HBuzz

The Science of Planning

Maui County is one of only two United States Geological Survey (USGS) science impact pilot sites in the nation. The county was selected in February, because of the pioneering ways it uses science to address issues facing the county, according to Wayne Boteilho, deputy planning director.

As an impact site, the county gains access to the USGS database. The information will be useful in developing a water model that implements a cost-benefit analysis of the current use of groundwater. The model will also determine if and when a switch to desalinization or the use of surface water will be economically feasible.

Another county project utilizing USGS data explores the proliferation of the invasive coqui frog. Scenarios will be plugged into the system to determine the rate at which the coqui population will grow if, for example, $10 million versus $30 million is put into the eradication program.

Maui County is also developing the first Spatial Growth Model in the state, which will help in planning new roads and communities. Currently, the county knows where businesses are located. The new model will forecast where the businesses should be located. - Lori Anne Tomonari

The Icon Maker Last April, as we were busy researching and writing about Hawaii's icons of the past 50 years, one of the state's great icon makers passed away. Lester Rouse Baird Jr., who was 90 years old, was founder and president of R. Baird & Co. Inc., Hawaii's oldest and largest souvenir company. He sold hundreds of different kinds of souvenirs, keepsakes and trinkets to millions of visitors, everything from gecko letter openers and banana harmonicas to flower-print shot glasses and hula girl key chains. Photo: Wesley Funai Baird came to Hawaii in 1944 as a member of the civil service, working at Pearl Harbor till the end of the World War II. In 1948, he founded R. Baird & Co. Inc., a one-man costume jewelry company. Baird manufactured, sold and delivered his products himself. Several years later, realizing Hawaii's potential as a mass-market tourist destination, Baird worked with East Coast distributors to bring affordable souvenirs to Hawaii in large quantities. It was Baird who sold Sidney Kosasa the first souvenirs the young pharmacist would offer in his drug stores. Kosasa would go on to found the convenience store chain ABC Stores, and the rest is Hawaii retail history. "My grandfather fell in love with Hawaii when he first arrived here and he knew others would, too," says Leegayle Denton, R. Baird vice president, who oversees day-to-day operations at the company. "From the very beginning, he believed in taking the lowest markup possible, but bringing in a wide variety of products in large quantities. It's a strategy that worked then and it continues to work for the company today." - David K. Choo

Fighting Theft Tooth and Nail

Construction theft is hardly new. For decades, thieves have preyed on empty job sites, stealing anything and everything that isn't nailed down - from tools and lumber to heavy equipment. Nationally, theft losses total nearly $1 billion annually, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau. But even though local construction theft closely mirrors national trends, longtime construction veteran Denny Watts says the problem is exacerbated in the Islands.

"Because of the costs and extra time it takes to ship supplies to Hawaii, it creates additional problems and costs for local construction firms, even more so with the amount of work going on right now," says Watts, whose construction firm, Miller/ Thompson, opened a Hawaii office in February 2004. "And it's not just affecting our bottom lines. Those losses are calculated back into the cost of doing business." Recent studies report that construction theft results in a 1 percent to 2 percent increase in cost to new home buyers.

On a positive note, many companies, tired of seeing their items turn up at local pawnshops or on eBay, are looking to new technologies to increase security and combat theft. Portable alarm systems, wireless security devices, and even barcode systems that identify and track inventory, are becoming more commonplace on job sites, according to Watts. "People nowadays have a better understanding of the impact of theft," says Watts. "The funny thing is, these people are very creative and have come up with amazing ways to steal things, so you could only imagine what they could come up with, if they could just channel it in a different, positive direction." - Jacy L. Youn