News Makers

Wilson Joins Aqua Engineers 

Greg Wilson has joined Aqua Engineers, a water and wastewater management company, as Schofield Barracks' operations manager. 

Wilson was a project manager for ESG Operations, Inc. in Conyers, Ga., where he was responsible for the operations and maintenance of five municipal wastewater treatment plants and an industrial paper mill pretreatment facility. 

Aqua Engineers purchased the Schofield Barracks Wastewater Treatment Plant in 2006.

Valmoja Takes Helm of Painters DC50

Ryden "Bully" Valmoja has been unanimously elected by the delegates of the District Council 50's (DC50) Executive Board and was officially sworn in to office as the newly elected business manager/secretary-treasurer of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, District Council 50.

"I am honored to be allowed the opportunity to lead such a well-respected organization," Valmoja said. "I will continue to strive to keep the council moving forward in a positive direction and I will work together with our members and our signatory employers in order to better serve the industry."

Valmoja has been a painting member since 1996. He has served on the Painters' Executive Board in various positions, and most recently as the assistant business manager/secretary-treasurer for DC50. He currently serves on the Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-C10 Executive Board.

Ledcor Appoints Bourassa

The Ledcor Group of Companies (Ledcor) has named Chris Bourassa as president, U.S. Construction, based in San Diego.

Ledcor first entered the U.S. market in the 1980s, and has construction and property development operations in Seattle, San Diego, Irvine, Napa, Las Vegas, Chicago, Austin and Honolulu. 

"Ledcor's building construction business continues to grow outside our traditional Canadian markets. In recent years we have achieved steady success in Illinois, Nevada, Texas, California and Hawaii," said Ron Stevenson, president and CEO of Ledcor Industries Ltd. "We are expanding our senior executive team to manage this growth, and increase our local senior executive presence in the U.S."

A&B Hires Hayashi

Scott W. Hayashi has joined Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., where he will oversee tax compliance, income tax accounting and tax research and planning. Hayashi, who will report to Paul K. Ito, A&B's senior vice president, chief financial officer, treasurer and controller, previously was senior international tax counsel and international tax manager at Apple Inc.

Phillips Joins Horton-Schuler

Peter Phillips has joined D.R. Horton-Schuler Division as a land acquisition project manager. He will be responsible for acquiring developable real estate throughout Hawaii for the company. 

Phillips, an alumnus of Punahou School and a graduate of Pepperdine University, was previously a project manager with Stanford Carr Development, overseeing various residential projects on Oahu and the Big Island.

"Pete brings a high level of excellence and we warmly welcome him to the team," said Mike Jones, president, D.R. Horton - Schuler Division. "His solid experience in the Hawaii market will be a tremendous asset to the company, as we continue to grow and serve the needs of families seeking homeownership opportunities." BI

Belechak Named COO at dck Worldwide

dck Worldwide, parent company of dck pacific construction, has named Joe Belechak as its first chief operating officer.

Belechak joined dck in October 2012. As COO, he will have complete responsibility for all company operations and will continue working across dck to increase its ability to deliver operational excellence and value to dck customers. 

"I have enjoyed becoming a part of the dck team, learning and working with the organization," Belechak says, "and I see great possibilities for additional growth and success in our future. It is an honor to be part of the dck team and the achievement of excellence."

Previously, Belechak was senior vice president of nuclear fuels for Westinghouse Electric Company and served as the company's vice president of strategy. He currently resides in the Pittsburgh area with his wife and children. 

Nordic PCL's Stinson Honored

Josh Stinson, special projects manager at Nordic PCL Construction Inc., has been named to the "Top 20 Under 40 in 2013" by Engineering News Record California.

The annual competition celebrates young professionals in California and Hawaii who embody construction excellence, leadership, career progress and community involvement, while creating landmark projects in their regions. 

"Josh's selection to this prestigious list comes as no surprise," said Glen Kaneshige, Nordic PCL president. "His willingness to support and develop his staff with the resources necessary to ensure their success combined with his attitude of doing whatever it takes to exceed the client's expectations are key to his success."

