Global Makeup Artist
2019 Women in Business
Apr 26, 2019
2019 Women in Business
Who is Tulsi Gabbard?
As if there were an easy answer.
The short answer is, it depends who you ask. Surfer, environmentalist, yogini, vegetarian, mixed martial artist and combat veteran Tulsi Gabbard is a lot of things—including, potentially, the next president of the United States.
Let’s begin at the beginning. Tulsi Gabbard grew up in the islands but was born in American Samoa. Her father, Hawai‘i State Senator Mike Gabbard, moved the family to Hawai‘i in 1983, when Gabbard was two. She’s been a practicing Hindu since her teenage years, following in the footsteps of her mother, Carol Porter Gabbard, also a practicing Hindu and a former member of the Hawai‘i State Board of Education.
Save for a two-year stint at a girls’ missionary academy in the Philippines, Gabbard was homeschooled all the way through high school, helping her parents with their small family business, Hawaiian Toffee Treasures, as a teenager and co-founding the environmental nonprofit Healthy Hawai‘i Coalition with her father in 2001, going on to graduate from Hawai‘i Pacific University with a degree in international business.
At 21 years old, Gabbard was elected to the Hawai‘i State House of Representatives, becoming the youngest person ever elected to the Hawai‘i State Legislature and the youngest woman legislator in U.S. history. She was chosen to represent District 42 in West O‘ahu, serving Waipahu, Honolulu and ‘Ewa Beach.
In 2003, Gabbard made the decision to enlist in the Hawai‘i Army National Guard and volunteered to deploy for a 12-month tour of Iraq the following year, resigning her campaign for reelection to serve in a combat zone with the 29th Brigade as a medical-operations specialist. She deployed to Kuwait for a second tour in 2008 and was promoted from captain to major in 2015.
Upon her return from the Middle East, Gabbard won a seat on the Honolulu City Council, serving from 2010 until 2012, when she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in an upset victory over former Mayor Mufi Hannemann. Gabbard is the first Samoan-American, first Hindu and one of only two female combat veterans in Congress. She’s now in her fourth term as the U.S. Representative for Hawai‘i’s 2nd congressional district, serving alongside 1st congressional district Representative Ed Case.
Gabbard was a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee but resigned in 2016 to endorse Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for the Democratic presidential nomination. In January 2019, she announced her own bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Ahead, a brief overview of the campaign that could land Gabbard on the ballot for president next year.
Tulsi 2020 key platform issues: war & peace, healthcare access, criminal justice reform and climate change
War & peace:
If the 2020 election goes favorably for Gabbard, she would be the first soldier to serve as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Armed Forces in more than 50 years. (The last time it was a soldier making decisions affecting the lives of other soldiers, World War I veteran Harry S. Truman was in office.) As such, Gabbard is an outspoken proponent of anti-interventionist foreign policy, citing her time in combat as reasoning for her call to end regime-change wars and her criticism of U.S. interventions in Iraq, Libya and Syria. She has also denounced U.S. involvement in the Yemeni Civil War and is outspoken against intervention in the 2019 Venezuela crisis.
Healthcare access:
Gabbard supports Medicare for All, a type of tax-funded, universal single-payer healthcare that covers the costs of essential healthcare for all U.S. residents. Her focus is on reducing the cost of healthcare overall, preventive health, bringing down the cost of prescription drugs and increasing prescription drug transparency.
Criminal justice:
Gabbard is a staunch advocate of criminal justice reform and a vocal opponent of the privatization of prisons. She is working toward criminal justice legislation to reduce recidivism, address the lack of transition for people who have served their time, reduce the economic impact of the cost of incarceration and reduce the human impact of incarceration. She is critical of the war on drugs and supports the decriminalization of both medical marijuana and—more controversially—sex work.
Climate change:
Gabbard’s aggressive Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act calls for the U.S. to achieve 100 percent clean, renewable energy by 2035 and includes provisions to stimulate the economy and transition workers to jobs in the renewable energy sector. She is also pushing for legislation and funding for increased protections of our oceans, reefs, water infrastructure, national parks and aquifers. However, Gabbard is not a co-sponsor of the Green New Deal, an economic stimulus program that aims to address climate change and economic inequality, expressing concerns over its “vague language.”
