. It was an act of trust—the land is a special place with a lot of Hawaiian cultural legends attached to it. One of Dr. Judd’s sons, Charles, expanded the ranch by buying Ka‘a‘awa to the north and Hakipu‘u to the south, so by 1880, the whole ranch was more or less the size it is today—just under 4,000 acres and spanning three land divisions or ahupua‘a. It’s been our stewardship responsibility to take care of it, and that part has gone unchanged through the generations. What people have tried to do with the land has changed over the years, but it’s always been an agricultural operation. We’ve been cattle ranching for 150 years or more, and cattle is still the dominant land use today from an acreage point of view. We’re actually growing that part of the business—there’s been more demand for our natural grass-fed beef than we have supply. But other things have changed, and today Kualoa Ranch is a lot different than it was a long time ago. When I started working here 45 years ago, the business was unsustainable. We didn’t want to sell it, we didn’t want to develop it and we didn’t want to just be a landlord. We wanted to be a hands-on manager and steward of the land. I was the first one in my generation to be on the family board of directors, and I became manager of the property in 1981. At that time, it seemed the best way to allow for business expansion and become economically viable would be through sharing the property with visitors. The first thing we started was horseback rides, then in 1985 we expanded that to ATVs tours, a gun range, jet skis, scuba diving and all kinds of other activities.
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WERE OTHER BUSINESSES DOING THE SAME? HOW WERE YOU INFLUENCED BY TRENDS WITHIN THE TOURISM INDUSTRY? The mid-80s were a real growth period in Japanese tourism. The industry was dominated by the travel agencies, and targeting the agencies worked well for us until the mid-90s, when things started to get very challenging. Japanese tourism started to drop off, competition got fierce, there was the Gulf War and the SARS crisis and a bunch of different macroeconomic influences that led to some very difficult years in the late ’90s. Then 9/11 happened, which had a huge impact on everybody in Hawai‘i. So along the way we had to do our SWOT analysis and really identify our core competencies. We realized it was the character and the essence of the land, and the stories and legacy of stewardship, that were our strong points. Kualoa is a beautiful property with a unique history and a deep connection to the Hawaiian culture, so we got rid of the activities that didn’t fit—the jet skis, the gun range, the helicopters—and really focused on that.
WHAT ARE SOME INFLUENCES THAT HAVE SHAPED YOUR VISION FOR KUALOA RANCH? My mother left me with a real passion for landscape. We pay a lot of attention to landscaping so that we maximize the value of the experience that people have here. Kualoa is naturally an awe-inspiring place, but sometimes it helps to choreograph the view. This isn’t just an incredibly beautiful location, it’s a working agricultural operation. When you combine that with a focus on landscape and knowledge of the visitor business, it’s a never-ending job of creating the optimal experience, of creating places with a specific purpose, where the focus is always on the customer. So instead of just looking at a view, you’re looking at a view with different components, laid out in a way that people can experience them. We’re in the process of repurposing the old Jumanji movie set into a piggery. It’s a pretty big building—over 6,000 square feet—that we rebuilt right on the tour road so we can talk about it. All of the ag we try to do in a way that makes good sense for ag but in a way that people can experience it and promotes local agriculture.
SO BESIDES THE CATTLE OPERATION, ALL OF THE DIVERSIFIED AG ON THE RANCH SERVES THE DUAL PURPOSE OF A VISITOR ATTRACTION AND EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE. HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT? We had a bunch of areas that my father and ancestors before him had traditionally leased out to farmers. As they aged out, instead of looking for new farmers, we took it over ourselves and integrated the farms. We were then able to expand our offerings, going from horses and ATVs to expanding more on the tours. People will seek out a zipline or horseback riding, but there aren’t many people waking up in Waikiki and deciding they want to go on a jungle expedition. We had to position Kualoa Ranch as a destination to differentiate us from other places offering the same activities. We have four main tours, each an hour-and-ahalf long and narrated by a guide. As you’re driving through these places, they tell you about the flora and fauna, the Hawaiian culture and history of the land, our agriculture operations, the movie sets. That’s our strength—our cast of characters, so to speak. The quality of our staff is of key importance, and we have absolutely wonderful people sharing the stories of the property.
