Table of Contents

Large Companies | Medium Companies | Small Companies | Other Categories | Benefits

Just when it seemed like employee engagement numbers had hit rock bottom, they slipped even lower. Only 31% of employees nationally said they felt involved and enthusiastic about their jobs last year, according to a Gallup survey – a 10-year low.

In Hawai‘i, engagement figures are probably no higher, says Tracie Foglia, the talent solutions manager at the Hawaii Employers Council. Foglia is spearheading a new HEC initiative to help the council’s approximately 750 member organizations attract the best people, and effectively engage and develop them so they’ll stay.

Finding and keeping talent is the single biggest problem that local leaders worry about, she says. Yet many of those leaders haven’t adapted to employee needs for meaning and connection in their jobs, which is crucial today, she says.

“For me, it all comes down to engagement,” says Foglia.

The New Rules of Engagement

While there are no easy fixes for poor or lackluster engagement, “it isn’t rocket science,” says Foglia. “It’s really about employees having an emotional connection to the work they do for the organization, its mission, vision and values.”

In her previous position as a recruiter for a local staffing company, Foglia says, she would “essentially shuffle people across Hawai‘i organizations because employers weren’t telling them how the work they did mattered, and that wasn’t engaging them.”

And you can’t get people to commit to an organization using tools of the past, she adds.

“We used to throw a pizza party or have board games in the breakroom, and we would call it engagement. But engagement is not entertainment,” says Foglia. “We want to do work where we know that we matter, where we can commit to an organization and we know that the organization is committed to us. We want to do work that we’re fulfilled by,” she says.

Engaged employees stay at their jobs longer and deliver better results, says Foglia. “You not only keep the great talent that you have, but their hearts and minds are engaged in the work the company does, and they become advocates for your company.”

She says a narrow focus on key performance indicators and other metrics will “impact not only the experience of the employees, but your bottom line.” In a McKinsey survey, for example, 99% of respondents who said their company’s talent management was very effective also said their companies outperformed competitors, compared with 56% of all other respondents.

3 Ways to Improve Employee Engagement

Skills development: The most important way to help people feel engaged at work is by giving them the opportunity to develop their skills, says Foglia. That can take the form of tuition assistance, training and workshops, or cross-departmental training and “exposure.”

“Exposure is my favorite one,” she says, as it lets employees shadow a leader, bringing them into rooms and conversations and preparing them for new roles.

Among 2025’s Best Places to Work companies, 91% say they help employees take work-related courses, and 87% assist with attending business workshops and conferences or getting professional certifications. Forty-two percent offer reimbursement for advanced degrees.

Job shadowing and cross-training are offered at 89% of the Best Places to Work, and 83% provide formal mentoring.

Work-life balance: The second-most important engagement tool, Foglia says, is building flexibility into employee schedules when possible and prioritizing work-life balance, which improves physical and mental well-being.

She says employers need to honestly assess people’s workloads and capacity. Do they need assistance? Can projects be delayed or sent elsewhere? Is there an off-hours policy that protects the employee’s private life?

“If I’m on PTO, am I expected to check my email?” Foglia asks. “A little part of me dies inside when I read someone’s out-of-office message and it says, ‘I’m on vacation and will reply when I’m able.’”

Among this year’s selected companies, 88% say they offer flexible work hours, and 71% say employees are discouraged from checking emails and voicemails after work.

But only 40% of those companies say employees are not permitted to work during vacation, and only 44% require employees to take vacation time.

Caring managers: The third-most important factor that determines whether employees feel fulfilled and valued is their direct manager, says Foglia – and many managers need training and skills to effectively lead a team.

She says managers can be taught to ask questions – What are your biggest challenges? How can I help? – and to actively listen. “People’s well-being and their ability to share with others when they’re having a hard time is completely dependent on the direct manager,” she says.

Managers at Best Places to Work companies excel at building positive relationships with employees. In survey results gathered from employees, 93% say their bosses treat them respectfully, 92% say their bosses are mindful of their personal needs, and 90% say their bosses willingly listen to suggestions and want employees to reach their full potential.

At an organizational level, while 95% of employees say they understand how their work impacts their companies’ success, only 84% believe their companies value them.

Pay and Benefits Matter

Beyond these foundational elements, fundamentals such as pay and benefits are crucial for engagement, says Foglia.

“The vast majority of people work because we have a financial need. If your company does not have market pay, you’re going to lose employees and not attract employees.”

And while many companies offer a suite of benefits, Foglia says, employees are often unsure of what benefits they have and how to use them. She suggests that companies explain the value of benefits, especially more complex ones such as 401(k) plans and employee stock ownership plans, and organize financial literacy workshops. An employee stock ownership plan gives employees partial or full ownership of a company.

On the Best Places to Work list, 97% of organizations offer 401(k) plans or something similar, 34% offer profit-sharing plans and 21% offer ESOPs. All of the companies say they offer medical benefits, and 87% of employees say their share of the costs is reasonable.

As for pay, only 68% of employees at Best Places to Work companies say their compensation is fair.

Hawai‘i’s Unique Advantage

Foglia says that Hawai‘i has inherited the relentless work culture of the mainland, which is “the only one I know where, when people are on vacation, they still feel a need to check in with the office.”

Rather than looking somewhere else for healthier models, she says workplaces can find the guidance they need at home.

“One of our amazing super-strengths in Hawai‘i is our culture of aloha. We naturally try to build connections to people. So why don’t we double down on that and really leverage that in the workplace?”

She says companies should consistently make time to talk with employees about why their work matters and how important they are to the team and the company. “What better place to engage people than here?”

Large Companies
250 or more Hawaiʻi employees

The remaining large companies are listed in alphabetical order.

