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…