TULSI 2020 controversies: former anti-LGBTQ sentiment, foreign policy
Former anti-LGBTQ sentiment:
Since announcing her 2020 presidential campaign in January, Gabbard has been the subject of public scrutiny over her early-2000s campaign against equal rights and protections on LGBTQ issues. She has since reversed her position on LGBTQ rights and released a video apologizing for her prior opposition to pro-gay legislation and former ties to the Alliance for Traditional Marriage, the anti-gay rights organization run by her father, Senator Mike Gabbard.
Foreign policy:
Gabbard has also drawn criticism for her defense of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is suspected to have been behind the recent chemical attacks on Syrian civilians as part of the country’s ongoing civil war. She’s since defended both her decision to meet with al-Assad in 2018, describing the meeting as a “fact-finding mission,” as well as her opposition to removing him from power by force.
Stacy Ferreira
If you want something to change, begin upstream. That’s precisely what Stacy Ferreira is doing on the education front, a path that began at Leeward Community College (LCC), where she worked while earning her degree. “In retrospect, it really set the trajectory for my career,” says Ferreira, who credits her then-supervisor Michael Pecsok, LCC’s former vice-chancellor of academic affairs, for building her confidence and shaping her voice as a professional. “He taught me that if I had something to contribute, to not feel intimidated to share my mana‘o. That was really huge for me as a young person—to feel empowered and that I could contribute in a meaningful way.”
After a brief stint in public relations convinced her she was destined for the mission-driven sector, Ferreira ended up finding work back at LCC, where she spent the next 12 years laying the groundwork for the college’s distance-education programming. “Hours are long wherever you go,” Ferreira says. “Your work has to feed your soul and your spirit. The whole mission-driven focus of the community colleges was very evident to me at LCC. It was palpable—people cared about your success.”
Rethinking learning has been an ongoing theme in Ferreira’s career, one she would continue to dive into in her next role. In 2006, she accepted a project management position in the extension educational services division at Kamehameha Schools (KS), working her way up to head of the division while also serving as a trust coordinator for the Charles Reed Bishop Trust—most notably, convening the charitable trusts established by Hawai‘i’s ali‘i in order to ma–lama Mauna ‘Ala, the royal mausoleum in Nu‘uanu. “It’s not just a cemetery,” Ferreira says. “Although functionally it serves that purpose, the ali‘i who are buried there have established extraordinary trusts that are living legacies we’ve all benefited from, even if you’re not Hawaiian.”
Strengthening Hawaiian cultural connectedness and identity in the modern age is central to her work both there and at Kamehameha Schools, especially as KS takes an increasingly forward-thinking approach to education and workforce development. “Because we’re a Native Hawaiian-serving organization, everything we do is within the context of a Hawaiian worldview,” Ferreira says. “When we teach our keiki the ways of our kupuna and about the ingenuity of our ancestors, we take that ‘ike kupuna and bring it into a 21st century context.”
The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
When equipping the next generation of Hawai‘i’s leaders and socially minded entrepreneurs for the jobs of the future, it’s always with the indigenous principle of “seven generations”—that is, acting in the interest of at least seven generations into the future. “It’s coming with that cultural lens and saying, yes, you can make a profit, but it’s also about the well-being of kanaka and ‘aina as well,” Ferreira says.
That’s the kind of social enterprise thinking being cultivated at Halau ‘nana, a first-of-its-kind collaborative learning space that Ferreira conceived as a hub of culture and innovation. In combination with findings from nearby Ka Waiwai, Halau‘ nana will serve as an incubator for a larger redevelopment on the horizon for Mo‘ili‘ili, one that will encompass six-and-a-half acres of retail, educational facilities and cultural resources, including space to incubate new innovation and entrepreneurship endeavors.
