Tony Gaston, senior vice president of development at Hunt Companies Hawai‘i – a construction company with interests in real estate, infrastructure and asset management – joined Hunt’s leadership team as an engineer in 2021.
Across the Islands, Hunt has developed hundreds of acres of master-planned and military communities, along with industrial and commercial space. This includes entitled parcels in Kalaeloa, where Gaston oversees more than $40 million dollars of infrastructure improvements that will create homes for thousands of families, his bio reads.
“My focus right now is planning ahead for future development and working with [private companies and the City & County of Honolulu] directly,” he told Aloha State Daily.
Learn more from Gaston about Kalaeloa here:
"Hunt is very community-minded,” Gaston said, adding that the company has invested more into keeping portions of the roads open during construction of Kalaeloa. “It makes things easier for families driving to Costco from ʻEwa Beach, for example. It saves them about a 17-minute differential to be able to access Franklin D Roosevelt Ave. I drove the route myself to check.”
Additionally, he noted that the roadwork by Barbers Point Elementary School will completed by summer.
With more than 30 years of industry experience, Gaston previously worked for HDR, A&B Properties Hawai'i, The Howard Hughes Corp. and Castle & Cooke Hawai'i. “I’ve seen Mililani evolve so much because I also grew up there – it was half the size it is now and used to be nothing but pineapple fields before,” Gaston said. “I was also part of the team at Castle & Cooke that helped build it.”
He added, “I knew I wanted to be an engineer in 8th grade, when my dad told me I should because I was good at math (and I helped him with his college-level math homework)."
Today, Gaston serves on the Oʻahu Metropolitan Planning Organizationʻs Citizen Advisory Committee on behalf of the American Society of Civil Engineers Hawai'i, in addition to the University of Hawaiʻi College of Engineering Alumni Banquet Committee.
“At UH, I help organize the annual fundraiser. But it's also an opportunity to have professional engineers come and contribute to the students and the program,” he said. “It’s great to see that the College of Engineering has become so diverse and has expanded, attracting more students.”
For 15 years, Gaston has volunteered with Mililani Middle School’s School Community Council, working with school leadership on events and enrichment programs, mentorship, financial planning and campus expansions. “I talk with kids about the benefits of studying and becoming an engineer. The goal is to help them understand that school is not a bad thing and to set them up for future success.”
Not to mention, Gaston regularly attends various Neighborhood Board meetings to keep the community informed about the major roadways affected by Hunt’s construction.
“It’s just my way to give back to the community," he said. “I strongly believe a developer like Hunt must be proactive and be a team member in the community. It helps overall on both sides.”
For those looking volunteer, Gaston recommends “helping an entity you have experience with already – that way you’ll contribute that much more.”
Last year, Hunt Companies Hawaiʻi supported more than 30 local organizations in donations totaling $150,000, up 11% over the year prior.
Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