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WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO ADD ELECTRIC-ASSIST MOUNTAIN BIKING TO THE LINEUP OF ACTIVITIES? We recognized a niche we weren’t serving: the athletic oriented. We originally looked at hiking, but the hiking market is a relatively small market—you can easily hike for free and there are tons of trails out there. Same with the bike enthusiast—they’ll just do it on their own. So we had to do something with a value-added component, and electric-assist mountain biking isn’t big in the industry yet. We’re also launching a kayaking tour. For each of these things, we thought about who the target market is, how big it is, how we’re going to reach them, how good quality is the product and can we dominate the market and compete in the marketplace. From a business perspective, we try to thoroughly analyze all of the opportunities and go in directions where we think we can make a difference and provide value to the customer. Back when we were trying to promote Kualoa as a destination, we looked at launching immersion tours based on consumer preferences. With all of our ag expansion, we’re about to launch a farm-totable tour that ends in a culinary experience where everything is produced on property. There’s a huge market for that.
WHAT DO YOU THINK PROMPTED THIS DEMAND FOR CULTURAL IMMERSION AND “SOFT ADVENTURE” TRAVEL? There’s always going to be the demographic that wants the Disneyland experience. Disneyland is not for everybody, but it’s a great place. As the middle class grows and leisure travel becomes more commonplace, you’re always going to have the leading edge that says, “I don’t want the run-of-themill.”
MORE THAN 70 HOLLYWOOD FILMS AND HUNDREDS OF TV SHOWS AND COMMERCIALS HAVE BEEN FILMED AT KUALOA RANCH. WHERE DOES THAT FIT IN THE PICTURE? A lot of our customers really like that aspect of the ranch, but the movies are just an ancillary part of what we do here. Besides the tours and other activities, we also do special events and sporting events like the XTERRA Trail Run. We did the white party Diner en Blanc out here last year, and Outstanding in the Field, which we were the venue for, has been a great thing. It’s especially heartening seeing so many local people come out and bring their families here for events like the Hawai‘i State Farm Fair.
WHAT’S THE INTENT FOR THE KAIAULU KO‘OLAU PROJECT? Not everybody who lives here embraces the visitor industry. At some point, we’d like to be able to help more local people benefit from the visitor industry. The key is for local people to be able to welcome guests on their own terms. Starting your own business is really difficult, so we’ve been thinking for two or three years now how to help take that headache away for locals looking to either make a little extra money or share their aloha. Part of it is people just wanting to share their aloha. It’s kind of like a farmers’ market. It’s hard to make money wholesaling produce, but if you’re selling a smoothie or other valueadded product, you’re selling an experience, whether it’s in the taro patch, lei making, pounding poi or lauhala weaving. So if somebody wants to make some extra money taking people fishing or pig hunting one day a week, we would be the ones connecting them to visitors looking for that off-thebeaten-path experience.
We’re not looking to own any part of it, just facilitate the process and create positive experiences between local hosts and guests. We have a relatively sophisticated reservation system that could serve as the portal if we identify demand on both the local side and visitor side.
ARE THERE ANY PLANS TO INVOLVE THE PUBLIC IN KUALOA’S CONSERVATION EFFORTS? Our biggest environmental challenge is invasive plants. We usually work through partners on that, and we’d like to do more. We have a long relationship with an organization called Hui o Ko‘olaupoko, where they bring people out to do lo‘i restoration. I think there’s a big interest in that. We’re the custodians of 2,000 acres of pristine mountains and other natural environments, so we would like to get more into those places where the voluntourism guest doesn’t see the visitor side as much, where they can go and actually make a difference.
WHAT ARE SOME OF KUALOA’S EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES IN THE COMMUNITY AND HOW HAVE THEY BENEFITED THE RANCH? The more our society grows and relies on supermarkets like Safeway or Foodland, the further people get away from agriculture. You don’t understand everything that goes into your food, so when it comes time to vote, you may not understand what you’re trying to make a decision about. And if you’re not passionate about it, you may not make the right decisions. 4-H is an organization that helps people get connected back to the land. We had the resources to start a 4-H Club chapter, so we put some facilities together behind Ka‘a‘awa town so that kids who don’t have the space to raise a cow or a lamb can ride a bike four-and-a-half minutes and do that. Besides building character, the program creates vital knowledge, awareness and understanding of local agriculture. I suppose the selfish part is that if we can get kids to do that, maybe they can come work here in the future.