The projects Ferreira started in KS’ extension education division were so far out of the box, it was a natural transition for her to make the move to Strategy and Innovation, a new division formed in 2015 with the launch of Vision 2040, a landmark 25-year vision statement developed by KS for carving out successful life and career pathways for Native Hawaiian learners. “SV2040 was really the impetus for thinking much bigger and more broadly,” Ferreira says. “It was the first time that KS had ever had a group of individuals helping to forecast where we as an enterprise needed to be in order to, one, serve all Native Hawaiians, but also reimagine what teaching, learning and education could look like.”
Instead, KS is painting a deeper and more multifaceted picture of success. “Success for us means achieving post-secondary education and training with little to no debt and finding a job you’re passionate about and that provides you with purpose,” Ferreira says. “It means being culturally connected and knowing who you are as a Hawaiian, and making an impact in your community and the world in a positive way.”
Students at KS are primed for not just a job but meaningful employment, and they’re presented with opportunities for civic engagement, both locally and globally. “The best way to predict the future is to create it,” Ferreira says. “We want to provide our learners with the technology, tools, experiences and expertise to create that future. For way too long our educational approaches have reinforced the notion of things and ideas being right or wrong, pass or fail. We’ve really boxed our keiki in instead of encouraging big, bold, audacious thinking. It’s not just thinking about what is the job that I can do, but what is that business I can own? We [as Native Hawaiians] need to be the ones doing the hiring.”
Much of Ferreira’s work in Strategy and Innovation involves figuring out the root causes of student dropout, a huge issue among Native Hawaiians throughout the continuum of education. “Although education is our core competence, that education is really tied to a larger holistic model around economics, health and social and emotional well-being,” Ferreira says. “There are so many different things needed to create a thriving la–hui, education is just one small piece of it.”
It’s not just mitigating the financial barriers, Ferreira says, though that’s a huge piece of the puzzle. Debt, homelessness, mental health issues and other hardships can all derail a student’s education and professional development, but Ferreira and her team have found that it takes a host of comprehensive and highly curated wraparound supports to help learners reach their full potential.
Often it’s about addressing the flaws in the system that allow gifted students and those with learning differences or emotional and psychological hurdles to slip between the cracks. “If they don’t know what their superpowers are, they’ll never know how to accommodate for them,” Ferreira says. “They’ll never know to advocate for the things they need or the way they learn. That doesn’t change, whether you’re in school or you’re in the workforce.”
As one of the largest private landowners in the state and a stakeholder in sectors across the landscape, KS is well positioned for impact, not just on education but on innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development as a whole. “These are exciting spaces that KS can really move the needle, not just for Native Hawaiians but for the state of Hawai‘i,” Ferreira says. “What’s good for Hawaiians is good for the state, economically, educationally and beyond.”
Shelley Cramer
The return home to Hawai‘i has been a long time coming for local girl Shelley Cramer. After finding post-grad work in the buying office at Liberty House, her first foray into the corporate fashion world, Cramer headed back to school on the mainland to earn her MBA. From there she went on to spend the next 18 years building her career in management—and her taste for designer fashion—with a number of high-end retailers, finding her way from Montblanc to Louis Vuitton, Max Mara and Saks Fifth Avenue in San Francisco.
“Every step of my journey was a learning opportunity,” Cramer says. “Everything that I saw and loved in a leader, I put in my back pocket like a golden nugget. When I became a leader, I made sure to take those things and make them my own.”
By then, Cramer was eager to make the move home to the islands, and she finally got the chance upon signing on to lead Saks Fifth Avenue’s first outpost in Hawai‘i. “We’re a jewel box in Waikiki,” Cramer says of International Market Place, home to Saks Hawai‘i’s three glittering floors of luxury goods.
Saks attract a global traveler, Cramer says, so while locals aren’t necessarily wearing fur, ball gowns or head-to-toe designer in their daily lives, their closets tell a different story. “They’ll wear their shorts here, but their wardrobe is definitely fashion forward,” Cramer says.
