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Daily Smile

[{"type":"text","text":"Let the dog in!"}]

Smile 26 1 30

<title>Daily Smile: Friday, January 30, 2026</title>

Let the dog in!

Daily Smile: Friday, January 30, 2026

Oh look, it's the dreaded anti-cat table...

Smile 26 8 18

<title>Daily Smile: Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026</title>

Daily Smile: Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Aloha Spirit

 for 22 years, as its president and CEO, effective Aug. 1, 2025.

, who went on to become CEO of Parker Ranch Inc., which is based in Waimea on Hawai’

uhane was also promoted to chief operating officer and executive vice president last summer.

, who had served as senior director of HCF's Maui Recovery Effort, was promoted to her current role as vice president of community resilience and strategic implementation.

“We spotted leadership from the minute I met her, and on my first day, I turned to Michelle and said, ‘We gotta give Keanu some more stretch opportunities.’ [She’s] done a marvelous job in [her] new VP level, overseeing not just Maui or Maui recovery, not just our new Stronger Hawai

,” George told Aloha State Daily earlier this month. “But also, essentially, helping to pull us together to make sure that we're implementing on our strategic priorities the way we need to across the organization.”

[{"type":"text","text":"“We hired 13 new people in the year that I’ve been here,” he added."}]

Launched in March, HCF’s Stronger Hawai

i Fund supports “statewide disaster and emergency related preparedness, response, recovery, mitigation and resilience … across all islands, deploying resources to where the need is greatest at the moment it arises.”

In response to this past weekend’s Hurricane Lala — which so far has claimed a life, damaged more than 100 homes, and left thousands without power — the fund has deployed grants totaling $320,000 to nonprofits Vibrant Hawai’i, The Salvation Army Hilo Corps and Hope Services Hawai’i, to be used for financial assistance, food and supplies, water and communication, among other services, the organization announced Monday. Click 

, work toward recovery and rebuilding continue. 

 has raised more than $212 million in donations from around the globe and offers grants to local nonprofits addressing housing, health and workforce development, and more. According to Lau Hee, the remaining amount left to deploy is $30 million.

“We don't see it as just a $30 million investment next year but [aim to] understand what some of those longer-term systems are that we need to build to help recovery,” she said.

“Reflecting on three years of what Hawai

i Community Foundation has done and [what] the Maui Strong Fund has done, they've really moved with the speed of recovery and the community,” Lau Hee continued. “So, when resources were needed in the aftermath of the wildfire, the foundation deployed funds quickly to trusted organizations to get resources to the community when they needed it most. Whether that was supporting resilience hubs, which you saw stood up all over, or lodging, or rental assistance, or just even direct financial assistance, the organization moved quickly to do that. I think what enabled them to do so was because prior to the disaster, the foundation has been doing work in the Maui community for decades. That allowed the team and the staff to develop the partnerships on the ground, prior to the disaster, in which they could lean on.”

She acknowledged that while some families have rebuilt in Lahaina, others are “struggling” with their next step.

 positioned is to continue to listen to what the needs are, to understand what our partners (including government and other philanthropic organizations funding recovery) are doing, and to lean on community leaders to invest in better solutions,” she said.

Lau Hee and George shared more about their current and long-term priorities, both for the organization and Maui recovery efforts, in a recent conversation with ASD. 

How is HCF going about funding housing needs on Maui?

, because housing was the biggest challenge. And when the disaster hit, it exacerbated the housing crisis on Maui and continues to be the No. 1 challenge for recovery. The Hawai

 Community Foundation to date has invested just over $102 million into both housing programs, as well as [new] builds. … We helped the County of Maui pool together $50 million in road projects for Waiʻale Road Extension in Wailuku and the North-South Collector Road in Kīhei, which will open up more housing opportunities. But because of the mapping and infrastructure work done prior to the disaster, County of Maui used that to apply for the CDBG-DR (Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery) funds.