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| LEGACY |
all the
King’s
Men BY THOMAS WILMER
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H
awai‘i, like the rest of Polynesia, was once ruled by councils of chiefs and was not a monarchy until much later in Hawaiian history. In Hawai‘i, the Ali‘inui (supreme ruler) had his own council of chiefly advisors called ‘Aha ‘ula. The term ‘Aha ‘Ula was one steeped in kaona (metaphor), with “aha” meaning cord or rope, and sometimes prayer, and “ula” (red), referring to the sacred royal blood ties that united this circle of distinguished men. After uniting the Hawaiian Islands, King Kamehameha’s ‘aha ‘ula was composed of the most powerful and highest-ranking ali‘i (chiefs) in the land.
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These revered leaders of ancient Hawai‘i governed their people with wisdom in the ways of living pono (with respect and righteousness) and in harmony with the land. The ali‘i could be identified by their colorful ‘ahu ‘ula (feathered cloaks) and mahiole (feathered helmets). As time passed and the value of living in harmony with the land slowly began to fade, so too did the forests and the endemic bird species that called these forests their home. Until recently, you could only see these rare feathered artifacts in museums and, unfortunately, the environmental wisdom and practices of the ruling chiefs has now been relegated to the history books. That all began to change a few years ago when a renaissance of aloha ‘āina (love the land) began to take root. It was the perfect confluence of like-minded souls with a passionate understanding of the life of a tree and its critical value to the world’s
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ecosystem. In 2013, Isadore Sharp, founder and chairman of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, had just mandated a worldwide mission to plant ten million trees. 7,500 miles away in Hawai‘i, Jeff Dunster and his partner, Darrell Fox, were in the midst of ramping up their non-profit Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative (HLRI) with a goal of planting 1.3 million Legacy Trees—one for each man, woman, and child in Hawai‘i. A subsequent meeting of these minds in 2014 at the Four Seasons Resort Hualālai set in motion the first of many hotel partnerships with HLRI that have expanded across the state. As homage to the original stewards of the land, work began on a series of 14 capes, representing each of the Hawaiian leaders depicted in the painting, Aha‘ula o Kamehameha
Exact replicas of these incredible works are being meticulously recreated (each one taking over a year to produce.) When completed, the total ‘aha ‘ula collection will consist of 14 cloaks to represent each of Hawai‘i’s high chiefs. The first four have been completed and are on display at ‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach, The Kahala Hotel & Resort, Four Seasons Hualālai, and the Hawai‘i Convention Center.
Kunuiākea, by Brook Kapukuniahi Parker, an artist and Hawaiian historian, to represent HLRI’s and its Legacy Partners’ commitment to support the restoration of Hawai‘i’s forests, endangered birds, and other species. Uncle Earl Regidor, Four Seasons Resort Hualālai’s ambassador of Hawaiian culture and history, recalls, “I had goose bumps when Dunster told us this reforestation project was located on the flanks of Mauna Kea, as I grew up on the Hamakua Coast in Umikoa just a stone’s throw from this Legacy Forest. This historic forest was once the personal property of King Kamehameha the Great, Hawai‘i’s first King.” Since 2014, Four Seasons Resort Hualālai, where the replication of the Golden Cloak of Kamehameha is on display, has already sponsored more than 50,000 koa Legacy Trees, with guests offered an optional daily surcharge to help fund the reforestation initiative. Uncle Earl says that some guests make a family adventure to the Legacy Forest to plant their own trees. “It is so cool. We’re helping our guests make memories and give a gift that will reach beyond this generation and into the next—it’s truly a legacy. As a toddler, one might accompany their parents on a Legacy Tree planting and then return as an adult years later to show their own children the family’s Legacy Tree.”
