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Breaking new ground, recycling the old Ma¯lama Loan increases Kalaka Nui’s revenue 40 percent
Dudoit-Alana points out that this extends the life of both the landfill and the mountain. One of Kalaka Nui’s jobs involved taking down 292 buildings at Joint Base Pearl HarborHickam. “We recycled what could be recycled – the iron, the metal, the copper – and separated it, took the crusher in there, took all the concrete, recycled it By Treena Shapiro and had them reuse rowing up, it again on the job Nowel Dudoitsite,” Dudoit-Alana Alana never recalls. “I thought it expected to was such a win-win work in consituation for both struction, let alone own the general contracher own business. “I tor and myself, our wanted to be a secretary company.” or something, with the Dudoit-Alana fancy things, but I ended says she feels up doing trucking,” says blessed by her comthe president and owner pany’s success, and of family-run Kalaka Nui, she wants to share Inc. what she’s learned Trucking runs in the with other Native family, though, as DudoitHawaiian entrepreAlana explains in a video neurs. She counsels — Nowel Dudoit-Alana , interview: “My mom was them on how to President of Kalaka Nui, Inc. the first truck driver in the promote their busistate of Hawai‘i. She had nesses, how to turn her own trucking company. This compasto agencies like OHA and the Small Busision that she had, and the hard worker that ness Administration for support, and she she was, I think kind of rolls over to what offers other advice to help their companies we are today. We’re strong women in busiget established. “I know that I’m being ness.” rewarded in many ways because it feels Kalaka Nui, which means “the big good to be able to give back to somebody truck,” has grown considerably since its who didn’t know about the Mälama Loan,” launch in 1991. At first, the company was she says. “Learning how to do your busistrictly a trucking company doing contract ness plan, that’s really hard. But yet they work with companies like Island Readyhave the idea, they have the creativity. They Mix and Ameron Hawaii. Much of the early know how to do it. They just need help.” work came from building the “second city,” Dudoit-Alana also enjoys helping women Kapolei, where Kalaka Nui is headquarsucceed in business, especially in the maletered today. dominated construction industry. Two of A Mälama Loan from the Office of her 25 employees are women. “Actually, I Hawaiian Affairs allowed the Native Over the past 25 years, trucking company Kalaka Nui has grown and diversified had four but they got better opportunities. Hawaiian-owned company to diversify into into recycling.- Photos: OHA’s Digital Media I think that’s awesome because that means recycling about 10 years ago. “It helped whatever they learned from here, they took us,” Dudoit-Alana said. “I started with one truck. sites along with a loader and an excavator. “With it to the next level,” she says. “Giving them the Today I have 20 trucks. I have two crushers, three the recycling, I can bring in material and resell tools to move ahead, that to me is awesome.” excavators, three loaders.” The seven-year loan it to other vendors, using my truck. So we were Watch Nowel Dudoit Alana’s interview on was “absolutely perfect,” she adds, noting that actually able to have a 40 percent gain by doing video at https://vimeo.com/147525344. most banks would have wanted the loan repaid that,” she says. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has helped more in five years. Meanwhile, the companies Kalaka Nui works than 2,000 Native Hawaiian families with lowObtaining the Mälama Loan wasn’t much with are saving money because they don’t have to interest loans to build businesses, repair homes, different than applying for any other loan, says send as much waste to the landfill, which charges take care of educational expenses and consolidate Dudoit-Alana, although she says that the pro- tipping fees by the ton, and they also don’t need debt. For more information on OHA’s Mälama cessing was a little faster. As with other business to buy as much virgin material from the quarries. Loan Program visit www.oha.org/malamaloan. ¢
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loans, she needed to submit financial statements and a business plan that explained how the money would be used. The loan helped Dudoit-Alana realize her vision of reusing concrete. She was able to purchase a mobile crusher, which she brings to job
My mom was the first truck driver in the state of Hawai‘i. She had her own trucking company. This compassion that she had, and the hard worker that she was, I think kind of rolls over to what we are today. We’re strong women in business.”
To have choices and a sustainable future, Native Hawaiians will progress toward greater economic selfsufficiency.
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