… Last year, we engaged stakeholders, leveraged the data we invested in with (The Maui Wildfire Exposure Study) 

/UHERO (University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization) studies to understand where the recovery needs are for community. We did a very large investment into 

Ulu O Lele, a marketplace by Hawaiian Council, to reenergize the historic and commercial district of Lahaina and to build a gathering place for community. [HCF also supported the 

 event from July 17 to 19.] … Attendees and organizers have described to us that Lahaina feels different now — it feels hopeful, that people are ready to come back to Front Street, their home.

This past year has been the time to really lean in on economic recovery, as we've also still focused on housing and mental health issues, supporting those committee organizations that stepped up to do what we call clinical case management, which means meeting people where they are and helping them get to where they need to be.

What are you most proud of delivering to Maui in the last year?

’m proud of the fact that against some people’s wishes, the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation deliberately and intentionally held back a significant amount of the Maui Strong funds. There were some people who would have hoped that all those dollars would have been pushed out in the first weeks and months

… Disasters reveal inequities; they reveal vulnerabilities; they reveal an incredible amount of community resilience and grit. They also take a long time to recover from. We are not a disaster recovery organization that jumps in when a disaster happens and only works there for the first few months. We are a perpetual resource to make sure that all communities thrive. So, I'm actually proud that because of, first, the outpouring generosity that was unprecedented in our state, to create the Maui Strong Fund with the size that it had, we had the ability, under Keanu, and rest of our team's leadership and our board’s leadership, to hold back dollars for when we knew most of those disaster relief organizations would be gone.

Because we exercised some of that discipline, we are able to invest in solutions for permanent recovery, like a kauhale project that was a deeply affordable rental facility, as well as an emergency shelter. So, making those investments with the generosity that was entrusted to us allows us to build real lasting recovery for that community.

The objective there is that we need to build a more comprehensive approach to resilience. We’ve often been a funder in the response and recovery phase, but we’ve struggled to be a funder in the blue skies/preparedness phase. Stronger Hawai

i really lets us span the spectrum of disaster … and helps us deploy those dollars accordingly. That is in alignment with our four-phase strategy to disaster that we adopted in 2019. This fund allows us greater flexibility to meet the needs of where this disaster is occurring.

It was conceived last summer, blessed by the board in the fall, and then we decided to deploy the fund on March 19, right before the worst of the Kona Lows was going to hit. We set a goal of $10 million for that fund; we’re a third of the way there, and we’ve already deployed $1.5 million out the door. … We think it’s not if the next disaster hits, but when. We think we’re going to be able to make a bigger difference.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What are your strategies to sustain funding?"}]

We’re much more effective when we work together. For example, we just created a pool fund to support grassroots organizations supporting immigrant communities.

… We’ve proposed longer-term partnerships with several prominent, community-minded corporations within the state, and we’ve seen some creative partnerships begin to develop out of that. We’re working more thoughtfully along the lines of our 

 to bring those donors into direct conversation with some of our grantees. [With a focus on access to health care, HCF is anticipating conversations with The Queen’s Health System and Wai

anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center.] Grantees also have opportunities to learn from each other and support one another.

 We restarted The Hawaiʻi Resilience Fund about nine months ago, and it is explicitly aimed at building nonprofit stability to weather all the uncertainties at the federal funding level. It’s also aimed at strengthening the nonprofit infrastructure through 

, or the Hawaiʻi Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations.

The Maui Recovery Funders Collaborative has shifted from being funded by HCF to FunderHui. It set up a common application for nonprofits, which made for easier access. For funders, it also allows them to see where funding is needed and who’s funding in which spaces.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"How is HCF investing in local workforce?"}]

Oftentimes, teachers are the stable force and they

’re a constant in your child’s life, so HCF is investing in the educator pipeline through the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College. Some of our other work at the college include building the pipeline of construction and health care workers. … 

 provides exposure to what public safety careers look like but also builds leadership skills.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What is next for HCF?"}]

Our vision is an equitable future for Hawa

 all communities thrive. … We are going to double down on the CHANGE framework that aligns our work to six key areas that are necessary for communities to thrive.