Uncle Earl Regidor, Four Seasons Resort
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Hawai‘i Convention Center hosts the replica of the cape and helmet of Hawaiian High Chief Kekūhaupi‘o. Teri Orton, Hawai‘i Convention Center’s General Manager, says, “Less than ten percent of Hawai’i’s old growth forests remain, so we made a commitment to partner with HLRI to engage sustainably conscious hotels, restaurants, and retailers that want to help preserve our natural resources by sponsoring Legacy Trees. Our goal is to plant one million trees on Oahu and the Island of Hawai‘i.”
Teri Orton, Hawai‘i Convention Center’s General Manager
Orton cites collective power group visits, such as the recent American Dental Association (ADA) conference, that brought more than 16,000 delegates from around the world to Hawai‘i and notes that associations like the ADA are always looking for ways to actively participate in community engagement projects. “Today’s visitors,” Orton explained, “want more than just sun, sand, and surf. They truly want authentic, meaningful experiences and to get involved in the local culture and to give back. Planting trees is essential to keeping Hawai‘i a world-class destination. Forests clean the air, filter our water, and sequester carbon, all while helping to ensure the health of our reefs. This reforestation project is ideal as it can be as simple as sponsoring a single tree.”
Orton recounts a memorable group visit to the Legacy Forest at Gunstock Ranch on the North Shore of Oahu and watching the tears stream down the participants’ faces through the emotional process of planting trees in memory of loved ones. She adds that it is amazing to know that you can return years later and revisit the forest to find your fully-grown tree. “What makes this project so unique is that each tree is planted with an RFID chip so people can track their specific tree’s growth online via Google Earth after they return home and for years to come.” Orton planted her first Legacy Tree on Mauna Kea and her second at Gunstock Ranch. She shares, “It was such a moving, emotional experience to go out there and actually plant your tree and dedicate it to a loved one.” She says, “We’re planting trees that are native to our island so our children’s children will have something to come and physically look at, to touch, and feel, versus having to look it up as a historical footnote on the Internet.”
The Kahala Hotel & Resort General Manager Joe Ibarra says, “The hospitality industry has a kuleana (responsibility) to take care of this ‘āina—this land.” The Kahala Hotel & Resort formed a partnership with HLRI to plant 200,000 endemic Legacy Trees as a part of their guest experience and displays the cape and helmet of Hawaiian High Chief Ke‘eaumoku Pāpa’iahiahi in the lobby. Ibarra notes that it’s planting trees is an excellent way to engage with guests, as members of the staff lead group visits to the Gunstock Ranch reforestation site. “One day, I accompanied a group and I planted a tree in memoriam of my mother who had passed away just days before. It was so touching to know that her tree would be there for maybe more than the next 100 years.” Ibarra shared, “The tree planting process was very spiritual for me as it included saying an oli chant asking for permission and then washing your hands over your tree as you put part of your soul into the tree. It was an amazing, uplifting experience—something I will treasure forever. We have this precious opportunity to plant something that is unique to these islands as we bring back something that has nearly vanished.”
Joe Ibarra, The Kahala Hotel & Resort General Manager 12
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Matt Grauso, General Manager at ‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach says that in conjunction with the hotel’s grand opening last year, “We announced a partnership with HLRI to plant 100,000 trees, and to date we have generated more than $230,000 for the Matt Grauso, Legacy Forest.” In further General Manager at commemoration of this ‘Alohilani Resort Waikiki Beach special occasion, HLRI’s most recent commission, the ‘Ahu ‘Ula O Kīwala’ō, was also unveiled at the ceremony. Grauso notes that his hotel guests exhibit a palpably positive sense of being part of a project that is making a marked difference in the ecological evolution of Hawai‘i. He added, “In addition to funding tree plantings, many of our guests sign up for their very own tree planting experience and plant their personal Legacy Trees at Gunstock Ranch.” Grauso says that each guest is told the story of the hotel’s reforestation partnership at check-in and the response has been wildly successful. “I think this is so encouraging how the public consciousness of environmental issues has evolved in such a positive way. It’s not just the awareness, though, it is the action that is a result.” The success of this project is due (in part) to the ability to directly connect visitors with Hawai‘i’s rich history and the understanding of the critical role of the ‘aha ‘ula in caring for the environment. How does one begin to tell such a story? Respect the land and respect all life, as the ali‘i once taught their people. With the return of Hawai‘i’s forests also comes the return of the special wildlife found nowhere else on earth. It has been nearly 200 years since the last of these cloaks were seen in public, and most have been locked away in museums and private collections. These chiefs may no longer be with us but through the work of HLRI and featherwork master, Rick San Nicolas, and renowned artist and historian, Brook Parker—both descendants of King Kamehameha the Great—visitors to Hawai‘i are getting a rare glimpse of history and are learning how the ancient Hawaiians overcame many of the same problems we are dealing with today— namely, how to manage our natural resources to provide for today’s generation, while preserving these same resources for the generations yet to come. Once this connection with the past is made, guests intuitively understand that by planting their Legacy Tree, they have become part of Hawai‘i’s culture and history. They know that their contribution forever ties them to Hawai‘i and that they have become part of the solution.
