Business Profile Stories

B12 PACIFIC BUSINESS NEWS | pacificbusinessnews.com BUSINESS LEADERSHIP HAWAII 2011 OCTOBER 7, 2011

Finalists – Best in Business (More than 41 full -time employees)

BY LYNN NAKAGAWAPACIFIC BUSINESS NEWS

In 2005, Denny Watts of Watts Construc-tors set the goal of becoming the best

federal contractor in the Pacific Rim. Two years later, Watts, president of the company bearing his name, moved his corporate office from California to Ha-waii in an effort to take advantage of the work related to the transfer of thousands of U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam.

The company is now global, with of-fices in Singapore as well as Colorado, California, and Washington state. Watts said the next step is expanding to Eastern Europe to solidify the company’s position.

Last year the company generated more than $300 million in revenue, up from $15 million in 2005. To accomplish this tremendous growth, several years ago Watts Constructors made a strategic de-cision to pursue federal work instead of commercial contracts, with an emphasis on the multibillion-dollar market for U.S. military work in Guam.

As the former president of Fletcher Pacific Construction Co., Watts lived in Guam from 1989 to 1995 so he knew the territory. The company built hotels and condominiums, and Watts understood how important that market was going to be as the Japan and U.S. governments agreed to move thousands of Marines and their dependents from Okinawa to Guam.

“[Going to Guam] was all strategic. We planned on being there, getting our feet wet, growing our company and establishing a background with our

people,” Watts said. “And we did it as early as we possibly could.”

In 2005 and 2006, Watts sent a small team to Guam to establish an office and warehouse, among other facilities, to prepare for the military buildup. The investment paid off, as Watts Construc-tors snagged key contracts, including an $80 million project awarded by the Navy to replace 204 homes damaged by a typhoon in North Tipalao.

“We’ve invested in it, we’ve bet on it and we’ve put infrastructure in place to lever-age it in a way to bring good returns to our-

selves and our stockholders,” Watts said. Watts said the houses for the $80 mil-

lion project are a template for larger federal projects in the area, and he hopes this will ensure a continued revenue stream from similar projects. The com-pany now has $300 million worth of contracts on Guam and is working on the Naval hospital there.

In 2005, Watts Constructors employed only 16 people, and has since grown to employ 400. Watts believes in retaining the right people and allowing employees to grow in their roles at the company. The

company keeps growth profiles for the employees to encourage them to better themselves and their careers.

Because of this, many of the employ-ees under 50 have more certifications than those who have been in business for 30 years, Watts said.

Watts also understands younger em-ployees may have different needs.

“When I was starting out it was normal to stay with one company for a lifetime, but now there is no expectation for the younger generation to work at anything less than half a dozen companies in their careers,” he said.

To retain younger talent, the company also offers subsidies and flexible sched-ules for employees pursuing their MBA.

Watts started in the construction busi-ness in 1969, after serving in the Vietnam War. He was waiting to become a highway patrolman in Oregon when a construction job came along. “I took it and never looked back,” he said. He then became a jour-neyman and opened his own business, working his way up the ladder from there.

[email protected] | 955-8046

BY LINDA DELA CRUZPBN CONTRIBUTOR

Prudential Locations empowers both its staff and its customers with a dos-

sier of all the necessary details in real estate so the best decisions can be made.

The focus on technology has helped make Hawaii’s second-largest residen-tial real estate firm stand out.

“We put a lot of energy into the collect-ing, tracking and analyzing of data, and then turning that data into a meaningful story that we can learn from and share with our clients,” said William Chee, the real estate company’s founder and chief executive officer.

Corinda Wong, a Realtor with Pru-dential Locations since 1989, said the company continually finds ways to pro-vide services for the staff and the clients using cutting-edge technology.

“We have a mobile app and customers love that they can look at homes that way,” she said.

The company, which covers Oahu and Maui and has the master franchise for the state, also releases a study every two years to help customers understand trends and what it means for them. The research in-cludes the process that buyers go through and sources they use to find their home.

“It provides us with extremely valu-able insight on buyer behavior that al-lows us to best position our agents, our

tools and services in the places where buyers are most likely to be,” Chee notes. “This also gives our seller clients a dis-tinct advantage because we know where to market their property for maximum exposure to potential buyers.”

