Summary HSCP 2002-2007 Luncheon Series Summary
Luncheon Meetings are open to the public.

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February 2008 The February Luncheon on Leadership for personal and organizational success was inspirational for a record-breaking attendance. Annabel Chotzen presented “Leadership Communication Strategies.” She highlighted how professional and personal relationships improve by understanding why people act the way they do. She presented a quick, simple way to relate to people more effectively regardless of their personality. Annabel shared her “Seven Strategies for Successful Communication.” Linda Giles of Life Inspired shared how she was able to experience personal and professional success she never dreamed possible. She discussed how “Knowing Thyself” was an essential component of achieving personal goals and motivating others to achieve theirs. Linda connected with the audience in practical, passionate and personal ways and delivered a clear and compelling message that incited participants to action. Retired Judge Thomas Ka‘auwai Kaulukukui, Jr., who is now Chairman of the Queen Liliuokalani Board of Trustees, addressed “Leading Change: The Human Factor.” He spoke about how leaders must help their people understand, withstand, accept & embrace change. He shared how his varied life experiences have helped him take a practical and direct approach to leading and teaching leadership. His reputation for being an extraordinarily popular speaker and mentor was proven to be well deserved.

June 2007 - Allen Doane, A&B's CEO spoke to HSCP members and guests on June 21. His emphasis on how A&B creates value reminded all attendees that they must not have a self-centered perspective but to keep the customers' view always in mind.  His comments about staying focused on corporate core strengths and values as part of a long-range success strategy also resonated.  He shared how A&B leveraged its shipping container expertise to develop a logistics business without any physical assets.  Mr. Doane also shared that land assets used to be their most valuable asset but today A&B's knowledge and reputation reign supreme.  His thought that good, simple ideas are often the most difficult to recognize reminded attendees to clearly understand and define their goals and challenges and to use them as guides during business strategy development and planning.

May 2007 – HPU Business Education – HPU attracts students from over 100 countries to its Hawaii campuses, making it one of the world’s most diverse campuses.  HPU’s new dean of the College of Business Administration, Dr. Chuck Steilen, explained the strengths of the school’s business curriculum, which represents a collaboration of students, faculty and local business people.  Steilen discussed his ideas for improving the curriculum, including more emphasis on critical thinking and business decision-making to develop students into effective business managers. Steilen helped to lead the development and expansion of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and has extensive experience in marketing and management consulting for organizations and governments in Asia and Canada.

April 2007 – How to Live Longer and Healthier– With over 30 years of research about the world’s longest-lived people, the Okinawans, Dr. Bradley Wilcox discussed the results of this research and key answers to the question of longevity.  Dr. Wilcox is a National Institutes of Health-funded scientist in geriatrics at the Pacific Health Research Institute.  He is also an Internal Medicine and Geriatrics physician-scientist at Queen’s and Kuakini Medical Center and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine.

March 2007 – Waikiki Beach Walk – New Faces & Places – Outrigger’s new Waikiki Beach Walk is fast becoming the place for locals and visitors to dine and shop.  Our panelists from leading restaurants and a unique retailer discussed what motivated them and challenges of opening their businesses in this new location. Speakers included Patrick Faas—general manager of the Yard House, Bill Tobin—managing partner of Holokai Grill, Maile Meyer—managing member of Mana Hawaii and moderator Barbara Campbell, Vice President, Retail Development & Leasing of Outrigger Enterprises Group.

February 2007 – Current Human Resource Issues – Hawaii is experiencing one of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S. and this tight labor market makes human resource issues critical for managers and organizations.  Our panelists discussed their most effective hiring practices, screening and selection procedures and brought us up-to-date with important human resource legal issues.  Shannon Maresca—executive recruiter with Maresca & Associates, Karen Honma—Director of Human Resources for Halekulani Hotel, Tamara Girard—employment/labor attorney with Torkildson, Katz, Fonseca, Moore & Hetherington.

January 2007 – Breaking New Ground at the University of Hawaii (UH) – Attracting nearly $400 million in research and training grants and contracts in the past year, UH is ranked number 25 in the country among public universities for federal expenditures on research.  The breadth of activities for these research grants were highlighted by our speakers, including Dr. Gary Ostrander—UH Manoa Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education, Dr. Rolf-Peter Kudritzki—Director of the UH Institute for Astronomy and Dr. Peter Crouch – the new Dean of the UH College of Engineering.

November 2006 – Cool Tech Tools – Our panel of techie experts discussed and demonstrated several new technologies and devices, such as Skype Phone, Blackberry and wireless networking for the home and office.  Our expert panelists were Mike Meyer—President of CTA, a high technology consulting firm, Jay Fidell—founder of Think Tech Hawaii radio program, and Ho’ala Greevy—former Silicon Valley entrepreneur and president of Pau Spam, an email filtering system.  Microsoft area manager, Jim Takatsuka provided a sneak preview of VISTA, Microsoft’s newest operating system.