Adventist Health Castle
Headquarters: Kailua
Employees: 969
adventisthealthcastle.org

American Savings Bank
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 968
asbhawaii.com

Central Pacific Bank
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 697
cpb.bank

Child & Family Service
Headquarters: Ewa Beach
Employees: 326
childandfamilyservice.org

Diagnostic Laboratory Services Inc.
Headquarters: Aiea
Employees: 735
dlslab.com

First Hawaiian Bank
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 1,908
fhb.com

Hawaii State Federal Credit Union
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 376
hawaiistatefcu.com

Island Palm Communities
Headquarters: Schofield Barracks
Employees: 402
islandpalmcommunities.com

Prince Resorts Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 1,559
princeresortshawaii.com

ProService Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 444
proservice.com

Servco Pacific Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 1,045
servco.com

Medium Companies
50-249 Hawaiʻi employees

The remaining medium companies are listed in alphabetical order.

AES Hawaii
Headquarters: Arlington, VA
Employees: 64
aes-hawaii.com

AHL
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 100
ahl.design

Alexander & Baldwin
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 99
alexanderbaldwin.com

American Floor & Home
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 123
americanfloorandhome.com

Aqua Engineers Inc.
Headquarters: Kalaheo
Employees: 90
aquaengineers.com

Atlas Insurance Agency
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 108
atlasinsurance.com

Bristol Hospice Hawaii
Headquarters: Salt Lake City, UT
Employees: 176
bristolhospice.com/hawaii/

Castaway Construction & Restoration LLC
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 90
castawayhawaii.com

CW Associates CPAs
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 65
cwa.cpa

Diamond Bakery
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 62
diamondbakery.com

Elcco Electric Inc.
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 72
elccoelectric.com

EnviroServices & Training Center LLC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 55
gotoetc.com

Finance Factors Ltd.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 108
financefactors.com

First Insurance Company of Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 216
ficoh.com

G70
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 102
g70.design

Hale Kipa
Headquarters: Ewa Beach
Employees: 100
halekipa.org

Hawaii Community Foundation
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 84
hawaiicommunityfoundation.org

Hawaii Dental Service
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 134
hawaiidentalservice.com

Hawaii Diagnostic Radiology Services
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 64
hawaiidrs.com

HEMIC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 123
hemic.com

Hickam Federal Credit Union
Headquarters: Pearl City
Employees: 105
hickamfcu.org

Island Insurance
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 140
islandinsurance.com

Kapili Solar Roofing
Headquarters: Waipahu
Employees: 156
kapiliroof.com

Kilauea Pest Control
Headquarters: Kailua
Employees: 78
kilaueapest.com

Kupu
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 69
kupuhawaii.org

Layton Construction
Headquarters: Sandy UT
Employees: 56
laytonconstruction.com/meet-hawaii/

Life Cycle Engineering
Headquarters: Charleston, SC
Employees: 104
LCE.com

M. Dyer Global
Headquarters: Pearl City
Employees: 78
mdyerglobal.com

N&K CPAs Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 59
nkcpa.com

Noguchi & Associates
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 56
nogins.com

Nordic PCL Construction Inc.
Headquarters: Edmonton, Alberta
Employees: 173
nordicpcl.com

Pacific Administrators Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 51
pacadmin.com

Pacific Biodiesel
Headquarters: Wailuku
Employees: 91
biodiesel.com

Pacific Guardian Life Insurance Co.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 117
pacificguardian.com

Pacxa
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 92
pacxa.com

Pyramid Insurance
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 66
pyramidins.com

Ronald N.S. Ho & Associates Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 66
rnsha.com

Seagull Schools
Headquarters: Kailua
Employees: 147
seagullschools.org

Service Rentals & Supplies LLC
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 63
service-rentals.com

St. Andrews Schools
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 77
standrewsschools.org

Swinerton
Headquarters: San Francisco, CA
Employees: 150
swinerton.com

UHA Health Insurance
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 169
uhahealth.com

Waimanalo Health Center
Headquarters: Waimanalo
Employees: 127
waimanalohealth.org

Windward Auto Group LLC (now called Jerry V’s Auto Group)
Headquarters: Kaneohe
Employees: 126
jerryforthepeople.com

Small Companies
15-49 Hawaiʻi employees

The remaining small companies are listed in alphabetical order.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Hawai‘i
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 24
bbbshawaii.org

Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 30
ceramictileplus.com

Chun Kerr LLP
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 39
chunkerr.com

Diamond Head Dental Care
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 36
diamondheaddentalcare.com

Dynamic Planning & Response LLC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 43
dynapnr.com

Express Employment Professionals of Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 23
expresspros.com/HonoluluHi

The Hawaii Group Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 36
thehawaiigroup.com

Hawaii Information Service
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 16
hawaiinformation.com

Hawai‘i Public Health Institute
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 48
hiphi.org

Hawaii Zipline Tours
Headquarters: Honomu
Employees: 19
ziplinetourshawaii.com

HiEmployment
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 22
hi-employment.com

Imua Family Services
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 42
discoverimua.com

Independent Energy
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 23
independentenergyhawaii.com

iQ 360
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 16
iq360inc.com

Lawson & Associates Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 15
lawsonsafety.com

Make-A-Wish Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 28
hawaii.wish.org

Mitsunaga & Associates Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 38
mitsunagaassociates.com

Okahara and Associates Inc.
Headquarters: Hilo
Employees: 38
okahara.com

Premier Solutions Hi LLC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 19
premiersolutionshi.com

Servpac Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 18
servpac.com

Sustainable Island Products
Headquarters: Kailua-Kona
Employees: 21
sustainableislandproducts.com

T&T Tinting Specialists Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 26
tnttinting.com

Verity CPAs
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 18
veritycpas.com

WestPac Wealth Partners
Headquarters: San Diego, CA
Employees: 40
westpacwealth.com

Windward Synergy Center
Headquarters: Kailua
Employees: 20
windwardsynergycenter.com

Zephyr Insurance Co. Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 20
zephyrinsurance.com

Other Categories
Most Family-Friendly Companies

Small Employer:

1. Hawai‘i Energy / Leidos
2. Express Employment Professionals of Hawaii
3. USAble Life

Medium Employer:

1. New York Life Insurance
2. Layton Construction
3. Nordic PCL Construction Inc.

Large Employer:

1. First Hawaiian Bank
2. Prince Resorts Hawaii
3. Parents And Children Together

Healthiest Companies

Small Employer:

1. Hawai‘i Energy / Leidos
2. Express Employment Professionals of Hawaii
3. WestPac Wealth Partners

Medium Employer:

1. First Insurance Company of Hawaii
2. AHL
3. Alexander & Baldwin

Large Employer:

1. Child & Family Service
2. First Hawaiian Bank
3. Central Pacific Bank

Best Places to Work for Women

Small Employer:

1. Hawai‘i Public Health Institute
2. Windward Synergy Center
3. Chun Kerr LLP

Medium Employer:

1. G70
2. Edward Jones
3. Atlas Insurance Agency

Large Employer:

1. Island Palm Communities
2. Bowers + Kubota Consulting Inc.
3. Bayer Hawaii

Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Employees

Small Employer:

1. Hawai‘i Energy / Leidos
2. Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours
3. Express Employment Professionals of Hawaii

Medium Employer:

1. Northwestern Mutual Hawai‘i
2. New York Life Insurance
3. CW Associates CPAs

Large Employer:

1. Parents And Children Together
2. American Savings Bank
3. First Hawaiian Bank

Best Places to Work in Hospitality in Hawai’i

Prince Resorts Hawaii

Best Places to Work on the Neighbor Islands

Service Rentals & Supplies LLC

Best Young Business to Work For

Windward Auto Group LLC (now called Jerry V’s Auto Group)

Best Places to Work Rookie of the Year

Service Rentals & Supplies LLC

Best Family-Owned Place to Work

Service Rentals & Supplies LLC

2025 Benefits at a Glance

If the most effective way to recruit excellent employees is to become a Best Place to Work, then surely the second-most effective way to recruit them is to spread the word far and wide that your company or nonprofit is a Best Place to Work.

That’s where we come in. Each year, the cover story in Hawaii Business Magazine’s April issue lists and briefly describes all of Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work. Then we spread the word on our website, hawaiibusiness.com, and in our twice daily email newsletter, Today’s Hawai‘i News, which has 23,000 subscribers and an open rate north of 70%.

In the latest list of Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work, 78 companies made the cut.

Thing is, you can’t live off your reputation for long. You have to keep proving yourself. That’s why it’s important to know that Friday, Oct. 18, is the deadline to register for the Best Places to Work survey that determines the 2025 list. There’s no fee; go to bestplacestoworkhawaii.com and register if you think your organization falls into one of two categories:

• One, you think your company is a Best Place to Work or might be.
• Or two, you want your company to become a Best Place to Work.

Honest Answers Provide Insights

Few organizations start as Best Places to Work. Almost all of them become Best Places to Work over time, and a crucial step is finding out what employees really think about their workplace, through a confidential survey.

Confidential surveys – like the ones conducted for the Hawai‘i Best Places to Work – means you are likely to get honest responses from your employees. The feedback helps your leadership team know what you are doing well and where your workplace has slipped off the tracks. The answers can be heartening and brutal – but most of all enlightening. I know because I’ve reviewed summaries of surveys of our own employees.

Last year as part of the Best Places to Work program, about 20,000 employees at more than 100 companies participated in confidential surveys. That’s a huge database to draw insights from.

We Partner With the Experts

We are not experts in collecting and analyzing that data but we partner with people who are. For two decades, we have collaborated with Peter Burke and his team on the Best Places to Work program.

“Being named a Best Place to Work will have a massive impact on an organization’s brand as an employer, but simply participating in the program has another huge benefit,” says Burke, CEO of Workforce Research Group.

“Regardless of whether an organization makes the list, all participants have the opportunity to invest in the WRG Employee Feedback Data Dashboard. This portal has the results of the employee engagement survey, benchmark reports and employee comments – information that is like gold if you want to build a better workplace. Most organizations pay less than $1,000 to access this invaluable information. Plus, a report analysis call with WRG is included,” he says.

If you keep at it, that information can help build a better workplace. And when you become a Best Place to Work, the payoff is enormous.

“The average percentage of employees in the U.S. who are engaged is about 35%. For the Best Places to Work in Hawai‘i, that percentage is 89%. That is an amazing accomplishment for the winners,” Burke says.

The rewards go far beyond better recruitment and retention. “Being named a Best Place to Work will have a huge impact on not only the employees, but the employees’ families, the organizations’ customers and the communities they serve,” he says.

Want a head start? Here are the top drivers of employee engagement:

1.  Employees liking what they do.
2.  Employees believing in the leadership of the organization.
3.  Employees being treated with dignity instead of like a number.
4.  Employees knowing what is expected of them.
5.  The company is committed to producing quality products and services.

Register for the program and find out where you stand on these issues.

Large Companies | Medium Companies | Small Companies | Other Categories | Hall of Fame

Businesses nationwide are contending with widespread disenchantment about work, and engagement levels are stuck at 33%, according to a Gallup survey. The vast majority of employees say they’re not happy in their jobs and they’re just doing the bare minimum, or less.

There’s no quick fix or secret formula for building an energized, committed workforce. But there are lots of ways to erode the bond between employer and employee, and it often starts at the top. Michael Kamaka, VP at Bowers + Kubota, says it succinctly: “When it comes to employees, if you don’t care about them, they’re definitely not going to care about you.”

The companies and nonprofits on Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work 2024 list strive to create better experiences for everyone, according to surveys of employees and company representatives by the Texas-based Workforce Research Group, Hawaii Business Magazine’s partner on the project. Employees at these companies say they’re highly satisfied with their jobs, managers, co-workers and company culture, according to survey responses, and they’re overwhelmingly positive when responding to prompts such as:

• This organization treats me with dignity, not as just a number.
• I am part of a team with a common purpose.
• This organization actively promotes diversity and inclusion.
• I believe in this organization’s leadership.
• I intend to remain at this organization for the foreseeable future.

So what are these companies doing differently? How do their core principles, practices and benefits translate into employees who feel genuinely heard and valued, and who, in return, do their best work?

Two Best Places to Work, Bowers + Kubota and Parents And Children Together, rank first and third in the large companies category, and they’ve consistently performed well for over a decade. Despite being very different organizations – one is an architecture and engineering firm, the other a social services nonprofit – there are some striking, and instructive, similarities.

Both Started Small and Have Stayed True to Their Roots.