Still, a big part of Cramer’s charge is tailoring the Hawai‘i store to the local market, including working with the buying office to stock an expanded range of sizes and a growing inventory of local products—designers like Tori Richard and Manaola, and goodies from Kahala Pantry and Maui Cookie Lady. Throughout the store are design elements inspired by Hawai‘i’s natural environment as well as work from local artists—the mural in the store’s private lounge is a commission by Hawai‘i-born street artist HULA.
“In this day and age, it’s all about dot-com,” Cramer says. “So for us, we’re focused on customer service and the experience in a brick and mortar versus shopping online.” Saks Hawai‘i has extended this customer-centric approach to those who do choose to shop online, offering a web portal where customers can shop their local sales associates’ top picks or chat with them online, a service that often drives shoppers back to the brick and mortar.
Cramer also credits Saks Hawai‘i’s local following to the company’s efforts in the community, from charitable giving to initiatives like Nurses’ Week, when a team from Saks Fifth Avenue goes to local hospitals and provides nurses with free makeovers. As for Cramer herself, she sits on several boards, including the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra, the Hawaiian Humane Society, Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women & Children, Teach for America Hawai‘i and Sacred Hearts Academy, where her two daughters go to school.
Sacred Hearts is also where she founded Girls Got Grit, a mentorship program designed to inspire high schoolers to pursue C-suite positions and other leadership roles in the community. “It’s all about passion and perseverance,” Cramer says. “Success takes grit. It can’t just be a job—it’s a career. If you feel and believe in it, anything is possible.”
So what’s next for this Maryknoll High School alum turned high-powered exec? “I love raising my children here and the people who have welcomed me and been nothing but gracious and authentic,” Cramer says. “I really appreciate the ‘ohana and the love, and I’ll keep giving back in any way I can to the community. My work here is not done.”
Saks Fifth Avenue Hawai‘i
Kathy Inkinen
We tap Kathy Inkinen’s insight into the evolution of work as she prepares her executive search firm, Inkinen & Associates, for new leadership this June
Come June, you’ll be stepping into an advisor role at Inkinen & Associates. Did your daughter [Kristi Inkinen Yanagihara, owner of Remedy Intelligent Staffing] consider taking the reins?
We share an office with Kristi’s group, but we focus on senior-level recruitment. We found the space together three years ago hoping it might turn into a succession-planning venture, with Kristi eventually overlooking the two businesses. We didn’t end up going that route—the staffing side is very, very busy—but I was lucky enough to find a successor to move the company forward to serve the next generation of companies and candidates.
There are a lot of job sites and other online resources available now to companies looking to fill vacancies. What’s the value of hiring an executive recruiter?
We look for people who are great performers. Our candidates are usually working, doing a great job and aren’t necessarily looking for a change but are open to it if they’re presented with the opportunity. They’re busy working—they’re not going online, seeing what’s available and posting their resume. So that’s kind of our niche.
What are some best practices for an executive joining a new company?
A good executive is visible. Get to know your employees and make them feel they’re an important part of the family. There are different ways to do that now with electronic communications, but a personal visitation does so much.
How has the landscape changed as it relates to women in the workplace?
There’s many, many more women in the workforce than when I first started, both here and on the mainland. Early in my career, employers all maintained a policy of nondiscrimination, but sometimes they had their, let’s say, “preferences.” Women were considered less reliable as employees because of their role as caregivers. Even in male-dominated professions now, more employers are not only open to hiring a woman but even prefer a woman for certain positions. They feel women sometimes manage [people] better or, more commonly, that they’re better multi-taskers. In this fast-paced, changing world, that’s important to an employer.
It’s been 27 years since you founded Inkinen & Associates. What inspired you to do this work and what were you doing prior to starting the company?
Prior to this, I ran two human resource departments, one at a luxury hotel and one at a bank. In those days, people’s tenures were very long, and I figured that would probably change. That I could be the intermediary in that transition by introducing employers to prospective employees, growing both the company and the candidate’s career.
Were there a lot of other executive search firms at the time?
Hardly any.
Why not?
There was less of a need for it. Employers promoted from within the company, and employees stayed at their jobs for a long time. But our world is moving and growing so very quickly now that certain positions aren’t necessarily a fit forever, from both the company’s and the employee’s perspective.