… I would say another theme is, really, the building of the Hawai

i Community Foundation. We truly believe that the genius does lie in communities, and when they are able to lead and able to partner effectively with government and with philanthropy, and where businesses within those communities are also able to thrive and grow jobs, we're gonna be OK. And building those partnerships and working through challenges is difficult because the civic muscle to stop something or blame somebody for something is in abundant supply around not just Hawai

, but the world. But the civic muscle, as all our grantees are showing, in Maui and elsewhere, to roll up your sleeves, innovate, build consensus, and make a deep and lasting difference for a community. That's what we most want to invest in. That takes partnerships, it takes trust, it takes focus on big goals and sticking with it. And it takes all of us to do that together.

’ve been good stewards of the endowed dollars we manage, with returns above our benchmark of about 17% over that one-year period. We overhauled our 

; paid out over $5.3 million in scholarships, and are working toward building [other] scholarship products. We made grants totaling $100.8 million over the last 12 months, and we’ve raised $96.2 million (that’s actually higher because we don’t have final numbers yet). We doubled our 

 cap to $20 million, which is a way we can use tools other than grants. These are 0 to super low interest loans, and occasionally equity investments for charitable purposes.  

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What have you been learning lately as leaders?"}]

 Patience. Discipline. Investing intentionally to my time, energy, my capacity to support the relationships we

 over the years. … Listening more, continuing to grow from these lessons, and sharing [them].

 You thrive when you know what your purpose is. And we

’ve been having some deep, wonderful conversations about our purpose and the reason we exist. The second thing is that l

eadership is very much a team sport, so creating safe spaces for everyone to observe their leadership and step out of their comfort zones, that

’s when you can wait for the magic to happen.

More information about HCF can be found online at 

HCF leadership Aug 2026

<title>Hawai'i Community Foundation leaders talk Stronger Hawaiʻi Fund, Maui Strong Fund, and…</title>

Keanu Lau Hee, vice president of community resilience and strategic implementation, shares HCF’s approach to investing in communities across the state to meet the greatest needs. HCF CEO and President Terry George reflects on his first year at the helm of the organization and what he’s prioritizing now to make the most impact.

Hawai'i Community Foundation leaders talk Stronger Hawaiʻi Fund, Maui Strong Fund, and more

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Real Estate

An oceanfront estate on Maui, comprised of two adjacent residences sitting on two parcels that total a little more than 1.2 acres, has hit the market with a $45 million asking price. 

Located at 4640 and 4650 Makena Road in Kīhei, the estate has eight bedrooms, 7.5 baths and spans just over 7,500 square feet, according to 

. Information provided to Aloha State Daily noted that the properties are offered fully furnished with central air conditioning, a security system and attached multi-car garages. There also are "expansive" ocean-facing lāna‘is, tropical landscaping, an in-ground heated pool and indoor-outdoor living spaces.

The property is located minutes from Wailea and sits about 40 feet above a white-sand beach, the listing notes, adding that a gated path leads to a secluded stretch of sand known as "Secret Beach."

"Opportunities of this magnitude — two contiguous oceanfront parcels with elevation, privacy and direct beach access — are extraordinarily limited," the listing states. "Offered together, this is a chance to secure a one-of-one compound in a supply-constrained market where replacement is simply not possible."

The property is listed by Hawai‘i Life's 

, who told Aloha State Daily in an emailed response to questions that "very rarely" does a listing listing like this hit the market.

"In my 45 years of real estate along the South Maui coastline, I have not encountered another listing as unique as this one," he says. "The two contiguous oceanfront lots, which front perhaps the best white sand beach in all of Maui, offer stunning views. The fully usable lots ensure security among the lush tropical grounds, making this property exceptional. Replicating this setting today would be extraordinarily difficult given the scarcity of comparable land and increasingly complex state and county regulations surrounding new oceanfront construction."