Bowers + Kubota launched as a tiny firm in 1980, and has since grown to nearly 300 employees across the Islands. As it’s grown in size, potentially burdensome processes and procedures have expanded as well.

“But we don’t want to become bureaucratic,” says Brian Bowers, president of Bowers + Kubota. “I’m proud that we’ve been able to maintain this family-centric, nimble organization that really puts the employees first.”

In 1968, Parents And Children Together started as a grassroots organization dedicated to improving life at Kuhio Park Terrace, now called the Towers of Kuhio Park, in Kalihi. Today, with a staff of more than 300, the nonprofit stays focused on the mission.

“We started as a community group that collectively came together to work on solving problems,” explains Ryan Kusumoto, president and CEO of PACT. “That foundation helps keep us going. Nothing we do happens in a vacuum … but involves listening to the community. In terms of our workplace, it means listening to your staff.”

Both Face Industrywide Challenges Finding and Keeping Employees.

Today, Bowers + Kubota confronts an ongoing workforce shortage, which means it’s competing for a small pool of engineers and other skilled professionals. Those potential hires have plenty of other job opportunities, with enticing salaries and benefits packages.

Parents And Children Together competes for talent too, and in a notoriously difficult field. Nationally, 4 in 10 employees in the social services sector leave their jobs every year, says Kusumoto, often the result of burnout from working with clients in crisis.

Like Bowers + Kubota, PACT also struggles with a shortage of highly educated and licensed professionals, especially in areas such as mental health and early learning.

Both Focus on Their People, in Ways That Go Beyond Lip Service.

To attract employees and get them to stay, the organizations have to distinguish themselves. They do it by working to create warm, collaborative cultures.

“The managers and leadership realize that the company’s biggest asset are the people. Everything we do follows that mantra. We have to take care of our people,” says Kathleen Chu, VP at Bowers + Kubota.

The company organizes mentoring opportunities, social events, volunteering activities and more to help employees feel connected to each other. At family events, top executives make sure they talk to everyone, and they visit employees in the hospital when they’re sick. “

At the end of the day, anyone can get a job with more pay and more benefits. But I don’t think you get the same camaraderie,” Kamaka says. “We have teams that are fiercely loyal to each other. They’ll do whatever it takes to help each other out. I think that connection is what people like.”

At PACT, Kusumoto says he focuses on belonging, which is a more meaningful measure than employee engagement. “When we focus on the word belonging, we think about how to get that deep connective tissue with our employees,” he explains.

It starts at the beginning of the relationship, by hiring people who share PACT’s values. “When you come to work for us, it’s because you care about this community,” he says. “We’re not here to tell people what to do. We’re here to walk alongside individuals and help them get to the place they need to be.”

He also gives new employees his cellphone number, with instructions to call or text at any time. “I want to hear their stories because that helps make me be better,” Kusumoto says. “Just saying you have an open-door policy is not enough. You have to be intentional about it.”

Both Rely on Employee Surveys to Continually Improve.

Bowers + Kubota participates in both the Hawai‘i Best Places to Work survey and a national industry-specific survey. The senior management team reviews all the responses, publicly answers employees’ questions and follows up with specific actions to address problems.

For example, after getting feedback from younger employees who were struggling with Hawai‘i’s housing costs, Bowers + Kubota rolled out a pay raise. The company also started to hold “rap sessions” between employees and managers to get people talking and sharing more.

“We’re always looking for that edge and to improve our policies and practices,” Bowers says. “Whether it’s quantitatively or qualitatively, you always want to be growing in some way as a company because if you’re not moving forward, you’re probably moving backwards.”

PACT also scours the annual Best Places survey for new ideas and to see what’s working or not. Based on employee feedback, it initiated all-gender bathrooms and formed affinity groups that encourage open dialogue among staff. And it started up an extremely low-interest microloan program to help people deal with emergencies such as car breakdowns and medical expenses.

The nonprofit introduced monthly online meetings that gather staff from across the Islands for information sharing and special speakers. And it expanded its wellness programs and training on how to handle difficult issues, such as suicide prevention.

Both Splurge on Benefits They’re Best Able to Offer.

Bowers + Kubota offers a suite of benefits, such as competitive salaries, fully paid family medical insurance and a 401(k) plan with a company match. But the company goes much further to let employees know they matter: In 2012, it launched an employee stock-ownership plan, or ESOP, which is fully funded by Bowers + Kubota.

Every employee is a shareholder, and they can withdraw their funds or roll them over into IRAs when they leave. “We’ve had people leave after only 10 years with literally hundreds of thousands of dollars in their retirement accounts,” Bowers says.

Human resources expert and Bowers + Kubota principal Amy Matsushima leads staff in elaborate role-playing games so that people understand how an ESOP works, and how their actions affect share price. “The concept can be a little challenging at first, but when they see that first statement, it starts to click into place,” she says.

At PACT, which largely operates from state and federal contracts, Kusumoto says the biggest financial challenge is making sure it can pay people competitive salaries without cutting the quality of services. The organization applies for grants, hosts fundraisers, and advocates for higher payments from state contracts, which have remained stagnant for a decade.

To improve the overall compensation package, people are given lots of paid time off to decompress and rejuvenate. Employees get 21 days of vacation; 12 sick days, of which five can be used for personal days off; and 14 days for holidays. That’s eight full weeks away from the job each year, plus extra days for sick leave.

“Our staff are dealing with individuals with mental illness, they’re dealing with the child welfare system, with domestic violence, with poverty. They’re carrying the weight of the clients we service, so it’s really tough,” Kusumoto says.

“We don’t blink an eye with regards to the amount of days we give off,” he says, “because we know that when people come to work, they work.”

Click here to see select benefits from the companies and nonprofits that made the 2024 Best Places to Work list!

Large Companies
250 or more Hawaiʻi employees

The remaining large companies are listed in alphabetical order.

