Aloha ACEC-Hawai‘i Members,
“We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided”
This was said by a great leader, America’s first avenger, that’s right… Captain America! This may be a fictional character, but the messaging of the quote is nonetheless impactful. ACEC-Hawai‘i’s mission is to protect the business interests of our member firms, but our success isn’t one-sided. It requires collaboration with our clients and partners. Our November General Membership Meeting, titled “State Agency Panel: Strengthening Collaboration and Project Delivery” was a great example of open communication and collaboration.
ACECH would like to thank Eric Nishimoto (DAGS), Jadine Urasaki (DOE), and Brandon Shima (UH) for participating as our State Agency panelists. Together they spoke on a variety of topics including expectations of Standard of Care, site verifications, interdisciplinary coordination, permit readiness, scope management, design-build roles, and services during construction. The discussion included common issues that the agencies have encountered with our engineering industry on these topics. Adding to the discussion and providing insight from the industry standpoint, we also thank our consultant panel that consisted of Billy Ornellas (Ronald N.S. Ho & Associates), Steven Doo (KA‘E Design), and Matthew Fujioka (Okahara and Associates). The discussion was candid and addressed issues and topics that, if not well managed, could have lost the intent for positive collaboration. Lucky for us, the discussion and pacing was managed by the incredible duo of Kealohi Sandefur (YKE/ACECH Pres-Elect) and Dawn Barsana Szewczyk (HDR). They brought great leadership to the meeting and guided us to what I believe was a successful event. Through the use of QR code technology, we were able to capture many more opinions and questions from our member firms in attendance. All of those responses have been shared with the State Agency panelists. I can tell the membership firsthand, many the discussions including those in regard to our insurance and safety limitations did provide them with new insight that some were not aware of.
Committees Working for You!
So how did we get this opportunity. Well, that is simple, it is due to the tireless work our ACECH committees do in the background. It is hard to communicate all that our committees do but believe me when I say, they are working hard for your benefit. The collaboration starts at the committee level, and I thank the members of the DAGS/DOE committee, chaired by Tyson Toyama, and the UH committee, chaired by Matthew Fujioka, for making this meeting possible.
How does ACECH Plan to Execute its Mission?
The first phase of our 2025 Strategic Plan is complete, and it can be found on our website under the “About” tab. This is the organization’s roadmap for the future. I encourage our membership to review this document to better understand the strategic vision and better yet, if any of these initiatives inspire you, reach out to ACECH and see how you can help to execute that vision.
ACECH Welcomes a New Life Member
ACECH would like to welcome John Katahira as a new Life Member. John served as ACECH President between 2009-2010 and was an active participant in ACECH for many years. He retired from The Limtiaco Consulting Group where he previously held the position of President. John now volunteers his expertise as a HART Board of Director. ACECH is lucky to have John Katahira back as an active member and we look forward to his great contributions!
Gearing Up for the 2026 Legislative Session
Get ready! ACECH is expecting another busy legislative session. I would like to welcome back Janice Marsters (Akalā Consulting) as the 2025-2026 Legislative Committee chair. Janice brings an incredible depth of experience back to our committee and will be advocating hard for our membership. We ask for the membership’s support by keeping an eye out for any calls for testimony and also by supporting our local and national PAC (letter to member firms is forthcoming 😉).
Happy Holidays!
Mahalo,
ACEC-Hawaii President