But what makes the property unique is the history and evolution of the estate, Richardson told ASD.

"The original home was built in 1990 by San Francisco venture capitalist Pierre Lamond, who used exceptional materials for its time, including black glazed roof tiles, copper downspouts integrated into the walls, cedar eaves and stucco walls with extensive glass windows and doors to capture the ocean views," he says. "In 2000, Lamond purchased the neighboring property for $10 [million] and thoughtfully remodeled it to complement his original home, using the same materials and creating what is now a cohesive estate."

Lamond and his wife sold the property for $42 million in 2021, according to a 

Today, Richardson said the two properties encompass 1.26 acres and 200 linear feet of ocean frontage, with both lots elevated about 35 feet above the beach.

"The estate combines privacy, security, mature tropical landscaping, direct beach access and extraordinary views," he says. "It is the combination of these elements, particularly the two contiguous oceanfront lots and their elevation above the coastline, that makes the property impossible to replicate."

Richardson says it's hard to choose a single favorite feature of the property, but the lāna‘i on the second residence is a fave.

"It wraps around the whole front of the home and cantilevers over the lava rock cliff; the views are stunning, and you would not be able to replicate its location due to today’s setback laws," he told ASD. 

According to Richardson, views from the upper-level primary suite of the original home stretch from Makena to Lahaina, and the elevation gives you "a soaring perspective over the coastline."

"I also love the sense of arrival and discovery throughout the property," he says. "Behind the gated entry, you have beautifully maintained, tropical grounds, two residences that share a cohesive architectural language and a 640-square-foot pool. Every time I enter the property, there is still a sense of wonder because of how much it offers while remaining remarkably private."

4640 4650 Makena Road13

<title>Maui oceanfront estate is on the market for $45M</title>

The offering includes two adjacent oceanfront residences that span more than 7,500 square feet of living space on a little more than 1.2 acres.

Maui oceanfront estate is on the market for $45M

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta Headshot

Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

Food & Dining

 just opened today in Waimalu Shopping Center. This is the business’s third and newest location. It features a full-service, sit-down dine-in experience, along with a takeout window. 

The biz is celebrating its grand opening tomorrow, Aug. 15, with a lion dance at 11:30 a.m.

Customers can expect a variety of manapua, along with dim sum, peking duck and plate lunches; this location features an expanded menu.

The business’s Hong Kong-style dim sum selection was crafted in partnership with its sister restaurant, Mei Sum Dim Sum. The dim sum menu comprises spring rolls ($4.95), potstickers ($6.35), shrimp pork hash ($6.35), half moon dumplings ($6.35), shrimp dumplings ($6.35) and more.

[{"type":"text","text":"The business’s classic char siu manapua is a bestseller."}]

Besides manapua and dim sum, customers can choose from a variety of local-style plate lunches. Entrees include ginger fried chicken, kalbi ribs, garlic butter shrimp, hamburger steak and more. Seafood and steak combo plates are also available. 

Island Manapua is re-branding its other two locations in Mānoa and Waipahu as Aloha Manapua.

“Over the years, we’ve grown from being a neighborhood manapua counter into a gathering place for families, friends and our community,” states Christy Tong, owner of Aloha Manapua. “Rebranding as Aloha Manapua celebrates our local roots, our commitment to serving our community, and the relationships we’ve built with our customers. While our name is changing, our dedication to the food and service our customers know and love remains the same.”

The ‘Aiea store will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. For the rest of August, customers can take advantage of a 10% discount.

Aloha Manapua shrimp dim sum 081426

<title>Aloha Manapua is open in Waimalu Shopping Center</title>

This is the business’s third and newest location; it’s celebrating its grand opening Aug. 15. Customers can enjoy its signature manapua, along with dim sum and plate lunches. The business is featuring a 10% discount for the rest of the month.