AlohaCare
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 270 HI
alohacare.org

Central Pacific Bank
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 732 HI
cpb.bank

Child & Family Service
Headquarters: ‘Ewa Beach
Employees: 326 HI
childandfamilyservice.org

Diagnostic Laboratory Services Inc.
Headquarters: ‘Aiea
Employees: 713 HI
dlslab.com

First Hawaiian Bank
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 1,984 HI
fhb.com

Hawaii State Federal Credit Union
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 381 HI
hawaiistatefcu.com

HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 379 HI
hawaiiusafcu.com

Island Palm Communities LLC
Headquarters: Schofield Barracks
Employees: 390 HI
islandpalmcommunities.com

Panda Restaurant Group Inc.
Headquarters: Rosemead, CA
Employees: 479 HI
pandarg.com

Prince Resorts Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 1,577 HI
princeresortshawaii.com

ProService Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 284 HI
proservice.com

Servco Pacific Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 1,038 HI
servco.com

Medium Companies
50 – 249 Hawaiʻi employees

The remaining large companies are listed in alphabetical order.

American Floor & Home
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 125 HI
americanfloorandhome.com

Aqua Engineers Inc.
Headquarters: Kalāheo
Employees: 93 HI
aquaengineers.com

Atlas Insurance Agency
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 106 HI
atlasinsurance.com

Castaway Construction & Restoration LLC
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 90 HI
castawayhawaii.com

CW Associates CPAs
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 71 HI
cwa.cpa

Edward Jones
Headquarters: St. Louis, MO
Employees: 140 HI
edwardjones.com

EnviroServices & Training Center LLC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 61 HI
gotoetc.com

Finance Factors Ltd.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 120 HI
financefactors.com

G70
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 105 HI
g70.design

Hawai‘i Community Foundation
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 83 HI
hawaiicommunityfoundation.org

Hawaii Dental Service (HDS)
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 136 HI
hawaiidentalservice.com

Hawaii Diagnostic Radiology Services
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 74 HI
hawaiidrs.com

Hawaii Mortgage Experts
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 58 HI
hawaiimortgageexperts.com

HEMIC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 117 HI
hemic.com

Hickam Communities LLC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 90 HI
hickamcommunities.com

Hickam Federal Credit Union
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 111 HI
hickamfcu.org

Island Insurance
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 140 HI
islandinsurance.com

Kapili Solar Roofing & Painting
Headquarters: Waipahu
Employees: 151 HI
kapiliroof.com

Kilauea Pest Control
Headquarters: Kailua
Employees: 79 HI
kilaueapest.com

Kupu
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 66 HI
kupuhawaii.org

Life Cycle Engineering
Headquarters: Charleston, SC
Employees: 60 HI
lce.com

N&K CPAs Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 59 HI
nkcpa.com

Noguchi & Associates
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 55 HI
nogins.com

Nordic PCL Construction Inc.
Headquarters: Edmonton, Alberta
Employees: 142 HI
nordicpcl.com

Pacific Biodiesel
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 84 HI
biodiesel.com

Pacific Whale Foundation
Headquarters: Wailuku
Employees: 145 HI
pacificwhale.org

Pacxa
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 102 HI
pacxa.com

Pyramid Insurance
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 66 HI
pyramidins.com

Ronald N.S. Ho & Associates Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 65 HI
rnsha.com

Seagull Schools
Headquarters: Kailua
Employees: 134 HI
seagullschools.org

St. Andrew’s Schools
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 78 HI
standrewsschools.org

UHA Health Insurance
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 170 HI
uhahealth.com

Windward Auto Group LLC
Headquarters: Kāne‘ohe
Employees: 116 HI
jerryforthepeople.com

Small Companies
15 – 49 Hawaiʻi employees

The remaining large companies are listed in alphabetical order.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Advantage Realty
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 30 HI
betterhawaii.com

Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 30 HI
ceramictileplus.com

Chun Kerr LLP
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 36 HI
chunkerr.com

Control Freaks Hawaii
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 15 HI
controlfreakshawaii.com

Diamond Head Dental Care
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 29 HI
diamondheaddentalcare.com

Dynamic Planning & Response LLC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 40 HI
dynapnr.com

Hawai’i Energy / Leidos
Headquarters: Honolulu / Reston, VA
Employees: 33 HI
hawaiienergy.com

The Hawaii Group
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 31 HI
thehawaiigroup.com

Hawaii Information Service
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 18 HI
hawaiiinformation.com

HiEmployment
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 22 HI
hi-employment.com

Independent Energy Systems
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 15 HI
independentenergyhawaii.com

iQ 360
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 17 HI
iq360inc.com

Lawson & Associates Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 17 HI
lawsonsafety.com

Make-A-Wish Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 28 HI
hawaii.wish.org

Okahara and Associates Inc.
Headquarters: Hilo
Employees: 36 HI
okahara.com

Premier Solutions Hi LLC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 20  HI
premiersolutionshi.com

RIM Architects LLC
Headquarters: Anchorage, AK
Employees: 20 HI
rimarchitects.com

Servpac Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 18 HI
servpac.com

Symbrosia
Headquarters: Kailua-Kone
Employees: 24 HI
symbrosia.co

Verity CPAs
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 19 HI
veritycpas.com

WATG
Headquarters: Irvine, CA
Employees: 18 HI
watg.com

WestPac Wealth Partners
Headquarters: San Diego, CA
Employees: 40 HI
westpacwealth.com

Windward Synergy Center
Headquarters: Kailua
Employees: 17 HI
windwardsynergycenter.com

Zephyr Insurance Co. Inc
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 21 HI
zephyrins.com

Other Categories

Most Family-Friendly Companies

Small Employer:
1. Express Employment Professionals of Hawaii
2. Hawaiʻi Energy / Leidos
3. USAble Life
Medium Employer:
1. New York Life Insurance
2. Nordic PCL Construction Inc.
3. Kupu
Large Employer:
1. Bayer Hawaii
2. Servco Pacific Inc.
3. Prince Resorts Hawaii

Healthiest Companies

Small Employer:
1. Express Employment Professionals of Hawaii
2. Hawaiʻi Energy / Leidos
3. WestPac Wealth Partners
Medium Employer:
1. Swinerton
2. UHA Health Insurance
3. Nordic PCL Construction Inc.
Large Employer:
1. First Hawaiian Bank
2. Prince Resorts Hawaii
3. Bowers + Kubota Consulting Inc.

