Even as the FDA works to pass legislation that will mar the electronic cigarette industry with the same prohibitive laws that regulate tobacco, the e-cigarette industry is bigger than ever—vape retail outlets number more than 60,000 across the country. But the product’s market saturation and legal restrictions haven’t deterred Josh Burnett and Cory Smith, founders of Volcano Fine Electronic Cigarettes. Josh’s interest in e-cigarettes began after he got a job offer to sell them for a multi-level marketing company in 2010. He realized he could sell e-cigarettes as an online retailer, so he reached out to Cory for additional startup capital and to become a partner in the business. “We basically were able to introduce the product to the state of Hawai‘i,” says Cory. “At our first kiosk at Pearlridge Mall, we had lines that would stretch from one end of the mall to the other.”

Josh and Cory created the first brick-and-mortar vape store in the islands in 2011. They have grown their e-cigarette business to be the largest in the state. Josh and Cory have remained competitive in the industry thanks to their understanding of the e-cigarette industry, their penchant for new technologies and, most importantly, their connection with the consumer. “We’ve helped long-term smokers lessen their risk by using e-cigarettes to try and quit smoking,” Cory says. “When your product affects people’s lives like that, there’s a relationship there.”