Careers

My Job: Busy with Bees

We are continuing to publish stories researched and written before the COVID-19 crisis, such as this one. Name: Dennis Takata Age: 69 Job: Beekeeper & Owner, Hawaiʻi Tropical Honey   Beginnings: "My wife's grandfather came to Hawaiʻi from Japan to…

My Job: Forecasting Weather

Name: Thomas R. Birchard Jr. Age: 50 Job: Senior forecaster, National Weather Service Honolulu/Central Pacific Hurricane Center Beginnings: After high school in the New Jersey/New York area, Birchard joined his mother on Kaua‘i. “I worked as a crew member for…

How to Change Course in Midcareer

Whether considering a new position in the same company or pivoting to a new career, consider the lessons learned from these local leaders. Here are edited and condensed excerpts from a session held at Hawaii Business Magazine’s Wahine Forum in…

Sizing Up Earthquakes

Name: Jefferson Chang Age: 40 Job: Geophysicist/seismologist, U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, Hawai‘i Island Beginnings: Chang is from Waimānalo on O‘ahu and a Kailua High School graduate. “I ended up in Flagstaff, Arizona, where I received a B.S. in…

Rescue By Land and By Sea

Name: Garrett Barker Age: 35 Job: Lieutenant Commander, MH-65 Dolphin helicopter pilot, U.S. Coast Guard Beginnings: Barker was born in Dallas and grew up nearby. “My house was located along a military flight training route and I regularly saw fighter…

Laughter Therapy

Name: Joyce Marvel-Benoist (MAR-velle Ben-WAH) Age: 58 Job: Laughter coach and owner, The Exclusive Hawaii, an addiction treatment center in Hakalau on Hawai‘i Island Beginnings: Marvel-Benoist was born and raised in the rural coastal community of Tillamook County, Oregon. “My…

My Job: Aquarium Biologist

Name: Johnathan Casey Age: 31 Job: Senior aquarium biologist and laboratory manager, Waikīkī Aquarium Beginnings: “I was first inspired to become an aquarium biologist when I was 6 during a field trip to the Seattle Aquarium,” Casey recalls. “I was…

Stylist to the Stars

Name: Paulette Crammond Job: Hair, makeup and wardrobe stylist for film, TV and stage productions Start: Paulette Crammond was born and raised around Huntington Beach, California. “I was secretary/paddler for the Southern California Outrigger Canoe Association. They come every year…

The Real World of Private Investigators

Name: Elise Johnson Age: 56 Job: Private investigator and owner, Busch Investigations Inc., which uses her maiden name. Start: “I grew up watching ‘Charlie’s Angels’ on TV, and I thought I could be Farrah Fawcett,” Johnson quips. “The job’s not…

A Clown’s Life

NAME: Steve Hawkes JOB: Performer and owner, Stevo the Clown START: “When I was 8, I got this pogo stick and a unicycle under the Christmas tree, so I mastered both of them early on,” Hawkes recalls. “I was in…

My Job: Protecting Animals

Name: Tom Chmielowicz Age: 36 Job: Humane investigator, Hawaiian Humane Society Start: The New Jersey native received a bachelor’s degree in environmental economics  from Rutgers University in 2006. He moved to Honolulu in 2014 to be closer to his fiancee’s family. “I had…

Jam All Day and Night

Island Sound Studios in Hawaii Kai has hosted stars like Kanye West, Beyonce and Rihanna "My thing is keeping this studio open for Hawaii,” Gaylord Holomalia says. “It’s more of a mission for me. I want it to be available…