The Hawaii Business Podcast

In the latest Hawaii Business Podcast episode, Ken Sakurai, CEO of Coastal Construction, discuses his experiences in the construction industry, the impact his family had on the success of the 50-year-old company, and how its collaboration with Castle & Cooke on a Mililani housing project paved the way for light-gauge steel framing in Hawaiʻi. Sakurai also talks about his company’s dedication to it...

For Rick Ching, the senior advisor and global mobility board director of Servco Pacific, fostering servant leadership and advocating for inclusivity was all part of the journey. He shares how Servco Pacific drew from Google’s principles of respect, service, team work and innovation to create and adopt a servant leadership framework. That work, plus Disney Institute training, has resulted in a work...

Peter Ho, the Chairman, President and CEO of Bank of Hawaiʻi, provides valuable insights into his family legacy, career path, and the bank's commitment to its employees and the community. Ho grew up in a family of successful business leaders – his grandfather and father were self-made multi-millionaires – and he credits them for instilling in him a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility. Ho...

Servco Pacific newly appointed CEO Peter Dames' consistent, ego-free approach has been crucial to his success. In this episode, we explore his journey, the influence of music teachers, and the importance of empathy and compassion in business. Originally hailing from Bayonne, New Jersey, Dames shared how economic changes led his family to move to Los Angeles when he was just ten months old. He fond...

Chad Buck, founder and CEO of Hawaiʻi Foodservice Alliance shares insights on leadership, entrepreneurship, and personal growth, highlighting his unique approach to business and leadership that has made a lasting impact on the Hawaiian islands. In this episode of The Hawaii Business Podcast, we delve into the journey of Chad Buck, owner and CEO of Hawaiʻi Foodservice Alliance. Buck’s journey, from...

Kevin Chang, the Executive Director of Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo, discusses the organization's mission to empower rural Hawaiian communities and promote community-based natural resource management. With origins dating back to 2003 and Chang joining in 2011, Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo has established itself as a driving force for positive environmental change across the Islands. Chang emphasized the cultural si...

Kaimana Brummel has long been a bridge builder, but in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires, that role took on a new life as she helped connect organizations and displaced residents with life-sustaining resources. Brummel has also been working with the People’s Fund of Maui, a fund started by Oprah Winfrey and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson that provides direct support to impacted Lahaina and Kula resid...

Mary Fastenau, senior partner at Anthology Marketing Group, fondly recalls the Internet’s early digital marketing potential and the growth of what is now the state’s largest integrated marketing and communications agency. “It’s the beauty of what’s going on in digital, even today, is that … you can test, you can look and you can make sure that your hypothesis, even if they’re very well researched,...

The Shaka Tea co-founder Bella Hughes shares her career journey and how the lessons she’s learned have helped shaped her into the leader she is today. Bella Hughes is an angel investor who invests in female entrepreneurs to help address the sexism that women commonly face when looking for financial backers. Women, she says, only receive about 1.9% of all invested capital. “I think when you empower...

Jack Wong, CEO of Kamehameha Schools, shares his background, how he manages such a big responsibility and the trust’s priorities. Wong served as a senior counsel for Kamehameha Schools in 1997. He became CEO in 2014 when former CEO Dee Jay Mailer stepped down. The charitable trust serves over 7,000 students at its K-12 campuses and preschools, manages 363,000 acres of land, and employs about 3,000...

Ray Vara, the president and CEO of Hawai‘i Pacific Health shares the health care system’s commitment to create a healthier Hawai‘i. And like his organization, he’s in it for the long haul. Health care in the United States is broken and the way to fix it is to look upstream at the issues that underpin poverty, says Ray Vara, president and CEO of Hawai‘i Pacific Health. That means addressing things...

In this episode Bob Harrison reflects on his 27-year career with First Hawaiian Bank. He says his career is fulfilling thanks to his employees and colleagues, about 20 to 25 of whom celebrate their 40th, 45th or 50th work anniversaries each year. “You just have this cadre of people who’ve been with the bank a long time,” he says. “They love the customers, they love each other. All the work’s got t...

During his tenure as UH’s athletic director, David Matlin hired a record 16 head coaches, helped student athlete graduation rates and grade point averages hit all-time highs, and oversaw $103 million in facility upgrades. “It's always about getting 1% better,” he says. “That's kind of my mantra.” Matlin credits much of the department’s achievements during his eight-year tenure to the hard work of...