“
One Legacy Tree’s contribution to the environment:
GENERATES
13,000
pounds of oxygen
SEQUESTERS
8,200
pounds of carbon dioxide
RECYCLES
200,000
gallons of water
We don’t inherit the land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.” Native American Proverb GRE E NMAGAZINE HAWA I I.C O M
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GREEN ENERGY // EDUCATION // EFFICIENCY // ENDEMIC & INDIGENOUS // ECO-FRIENDLY
Sowing Seeds of
Innovation
TAYLOR KELLERMAN
Director of Diversified Agriculture >> KUALOA RANCH by MELISSA PAMPULOV
Taylor Kellerman’s office is big. It has to be. 14
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s the Director of Diversified Agriculture and Land Stewardship at Kualoa Ranch Private Nature Reserve on O‘ahu’s East Side, he is responsible for managing 3,800 acres, spanning from mountain peaks at 3,150 feet elevation to the lower regions and shorelines of three valleys — Hakipu‘u, Kualoa, and Ka‘a‘awa. Kellerman oversees the livestock, aquaculture, and diversified agriculture departments while maintaining the property through invasive flora control, encouragement of native species, and proper conservation practices.
ECO-FRIENDLY
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We have a responsibility to perpetuate the growth of food in the Hawaiian Islands. Our agrarian history is rich with examples of innovation and dynamic solutions, starting with the ancient Hawaiian ahupua’a system and continuing through today. We now have both the burden and opportunity to keep agriculture and ranching relevant in the ever-changing landscape of our state.”
“We are incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to implement an overall land management system that stretches from the mountains to the sea,” said Kellerman, who has been there for four years. “Our team spans the biggest footprint of the ranch and our world occupies all of this space; however, we are only one part of the larger economy here at Kualoa Ranch.” Being an integral part of something
grand came from his roots in the pineapple plantations of Del Monte Fresh Produce in Kunia and later with Maui Pineapple Company in Haliimaile. “Even though it was towards the tail end of Hawai‘i’s plantation era, having that experience left a profound impression on me,” said Kellerman, who was born and raised in Kailua, then earned his degree in Tropical Agriculture from U.H. Hilo. “When you live and work with such a dedicated population of folks, it creates a sense of community like no other. You truly felt like you were part of something greater than yourself.” As the state was making the transition from an agrarian economy to diversified agriculture, Kellerman found himself in a vital position to lead the charge. While working for Hawai’i’s seed industry as an operations manager for Monsanto Kunia, Kellerman began sowing seeds of innovation by serving on numerous volunteer industry boards, including West Oahu Soil and Water Conservation District and the Kunia Water Commission. “Every person that I looked up to early in my career had industry board involvement. I was amazed at how much someone can learn from and help
influence an industry by volunteering their time and energy,” said Kellerman, who later joined the Hawai‘i Cattleman’s Council and is the current board president for both the O‘ahu Resource Conservation and Development Council and the Agricultural Leadership Foundation of Hawai‘i. "We have a responsibility to perpetuate the growth of food in the Hawaiian Islands,” said Kellerman, “our agrarian history is rich with examples of innovation and dynamic solutions, starting with the ancient Hawaiian ahupua’a system and continuing through today. We now have both the burden and opportunity to keep agriculture and ranching relevant in the ever-changing landscape of our state.” For Kellerman, it’s always been about doing something small for the greater good and perpetuating strong roots for positive growth to flourish for generations to come. “Agriculture is unique because the work of a few impacts the lives of many,” said Kellerman, ”It’s up to us to ensure that this impact is positive for both now and our future. The only way we can accomplish this is by working together.”