The company’s website, Prudential-Locations.com, was redesigned in March to be the hub of all things real estate.

“We went way beyond including just those properties listed in the [Honolulu Board of Realtors’ Multiple Listing Service] by adding external data, like

foreclosures, new construction and even for-sale-by-owner” properties,” Chee said. “So someone looking will have access to all properties for sale, all in one place.”

Joan Bolte sold a residential invest-ment property in August with Prudential.

“I’d never met Corinda but I’d been on her mailing list for 10 years and she kept me informed with market study analysis that was concise and detailed,” Bolte said. “When it was time for me to sell, that information led me to contact Corinda. She is the epitome of class.

She gave complete information that was right on the money so that I could decide what was best.”

Bolte also says she enjoyed the profes-sionalism and efficiency of the transac-tion manager who kept her up to speed on every step of the process.

Under the company’s unique structure, several dozen employees and retirees are the owners of the company. They are empowered with a mentorship program and professional training that is avail-able in person or via video conference.

The company’s 275 employees were able to generate more than $1 billion in sales as an average of 7.7 homes were sold per agent compared to 4.6 industry average.

When agents aren’t busy helping their clients or learning more, they give back to the community with service projects from their Locations Foundation. Last year they donated $100,000 and nearly 1,000 volunteer hours to 20 organizations.

Watts expands globally, using federal contracts as its base

Prudential Locations gives its agents the tools to succeed

Watts Constructors LLC

Hawaii-based global contracting companyPresident: Denny WattsAddress: 737 Bishop St., Suite 2900,Honolulu, HI 96813Phone: (808) 543-5201Website: www.wattsconstructors.com

Prudential Locations

Real estate servicesCEO: William CheeAddress: 614 Kapahulu Ave., Suite 300, Honolulu HI 96815Phone: (808) 735-4200Website: www.prudentiallocations.com

PHOTO COURTESY: PRUDENTIAL LOCATIONS

The Prudential Locations team includes, from left: Brenda Ching, Dan Tabori, Tracy Behler, CEO William Chee, Mikio Sato and Scott Higashi.

TINA YUEN PBN

Watts Constructors executives, from left, Roger Lee, project manager; Kelvin Osborne, senior vice president; Denny Watts, president; and Fred Thornhill, se-nior vice president, check out the job site at Honolulu’s Pier 29, where the com-pany is putting in a container yard, a $30 million state/federal project.


Finalist – Best in Small Business (Up to 40 full -time employees)


Pacific Defense Solutions provides technology and software to process

photographs in space, and its work also applies to other industries in projects done on the Mainland as well as Hawaii.

President Wes Freiwald gives the following ex-ample of something his company launched last fall as one of the many things it does.

“Under subcontract to Boeing, we developed the on-board algorithms and software for a very com-

plex satellite called space-based space surveillance systems,” said Freiwald, an electrical engineer by training.

This satellite takes pictures and cata-logues anything — including junk and wrenches — that is out in space so that the U.S. Department of Defense knows what is out there as well as its location. The company continues to support the project with updates.

Another of the projects the Maui-based tech firm worked on is called “time-resolved photon counting.” Pacific Defense Solutions created the process that allows each piece of light to be time tagged to a high resolution so it captures 3-D photos. These photos can be placed

into a computer-animated design tool and spun around. The company also designed a camera that can produce 3-D pictures in darkness.

While the company’s focus has been on the U.S. Department of Defense, it also has worked on Haleakala at the Maui Space Surveillance Site, the Maui High Performance Computer Center, the W.M. Keck Observatory and the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M.

“We have been lucky,” Freiwald said. “We’ve been prepared, and we do have

some very good people. When you put those three things together it has worked out very well for us.”

The company started in 2006 with just three people at a time when Freiwald was battling cancer.

“I had confidence in the individuals I worked with,” he recalled. “When we started growing the company to make payroll, I took a second mortgage on our condominium. I had no life insurance at the time. I bet my entire life on the fact that it would work.”

He credits the encouragement of his

family, friends, clients and his 33 employ-ees with the ability to create technologies to use in the aerospace arena.

