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…
Leasehold Properties: A Deal or a Drain?
While most of the state’s leasehold single-family properties have converted to fee simple ownership over the past few decades, the leasehold option remains alive in the condo market.
The Future of Hawai‘i Health Care Is Now – Part II
COVID-19 is accelerating many changes in health care beyond telemedicine, including how doctors, nurses and other health care professionals are trained; new rules on vaccinations and testing; and how we handle future pandemics.
How to Increase Visitor Spending
Millions more tourists are coming to Hawai‘i and venturing beyond the resort areas – crowding our parks, beaches, hiking trails, roads and more. But total inflation-adjusted visitor spending has actually declined, which means there is no extra money to fix…
