His management skills stem from hard beginnings in infantry life.

In the Marines, leading a bunch of 18 to 20 year olds like that, you get to see who is genuine and who is garbage,” says Steven Sullivan, the Regional VP of Operations for Parallel Capital Partners, overseeing the Hawai‘i region. His management skills stem from hard beginnings in infantry life, which later transitioned into security services at the Waikiki Landmark in the late ‘90s before getting into real estate management at Harbor Court. Steven has had a range of professional experiences, including the Waikiki Trade Center, where he had to get creative with tenants like The Shack and Club Zanzibar. He had to keep business consistent and security strong while also dealing with drunken locals and tourists. Turning on the sprinklers or bright lights at 2:00 a.m. is a great way to force people to leave the premises and it is one of many tips he’s learned along the way. However, Steven’s greatest tip to success is mentorship and finding a good team. Behind the scenes of property management, leasing, and acquisition is a multitude of security, janitorial, parking control, maintenance, landscaping, window washing, and auxiliary support teams. Some of the property management systems cost thousands of dollars to operate and they take the right kind of people and specialized training to keep things running smoothly. Luckily, Honolulu attracts some amazing talent to draw from, which makes Steven’s job easier as he’s been able to work with leaders who really help the company’s tenants and clients. “My strength is recognizing good people,” says Steven. “I love meeting people who haven’t reached their max level yet and taking them to the best version of themselves.”

One of the people Steven credits his work-life balance to is his wife, Denise. He says the moment he gets off work from 5:01 p.m. until 7:59 a.m. the next morning, he tries to shut off work-related talk and essentially “works for his wife.” For Steven, making time together with his wife is crucial. He also uses his marathon training hours as time to sort through a problem, think out his next speech, or prep a solution in his head. The attraction to challenge comes from a place of wanting to understand the details behind the bigger picture and excitement is what keeps him engaged. “One single individual really passionate about something they believe in is what gets me involved,” he elaborates about how he came to be in his second term as Governing Chairman of Voyager Public Charter School in Honolulu. Beyond this passion, he sits on the board of directors for the Kaka‘ako Improvement Association and is a twenty-two-time marathon finisher.