Best Places to Work for Women

1. Make-A-Wish Hawaii
2. Windaward Synergy Center
3. HiEmployment
4. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Advantage Realty
5. New York Life Insurance

Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality

1. Hawaii Energy / Leidos
2. New York Life Insurance
3. Parents And Children Together
4. Northwestern Mutual Hawai’i
5. CW Associates CPAs

Best Restaurant to Work for in Hawaiʻi

Panda Restaurant Group Inc.

Best Place to Work in Hospitality in Hawaiʻi

Prince Resorts Hawaii

Best Place to Work on the Neighbor Islands

Okahara and Associates Inc.

Best Young Business to Work For

Windward Auto Group LLC (Founded in 2021)

Best Places to Work Rookie of the Year

Burns & McDonnell

Best Family-Owned Place to Work

Lawson & Associates Inc.

Best Places to Work Hall of Fame (number of years on the list)

• Edward Jones, 20
• Servco Pacific Inc., 20
• Island Insurance, 18
• Nordic PCL Construction Inc., 18
• ProService Hawaii, 18
• Bowers + Kubota Consulting Inc., 17
• Atlas Insurance Agency, 16
• Central Pacific Bank, 15
• First Hawaiian Bank, 14
• EnviroServices & Training Center LLC, 13
• The Hawaii Group, 13
• Hawaii State Federal Credit Union, 13
• Pacific Biodiesel, 13
• Swinerton, 13
• Panda Restaurant Group Inc., 12
• Hawaii Mortgage Experts, 11
• Pacxa, 11
• Parents And Children Together, 11
• American Floor & Home, 10
• CW Associates CPAs, 10
• Okahara and Associates Inc., 10
• Servpac Inc., 10

10 Key Drivers of Engagement

Companies that make the Best Places to Work have strong results from a confidential survey of each organization’s employees conducted by the Workforce Research Group. The survey results account for 80% of a company’s final score.

In the survey, employees are asked if they strongly agree, agree, disagree, strongly disagree or are neutral on 80 different statements. Based on this year’s survey of Hawai‘i employees, here are the main factors that lead to employee engagement.

1.  I like what I do for this organization.
2.  I believe in this organization’s leadership.
3.  This organization treats me with dignity, not as just a number.
4.  I understand what is expected of me.
5.  This organization is committed to producing high-quality products/ services.
6.  I have fun at work.
7.  My job is well-aligned with my abilities.
8.  I typically feel I make daily progress at work.
9.  We have a cooperative culture in this organization.
10.  I believe my compensation is fair.

2024 Benefits at a Glance

Click the table to get a closer look!

Do You Want to Be a Best Place to Work? Nominate Your Company.

Register your company now for the Best Places to Work survey at bestplacestoworkhawaii.com. Deadline to register is Oct. 18, 2024.

Large Companies | Medium Companies | Small Companies | Other Categories | Hall of Fame

Great companies are filled with motivated employees who like what they’re doing and are rewarded for their efforts. They’re the kind of workplaces that many companies strive for but few achieve.

In fact, employee engagement – anemic for decades – is falling again. In 2022, just 32% of employees nationwide said they were enthusiastic about their jobs, down from 36% the previous year. The other 68% were indifferent or, worse, disgruntled.

The biggest complaints from employees, according to a Gallup survey released in 2022, were unclear expectations, insufficient resources and few opportunities to do the work they’re suited for.

But not all companies are flailing. The 76 organizations on Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work 2023 list have thriving environments, where employee engagement averages 90%.

In these companies, people were overwhelmingly positive when asked whether the workplace culture allows them to do their best work, whether they’re enthusiastic about their jobs and feel valued, whether they intend to stay on, and six other measures of engagement. See 10 key drivers of employee engagement on page 32.

What Puts a Workplace Among the “Best”

Hawaii Business Magazine’s partner in identifying the Best Places to Work is Workforce Research Group, which conducts extensive surveys of employees and company representatives. Employees’ responses count for 80% of the final score, while company representatives’ responses make up 20%.

The results were strong, even for participating companies that didn’t make the final cut for the Best Places to Work. That’s because each of the companies participating in the surveys had confidence in their work cultures, or are proactive in seeking unfiltered information to make improvements, says Peter Burke, president of Workforce Research Group.

Companies that made the Best Places to Work list reported higher overall scores in core employee experience, as measured by the 10 drivers of engagement, and their employees were markedly happier with their compensation, training, paid time off, retirement plans and workloads.

These Best Places to Work emphasize supportive cultures, employee well-being and work-life balance. The latter is particularly important as many people are reclaiming boundaries after work hours ticked up during the pandemic and half of employees and managers said they were burned out.

While setting boundaries is sometimes disparagingly called “quiet quitting,” new research from software company Qualtrics finds the opposite. Among employees reporting a good work-life balance, almost two-thirds said they’re willing to go above and beyond for their organizations.

Here are some of the tangible benefits that companies on the Best Places list provide to achieve that balance, as well as a sense of security and well-being:

• 17 offer health insurance the first day on the job

• 19 cover at least 75% of dependents’ health insurance costs

• 19 provide maternity leave at full pay, and 12 provide paternity leave

• 42 train managers to spot and deal with burnout

• 30 prohibit people from working on vacation

• 29 allow at least half of their staff to work from home

• 49 pay for community service during work hours

• 8 grant sabbatical leaves

• 76 organize fun activities

What Managers Can Do

Beyond benefits and programming, managers can help improve workplaces through simple actions.

Burke from Workforce Research Group suggests that managers show genuine empathy for their people, give meaningful praise and regularly ask them: What can I do to make your job easier? What do you feel is a waste of time? What parts of your job do you love and want to do more of?

For organizations that are serious about changing course and creating workplaces that bring out the best in people, participating in Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work program gives them the feedback they need to point the way forward.

Click here to see the benefits from the companies that made the 2023 Best Places to Work list!

Large Companies
250 or more Hawaiʻi Employees

The remaining large companies are listed in alphabetical order.