Stinson joined PCL in 2005 as a preconstruction manager and formed Nordic PCL's Special Projects Division in 2008, which he has expanded into a nearly $40 million department. The division caters to clients with general contracting needs who require the capabilities, resources and financial stability of a large contractor, but also seek the personal attention of a smaller company.

Stinson's projects include The Queen's Medical Center, Four Seasons Resort in Hualalai, Royal Hawaiian Center, JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa and Hawaiian Airlines Ticket Lobby and Crew Center.

Hughes Promotes Vanderboom

Nicholas "Nick" D. Vanderboom has been promoted to senior vice president of development at The Howard Hughes Corporation. Vanderboom and his team will continue to focus on such developments as the transformation of the 60 acre Ward Centers to Ward Village and the recently announced luxury condominiums, ONE Ala Moana.

Vanderboom, who was a tight end on two national championship football teams at USC, previously was vice president of development. Prior to joining the company in 2010, he served as vice president of development for TPMC California. As an independent real estate consultant, he worked with Forest City Enterprises on mixed use development projects in California, Nevada, Texas and Hawaii.

AEP Span Names Isle Rep

Tim DelMonte has been named by AEP Span as outside sales representative for the Hawaii and Southern California regions. He will focus on sales and technical support of building construction customers ranging from contractors to fabricators to erectors, covering a wide range of end-use applications.

AEP Span, a division of ASC Profiles, a wholly owned subsidiary of BlueScope Steel, manufacturers architectural metal roof and siding products.

Johnson Controls Tabs Peck

Former Hawaii state energy administrator Ted Peck was named energy solutions general manager by Johnson Controls and will head its building efficiency business in Hawaii, Guam and the South Pacific.
Peck will lead the company's effort "to help public and private sector organizations combat rising utility costs, improve operations and limit environmental impact." He joins Johnson Controls with more than 25 years in energy management, including development of the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative as the state's energy administrator. In January 2011 he became president of Kuoka Inc.
"Ted is a seasoned expert in energy management and understands the unique challenges of Hawaii's energy landscape and the value that efficiency and renewable energy brings to the islands he calls home," said Michael Crowe, vice president and general manager of Johnson Controls, which has operated in Hawaii since 1961.
Peck, a retired Navy nuclear submarine officer, was named a "Forty Under 40" by Pacific Business News and in 2006 became a Pacific Century Fellow. He was selected among "20 Leaders For the Next 20 Years" by Hawaii Business Magazine in 2010.  

Hawthorne Cat Promotes Giannaris

Chris Giannaris has been promoted to sales operations and marketing manager at Hawthorne Cat. Since 2007, he was sales and operations manager for Hawthorne Cat's Pacific division. He will be overseeing marketing for the company's five Hawaii locations, in addition to operations, sales and equipment logistics and forecasting.

Six Join dck pacific Team

dck pacific construction, LLC has added six new members to the staff of the general contractor/design-build contractor's Honolulu office. They are Bruce Hosek, superintendent; Timothy Schoder, senior estimator; and project engineers George Rodriguez, Delicia Barber, Steven Baqui III and Scott Wilson.
"With our current workload
and projects on the horizon, these additions to our team will help us to continue to provide our clients with the excellence they expect on their projects," said Eric Tessem, dck pacific senior vice president and general manager. "We are committed to providing innovative building solutions, and each one of these new hires bring the skill, knowledge and expertise that the dck pacific team is known for."

MW Group, Ltd

Brian Wong was promoted to chief operating officer at MW Group, Ltd. He is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the daily operations of the Honolulu–based real estate development company, including growing the MW Group brand and its diversified portfolio. He also will continue to support MW Commercial Realty, Inc.'s property management and leasing activities for all retail, office and industrial assets, as well as MW Services, LLC.
Wong was the senior vice president at MW Group, and has steadily moved up within the organization over the past nine years.
He sits on The Plaza Club's Board of Governors and serves as a trustee for the Public Schools of Hawaii Foundation, as well as being past president of the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) Hawaii chapter.

Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing

Louise K.Y. Ing, director and vice president at Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing (AHFI), was honored by the Patsy T. Mink Political Action Committee (PTMPAC) at its annual fundraiser in October.
The PTMPAC recognized Ing for her commitment to affordable healthcare services and reproductive choice, which includes her work as legal counsel for Planned Parenthood of Hawaii and her work on behalf of Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, the Hawaii Women's Caucus and Planned Parenthood of Hawaii before the state Legislature on women's rights and women's health issues. In particular, the group noted Ing's support of groundbreaking legislation requiring Hawaii health insurance plans to provide emergency contraceptive coverage. She is the immediate past president of the Hawaii State Bar Association.
The PTMPAC, founded in 2004, is dedicated to improving the lives of Hawaii's women and their families by supporting and electing pro choice Democratic women with a demonstrated commitment to the values of Patsy Mink

Graham Properties Inc.

Loren Graham has been named Realtor, as broker-in-charge and partner of Graham
Properties Inc. (GPI), a Hawaii family-owned real estate company established in 1989.  In this role, he will manage new agents and oversee all marketing efforts, including promotions, advertising and social media.
In the past six years, he closed more than $6 million each year in sales at GPI.
The Honolulu-born Graham previously lived in Japan, where he taught English and surfed professionally. He volunteers teaching children water safety, surfing and ocean environmental awareness with the nonprofit organization, Na Kama Kai, at its annual surfing camps.  

Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa

Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay on the Big Island has named Schack von Rumohr director of operations and Vincent Robinson as the new director of food and beverage, Pyramid Hotel Group announced.
Von Rumohr will supervise numerous departments including food and beverage, security, engineering, front desk, concierge, guest services, housekeeping and the new Flying Fish retail and activity outfitters. He also will assist in administering and maintaining established budgets and quality standards.
Robinson will oversee all staff at Ainakai restaurant, the new oceanfront Rays on the Bay, Holua poolside bar and lounge, plus in-room dining, banquets and catering. His career spans 20 years, and he most recently was assistant director of food and beverage at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Aqua Engineers

Michael Street has been hired as director of engineering and Bill Thornton has been named director of construction services at Aqua Engineers, Hawaii's largest water and wastewater management company and one of the state's largest defense contractors.
Street previously worked with Bowers + Kubota Consulting, Inc. as a project manager and oversaw all of the company's construction management projects with the City and County of Honolulu that focused in the wastewater, transportation, energy conservation and project development fields.
Since 2010, Thornton was vice president and general manager of Briant Construction where he was responsible for mechanical, design/build projects and construction. Before joining Briant Construction, he was construction manager and project director at Kitchell Contractors, Inc. for almost 10 years.

Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd.

Kim Lum recently was appointed CEO of Charles Pankow Builders, Ltd., in addition to his role as president. Lum, a 32-year veteran of Pankow, replaces Richard Kunnath, who has served as CEO for the past 12 years and will remain as Pankow's executive chairman of the board.

Lum has held leadership roles in Pankow's Honolulu and Northern California regional offices and was appointed president of the firm in 2009.

He serves on the national board of the Design Build Institute of America and is a member of the board of the California Center for Construction Education.

Lee Hopkinson has joined Pankow as director of business development for its Hawaii division. In his new position, Hopkinson will act as a client advocate, understanding and translating the clients' needs into approaches and building solutions.

He has more than 15 years of experience as a sales executive in Hawaii. Prior to joining Pankow, Hopkinson was the vice president of AEC (architecture-engineering-construction) operations and sales manager of Honblue.

 

Hunt Companies

Blair Suzuki has been hired by Hunt Companies as its assistant development manager, responsible for various aspects of asset management, planning and development of the company's 538 acres of land and buildings in Kalaeloa. He also will be a key team member in Hunt's other projects in Hawaii.

Suzuki most recently played a critical role managing a multimillion dollar real estate portfolio for Tradewind Capital Group. Suzuki also previously served as commercial real estate officer - assistant vice president at Bank of Hawaii and was responsible for managing commercial loan commitments.