Being a part of both global and lo-cal communities is one of the keys to success for any business, and that is something Pacific Defense Solutions does well, according to Maui Economic Development Board President and CEO Jeanne Unemori Skog.

“They are active as coaches, teaching at the schools and mentoring students,” Skog said. “Wes serves on our board of directors.”

Freiwald admits that one of the chal-lenges of running the business has been to compete price-wise with Mainland companies that may be paying only a tenth as much for office space.

“We have to be very creative to keep costs down to determine a best value,” he said. “At the same time, we give our people the best tools and pay them well so they can afford to live in Hawaii.”

Maui-based tech company pursues frontiers in space

808.748.8431 [email protected]

CongratulationsGREENPATH TECHNOLOGIESon being an Innovative Company Finalist forthe Business Leadership Hawaii 2011 awards.

We support your vision and contributions in innovative turnkey solar power solutions, integrating renewable energyinto our construction industry for a more sustainable future for our islands, the Pacific Rim & beyond.

We are proud to partner alongside you.

We are humbled and honored to be recognized alongside some of our State’s most progressive companies. We thank

those who have put their trust in us, and together we willcontinue on a greenpath towards cleaner energy!

Congratulations to the nominees ofthe Business Leadership Hawai’i 2011 Awards.

[email protected]

greenpath-tech.com

INNOVATIVE COMPANIESCelebrate Hawaii’s

Pacific Defense Solutions

Tech company with an emphasis on mili-tary projectsPresident: Wes FreiwaldAddress: 1300 N. Holopono St., Suite 116, Kihei, HI 96753Phone: (808) 879-7110Website: www.pacificds.com

PHOTO COURTESY: PACIFIC DEFENSE SOLUTIONS

Three summer interns update the Pacific Defense Solutions management team on the projects they worked on and what they learned.

Freiwald

OCTOBER 7, 2011 BUSINESS LEADERSHIP HAWAII 2011 pacificbusinessnews.com | PACIFIC BUSINESS NEWS B17

Finalist – Best in Small Business (Up to 40 full -time employees)


Nashimoto and Associates has long been one of the premiere public

relations and advertising agencies in Hawaii when it comes to building rela-tionships with the Island’s all-important ties to Japan, Korea and China.

An example of the relationship strengthening that Nashimoto and As-sociates is known for will be seen in the annual “Hawaii’s Modern Masters” fine arts exhibit Nov. 3 on what kama-aina know as “Luxury Row” at 2100 Kalakaua Ave.

“We are bringing award-winning lo-cal artists from across the state to dis-play their artwork in each store,” said Masako Nashimoto-Luttrell, president of Nashimoto and Associates who is affectionately called Nashi by friends. “Our event has connected high fashion and fine art.”

Since its inception six years ago, more than 70 local artists have shown their work at high-end retailers such as Tif-fany & Co., Coach, Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Gucci, Tod’s, Bottega Veneta and Hugo Boss.

Nashimoto and Associates coordi-nates and markets every aspect of the event, and last year more than 3,000 people attended. In 2010, the owners of the Luxury Row property donated $5,000 to support the Honolulu Academy of Arts at-risk youth art program Art To Go.

Nashimoto-Luttrell started her company in Hawaii in 1982, when her children were still very young. But her entrepreneurial DNA manifested itself much earlier when she was growing up in Tokyo. The youngest of six children, she promoted and taught art classes to younger kids when she was still in middle school so she could buy the art supplies she needed. Her determination to win as a sprinter in the athletic arena fostered her pioneering business spirit, and she served as the official spokesper-

son for Ford Motors, Henry Ford Jr. and Lee Iacocca to sell their cars in Japan when she headed up the Japan branch of the New York-based J. Walter Thompson advertising agency. Her experiences bringing companies such as Kraft, Kel-logg’s, Lego, Fisher-Price and Rolex to Japan for the first time were the bases for Nashimoto and Associates.

She acknowledges family, friends, clients and staff as she continues to keep Nashimoto and Associates a small boutique agency.

“I can keep it on a personal hands-on basis,” the watercolor artist says. “I sign off on everything and find ways to improve it. With a bigger company, there are so many captains, the boat will sink.”

She empowers her staff of five, and they get performance incentives, bo-nuses and raises each year.