American Savings Bank
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 1,075 HI
asbhawaii.com

Bayer Hawaii
Headquarters: Leverkusen, Germany
Employees: 473 HI
hawaii.bayer.us

Central Pacific Bank (CPB)
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 766 HI
cpb.bank

Child & Family Service
Headquarters: ‘Ewa Beach
Employees: 358 HI
childandfamilyservice.org

First Hawaiian Bank
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 1,949 HI
fhb.com

First Insurance Company of Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 252 HI
ficoh.com

Hawaii State Federal Credit Union
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 386 HI
hawaiistatefcu.com

HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 387 HI
hawaiiusafcu.com

Island Palm Communities LLC
Headquarters:: Schofield Barracks
Employees: 387 HI
islandpalmcommunities.com

Panda Restaurant Group Inc.
Headquarters: Rosemead, CA
Employees: 470 HI
pandarg.com

Prince Resorts Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 1,290 HI
princeresortshawaii.com

Servco Pacific Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 1,059 HI
servco.com

Medium Companies
50 – 249 Hawaiʻi Employees

The remaining medium companies are listed in alphabetical order.

AHL
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 90 HI
ahl.design

American Floor & Home
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 137 HI
americanfloorandhome.com

Aqua Engineers Inc.
Headquarters: Kalāheo
Employees: 93 HI
aquaengineers.com

Atlas Insurance Agency
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 95 HI
atlasinsurance.com

Castaway Construction & Restoration LLC
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 96 HI
castawayhawaii.com

Corteva Agriscience
Headquarters: Indianapolis, IN
Employees: 169 HI
hawaii.corteva.com

CW Associates CPAs
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 69 HI
cwa.cpa

Decision Research Corporation (DRC)
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 77 HI
decisionresearch.com

EnviroServices & Training Center LLC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 52 HI
gotoetc.com

Finance Factors Ltd.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 114 HI
financefactors.com

G70
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 101 HI
g70.design

Hawai‘i Community Foundation
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 73 HI
hawaiicommunityfoundation.org

Hawaii Dental Service (HDS)
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 129 HI
hawaiidentalservice.com

Hawaii Diagnostic Radiology Services
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 73 HI
hawaiidrs.com

Hawaii Mortgage Experts
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 60 HI
hawaiimortgageexperts.com

Hawai‘i Public Radio
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 58 HI
hawaiipublicradio.org

HEMIC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 117 HI
hemic.com

Hickam Federal Credit Union
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 106 HI
hickamfcu.org

Island Insurance
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 146 HI
islandinsurance.com

Kapili Solar Roofing & Painting
Headquarters: Waipahu
Employees: 119 HI
kapiliroof.com

Kilauea Pest Control
Headquarters: Kailua
Employees: 60 HI
kilaueapest.com

Life Cycle Engineering
Headquarters: Charleston, SC
Employees: 68 HI
www.lce.com

N&K CPAs Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 57 HI
nkcpa.com

Nordic PCL Construction Inc.
Headquarters: Edmonton, Alberta
Employees: 154 HI
pcl.com

Northwestern Mutual Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 50 HI
hawaii.nm.com

Oahu Country Club
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 146 HI
oahucountryclub.com

Pacific Administrators Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 51 HI
pacadmin.com

Pacific Biodiesel
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 81 HI
biodiesel.com

Pacific Whale Foundation
Headquarters: Wailuku
Employees: 145 HI
pacificwhale.org

Pacxa
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 88 HI
pacxa.com

ProService Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 216 HI
proservice.com

Ronald N.S. Ho & Associates Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 68 HI
rnsha.com

Small Companies
15 – 49 Hawaiʻi Employees

The remaining small companies are listed in alphabetical order.

Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 32 HI
ceramictileplus.com

Chun Kerr LLP
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 32
chunkerr.com

Control Freaks Hawaii
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 15 HI
controlfreakshawaii.com

Diamond Head Dental Care
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 28 HI
DiamondHeadDentalCare.com

Dynamic Planning & Response LLC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 33 HI
dynapnr.com

Hawaiʻi Energy / Leidos
Headquarters: Honolulu / Reston, VA
Employees: 31 HI
hawaiienergy.com

The Hawaii Group
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 28 HI
thehawaiigroup.com

HiEmployment
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 20 HI
hi-employment.com

Imua Family Services
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 43 HI
imuafamily.org

Intech Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 22 HI
intech-hawaii.com

Integrated Security Technologies Inc.
Headquarters: Waipahu
Employees: 32 HI
istechs.net

Lawson & Associates Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 22 HI
lawsonsafety.com

Makai HR
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 22 HI
makaihr.com

Nagamine Okawa Engineers Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 24 HI
noeihawaii.com

Office Pavilion Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 42 HI
op-hawaii.com

Okahara and Associates Inc.
Headquarters: Hilo
Employees: 34 HI
okahara.com

Premier Solutions Hi LLC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 26 HI
premiersolutionshi.com

RIM Architects LLC
Headquarters: Anchorage, AK
Employees: 15 HI
rimarchitects.com

Servpac Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 27 HI
servpac.com

USAble Life
Headquarters: Little Rock, AR
Employees: 24 HI
usablelife.com

Verity CPAs
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 20 HI
veritycpas.com

WATG
Headquarters: Irvine, CA
Employees: 18 HI
watg.com

Windward Synergy Center
Headquarters: Kailua
Employees: 17 HI
windwardsynergycenter.com

Other Categories

Most Family-Friendly Companies

Small Employer:
1. Express Employment Professionals of Hawaii
2. Hawaiʻi Energy / Leidos
3. USAble Life
Medium Employer:
1. Swinerton
2. New York Life Insurance Co.
3. Nordic PCL Construction Inc.
Large Employer:
1. American Savings Bank
2. Bowers + Kubota Consulting Inc.
3. Diagnostic Laboratory Services Inc.