Coffman Engineers

John Thielst recently was promoted to managing principal and vice president of Coffman Engineers, Honolulu office.

Thielst has been fundamental in the development of the Honolulu office since it opened in 2010 and handles day-to-day operations, business development and project management. He is a longtime Hawaii resident and his knowledge of the local business culture and 17 years of management and consulting experience have been essential to growing the office.

Ben Momblow, P.E. has been promoted to principal of Coffman Engineers in Honolulu. He joined Coffman in 1999 and was most recently a senior project manager in the Honolulu office managing multidisciplined projects. Momblow also has been instrumental in developing the local office and staff since it opened. His experience includes more than 12 years of civil and structural engineering for commercial, industrial and military projects.

 

Austin, Tsutsumi & Associates, Inc.

Keith Niiya, P.E was promoted to vice president of Austin, Tsutsumi & Associates, Inc. and will continue to oversee operations of the company's transportation department. He is a member of the Institute for Transportation Engineers and a past president of the Hawaii Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

 

Chris Barbe was named dck pacific construction, LLC's new
director of opera tions and will be responsible for overseeing project operations in Hawaii. He previously served as the firm's director of project support, providing estimating and operations assistance for federal and commercial projects.

Prior to joining dck, Barbe also served as project engineer for the expansion and remodeling of the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island and as project manager for the piping and equipment erection at the Hama kua Power Plant on the Big Island.

dck pacific

Mike Wethered has joined dck pacific as its senior project manager. Wethered is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the company's Hawaii projects, ensuring that client expectations are met throughout the course of design, preconstruction, construction and post-construction phases. He is currently overseeing the development of the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Information Technology Center.

Wethered previously served as project manager at Ledcor Construction Hawaii and also served 11 years as project manager at Oceanic Companies.

Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning

Eric Masutomi has been appointed the CEO of Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning, LLC (HSWAC). He brings more than 30 years of experience to his new role. Besides previously serving as a consultant for HSWAC in the delivery of a seawater air conditioning district cooling system to downtown Honolulu, he also served as vice-president of planning for Outrigger Enterprises Group and director of planning for the Hawaii Community Development Authority.

Kiewit

Kyle Nakamura recently was named civil construction manager for Kiewit, to help oversee its West Oahu/Farrington Highway portion of the Honolulu High-Capacity Transit Corridor, a 6.5-mile segment from East Kapolei to the Pearl Highlands Station. Nakamura is a 14-year veteran of the construction industry and has worked with Kiewit for 12 years. During his career with Kiewit, Nakamura has held manager and general superintendent positions on several key projects.

The Gas Company

Joseph "Joe" Boivin, Jr. recently was promoted to senior vice president of external affairs for The Gas Company (TGC). He joined the company in the fall of 2009 as vice president of operations and also has served as senior vice president of strategic initiatives and marketing. In his new role, Boivin will oversee regulatory affairs, legislative and government affairs, corporate communications and new market development, reporting directly to the CEO.

The Gas Company

Jill Tokunaga also received a promotion at TGC, now serving as vice president of sales and marketing. She joined TGC in the fall of 2008 as vice president of sales. Her role is now expanded to include overall responsibility for the company's marketing initiatives. Before joining TGC, Tokunaga was a sales executive for Sprint Nextel.

Graham Builders

Ryan Graham has been promoted to vice president of operations of Graham Builders. He will oversee the sales, design, estimating and construction departments. Graham first joined the local design-build residential contractor in 2003. He was most recently an estimator where he managed the development of building cost estimates and bids on new home construction and renovation projects.

A&B Land Group

George Morvis Jr. has been appointed vice president, corporate development of the A&B Land Group, which encompasses A&B Properties, Inc. and Alexander & Baldwin's (A&B) agricultural businesses. Morvis will oversee corporate development activities – ranging from organic growth initiatives to potential business acquisitions and joint ventures – and will report to Christopher Benjamin, president of the A&B Land Group.

