How has the Roberts Hawaii business or consumer demographic evolved over the course of your career? 

Roberts Hawaii is one of the few local companies with strong family ties to the original owners, the Iwamoto family. Though it has become more than a tour company in the hospitality industry and merged into an employer of choice within the state, we still honor our mission statement of providing quality transportation, tours and entertainment in a safe and service-focused manner, delivered by employees who perpetuate the unique culture of Hawai‘i.

In the time since I’ve joined the company, we have expanded to include an airport express that does transfers to and from the hotel. We run our rental car passenger vehicles within the airport in close collaboration with the customs department and created a very high-end offering called the Hoku Luxury Tours. We still have our long-running dinner show, the Magic of Polynesia, and we provide constant shuttles to and from various attractions on four major islands.

We also operate 85 percent of the Department of Education school buses and assist with mass transit on the neighbor islands. We’ve grown our fleets to consist of motor coaches, mini buses, mini vans and school buses, and  I’ve helped our Japan sales team increase their business and customer service.

What other trends and industry dynamics have you observed over the course of your career?

We live in a highly technological world where Instagram, Facebook and Twitter rule many customers’ decisions on what to do on their vacation. People rely on social media and things like Yelp reviews to see what is hot and trending, and we see Roberts Hawaii moving in that direction.

What does it take to be an effective leader?

Practicing active listening with your employees and their needs. I feel I am a good communicator and a good mediator between our executive-level and line employees. “Lokahi,” which means teamwork, is one of our key values that we preach every day and something I practice with all my team members.

I have always been fortunate to be around successful people with strong leadership skills. Being a self-starter, owning a business and learning what it takes to make that business work takes leadership to a whole different level. When you depend upon employees to manage your business, you look at things differently. Trust is a huge part of developing a team and that takes a long time to accomplish, but if you coach, educate, communicate effectively and listen to people, the outcome can be a positive experience.

How would you describe your leadership style?

Straightforward and to the point. I like to give my team achievable goals and make sure that I am available if they need my help to achieve them. I like to surround myself with people who have qualities that make me better at my job and, with that synergy, we all benefit by creating a winning team.

Any predictions or new developments at Roberts Hawaii in the pipeline?

I can’t reveal anything yet, but we are currently working on some new ventures that will position Roberts Hawaii to become a leader in the transportation business for visitors coming to Hawai‘i.