Today, people are open to considering new positions because they want to learn more and grow faster, and companies are open to having new people come in and contribute fresh ideas, particularly at the executive and managerial level. They’re not necessarily giving an award to someone who’s been with them for 20 years.
When I started this business, employers thought, why would I pay to hire somebody new when I can promote from within? But when the economy takes a turn and you’re looking for a new approach, you can’t reasonably expect an employee who’s been with you for 20 years to give you those ideas. Where would they come from?
What about today? Is there a lot more competition in your business?
There is a lot more competition today than when I started, but I don’t believe there’s any other firm that does only executive search. They’re doing the whole gamut. We take about three months to complete a project because, number one, there are less high-level candidates than in the lower and mid-level job market. Secondly, there are more soft skills to consider at the executive level—it’s not only about industry experience. Personality, management style and communication style are more difficult to ascertain immediately. We do a lot of screening, vetting and getting to know the candidates.
A mainland candidate, for example, might not make for a successful placement if they have no connection to Hawai‘i other than wanting warmer weather. It’s a different culture, it’s expensive, it might not be a good fit for the family.
It’s equally important for us to get to know the company’s leadership style and corporate culture. Are they open to someone from another industry? What transferable skills would work well in this role?
A true leader is someone who goes above and beyond to contribute to the community at large, not just someone who leads people well or produces a good bottom line.
Are employers looking for different soft skills today than they were 30 years ago?
Flexibility and ability to change are big ones. Employees weren’t considered loyal or valuable if they were at a job for less than 10 years. Today, companies want employees, especially managerial ones, with varied experiences. They’re looking for managers who are always considering how the world is changing and how the company can follow suit and remain competitive.
Accountability is not necessarily only hours at work. Employers have begun focusing more on performance. What results is the employee bringing? Do they manage people well? What can they offer as the business grows or downsizes?
Change is something I think both companies and employees are working towards. Sometimes it means more flexibility from the employer over where and when the job gets done. I knew of a great human resource director who I wanted to hire, but she had two kids and couldn’t work full time. Having someone join our staff of full-time employees on a part-time basis was a major change for this company, but as employers, we have to be willing to be flexible as well.
Even though she’s here only three days, it’s a non-issue because of the technology we have available. Before, when anyone went on a trip, we had to designate someone to take care of their portfolio in their absence. Now? We’re so connected, that’s not always necessary. I have a smart watch—at my age!
Service is very, very important to us, so we are always in touch. That’s another thing that’s changed—people expect responses, fast. It’s no longer acceptable to wait until Monday.
Flexibility and ability to change are valuable qualities in any employee, not just those at the executive level. What are some indicators of leadership potential?
I think a true leader is someone who goes above and beyond to contribute to the community at large, not just someone who leads people well or produces a good bottom line for their company. I like to see that kind of vision in young people and middle management as well as in executives. It tells me that it’s not just about the bottom line for them.
We all live in this community, and with everyone’s participation we can become stronger. There are companies now that give employees hours of paid time to contribute to nonprofits. That’s kind of a new thing. Executives who set that example are true leaders, in my opinion.
You’ve been active in numerous nonprofits over the course of your career. What are some causes, organizations or initiatives you’re involved in at the moment?
In addition to helping with the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce as a board member and the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i as a lifetime member, I’m involved in a women’s group within the American Lung Association called Lung Force. People don’t know it, but lung cancer is the largest [cancer] killer of women. Since there aren’t indicators or pre-screenings like with breast cancer, many don’t find out they have it until it is very serious. A lot more research is needed, and research takes dollars, so it’s really an advocacy and communication effort. There is a lot of work that needs to be done.
I’m still active after so many years in the University of Hawai‘i Travel Industry Management alumni association. Tourism is our main economic engine, and I believe we can “export” the aloha spirit by being models of good service in hospitality. Hospitality creates peace—the more people travel, get to know people from other countries and learn other languages, the more chance we have at living peacefully.
