Aloha ACEC-Hawai‘i Members,
“The Days are Long but the Years Fly By”
I heard this quote from someone, I do not know where it originated, but it is something that has embedded itself into my core memories. Yes, one of those core yellow orbs from the movie Inside Out. If you have not seen the movie, it is quite good. The second one is a bit heavier but also a good reminder of how quickly the years go by. Our individual days can feel slow and endless due to challenges we face in getting projects out, managing resources, hitting billing targets, and trying to be a good leader, among so many other things. As we close out 2025, I am halfway through my term as President of this amazing organization. ACECH has made great progress in advancing our mission, but I cannot help but feel there was so much more I could have done in my first 6 months. Those months that have passed by in a blink. As I focus in on my last 6 months as President and mentally path out my targets, I start by writing this message late… But supported by the Board of Directors we continue to make progress for our membership. I sincerely hope that 2025 was prosperous for our member firms and that 2026 brings us and our clients great success! This year will also fly by, so let’s also remember to slow down, when we can, and enjoy the journey we are taking with each other.
Our Board of Directors Gets a Boost!
ACECH started this fiscal year with a vacant Director position, and we are excited to announce that it has been filled. We welcome Scott W. Hayashi, J.D. as our newest Director. Scott is the Vice President of Technical Operations at SSFM International. He is also tackling one of our most challenging efforts by chairing the ACECH Risk Management committee since 23’. His involvement on the committee starting in 21’. Scott’s expertise really gives our Board of Directors a boost!
We’re goin’ up, up, up; It’s our moment; You know together we’re glowing; Gonna be, gonna be golden… (if you know, you know, haha!)
SPEED Task Force Survey Results
In a previous newsletter, our ACECH membership was asked to participate in a survey regarding the City and County of Honolulu’s DDP Building Division performance with respect to the current building permitting process. The following information has been shared with us:
A brief highlight of the results is as follows:
- Respondents were almost all A/E with a variety of building permitting experience.
- The overall grade for DPP was 2.15 out of 5 stars.
- Half of all respondents said it took over a year to get their building permit
- About 40% of respondents said that the DPP review comments were menial/insignificant and does not improve building safety
- More than half of respondents recommend using 3rd party review next time, and a roughly even amount of respondents said that they would rather by-pass the building permit process than submit to DPP for building permit next time
- The most common recommendation/suggestion was to limit the number of rounds of comments from DPP
Please find attached a link to the full survey results: CCH DPP Building Division Performance Survey- Results
The results were shared with the SPEED Task Force (STF), chaired by State Representative Greggor Ilagan, who has been tasked to find solutions to reduce the building permitting processing time at the counties. Attached is a link to the STF website (https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/legislature/specialcommittee.aspx?comm=STF&year=2025) for your information.
Do you know why February 22 to February 28 is Special?
This is your chance to transform our industry’s future! This is Engineers Week! What is that? It is an event to inspire future engineers by highlighting how engineering improves quality of life. It also provides the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of engineers. Go to our website to see how you can be part of this transformation!
What’s Coming Up?
Imagine your near future, one when you escape to a paradise and experience a world-class, stunning 18-hole golf course set against breathtaking oceanfront and volcanic landscapes! This future is not hypothetical; it is waiting for you on February 27th at our Big Island General Membership Meeting! Stay tuned for the details and I look forward to seeing everyone there! Thank you to our committee, chair Bruce Meyers, and liaison Nimr Tamimi for the consistent hard work to keep this committee active.
Looking to Make a Big Impact for ACECH?
The 2026 legislative session is in full effect and ACECH is already drafting testimony and meeting with our legislators. Early reports have indicated that over 5,300 measures have been introduced this year. Any of these measures could have an impact on our industry and our businesses. Janice Marsters and Ikaika Kincaid are leading the efforts of our Legislative Committee. We have amazing committee members working hard to identify measures that affect our industry, but this committee can always use more help. You may say you don’t have any legislative experience, so what can you do to help? Well, I’m sure you have reviewed and interpreted various Hawai‘i Administrative Rules and/or Hawai‘i Revised Statues as part of your normal engineering duties. Those were once measures, i.e. bills. You already know how to understand these measures and identify language that could be of concern, so join the committee and help protect and enhance our professional environment!
Mahalo,
ACEC-Hawaii President