“We treat the client as the king,” she said. “I believe integrity is the best when dealing with the client and the family. It is more than honesty. It is moral.”

Barbara Gray, vice president of Oils of Aloha, one of the firm’s newest clients, started using Nashimoto and Associates at the start of this year. Gray says she already sees an increase in business.

“We are redesigning our public rela-tions efforts and doing special packag-ing of things that the Japanese would like,” she said. “What impresses me about Nashi is her ability to relate to our industry and relate to us. I really ap-preciate her expertise in design and the suggestions she makes that help make it more appealing to the Japanese market.”

Boutique agency masters the art of capturing Asian market

www.PrudentialLocations.com

(808) 735-4200

Only 11 % of our clients think we areGood, that’s

because

87 %EXCELLENT

think we are

We know this because we ask them.

We survey each client after every transaction to ensure that we are

providing them with the best service possible. Their success

determines our own. Let us show you what we can do for you!

Nashimoto and Associates

Public relations and advertising firmPresident: Masako Nashimoto-LuttrellAddress: 1833 Kalakaua Ave., Suite 201, Honolulu, HI 96815Phone: (808) 955-9361Website: www.nashimoto.com

TINA YUEN PBN

Nashimoto and Associates President Masako Nashimoto-Luttrell and Anthony Gambino look over plans and the itinerary for a trip to Japan.


Finalists – Cades Schutt e - Th e Cades Foundation Nonpr ofi t Leaders hip

BY TREENA SHAPIROPBN CONTRIBUTOR

Kupu’s dedication to conservation and renewable energy has led the

nonprofit to focus its attention on young adults who will be the next generation of environmental stewards.

The organization runs seven programs for par-ticipants from age 16 to 24, engaging them in ser-vice in the green sector through hands-on involve-ment in trail and forest restoration and endan-gered species protection, loi and fishpond cultiva-tion, as well as training

to provide educational outreach that promotes sustainable practices.

“We need local young adults to be sustainable and competent in global job careers,” said Kupu Executive Director John Leong. “We really hope we can develop leaders in these industries.”

In 2010, Kupu’s 400 volunteers put in thousands of hours of service and assisted 80 organizations. While the organization’s main office is in Kahala, volunteers perform work throughout the state, often on their own islands. As participants gain skills that might open pathways to educational and ca-reer opportunities in the green sector, they’re also learning the value of civic engagement and service.

“They learn to give back to their com-munities,” Leong explained. “It’s not someone else who’s going to take care

of their community. They need to do it.”Kupu’s summer program has com-

petitive enrollment – more than 700 applicants vied for 150 slots during the last session. Anyone can apply, but selection is based on interest in the program and topic area, how applicants planned to use the experience, as well as individual character and maturity, Leong said. Participants receive a $1,000 stipend, travel, training and access to places they might not otherwise be exposed to.

Mahealani Matsuzaki, land legacy

educational specialist for Kame-hameha Schools, mentioned some of those unique learning environments, including nature reserves, native forests, prehistoric trails and agricultural field systems.

“Kupu’s work reaches across most of the islands in the archipelago — from Kauai to Hawaii island, including Ka-hoolawe and Lanai, and helps to preserve what is uniquely Hawaiian about our island home,” she said.

Kupu’s revenue comes primarily from grants, private donations and fee-for-

service activity. Committed funding, partnerships and smart fiscal manage-ment allowed Kupu to expand despite the recent recession. In 2010, its revenue was $2.4 million, with 4 percent used to support a staff of 20, and 74 percent of the funding dedicated to programming.

In addition to Kupu’s own programs, the organization helps facilitates intern-ship opportunities that provide sup-port to conservation-oriented agencies, which in several instances have led to permanent jobs for the interns. Kupu also provides $500,000 in educational funding through its substantial $1.2 million AmeriCorps grant.

Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz praised Kupu’s community impact, particularly in cre-ating job opportunities and providing paid internships for organizations that need the assistance and keeping young adults engaged in productive work at the same time.

“Although young adults tradition-ally have the highest unemployment rate, Kupu is working to reverse that by providing life-impacting experiences to help shape the next generation,” he said.