For Micah Kāne, Hawaii Community Foundation's president and CEO, it's all about being relevant, humble and helping the next generation of leaders. Sharpening fishing spear prongs, organizing nets and cleaning the family boat as a child taught Micah Kāne an important value that he strives to embody as a leader: being relevant. Kāne spent almost every weekend on that fishing boat – the only kid amon...

President of Atlas Insurance Agency Chason Ishii has a local leadership style that empowers employees to deliver results and help the community. Ishii began his career at Servco under second-generation leader George Fukunaga, who showed him the importance of humility and sincerity in business. Ishii spent 16 years there before becoming the president of a real estate firm, a remediation company, a...

The co-owner and executive chef, Robynne Maii of Fête was the first female chef from Hawai‘i to win the prestigious James Beard Award for best chef. Robynne Maii’s love for cooking sprouted while watching her parents cook meals and host gatherings at their ‘Āina Haina home. She saw how they demonstrated love and care through the presentation and delivery of food. She and her husband, Chuck Bussler...

John De Fries, president and CEO of the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, discusses the Islands’ potential as a model for regenerative living and the results the agency is already seeing from its destination management plans. Born and raised in Waikīkī, John De Fries has spent 40 years in various parts of Hawai‘i’s hospitality industry. His charge now is leading the state’s tourism agency amid economic r...

Bettina Mehnert speaks to designing with a purpose and planning for a sustainable future in episode 3 of The Hawaii Business Podcast. Raised in the tiny town of Grevenbroich, Germany, Bettina Mehnert originally didn’t want to become an architect. She had an industrious personality and followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a carpenter. But that eventually drew her to architecture, and she b...

Fairness and justice guide Emily Reber Porter’s work in the community. The chief operating officer of MacNaughton joined the real estate and investment company in 2015 after working as a litigator in Hawai‘i and Washington, D.C., and as an executive at a disruptive tech company in San Francisco. Her passion for issues that affect women and children led her to approach Child & Family Service six ye...

Peter Ingram happily describes himself as an “airline guy,” a title he’s held for the last 30 years. The president and CEO of Hawaiian Airlines discusses the company’s plans to fly Amazon packages, install high-speed Wi-Fi on its planes, and implement a new passenger service system. Born and raised in Toronto, Ingram originally worked in financial services. He pivoted to the airline industry after...

Aloha everyone! Our host Unyong Nakata of Nakata Advisory is back with Season 2 of The Hawaii Business Podcast presented by Servco Pacific. We’ll take YOU behind the scenes with Hawaiʻi’s most influential business, community, and cultural leaders. During the show, our host Unyong Nakata will engage our guests about their, often non-linear, career paths, procure some subtle... and not so subtle bus...

Ben Godsey, president and CEO of ProService Hawaii says creating a culture of collaboration and employee ownership has been key to the HR services provider’s success. Long-term relationships are at the heart of the HR service provider’s work with 2,500 employers and their 45,000 employees across the state. Godsey says ProService wants to be “in the bunker” with clients as professional advisors and...

Paddy Kauhane aims to help Hawaiʻi's youth reach their full potential through her work at Boys and Girls Club of Hawaiʻi. Under her leadership, the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii launched a new cohort-based mentoring program focused on on-time graduation from high school and career exploration. “If we can dedicate our lives to our future – through children – what better way to inspire ourselves and...

Central Pacific Bank's Paul Yonamine spearheaded a massive campaign to revamp the bank's brand and bring life to its flagship location in Downtown Honolulu. CPB introduced it’s first 100% online checking platform, Shaka, and vitalized its brick-and-mortar downtown headquarters. The CEO took a risk because he noticed some of CPB’s practices were outdated and wanted to bring in younger customers. “A...

The East Coast native shares how the company’s pandemic survival strategy resulted in a new product – macadamia nut ice cream. Ed Schultz found his calling for food and beverage while working as an investment banker in New York. He launched two coffee companies before taking the helm of Hawaiian Host Group, the parent company of snack brands Hawaiian Host, Mauna Loa and KOHO.   Hawaiian Host Group...