Aloha Manapua is open in Waimalu Shopping Center

Ray Tsuchiyama

Business & Tourism

Columnists

During my two decades in Japan, every summer I traveled to Honolulu for our family vacation. After the flight from Tokyo, I would drive on Nimitz Highway, looking at miles of rusting warehouses and used-car lots, along with hundreds of single-wall homes and walk-up apartment buildings. And on every trip, I would ponder: Why hasn't anything changed since I first moved to Kalihi a few years after Statehood?

When I moved to Tokyo in 1991, I saw acres of old buildings and tiny streets in the middle of a vast metropolis. One by one, I witnessed hundreds of family-owned parcels assembled and redeveloped into projects such as Roppongi Hills, Tokyo Midtown and, more recently, Azabudai Hills.

The contrast was staggering: old Tokyo residential neighborhoods becoming new mixed-use districts with retail, restaurants, entertainment, hotels and, most importantly, new housing.

I was witnessing a different development process.

Why didn't Hawaiʻi develop an equivalent process?

During my Hawaiʻi visits, over lunch with friends at Bishop Street law and banking firms, the conversation would return again and again to what they regarded as the Holy Grail of Hawaiʻi's economic discussion:

In hindsight, perhaps these questions started from the wrong place.

Of course, tourism is the obvious economic engine. But Hawaiʻi also has generationally accumulated private wealth, much of it embedded in real estate — which is a role rarely discussed in Hawaiʻi’s economy.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Families own:"}]

Much of this wealth is invisible in conventional economic-development discussions.

Hawaiʻi has two economies: the visible economy of visitors and the invisible economy of accumulated local capital.

Yet being “invisible” does not mean that Hawaiʻi families are necessarily poor in wealth. Instead, they are often heavily concentrated in one form of wealth: land and real estate.

Compare that with wealthy families in larger Mainland economies or internationally connected regions. Many have diversified their fortunes into operating businesses that produce revenues well beyond their home markets — like consumer or food products.

A family business in California or New York can build factories, distribution networks or brands that sell around the world. A small country or region does not necessarily have to be a limitation.

Switzerland is an instructive example. With a population of only about nine million — roughly nine Hawaiʻis —globally recognized Swiss firms like UBS, Rolex and Novartis remind us that the size of a domestic market does not determine the potential scale of a business.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Hawaiʻi's challenge has been different."}]

Generations of Hawaiʻi families accumulated wealth primarily through land and real estate. That created long-term wealth, but it also created concentration.

A $50 million property portfolio is not the same thing as $50 million in cash, or a global operating company generating $50 million in annual revenue.

That distinction becomes especially important when a family owns a valuable property but needs capital to improve it.

Selling the property may conflict with family legacy, stewardship, future generations, emotional attachment, and long-term appreciation.

I recall sitting in the Castle & Cooke boardroom in the early 1980s and listening to the CEO discuss how the company owned thousands of acres of land but had difficulty finding the capital to develop it to its “highest and best use.”

If a major Hawaiʻi landowner with institutional relationships and access to Mainland credit lines could struggle to finance development, what happens to a family that owns a single Waikīkī retail property?

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"The issues are not theoretical."}]

One family member wants to renovate the building. Another wants a distribution. Someone else wants to buy a house.

These are not abstract questions of operations or return on investment. They are real family decisions being made today in Nu‘uanu, Mānoa, Hawaiʻi Kai and communities throughout the Islands.

The challenge for the next generation of Hawaiʻi families may not be creating wealth.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"It may be learning how to steward it."}]

The founder's philosophy — “Never sell the land” — worked remarkably well for a generation. Land provided security, income, appreciation, and family continuity.

But what happens when the founder is gone and the property passes to five children, 12 grandchildren and eventually 30 beneficiaries?