With a new year ahead, MADD Ha-waii has a lot on its agenda to

strengthen the work it has already done in its fight against underage drinking, advocating for whatever it takes to save a life, and helping victims.

“We have not lost the heart of what we do, what we care about,” said Jennifer Dotson, executive director of MADD Hawaii, Mothers Against Drunk Driv-ing’s Hawaii chapter. “Someone has been affected by drunk driving.”

While January 2011 marked a mile-stone for MADD Hawaii’s three-year-long efforts to get the ignition inter-lock law passed, the nonprofit plans to come back stronger to tighten up any loopholes that might exist. The ignition interlock requires those who have been arrested for driving under the influence to have a device installed in their car that requires a Breathalyzer test in order for the car to start. There are about 800 devices installed in cars in Hawaii now.

“We will reach 1,000 by the end of the year,” Dotson said.

With a staff of three people, including Dotson, MADD Hawaii has come up with an innovative fun way to raise funds.

The second annual MADD Cab Affair

last weekend offered attendees dinner, entertainment, a silent auction, no-host bar and a cab ride to and from this year’s roaring 1920’s theme. The venue itself was a secret. Cabs picked up the guests, brought them to the secret venue, and gave them a ride home.

“This is a chance to raise funds and drive home — pun intended — the point that this is an organization that educates people on drinking and driving,” Dotson

said. “We are not against drinking. We are against the combination of drinking and driving. We are the only one in the entire nation to run this pilot program.”

The inaugural 2010 event raised $127,000, which helped MADD Hawaii fill an unexpected eight-month funding gap. Dotson said the organization receives no proceeds from the no-host bar and her research revealed that attendees each consumed 1.1 glasses of alcohol.

One of MADD Hawaii’s most impor-tant functions is to offer free victim services to people who have been affected by drunk driving.

MADD Hawaii victim services chair-woman Theresa Paulette said the non-profit has trained victim advocates who can help victims, family and friends. Victim services is something Paulette knows about firsthand — her 15-year-old son Brian was killed in an accident in Kaneohe involving a man who had six drunk driving arrests.

“Most people just need to talk,” Pau-lette said. “They are in shock and disbe-lief. After it happens, your mind races with all kinds of thoughts, and you think you are going crazy. Once you talk with others, you realize that you are not the only one who is feeling this way. It can be overwhelming.”

MADD Hawaii recently trained 18 victim advocates across the state.

Kupu trains next generation of environmental stewards

MADD gears up to fight drunk driving, underage drinking

PHOTO COURTESY: MADD HAWAII

The signs tell the story of MADD Hawaii’s mission — to keep drunk drivers off the roads and to help the victims of accidents caused by drunk drivers.

Kupu

Nonprofit with an emphasis onenvironmental stewardshipExecutive Director: John LeongAddress: 4211 Waialae Ave., Suite 1020, Honolulu, HI 96816Phone: (808) 735-1221Website: www.kupuhawaii.org

TINA YUEN PBN

Reviewing a Kupu program are, from left, Matthew Bauer, director of operations; Katrina Thompson, deputy director of operations; and Hilary Arakaki, coordina-tor of the Youth Energy Assessment Hawaii program.

Leong

MADD Hawaii

Nonprofit focused on eliminating drunken drivingExecutive Director: Jennifer DotsonAddress: 745 Fort St., Suite 303,Honolulu, HI 96813Phone: (808) 532-6232Website: maddhawaii.ning.com/


Finalists – Community Spirit

BY LYNN NAKAGAWAPACIFIC BUSINESS NEWS

To beat Hawaii’s biggest banks in donating the most food and money

to the Hawaii Foodbank, Finance Fac-tors launched a creative and cohesive fundraising campaign.

The company compiled a Finance Factors cookbook, organized a bake sale and developed fundraisers such as “appreciation grams,” notes of thanks attached to candy to send to co-workers.

“One of the founding values of the company is supporting the communities we serve,” said Russell Lau, vice chair-man and CEO of Finance Factors and son of co-founder Daniel Lau.

Finance Factors joined the Hawaii Bankers Association food drive in 2009 but has been donating to the organiza-tion since 2000. After the first bankers food drive in 2009, Finance Factors’ man-agement realized the company could exceed the contributions of other banks with a little more effort and creativity.