October 2006 – Can We Afford a Fixed Rail Transit System? – Our panelists, Toru Hamayasu—chief of the City & County Transportation Planning Division, Cliff Slater—long-time fixed-rail skeptic and proponent of HOT lanes, with moderator Frances Mossman JD AICP, discussed fixed-rail rapid transit system costs and benefits, compared to other alternatives such as High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. 

September 2006 – The Killer B’s - Changes in Hawaii Politics – Just two days before the September 23rd primary elections, this panel of favorite local political analysts generated lively discussion about the many upcoming election contests.  The Killer B’s are Dan Boylan – Professor of History at UH West Oahu and political writer for MidWeek, Richard Borreca—political writer for The Honolulu Star-Bulletin, and Jerry Burris—editor of the editorial page for The Honolulu Advertiser.

August 2006 – Hawaii’s Film Industry – Donne Dawson, head of the Hawaii Film Office with DBEDT, and her staff of seven serve as liaison between productions and various state agencies to facilitate permitting and guidance for filming on state lands, including notable TV series like ABC’s “Lost” and several recent movie productions.  Dawson outlined the recently enacted Act 88, which offers competitive tax incentives to position the film industry to become a cost-effective choice for filmmakers and to become one of Hawaii’s economic growth engines.

June 2006 – Hawaii’s Affordable Housing Crisis– A panel of housing experts explored the economics of affordable housing from their distinct vantage points.  Panelists included Craig Watase--president of Mark Development, specializing in affordable single-family home projects, Kendall Hirai--Executive Director of the Hawaii HomeOwnership Center, and Senator Ron Menor—chair of the senate committee that champions affordable housing funding and legislation.

April 2006 – Future of Fuel Cell Technology – Darryl Nakamoto, Chief Financial Officer of Hoku Scientific, discussed the challenging startup of Hoku Scientific, from its humble beginnings to becoming a publicly traded company.  In August 2005, Hoku Scientific became the first Hawaii company to go public in six years when it debuted on the NASDAQ market.  Nakamoto explained the fundamentals of fuel cell technology and Hoku’s strategic positioning in the market. 

March 2006 – Flight Capital – David A. Heenan, trustee of the Estate of James Campbell and former Chairman & CEO of Theo H. Davies & Co., Ltd., discussed how the best and brightest in America are returning to their homelands, lured by bold actions by governments of emerging economies such as China and India.  Heenan identified actions that the U.S. (and Hawaii) can take to retain the immigrant brainpower that has always been vital to the U.S. economy.

February 2006 – Sustainable Tourism – Our panel of tourism experts provided an interesting discussion of the conflict of continued tourism growth versus sustaining Hawaii’s quality of life (social, economic and environmental).  Panelists included Frank Haas--vice president of marketing for the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Keith Viera--senior vice president, director of operations for Starwood Hotels (Hawaii and French Polynesia), Annette Kaohelauli’i--Hawaii Ecotourism Association, with moderator Paul Berry—local author & documentary filmmaker.

January 2006 - Aviation Industry Outlook - Dr. Sumner La Croix of UH's Department of Economics and an adjunct with the East-West Center gave our members and guests a fascinating overview of how the aviation industry is likely to evolve in the near future from a global, nation and local perspective.

La Croix's solid and in-depth analysis traced the flight pattern from historic high productivity in the airline industry, technological and organizational improvements to financial challenges in the post-911 era. During the last four years, the US airline industry has racked up an astounding $40 billion in losses. Locally, so-called "legacy" carriers are dealing with bankruptcy (Hawaiian in 2003 and 2005; and Aloha in 2004) even as they watch a new entrant, Mesa Air Group, which La Croix called a "serious but small competitor."

November 2005 - "The Kaka'ako Waterfront Project" - Michael Wright, Senior Vice President, Acquisitions and Investments of A&B Properties, Inc. teamed up with Francis Oda, Chairman & CEO of Group 70 International, to present an overview of the new Kaka`ako Waterfront plan.

As a mixed use destination, the project aims at serving as a "gathering place" to address Honolulu's needs for recreation, entertainment, and social exchange. Wright and Oda talked about ways in which the project's plan seeks to preserve and enhance the natural environment through landscaping, environmental sustainability and public access to ocean and shoreline. There has been a great deal of media attention on the project, both for and in opposition; our members heard first hand how the planning approach has endeavored to incorporate ideas into the ultimate design. One unique aspect was amphitheater, which would serve as a permanent home and venue for hula halau and other Hawaiian performing arts.