Another big initiative of mine is bringing people back home to live and work. It’s a challenge with our cost of living, but there are advantages to coming home and raising a family or building a career here after you go to the mainland for work or college, even if it means a reduction in salary. It would be nice if we could bring people home a little more aggressively, but that would entail not just solving our real estate crises but improving public transportation and so much more. We as a community need to solve these problems. While my work is focused on helping employers find good people to work for them, we should always be aware of ways we can work together to live better in this community.
Catching up with Chris Hong
After establishing his career in Seattle, Washington, local architect Chris Hong was drawn back to Hawai‘i in 2011 with a fervor for making his home a better place. That’s when he joined Group 70 International, a company co-founded by his father, Norman G.Y. Hong. Since being featured in Pacific Edge magazine in 2016, Hong parted from Group 70 to join local real estate firm Redmont Group as president of architecture.
He is currently finishing up his term as Honolulu chapter president of the American Institute of Architects, where he co-chaired the 2018 Design Symposium. “We live in a small community, and this symposium we called Building Voices: Livable Cities & Communities is really building the collective voices of people doing good work and trying to bring them together because we all have the same mission,” he says. “We’re all tackling some of the same issues.”
Hong has also started his term as vice president and president-elect for the Hawaii Architectural Foundation and will be starting his three-year term as president this year. He’s served on the Cal Poly College of Architecture & Environmental Design Dean’s Leadership Counsel, continues to teach once a year at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa and is on the build committee for Honolulu Habitat for Humanity.
His most recent—and, arguably, his biggest—move came in August 2018, when Hong left Redmont Group to start his own firm, Chris Hong Design. With this new and exciting endeavor, Hong is focusing on becoming a trusted advisor to clients looking to evolve their business, acting through a partnership rather than the typical company-client relationship. Though it’s too soon for Hong to provide any further detail, he hints at his company’s growing momentum in the coming months.
Michael Yasui
President
Corporate Environments International
What industry trends or innovations are you most excited about?
All employers are looking for the smartest, brightest employees. Talented people prefer to work in an aesthetic, welcoming environment. Open floor plans, multipurpose spaces, touchdown areas, ergonomic, body-friendly chairs and desks, new color palettes and tech-ready interfaces help attract and keep great employees. At CEI, our focus is on designing and creating workspaces that inspire, evolve and endure—workspaces where employees are happy to spend eight or more hours a day.
How does the workplace environment impact employee productivity, creativity and their overall work experience?
Today’s workplace is so much more than an environment in which people work. Smart furniture and furnishings can directly affect an employer’s bottom line.
Improved acoustics help control noise, reduce noise stress and allow your employees to focus and concentrate better. Innovative “huddle” areas encourage teamwork and build a sense of community. Stylish, striking furniture and furnishings give employees a sense of pride in their company, help you recruit new talent, foster innovation, visually communicate your brand and values while impressing visiting customers.
In what ways are you redefining the modern workplace in Hawai‘i?
By bringing in new corporate furniture concepts without losing our sense of aloha. We strive to design and create stylish workspaces that are grounded in Hawai‘i’s unique workplace culture yet embrace workplace innovations found in cities like San Francisco, New York or Hong Kong. Our furniture and furnishings feature the latest fabrics and colors and the most cutting-edge materials and technologies available globally. Our DIRTT modular wall systems, for instance, provide radical flexibility so you can reconfigure, expand and grow without breaking the bank.
What’s the hardest or most valuable lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
Sometimes we may not be the right fit for a customer, and if that means turning away potential business, we’ll do just that because it is the right thing to do. We always strive to foster a long-term relationship with our clients. We’re in it for the long haul: 23 years and counting. We value getting to know our clients and their stories, goals and dreams, then applying all of our professional skills to help them make their company successful and profitable. Not just this year, but for years to come.
Dean Uchida
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.
Joseph Boivin Jr.
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.
Nathan Saint Clare
Principal
AHL
Where do you seek inspiration for your work? Can you give examples of ideas you’ve sourced from daily life?