To generate a friendly competition between management and staff, the com-pany constructed a scale with wicker baskets and displayed it in the lobby of the Finance Factors Center on Bishop Street to show which group was ahead in food collections. The company also encouraged everyone to buy food dona-tions in bulk from wholesale retailers.

This year, the company donated $11,606 and 6,251 pounds of food to the organiza-tion, exceeding the donations of Ameri-can Savings Bank, Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, First Hawaiian

Bank and other participants in the Ha-waii Bankers Association food drive.

Another key Hawaii Foodbank fund-raiser this year was an in-house auction, in which many of the goods and services were provided by management. For the auction, President and Chief Operating Officer Steve Teruya auctioned off a sushi and sake gala affair with a hired chef at his home in Kalihi Valley. Teruya, who has a full sushi bar in his home, said two seats sold for $400.

“The need continues to go up for both the amount of people that need and how much they need,” said Polly Kauahi, director of development at the Hawaii Foodbank. “Finance Factors wants [its] employees to come up with creative ways, and because they’re having a fun time they are raising a lot of money. They have definitely got that team spirit.”

“What’s important here is that it’s not only about a competition, because they have been doing this well before

the Hawaii Bankers Association food drive,” she said.

Teruya and Lau are also involved with various boards. For Lau, it’s the St. Andrew’s Priory board, and for Ter-uya his leadership is devoted to Junior Achievement of Hawaii.

Teruya has been involved with the Junior Achievement of Hawaii program, designed to help K-12 students achieve financial literacy and pursue higher education, for the past 12 years.

When he first served on the Junior Achievement board, he knew something had to be done about the $100,000 debt the program faced.

“I set up accounts and did a cash-flow analysis and got fundraisers going,” Teruya said.

He effectively aided the organization in rebuilding its finances.

Finance Factors is also the title spon-sor of the Junior Achievement of Hawaii Golf Classic, and provides staff and

prizes for the tournament.“I’m actively involved with the tour-

nament because I want to make sure its standards are maintained,” said Teruya, an avid golfer.

Finance Factors is also known for its signature event, a charity breakfast of Portuguese sausage, scrambled eggs and rice, held every year since 1996.

The company sold 1,200 $5 breakfast plates and 24 VIP section tickets for its breakfast held in July with personal chefs from Pacific Beach Hotel. The event raised $7,801 for Hawaii Helping the Hungry Have Hope, a local nonprofit that helps feed and house the hungry and homeless. Finance Factors selects a different nonprofit to be the recipi-ent of its charity breakfast each year. It has previously donated to Making Ends Meet, Kau Kau Wagon, River of Life Mission, Good Bears of the World, Aloha Den, KEY Project and the Sex Abuse Treatment Center.

“Our goal is to donate to nonprofits that would receive a significant amount of their donations from such a gift,” Lau said.

[email protected] | 955-8046

BY LINDA DELA CRUZ PBN CONTRIBUTOR

Little did Hagadone Printing Co. em-ployees who volunteered to read twice

a week to Puuhale Elementary School stu-dents for one of their community service projects know they would soon be rallying the community to keep the school open.

Kalihi and Puuhale Elementary schools were on the state Department of Educa-tion’s list in 2010 of schools it was consid-ering closing and consolidating to nearby schools in order to save the state $1.5 million.

After some research, Hagadone Presi-dent Clint Schroeder said they found out that Puuhale Elementary had good scores in math and reading.

“We also found out that Kalihi Kai, where they would be going, would be one of the largest schools after consoli-dation,” he said.

Hagadone participated in a letter-writing campaign, then the company started to help the school think of pro-posals to generate revenue and reduce costs such as utilizing solar electric.

“We wanted to present alternatives to be a model instead of a problem,” Schroeder said.

Lorelei Karasaki, Puuhale Elementary School’s principal at the time, appreciated Hagadone’s efforts, which included a Face-book page as well as sign waving at rush

hour and during the Great Aloha Run. “They really took the lead,” Kara-

saki said. “They were the voice of the school. They have so much experience and expertise.”

Schroeder noted that all 150 employees were involved and other businesses also offered to help out.