October 2005 – "Is Hawaii Experiencing a Real Estate Bubble?" Speaker: Ricky Cassiday, president and owner of Data@Work, a local real estate consulting firm. Mr. Cassiday spoke to 157 members and guests including many of Hawaii's developers and real estate professionals. Cassiday's humorous and insightful presentation was a blend of local real estate data and insights on the hot Hawaii residential real estate market. His presentation went beyond the local newspaper headlines, providing his perspective on current prices in light of historical market trends and the dynamics of affordable housing in the islands.

August 2005 – "Planning for Continuous Growth?" - Speaker: Gary Seibert, area vice president and managing director for Hilton's Hawaii region. HSCP joined with the Hawaii Hotel and Lodging Association to present this program, which was attended by over 115 members and guests. Seibert presented Hilton Hawaiian Village's extensive capital improvement, renovation and expansion plans. The lagoon, for example, is scheduled for a $13.5 million complete makeover, with landscaping, benches, drinking fountains, lighting and a boardwalk along the new sandy shore. He also discussed plans for the new $5 million Ocean Crystal Chapel, which upon completion early next year, will be Waikiki's first free-standing resort wedding chapel. The chapel will seat approximately 80 guests and will offer panoramic views through floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Hilton Hawaiian Village also plans to build a new time-share project at the site of the former Waikikian Hotel and Tahitian Lanai restaurant.

June 2005 - "Got Rail?" - Speaker: Gordon Lum, Executive Director of the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization (OMPO). Our members and guests learned that a majority of Oahu residents support both a rapid rail system, according to a recent study done by OMPO. Moreover, 57 percent would support a tax increase if it were the only way to build the rail system. As head of the organization responsible for Oahu's long range regional transportation planning. Lum outlined some startling projections regarding projected rush hour travel time and the importance of public input in the planning process. Currently the 2030 plan is being updated; for more information on OMPO or the Oahu Regional Transportation Plan, visit the website www.Oahumpo.org.

April 2005 - "Operation Fix" - Speaker: Mayor Mufi Hanneman. Mayor Hanneman shared his vision for Honolulu and talked about his administration's plans and how they will affect the business community. He explained his efforts, starting with basic city services, such as public safety, roads, and infrastructure needs, while also focusing on revitalizing the economy, private sector job growth and quality development.

March 2005 - "The Future of the University of Hawai'i College of Business Administration" - Speaker: V. Vance Roley became the new dean of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa's College of Business Administration on January 1, 2005. He also holds the chair of First Hawaiian Bank Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Management. Before coming to Hawaii, Dean Roley was acting dean and Hughes M. Blake Professor of Finance at the School of Business at the University of Washington, where he worked to strengthen UW's joint MBA and executive programs with business schools in Korea, Taiwan, and Japan.

February 2005 – Don’t be Left in the Dark: Be Part of Hawaii’s Energy Future” – Speaker: Robbie Alm, HECO SVP for Public Affairs. Alm discussed HECO’s plans for dealing with the Oahu’s rising demand for electric power and its static and aging supply. According to Alm, their new plant, scheduled for completion at Campbell Industrial Park by 2009, will not require the importing any more oil to the State. Alm discussed ways that businesses can reduce energy costs, such as retrofiting air conditioning units and designing condominiums and buildings using combined heat power.

January 2005 – Hilo Hattie & Maui Divers: Two Kamaaina Companies Partner Up To Widen Market Reach – Panel: Paul I. deVille, President and CEO of Pomare, Ltd. (Hilo Hattie) and Robert Taylor, President and CEO of Maui Divers of Hawaii. Mr. deVille and Mr. Taylor provided an interesting and entertaining perspective of the synergies of their collaborative advertising and marketing programs. The strategic association of Hilo Hattie and Maui Divers enables both companies to showcase their products and to expand their reach to visitors, as well as to residents. These well-respected kamaaina companies have become more competitive, are attracting new customers and are on their way to reaching the next level of retail success.

October 2004 – Killer Bs – Panel: Dan Boyland, professor and politics writer; Richard Borreca, political writer for the Honolulu Star Bulleton; and Jerry Burris, editor of the editorial page of The Honolulu Advertiser. Three of Hawaii’s most interesting political commentators joined HSCP again to bisect, dissect and probe the candidates and likely outcomes.

September 2004 – UH – Funding Hawaii’s Future – Speaker: David McClain, acting president, UH System. These are tumultuous times at the University of Hawaii, but the university is back in good hands, thanks to Mr. McClain, formerly the university’s vice president for academic affairs and before that dean of the UH Manoa college of Business Administration. Mr. McClain spoke positively about the continuing growth and development of Hawaii’s leading center of higher education, research and economic development. He discussed the university’s strategic plan, his vision for “Funding Hawaii’s Future”, as well as the upcoming 100th anniversary in 2007.

