My Job

Shannon McCormick says hearing tests and hearing aids fittings are just part of her duties as a doctor of audiology.

Stacey Dilwith works with an all-female team skilled at anatomy, chemistry, cosmetology and restorative art.

Desiree Page's dad was one of the first hundred people in Illinois to become a certified arborist. Now she works as a System Arborist for Hawaiian Electric Co.

NAME: Shawn Steiman AGE: 42 JOB: Coffee Consultant & Owner, Coffea Consulting BEGINNINGS: “Coffee had been a hobby of mine since high school, so it was something that has been a part of my life for a long time,” says…

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…

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…

Name: Samuel K. Peck Age: 57 Job: Heavy equipment operator foreman, Goodfellow Bros. Inc., Waikoloa office, Hawai‘i Island Beginnings: Peck grew up and lives in Waimea, where his father owned a trucking and heavy equipment company. “My dad was my…

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…

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…

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…

Name: Shaden Sato Age: 37 Job: Banquet and events chef, Halekulani Start: “My first job was as a short order cook at Zippy’s when I was 16” and still in school, he recalls. Sato graduated from the culinary arts program…

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…

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…

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…

Name: Lincoln Smith Age: 34 Job: Tow Truck Operator and Owner, Areo Towing & Recovery The Kaimuki High School graduate got the idea to start his own towing company in 2012 when he was working as a security guard at…

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…

Name: Kamakaniolu De Dely Age: 36 Job: Unexploded ordnance technician team leader Start: The Waianae High School graduate received a certificate from Texas A&M University's Unexploded Ordinance Technician Level 1 program in 2006 after working as a bomb sweeper for several…

Name: Caden Morikuni Age: 41 Job: Software architect, RevaComm Start: Morikuni was raised in Aiea and went to Iolani School. He has a B.S. in computer and information science from the University of Oregon. “Initially, I was in the architecture program and decided…

Name: Casey Fortuno Age: 35 Job: Party character actor and owner, Storybook Entertainment Inc. Start: Fortuno began singing in musical productions right out of high school and has been a full-time performer ever since. Her husband is Elvis impersonator Johnny Fortuno. “I opened…