“It was so gratifying to me to see ev-eryone jump on the bandwagon,” he said. “People do care, and businesses do have influence. We provided the battle cry. We asked the question, if we close important schools, how do we expect to become a good state?”

Rolling up their sleeves with parents, teachers, students, other businesses, politicians and community leaders, Haga-

done’s efforts contributed to the Depart-ment of Education’s decision in February to keep Puuhale Elementary open.

That was just one of the company’s community service efforts.

“What we do is we sit down and we have a strategic planning meeting,” said Jonelle Rezantes, vice president of sales. “This past year we chose three pillars of excellence — children’s arts, education and literacy.”

When the company chooses to help out, the project must fit one of those three areas, she said.

“When it comes to the service projects, we wanted something where we could get involved,” she said. ”We allowed our employees to help out on company time

and money.”Other projects they helped with includ-

ed donating posters, programs, social media, and public relations expertise for a fundraiser which resulted in a $10,000 check presentation to Hale Kipa from the Rotary Club of Metropolitan Honolulu. Between the department heads and the sales force, the company is represented in 45 organizations, Schroeder said.

One of the resources that the company has been able to use in its community service efforts is its H1 Marketing Divi-sion, which offers services that can help its 3,000 clients with website design, content design, graphic arts, and social media so that they can have a consistent online image with their print materials.

The community partnerships Haga-done employees form benefit the com-pany, Schroeder said. .

“I look at those people that do the most in the community,” he said. “I always think of those people first.”

Finance Factors finds creative ways to feed the hungry

Hagadone employees step up when community issues ariseHagadone Printing Co.

Commercial and publication printingPresident: Clint SchroederAddress: 274 Puuhale Road,Honolulu, HI 96819Phone: (808) 847-5310Website: www.hagadoneprinting.com

Finance Factors

Financial institutionCEO: Russell LauAddress: 1164 Bishop St., Suite 300,Honolulu, HI 96813Phone: (808) 548-4940Website: www.financefactors.com

Finance Factors employee Shirley Jackson was a Spin-to-Win weekly prize winner in the company’s Team Management vs. Team Employee Food Drive in May.

PHOTO COURTESY: FINANCE FACTORS

Hagadone Printing Co. President Clint Schroeder, center, joins fellow em-ployees to rally in support of keeping Puuhale Elemen-tary School open.

PHOTO COURTESY:HAGADONE PRINTING CO.


Finalists – Innovative Company of the Year

BY TREENA SHAPIROPBN CONTRIBUTOR

Empowered Presentations! has estab-lished itself as a leader in its class

because no other business in Hawaii offers the same specialized slideshow design service.

The company — run by newlyweds Yancey Unequivocally, president, and Cory Jim, CEO — creates PowerPoint and Keynote presentations that are si-multaneously sophisticated and simple. Text is used sparingly to create crisp, concise messages that can be driven home with powerful imagery.

“It’s so different from traditional marketing,” Unequivocally said. “It’s presentation design that no one really gets yet.”

The partners used images of skunks in a sample presentation to convey their opinion of typical presentations that use excessive bullet points, crazy animations and boring templates.

“Instead of one slide with 10 bullet points, why not have 10 slides with one bullet point? Slides are free. We charge by the project,” Unequivocally said.

While more slides might force the presenter to click more often, the time to deliver the message remains the same, she added.

Unequivocally and Jim had been business partners for years, but it took winning the World’s Best Presentation Award on Slideshare.net to convince them to launch their own company last December.

Unequivocally’s father had died of lung cancer, inspiring the couple to

create a presentation on smoking that showcased their design philosophy and innovative storytelling method, which delivers relevant statistics with-out cramming slides with bullet points and charts.

Half of one slide is dominated by an ashen globe, while just a quarter is used to state “there are 1.1 billion smokers in the world today.” Cigarettes arranged to represent a bar graph illustrate “that number is expected to increase by 1.6 billion by the year 2025.”

One slide simply says “or ...”Unequivocally compares their pre-

sentations to Superbowl commercials. “They’re engaging. They’re trans-

formational,” she said. “We create that experience through slide decks.”

Through the Slideshare contest and word-of-mouth, Empowered Presenta-tions! has attracted clients from around the world, including the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Academy 21, the Uni-versity of Phoenix, IdeaSeed and TEDx.