Architecture is a social and public art. With my fine arts background, I have found a freedom to borrow, interpret and transform ideas from a constellation of sources: environment, history, art, film, literature, food—wherever the moment takes me. The creative process gives me incredible energy and optimism; knowing that the next beautiful idea can be found anywhere is a constant source of inspiration. I am continuously looking for dots to connect in the future—to make the built environment healthier, sustainable and poetic.
A good example from daily life comes from the walks I used to take from my house to the bus stop in Kailua. When working on the design for Lau Hala Shops, I would walk through the surrounding neighborhoods to get a better feel for the eclectic beach town character that Kailua is known for. Those walks and the variety of fencing, patterns and screening elements I saw led directly to the design of the wood screens and pavilion on the corner of Kailua Road and Lauhala Lane. The old Macy’s building was out of scale for the pedestrian. Introducing a residential-scaled “beach pavilion” to the corner made that intersection more dynamic and inviting.
Like a simple wood screen transformed, I look for thoughtful design elements that move past pastiche and are inspired by a deeper understanding of place and community.
What’s your favorite building or project in Hawai‘i?
To borrow from Dean Stern during my days at Yale, I would never say I have a favorite building, just like I don’t have a favorite son now that I have two sons. I tend to have favorite moments, and we are fortunate that Hawai‘i has some transcendental indoor-outdoor spaces. Whether I am walking by the post office, courthouse colonnade, the YWCA internal courtyard or in the central plaza of the State Capitol, I am constantly reminded of how much the environment influences the design of our projects.
What project or development you’ve worked on best exemplifies your design aesthetic or approach?
One thing I love about AHL is that there is no recognizable design aesthetic or style. We believe the design process, project, place, traditions and client are the driving design forces. As a collaborative designer, I am very excited about the work AHL is doing in the Kalihi neighborhood. For the past year, I have been working on the design for two catalytic projects in Kalihi: Mayor Wright Homes and the Kalihi-Palama Health Center. Providing more healthcare and affordable housing is a priority for Hawai’i and, in a broader context, designing facilities for families in need is a touchstone for all architects.
I always say architects design in poetry and build in prose. The tower for Mayor Wright Homes is an excellent example, where the design team closely studied the site, its history and its importance in the community over the years. One interpretation of the origin of the name Kalihi comes from ka lihi or “the edge.” We were very interested in the poetic symbolism and multivalent meaning behind the idea. I developed a poetic design narrative for the project that supports the idea of “edges,” and we have integrated expressive elements in the massing, material and plan of the tower that will make this project a vibrant addition to the Honolulu skyline.
What industry trends are you most excited about?
Right now, I am really excited about Hawai‘i’s added focus on resiliency. Beyond sustainability, resiliency is looking at future-proofing the built environment. As architects, we design in three dimensions, but resiliency challenges us to design with a fourth dimension in mind—the future. In addition to being more energy efficient, the future will demand that our buildings better embrace changing environmental conditions. Driven by our CEO, Bettina Mehnert, AHL is engaged in several significant projects where resiliency is driving the design process, and we are excited to be leading this industry shift in Hawai‘i.
What are some design challenges or opportunities specific to Hawai‘i?
Like the question suggests, the biggest design challenge is also one of its greatest opportunities. It will be no surprise to anyone that the cost of construction is the answer to both questions. They say necessity is the mother of invention, and here in Hawai‘i we have to be very creative in using cost-effective materials and techniques in elegant and unexpected ways. Another major opportunity is that Hawai‘i has a large supply of Modernist architecture, much of it from AHL, which lends itself beautifully to adaptive reuse. I see this as a pathway to a more sustainable and resilient future in Hawai‘i and necessary to meet our energy-reduction goals.
What advice do you have for up-and-coming architects and designers?
Sketch, travel, sketch, read, smile and find/be a mentor. Sketching is by far the most potent tool the architect has. I remember learning years ago to roll out your tracing paper and pens when meeting with a potential client and start sketching your thoughts out for them. Because in that moment, while they watch you draw, something magical happens. They stop seeing you as an architect and start seeing you as “their” architect. That connection is priceless.