Senior Project Manager, Strategic Services Group / President
SSFM International / Building Industry Association of Hawai‘i 

What does it take to succeed in your line of work?

Being disciplined and thorough in how you approach your work. Developing credibility and being reliable so people know you are true to your word. These skills or values allow you to build a network of people who have experiences in different aspects of the real estate market and are willing to help you work through problems or challenges you may encounter on any specific project. A lot of the challenge of any project is knowing the right subject-matter experts who can help you understand the problem and identify possible solutions.

What are some of Hawai‘i’s most pressing development challenges today?

A heathy housing market is referred to as a “housing ladder.” The theory is that people buy into a starter house and, as their needs or income increases, they can sell their starter house and buy a larger unit. It allows for owners to move up the ladder as their income or needs increase, as well as move back down the ladder as their needs decrease (i.e. empty nesters). In Hawai‘i, due to the overall lack of supply of housing at all price points, we don’t have a healthy housing ladder. A symptom of this is the “monster house” issue that has recently come up on O‘ahu, where investors are building apartments in residential-zoned neighborhoods because of the overall lack of supply of housing.

We need to increase the supply of housing at all price points, however the overall lack of developable land and lack of infrastructure capacity are constraints that restrict our ability to build our way out of our housing crisis. Future development will largely be restricted to urban infill/redevelopment to provide more density along the transit corridor. Investment in regional infrastructure capacity building is needed to support the planned density.

Are there specific trends you see unfolding in the islands?

There seems to be a recognition among elected officials that we need more housing, however there doesn’t seem to be any agreement on the steps required to get more housing built.

With the wildfire season we just experienced on the mainland, and our weather becoming more and more unpredictable, state and local governments will be taking a larger leadership role in developing policies to address climate change and sea-level rise. State and local governments will have a major impact on how future projects are planned, designed and delivered.

The state and counties will have to find alternative ways to finance major infrastructure projects, as the traditional ways of financing these types of projects are getting more difficult. Large redevelopment projects along the transit corridor, such as Aloha Stadium, will not be realized until there is a significant investment in regional infrastructure capacity building.

A lot of the challenge of any project is knowing the right subject-matter experts who can help you understand the problem and identify possible solutions.

How has your past work experience informed your vision at SSFM? What best practices or insight have you brought to the role?

My experience working in government, nonprofit and private sectors in Hawai‘i provided me with different perspectives and priorities that are unique for each of the sectors. At SSFM we invest a lot of time upfront with the client to get a better understanding of what they are trying to achieve with any particular project.

This was the case on the Alder Street mixed-use project. We were initially hired to plan and repurpose the Alder Street juvenile detention center for the state judiciary. Given its proximity to the Ala Moana transit station, we were able to work out an agreement between the state judiciary and the Hawai‘i Housing Finance & Development Corporation (HHFDC) to build a new juvenile counseling facility and an affordable rental housing project on the property. Judiciary got a new facility and the state was able to provide more affordable housing in the urban core.

We also had success in developing the first vertical elementary school in the state adjacent to Mother Waldron Park in Kaka‘ako. Similar to Alder Street, we brought together the state Department of Education (DOE) and HHFDC to have the school built in conjunction with two rental housing towers. One will be an affordable rental project and the other will be an affordable and market rental housing project. DOE is working out an agreement with the City and County of Honolulu that will allow for DOE to use Mother Waldron Park during school hours through a joint-use agreement. One of the towers and the school are still in the design phase.

President
Young Brothers

How has your experience at Booz Allen Hamilton and Hawaii Gas informed your current leadership?

At Booz Allen Hamilton I learned the importance of creating the right environment for success. A combination of core values, focused training, clear goals and transparent communication aligned the entire organization to achieve our mission.

Hawaii Gas and Young Brothers are very similar, with a comparable employee base of about 400 across the islands and operations in regulated and unregulated business that are crucial to Hawai‘i. Though I now handle the transportation of essential cargo instead of delivering gas energy, my experience with Hawaii Gas laid a solid foundation for my present role.