The circumstances change: multiple heirs, fragmented ownership, increasingly complex properties, capital requirements, redevelopment opportunities, and housing and community pressures.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"So the question evolves."}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":"Not: Should we sell?"}]

But: How can we make the asset more productive while preserving long-term family ownership?

How do we responsibly deploy what we have for the next generation?

Perhaps the next evolution is to think of family land not simply as an asset to hold, but as a form of Neighborhood Capital — capital capable of participating in the long-term development of the communities around it.

That brings me back to my two-decade frustration at the start of every Hawaiʻi vacation.

What happens when Hawaiʻi's greatest untapped economic asset is not the monthly visitor count but what already exists in family balance sheets across the Islands?

Most importantly, what could Neighborhood Capital mean for Kalihi-Pālama, a historically overlooked community strategically sited between the airport and Waikīkī, Hawaiʻi's economic engine?

If the capital and the land are already here, why aren't we seeing more large-scale, locally rooted development?

Perhaps Hawaiʻi does not have a shortage of capital, land, or expertise.

What it may lack is a process for bringing them together — patiently, professionally and at a neighborhood scale.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"}],"text":" "},{"type":"text","text":" "}]

This is the inaugural column in Ray Tsuchiyama’s series exploring one central question: How does Hawai‘i use the wealth and land it already has to create its next economic future? He can be reached at 

Oahu neighborhoods homes i Stock

<title>Hawaiʻi’s next billion-dollar industry is not tourism — it is capital stewardship</title>

Everyday people in Hawai‘i are, collectively, sitting on a vast source of wealth, mainly real estate. As Guild Consulting's real estate and finance expert Ray Tsuchiyama explains, the Islands' next big challenge — and opportunity — could be putting this wealth to work at the neighborhood level for positive change.

Hawaiʻi’s next billion-dollar industry is not tourism — it is capital stewardship

Several new retailers and restaurants have recently opened at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu and more are set to open soon, the center announced Wednesday. Here’s what you should know.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What's new:"}]

, a locally owned coffee roaster serving breakfast, lunch and craft coffee, has opened on Street Level 1 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

 can be found on Mall Level 2 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

Korean beauty retailer Lume Harmony can be found on Street Level 1 near Center Court.

, offering a selection of toys, plushies, collectibles, stationery, beauty essentials, home goods, fragrances, electronics, snacks and other accessories, can be found on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

, an ear piercing and jewelry brand, has opened on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Coming soon: "}]

, which will showcase contemporary works by local and international artists, is set to open this month in an 8,000-square-foot space on Street Level 1 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

, an indoor family entertainment venue and indoor playground spanning more than 42,000 square feet, will open in October on Mall Level 2 of the Mauka Wing. The space will have multilevel play structures, slides, an indoor zipline, trampolines and other play areas, along with amenities like supervised drop-off services, private party rooms, luggage storage and the Kids City Café.

, a modern beauty and wellness boutique offering a curated selection of facial and body spa treatments, personalized skin consultations, lash services, permanent makeup, Korean beauty products and more, will open this month on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

, known for designer toys, blind boxes and collectible figures, will open its first Hawai‘i location this month on Level 3 of the ‘Ewa Wing.

, a luxury wellness and recovery destination, and 

, offering a modern take on traditional tea culture, are expected open in October. You'll find BB Wellness on Street Level 1 of the Diamond Head Wing and Molly Tea on Mall Level 2 of the Mauka Wing.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Relocations and renovations:"}]

 will reopen its expanded and newly renovated permanent location on Street Level 1 near Center Court in September.

 will relocate to a temporary boutique on Mall Level 2 of the Diamond Head Wing later this month, while its permanent location undergoes renovation. The newly renovated permanent shop is currently expected to open in late 2027.

Ala Moana Center opened in 1959 and is the world's largest open-air shopping center with more than 2.4 million square feet of retail space. It offers more than 350 stores and restaurants, including more than 160 dining options.

Daily Smile: Friday, January 30, 2026

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Daily Smile: Friday, January 30, 2026

Authors

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