RevoluSun

Josh Nelson has joined RevoluSun as a Hawaii-based independent project developer. He will be working with residential and commercial customers to design custom solar systems and find the best financing options available for them. Nelson previously served as a Korean interpreter and flight attendant at Hawaiian Airlines.

RevoluSun

Maria McDougall also has been hired as an independent project developer for RevoluSun. Her responsibilities will mirror that of Nelson. Prior to joining RevoluSun, McDougall worked in the hotel industry at both the Marriott Edition and Trump tower in Waikiki.

Energy Industries LLC

Wyeth Crawford has joined Energy Industries LLC, power division, as an energy efficiency engineer. He previously was an engineering intern at Pearl Harbor Shipyard. His interest in environmental sciences and biology fuels his drive for energy efficiency. Crawford is originally from Oregon and holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from Oregon State University.

dck pacific construction, LLC

Eric Tessem has been hired by dck pacific construction, LLC, a dck worldwide company, as the senior vice president and general manager to lead the Honolulu office.
With more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry, Tessem initially founded Construction Associates, Inc. in 1981 and most recently served as vice president of operations for Ledcor Construction Hawaii.
He is a member of various local organizations, including the General Contractors Association, the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties and the Urban Land Institute.

Global Healthcare Services

Richard Allen recently joined dck worldwide as vice president global healthcare services.
Allen has 25 years of senior executive experience in all phases of hospital operations, strategy, physician integration, ambulatory center design and development, master facility planning, and millions of dollars of renovation and new construction at major health systems/hospitals on the mainland.
His experience allows dck to provide client support and advice in program planning, design, schedule, cost, equipment planning and procurement, and transition and occupancy, according to Stephen D'Angelo, dck president and CEO.

City Mill Co., Ltd.

Ron De Leon has been appointed general merchandising manager for City Mill Co., Ltd. He will be part of the senior management team overseeing all aspects of the merchandising department and will be responsible for planning, implementing and directing all merchandising policies and programs within City Mill. He will be responsible for all merchandise sold at the eight-store home improvement chain.

De Leon brings more than 30 years of experience from All American Home Center in California where he started as a sales associate in the plumbing department.

Sunetric

Jordan Abrell has been hired as the safety manager for Sunetric and will be responsible for the management and implementation of the firm's safety program, including training for employees, equipment inspections, and managing installation processes and procedures to ensure the safety of the team members. Prior to joining Sunetric, Abrell worked as the for White Construction in Clinton, Ind.

Graham Builders

Terry Ogimi recently rejoined Graham Builders as project manager. He will be responsible for overseeing projects once they are in the construction phase, working and coordinating with subcontractors, creating and managing schedules and material deliveries. Ogimi returns to Graham Builders after a two-year departure. He first joined Graham Builders in 1999 as a carpenter foreman.
Ogimi has nearly 30 years of experience in the construction industry, starting in the Carpenter's Union apprenticeship program in 1985.

Allied Builders System

Emet Domingo, Jr. has joined Allied Builders System as executive project manager. He will oversee the planning and coordination of the company's projects and will ensure they are delivered on-time and with high quality results.
Domingo brings more than 23 years of construction experience to the company, most recently as director of construction with Castle & Cooke Homes Hawaii, Inc. as its responsible managing executive. For his last project there, he oversaw more than $100 million of construction work at the Villages of Kapolei. He also has worked at M. A. Mortenson Company and the University of Hawaii.

RevoluSun

Matthew Nagatori has joined RevoluSun as commercial project developer. He will be responsible for educating and working with commercial customers to achieve energy independence by designing custom solar systems and finding the best financing options available to meet their needs and take advantage of government incentives.
Nagatori has five years of work experience in business-to-business sales and marketing. Prior to joining RevoluSun in November 2011, Nagatori worked at Phiten USA Inc. as a regional sales representative for the Pacific Islands. He also served as an international sales manager at Mabu Co. Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan.
Marlene Hernandez was hired by RevoluSun as a Hawaii-based software tester engineer. She will be responsible for assuring that requirements for new function-alities are properly implemented in RevoluSun's software system REVOS®, a proprietary software system that streamlines the design, pricing and management of its solar energy systems.
Hernandez has seven years of experience as a software tester engineer. Prior to joining RevoluSun, Hernandez worked as a strategic test engineer at LANDesk Software in South Jordan, Utah.