At 29, Unequivocally has already es-

tablished herself as a successful entre-preneur. Empowered Presentations! combines her business savvy with other passions.

“I love to be on stage,” she said.She knows from experience that a

good presentation can build a speaker’s confidence and energize an audience.

“It makes a big difference when you’re communicating a message you want them to grasp,” she said.

Unequivocally works closely with cli-ents to give them that same presentation experience, using written Post-it notes to organize a storyboard tailored to the speaker’s purpose, audience, target market and call-to-action.

“Then Cory does his magic,” she said.Jim said he taught himself PowerPoint

while serving in the Marines, just so he could send his son educational slide-shows while on a tour of duty in Iraq. Now the self-taught designer spends anywhere from 15 minutes to three hours per slide, matching appropriate images and fonts to create dynamic messages a 10-year-old can grasp immediately.

What Empowered Presentations! cre-ates is closer to videography than tradi-tional slideshows, Jim said. “We’re the front runners in this.”


Hawaii-based GreenPath Technolo-gies is a solar power contractor that

doesn’t just install photovoltaic panels on rooftops.

The company has also invented por-table solar panels that fit in a backpack.

The Honolulu-based firm’s LITE-PM system was tested by the military at the Balikatan Field exercises in the Philip-pines in April this year. It creates power for computers at command stations, and it can save time and money for supplies to be delivered when renewable energy is used to recharge batteries in the field.

At nearly six pounds, the portable panels fold up to 17 inches wide and 11.5 inches long and can fit in a backpack. Unfolded, it is six feet long.

“Patrols can be longer if you don’t need to run generators and if you do not need to run as much fuel,” said GreenPath Technologies President Briand Achong. “For the military it has a non-glare finish so there is no reflection.”

The LITE-PM was also used in Thai-land at the Crimson Viper Field Exer-cises in June this year.

“Someday in the future the consumer can use this technology in camping,

hiking and recharging batteries for computers,” Achong said. “The price point is not quite there yet.”

In addition to making the portable solar panels, GreenPath Technologies also installs photovoltaic solar panels for residential and commercial clients and nonprofit organizations.

The firm offers a purchase power agreement that often works well for

nonprofit organizations. The purchase power agreement is when one organiza-tion owns the power and sells it to the other organization.

The J. Walter Cameron Center on Maui secured a purchase power agree-ment with GreenPath Technologies in December 2009, and now has 66 panels on one building, and 480 panels on another, said Executive Director Cesar Gaxiola.

“Because we are a nonprofit, we can-not claim the tax incentives or energy credit,” Gaxiola said. “They negotiated a lower rate and we don’t need to hire a maintenance person. It’s a good deal.”

Gaxiola also liked that GreenPath Technologies replaced the old roofing with hydro coating, a white material that takes less energy to cool down the offices.

GreenPath Technologies, which start-ed in 2007, has installed solar panels at a variety of places, such as the Waialae Country Club, Japanese Cultural Center, Building Industry Association of Ha-waii, Construction Training Center of the Pacific, Hawaii USA Federal Credit Union, and the Waimea fire station and police station on the Big Island.

The firm’s upcoming projects include installing solar panels at the Maui De-partment of Transportation’s base yard and a cold storage facility in Honolulu.

Presentation company delivers messages in unique ways

GreenPath Technologies takes solar power to the battlefield

PHOTO COURTESY: ROBERT DUREN

The GreenPath Technologies team includes, clockwise from left, Briand Achong, Jodi Webb, Jim Chaney, Charles Chacko, Robert Martin and Wayne Asam.

TINA YUEN PBN

Newlyweds Cory Jim and Yancey Unequivocally throw conventional wisdom aside, using powerful imagery when they design presentations for businesses.

GreenPath Technologies

Solar power contractorPresident: Briand AchongAddress: 754 Ilaniwai St., Honolulu, HI 96813Phone: (808) 748-8418Website: greenpath-tech.com

Empowered Presentations!

Business presentation serviceCEO: Cory JimAddress: 2885 S. King St., Suite 102,Honolulu, HI 96826 Phone: (808) 225-2959Website: empoweredpresentations.com

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