My Job: The Tree Advocate
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.
My Job
My Job: Coffee Expert
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…
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…
Playing “With Tonka Toys in Real Life”
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…
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…
Picking the Right Fish
Name: Robert Fram VII Age: 26 Job: Fish buyer, Garden & Valley Isle Seafood Inc. Beginnings: Fram graduated from Hawai‘i Pacific University in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a minor in business management. His father started…
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…
High-Class Cuisine, With Local Touches
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…
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: Car Trouble - Who You Going to Call?
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…
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…
My Job: Building Resilience into a Whole County
Name: Joshua Stanbro Age: 47 Job: Chief Resilience Officer and Executive Director, Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resilience, City and County of Honolulu Start: The California native graduated from the Berkeley School of Law in 2001 but says he…
My Job: Explosive Vocation
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…
My Job: Software Architect
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…
My Job: The Life of a Princess (and Her Cast of Hundreds)
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…
Food Truck Lets Him Be Chef and Owner
Name: Marcos Rebibis Age: 42 Job: Chef and owner, Koi Catering & Takeout, dba Koi Food Truck Start: Rebibis was born in the Philippines but moved to Honolulu with his parents when he was 2. The Roosevelt High graduate received his chef’s certificate…
Strategy Manager's Role: Don't Just Do It; Plan It First
Name: Jason D’Olier Age: 41 Job: Senior VP and Business Planning & Strategy Manager, Bank of Hawaii Start: D’Olier was born and raised in East Honolulu and received a B.A. in mathematical economics from Pomona College and an MBA from Georgetown University. Despite…
Water Slide Tester
Name: Keanu Santana Age: 22 Job: Water slide tester and operations supervisor, Wet’n’Wild Hawaii Start: Santana grew up in Waianae and graduated from Waianae High School in 2014. “What I love about the school is that it’s located right next to the ocean,”…
Protecting Art for Posterity
Name: Cynthia Low Age: 50 Job: Director of collections and exhibitions registrar, Honolulu Museum of Art Start: Low was born in Los Angeles and raised on Maui. She got her bachelor’s degree in art history at UH Manoa, her master’s in architecture from…
Lactation Consultant Offers Babies a Good Start in Life
Name: Aly Certo Age: 37 Job: Registered nurse and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children Start: Certo was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California. She received a bachelor’s in recreation administration from Cal Poly, San Luis…
Going, Going, But Not Yet Gone: Gender Bias in Family Businesses
Gender bias still exists within the leadership of many local family businesses, but its hold slips as new generations take over.
All of Hawaii's Eight Gecko Species are Nonnative
Geckos are iconic in Hawaii, as much as pineapples or ukuleles, and, like them, are not native to the Islands. The Polynesians brought them here about 1,500 years ago along with other plants and animals. Today, there are eight gecko…
What New Federal COVID-19 Relief Bill Means for Hawaiʻi Employers
The $900 billion pandemic aid bill passed by Congress at the end of 2020 aims to drive more money to small and minority-owned businesses.