Allana Buick & Bers

Steve Pherigo has joined Steve Pherigo has joined Allana Buick & Bers (ABB) as its new Hawaii division manager. With 35 years of experience in supervising all phases of construction, property maintenance, and building operations, Pherigo will offer leadership to the division and be responsible for client development and staffing. He will work with Pete Shubert, operations manager, and David Kaahaaina, AIA, business development manager. Prior to joining ABB, Pherigo was the vice president of property management for Hawaiiana Management Co.

Aqua Engineers

Sheldon Hunt has been named president and general manager of Kauai-based Aqua Engineers. He will be responsible for running Aqua Engineers and its subsidiary, Briant Construction, Inc., a mechanical contracting company. Hunt has more than 25 years of engineering experience working with the military and the private sector and previously worked for Ocean Thermal Energy (OTE) Corp. in Honolulu as vice president of operations, consulting on ocean thermal energy projects in Hawaii and the Caribbean.

General Contractors Association

Shannon Alivado is the new director of government relations for the General Contractors Association of Hawaii. In this position, she will be responsible for policy advocacy, monitoring and tracking state and local legislation affecting the industry, serving as a liaison between select GCA committees, and working with state and local legislators.
Alivado was most recently with the Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii, where she advocated for landowners and monitored state and local legislation related to development and land use laws.

Lawson & Associates, LLC

Brian Polis recently joined Lawson & Associates, LLC as general manager. With more than 12 years of safety and risk management experience, he will be providing support and overseeing daily operations of the company's consulting staff as well as interfacing with clients. In addition he will be assisting with business development, staff development and strategic planning. Prior to Lawson and Associates, Polis worked for Turner Construction and most recently Nordic PCL Construction, Inc. where he was district HSE manager for the past five years.

Kiewit Building Group, Inc.

Damon Gray was hired recently as a project engineer for Kiewit Building Group, Inc. He previously served as a project architect with Peter Vincent Architects for more than five years and before that, as a project manager with Altria Corporate Services, responsible for construction management and national contracting. Altogether, Gray brings 15 years of construction-industry experience to Kiewit.

 

Brent Kawahara has joined Kiewit Building Group as a document control engineer. Before joining Kiewit, Kawahara was an engineer technician with Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest in San Diego. He has a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of the Pacific.

 

Clarice Masaki also has been hired as an engineer for Kiewit Building Group and will be working in the firm's estimating department. She earned a bachelor's degree in industrial technology from Purdue University.

Shioi Construction, Inc

Roy Shioi was promoted to assistant vice president of Shioi Construction, Inc. in September. He was previously senior estimator for the company. Roy Shioi has been with Shioi Construction, Inc. since 2004 and is based in the company's Pearl City office. Shioi has offices on both Oahu and Kauai.

 

James Abeshima has been named executive vice president of Shioi Construction. He was most recently senior project manager for Hawaiian Dredging Construction, managing the Disney Hawaii Resort and Spa project.

SolarCity

Jon Yoshimura recently was named director of government affairs for SolarCity in Hawaii. In this new position, he will be responsible for managing SolarCity's relationships with government and community organizations in Hawaii. Yoshimura returns to Hawaii after six years in Washington D.C., where he served as director of communications for U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka. Yoshimura's experience in politics and communications also includes two terms on the Honolulu City Council. (ABB) as its new Hawaii division manager. With 35 years of experience in supervising all phases of construction, property maintenance, and building operations, Pherigo will offer leadership to the division and be responsible for client development and staffing. He will work with Pete Shubert, operations manager, and David Kaahaaina, AIA, business development manager. Prior to joining ABB, Pherigo was the vice president of property management for Hawaiiana Management Co.