Approachable, quick to laugh and with a background in women’s swimwear and parking management, Sanj Sappal isn’t someone you’d expect to find in the security business. But upon meeting him, it’s easy to see how his warm personality, infectious enthusiasm and high-touch approach to management has inspired record levels of employee retention in an industry notorious for its high turnover rate.

A career in hospitality was practically Sandy Narvaez’s birthright. But even during her time double-majoring in international business and marketing at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and finding relevant work after college, she still didn’t consider that a career in hospitality might be her destiny.

Matt Barberi was a bartender at Just Tacos Mexican Grill & Cantina when he met James Murray, who liked to unwind there after a long day of managing builds at his construction company. They got to be fast friends talking about life, Hawai‘i’s tricky business landscape and the ins and outs of entrepreneurship. Barberi left bartending and got involved in roofing sales, but the two stayed friends.