June 2004 – Setting the State in Kaka’ako? – Speaker: Daniel Dinell, Executive Director of the Hawaii Community Development Authority. Dinell discussed the exciting plans for the transformation of the state-owned Kaka’ako waterfront into a contemporary “urban village”, offering a mix of recreational, cultural and educational facilities. The development plans for the 670-acre district also include several luxury high-rise condominium projects, anchored by the John A. Burns School of Medicine, scheduled to open in 2005. Dinell’s two-fold outcome-based approach to planning are: 1) support and grow existing businesses while creating new economic opportunities that strengthen and diversify Honolulu’s economy; and 2) encourage vibrant neighborhoods where people work, live and play.

May 2004 – Is the FBI in Your Business? – Speaker: Charles Goodwin, Special Agent in charge of the FBI Honolulu District Office. Mr. Goodwin described the FBI’s role in national and State security and the impact of security changes to Hawaii’s visitor industry and businesses. He also discussed the changes to the FBI’s diverse operations since September 11, 2001, ranging from national security, murder, drug trafficking, bank robberty, kidnapping, extortion, air piracy, bank fraud, civil rights, organized crime, cyber crime, as well as business investigations such as health care fraud, public corruption and white collar crime.

April 2004 – Who Benefits from Hawaii Timeshares? – Panel: David Miller, President & CEO of Architects Hawaii; Mitch Imanaka, Managing Principal of Imanaka Kudo & Fujimoto; Mark Wang, Vice President of Hilton Grand Vacations Club. Our panelists provided a crash course on the role of timeshares in Hawaii’s hospitality offerings. These three speakers, a lawyer, architect and hotelier, provided a great overview of the state of the market in Hawaii. Di you know that more people come to Hawaii to enjoy a timeshare vacation than for all meetings and conventions combined? There are 74 timeshare resorts in Hawaii and six companies with more than $20 million in annual sales. For Hilton Grand Vacations Club, over 50 percent of those sales are to Japanese.

March 2004 – Will the Trust Be Broken? – Speaker: Dee Jay Mailer, CEO of Kamehameha Schools. Dee Jay Mailer discussed one of her biggest priorities – To expand the reach of Kamehameha beyond the 153,000 students, or 38 percent of the Hawaiian target population, currently attending some kind of program offered by the school. “Our mission is far too urgent to waste time”, she reminded listeners. Ms. Mailer’s speech to HSCP was incredibly inspiring and instructional, providing some extremely valuable lessons about leadership and obtaining the best performance from those working in your organization.

February 2004 – The Honolulu Advertiser – Pressing For Change? Speaker: William Bogert, Vice President of Production. Mr. Bogert gave HSCP members a glimpse of things to come at The Honolulu Advertiser’s new printing plant at Kapolei. The presses will allow The Advertiser not only to provide a better quality printing job, but go after new commercial printing jobs in Hawaii currently produced by private printers. One big advantage? Paper will be delivered by ship directly to Barber’s Point, then stored in the new plant, a big improvement over the just-in-time delivery system used now due to lack of space at the existing building. The new plant will reduce slightly the number of workers required, and it took over one year to come to terms with the six unions that work wit hthe newspaper. All is well, according to Bogert, and ready to open on time and on cost on July 19, 2004.

January 2004 – Military Housing Booms in Hawaii: Or Not? – Speaker: Charles B. Read, Executive Project Director, Fluor Federal Services. Mr. Read described to HSCP the details behind the company’s partnership with Hunt Building Corporation and its deal with the Department of Navy. The Navy will lease land in exchange for Fluor’s development, operation and maintenance of military housing on Ford Island. The partnership with Hunt is new to Fluor, as is military housing, and Mr. Read made it clear that Hawaii is a unique step for the company. Fluor has subcontracted out 90 percent of the work to Hunt Building Corporation.

November 2003 – Water, Water Everywhere? Speaker: Peter Young, Director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Mr. Young discussed water issues facing the State and the difficult job of monitoring the enormous resources under DLNR’s stewardship, including 1.3 million acres of public land trust, 2 million acres of conservation land, all beaches and submerged lands, and over 800 leases per year, water (129 dams, 376 perennial streams, 750 miles of coastline – the 4th longest in the country, 410,000 acres of coral reefs, 3 million acres of near-shore waters, 3,500 commercial fishing licenses, and 260,000 recreational anglers. Mr. Young spoke with common sense, concern and creativity about his efforts and ideas to make Hawaii government as good a steward of its natural resources as possible.



Summary HSCP 2002-2003 Luncheon Series Summary