How does Young Brothers support the shipping needs of local industry? 

What we do affects nearly every business and every person, every day in Hawai‘i. Young Brothers is the only approved water carrier for regulated cargo in the state, and we are responsible for transporting 100 percent of all cargo that originates and ends in Hawai‘i. While our business may seem small in comparison to large mainland companies, the shipping and handling of non-standard cargo is complex and requires tremendous skill.

We are the only carrier delivering non-standard construction materials of any size, with the construction industry representing approximately 10 percent of our cargo. This includes every type of heavy equipment imaginable, from cranes and trucks to entire cement plants sent by barge in pieces and then reassembled. Our cargo volumes are a good indicator of construction activity on neighbor islands. 

Where does the company fit into the picture of food security and resilience in the islands?

Our job is especially important when severe weather disrupts the state, as Hurricane Olivia and Tropical Storm Lane did last year. In emergencies, we’re the first carrier to respond and bring relief supplies to our island communities in need. Young Brothers is the lifeline to the neighbor islands, and everyone, including Hawaiian Electric, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Hawaii Foodbank, Red Cross and others, depends on us to pre-position emergency equipment and supplies before the storm and to provide ongoing essential storm recovery efforts to help our communities return to normal as soon as possible.

Efforts are underway to increase locally grown produce and livestock on the neighbor islands, and we provide discounted transportation services to support these initiatives. Renewable fuels and renewable natural gas may play an increasing role in the coming years to help Hawai‘i meet its clean energy goals, and we continue to work with our industry partners in these areas to provide effective transportation solutions.

What clean energy initiatives are in place at young brothers?

Our four new tug boats significantly reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions. They travel faster while running on technologies that are safer for our crewmembers, oceans and reefs. In 2018, we replaced a portion of our refrigerated containers with models that are more energy efficient, and we are also exploring the shift from diesel to renewable electricity for our hundreds of pieces of lifting equipment to further reduce our shoreside carbon footprint and improve air quality within our harbors. We are proud to support a more sustainable Hawai‘i by progressing toward more renewable operations, passing savings on to our customers while also providing improved and more efficient services.

Owner
Hawaii Kitchen & Bath

President
National Kitchen & Bath Association, Aloha Chapter

What inspired you to do the work you do?

I started in a custom fabrication shop and quickly learned the ins and outs of the business and industry back in the early ’90s. It was exciting to be one of the few females in our specific field and collaborate with the young, up-and-coming designers who would later become the best in industry. It was the creativity and drive of everyone around me that inspired me to continue for 20-plus years.

What is your vision for NKBA as president?

The NKBA is a nonprofit trade group that has evolved into the premier association of designers, retailers, remodelers, manufacturers, distributors, fabricators, installers and other industry professionals.

For the upcoming year, I would like to see our association grow even bigger, with outreach to the neighbor islands, continued educational opportunities for our design and construction community, and to continue to network and merge events with our industry partners BIA, ASID, AIA and IIDA.

What K&B trends are you most excited about?

Our company specializes in modern, textured-melamine slab doors, and we see this as a continuing trend for cabinetry options in 2019. Homeowners are requesting clean and modern lines that create a simple yet powerful aesthetic.

Every year the big Kitchen & Bath Industry Show unveils the newest and hottest materials, fixtures, appliances, countertop materials, cabinets and more. Our trade gets the first look at some very exciting products for the home before it’s introduced to the retail and consumer sector.

The integration of technology with our appliances gets better every year. I am looking forward to the new trends coming from Europe with countertops, cabinets and flooring, to name a few.

What qualities got you to where you are today?

A tough skin and a desire to be the best in my industry! I learned early on that you can’t take everything personally. Rejection is part of life and you really need to know how to pick yourself up, dust off and continue to do the best you can. Consider those hard times to be lessons learned, concentrate on what’s ahead of you, without dwelling on past mistakes.