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GREEN
ENERGY // EDUCATION // EFFICIENCY // ENDEMIC & INDIGENOUS // ECO-FRIENDLY
Landscaping with native Hawaiian plants By Kevin Whitton Photos Darryl Watanabe Rick Barboza and Matt Schirman, coowners of native Hawaiian plant nursery Hui Kū Maoli Ola, are on a mission to reintroduce native Hawaiian plants into the suburban landscape. Since 2005, they’ve been growing them at their He‘eia nursery in Ha‘ikū Valley and educating landscapers
and backyard-gardening enthusiasts about the care and importance of these environmentally and culturally significant species. To this day, they hear the same gripes about native Hawaiian plants—that they’re ugly, slow growing and difficult to keep alive. The two native Hawaiian plant specialists are adamant that these misconceptions stem from a lack of knowledge about the specific growing conditions that native Hawaiian plants require. Most residential areas have been cleared of their naturally occurring native vegetation. If you’re looking to landscape
ALULA SCIENTIFIC NAME: BRIGHAMIA INSIGNIS DESCRIPTION: Small to medium shrub with a fat, succulent stalk—sometimes branched—that produces a rosette of large, rounded, light green leaves. Grows up to six feet tall and three feet wide. Small, star-shaped yellow flowers protrude from the leaf axis on long stems. Blooming is sporadic. When in bloom, its fragrant flowers can completely encircle the top of the plant, resembling a crown. LANDSCAPE USE: Shrub, accent, container. Plant alula in dry areas with full sun. Soil should dry out completely between watering.
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with native Hawaiian plants, you need to pick them based on where you live. You wouldn’t want to plant beach plants in the back of Mānoa Valley, and you would definitely kill a hapu‘u tree fern if you planted it on the windward side of a beach house. The trick to maintaining a beautiful landscape of native Hawaiian plants is to learn about the plants that once grew in the area, so you can then mimic that biodiversity. Done properly, nature will take care of most of the plants’ needs once they are established.
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Jamba Hawaii Blends Art and Flavor
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hen reimagining their new store concepts, the Hawaii Jamba’s (that’s right, they’ve dropped the “Juice”) wanted to take a local approach with design. Because Hawai‘i is so rich with creative talent, it made perfect sense to hire local artist Nick Kuchar to design the store’s murals. After already commissioning Kuchar in 2016 to design an exclusive Hawai‘i holiday gift card that featured tropical fruits donning bathing suits and surf gear, Jamba was confident that he would deliver for their multi-store renovations. Together, they decided to bring the characters to life by showcasing them catching a wave by the outdoor seating area and standing with their surfboards next to
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guests as they wait in line. Many of Kuchar’s designs pay homage to the beaches and locales of O‘ahu, so to accompany his signature Jamba fruit characters and honor each store’s close proximity to its surrounding neighborhoods, Jamba also decided to display his “Surf at Queens” Waikiki art in Kapahulu, or collections of his windward inspired pieces at Kailua and Kaneohe featuring the iconic Ko’olau Mountains or Kaneohe Bay Sandbar amongst many others. Whether you’re heading to Jamba Hawaii for a smoothie or to catch a peek at Kuchar’s vivacious fruits, you won’t be disappointed.
VOTED AMONG TOP HOTELS BY CONDÉ NAST READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS 2019 Plan your next event at ‘Alohilani Resort’s new 12,000 sq. ft. ballroom featuring state-of-the-art technology, distinctive eco-conscious design, and sustainably-sourced catering options for up to 1,100 guests, from global conferences to lavish galas. Sustainable meeting packages include opportunities to participate in ‘Alohilani’s pledge to plant 100,000 indigenous hardwood trees in partnership with the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative. For more information, contact Miju Kim at mkim@alohilaniresort.com or call 808.921.4856 2490 KALAKAUA AVE. HONOLULU, HI 96815 | ALOHILANIRESORT.COM