Healthiest Companies

Small Employer:
1. Express Employment Professionals of Hawaii
2. Hawaiʻi Energy / Leidos
3. Integrated Security Technologies Inc.
Medium Employer:
1. Swinerton
2. AHL
3. Hawaii Dental Service (HDS)
Large Employer:
1. Bowers + Kubota Consulting Inc.
2. Prince Resorts Hawaii
3. First Hawaiian Bank

Best Places to Work for Women

Small Employer:
1. Westpac Wealth Partners
2. Hawaiʻi Energy / Leidos
Medium Employer:
1. Hawaii Mortgage Experts
2. New York Life Insurance Co.
Large Employer:
1. Bowers + Kubota Consulting Inc.
2. Hawaii State Federal Credit Union

Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality

Small Employer:
1. Hawaiʻi Energy / Leidos
2. Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours
Medium Employer:
1. Northwestern Mutual Hawaii
2. New York Life Insurance Co.
Large Employer:
1. American Savings Bank
2. First Hawaiian Bank

Best Restaurant to Work for in Hawaiʻi

Panda Restaurant Group Inc.

Best Place to Work on the Neighbor Islands

Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours, Maui

Best Young Business to Work For

Makai HR, founded 2018

Best Places to Work Rookie of the Year

Makai HR

Best Family-Owned Place to Work

Lawson & Associates Inc.

Best Places to Work Hall of Fame (Number of Years on the List)

• Edward Jones, 19
• Servco Pacific Inc., 19
• Island Insurance, 17
• Nordic PCL Construction Inc., 17
• ProService Hawaii, 17
• Bowers + Kubota Consulting Inc., 16
• Atlas Insurance Agency, 15
• Pacific Administrators Inc., 15
• American Savings Bank, 14
• Central Pacific Bank, 14
• First Hawaiian Bank, 13
• Imua Family Services, 13
• EnviroServices & Training Center LLC, 12
• The Hawaii Group, 12
• Hawaii State Federal Credit Union, 12
• Integrated Security Technologies Inc., 12
• Pacific Biodiesel, 12
• Swinerton, 12
• Hawaii Diagnostic Radiology Services, 11
• Intech Hawaii, 11
• Panda Restaurant Group, 11
• Hawaii Mortgage Experts, 10
• Pacxa, 10
• Parents And Children Together, 10

10 Key Drivers of Engagement

Based on this year’s survey of Hawai‘i employees, here are the main factors that lead to employee engagement:

1.  I like what I do for this organization.
2.  I believe in this organization’s leadership.
3.  I believe this organization values me.
4.  This organization is committed to producing high-quality products/ services.
5.  I understand what is expected of me.
6.  I have fun at work.
7.  I typically feel I make daily progress at work.
8.  I have sufficient autonomy to make decisions.
9.  This organization treats me with dignity, not as just a number.
10.  I understand how my work impacts organizational success.

2023 Benefits at a Glance

Click the table to get a closer look!

Do You Want to Be a Best Place to Work?

None of Hawaiʻi’s Best Places to Work started that way.

Instead, they built workplaces full of engaged employees over the long haul. Many used this annual confidential survey to understand their strengths and weaknesses, and to hear what their employees really thought – the good, the bad and the ugly.

Register today for the 2024 program at BestPlacesToWorkHawaii.com. There’s no risk in participating; the names of registered companies that don’t make the Best Places list are not released to the public.

Small companies in Hawai‘i face lots of challenges, many related to staffing. They have to compete to land great employees, fend off companies trying to poach them away and navigate an ecosystem where news travels fast when staffers are unhappy.  

Because of their small size, there’s little room for mistakes. The entire team needs to be competent and committed, and people can’t be eyeing the exits – a serious concern in Hawai‘i, where a record 222,000 people quit their jobs in 2021. 

Here are three of 2023’s Best Places to Work that have figured out how to keep their employees engaged and loyal. 

The Hawaii Group: 5-Week Paid Sabbaticals

Matt Delaney, president and CEO of The Hawaii Group, which offers accounting services and health care staffing, says “the smaller you are, the harder it is.”  

Despite that, he’s had success keeping employees in place with a “family first” philosophy and an ambitious benefits package that includes free daily lunches and weekly yoga sessions. 

Since starting the HiAccounting and HiHeathCare divisions about 6 ½ years ago – following the 2016 sale of HiHR – Delaney says nine Hawai‘i employees among a staff of 28 have hit at least five years of service. That qualifies them for a rare benefit in Hawai‘i: a paid sabbatical.  

“We encourage the staff to take the entire five weeks at once and do something they have always wanted to do but were unable because of the regular work schedule,” says Delaney. One employee recently traveled extensively on the mainland. Two added the five weeks to their 12 weeks of maternity leave. 

Nationally, 5% of companies offer paid sabbaticals and 11% offer unpaid leaves, according to 2019 data from the Society for Human Resource Management – and those numbers have been rising, according to data collected by the payroll processing company Gusto. 

Matt Delaney, second from left, with The Hawaii Group accounting team on a 2022 retreat at Bliss Island Resort on Hawai‘i Island.

Sabbaticals are seen as an antidote to the burnout and disengagement that spiked during the pandemic. But in Hawai‘i, they’re rarely offered – even among the Best Places to Work. Only seven of the 76 companies on the 2023 list said they provide this benefit. 

“A paid sabbatical is usually something you’re finding with the Googles of the world … where someone leaving for five weeks isn’t even noticed,” says Delaney.  

He says having to juggle duties during a staff member’s sabbatical is well worth it, and he considers sabbaticals to be a key component of the company’s employee retention efforts.  

After all, says Delaney, offering five weeks off to explore and rejuvenate is far easier and cheaper than having to train new employees to master the complexities of vacant positions. 

Integrated Security Technologies: Go-Karts, Ax-Throwing and Cat Cafés

IST provides electronic security systems for commercial and government facilities. Its success, says Christine Lanning, president for nearly 25 years, depends on having a cohesive team that collaborates well and is invested in the work. 

To achieve that, the team of 32 dives into fun – from company-wide quarterly outings such as scavenger hunts and beach barbecues to small-group meet-ups for ax-throwing or golf.  

“Anything not related to work is always popular,” says Lanning. 

IST employees, left to right, Mike Gonzalez, Christine Lanning, Zack Potter, Shannon Aque, Andrew Lanning and Travis Suemori gather for axe-throwing games.

Lanning also values informal one-on-one time with staffers, which can be anything from lunch at a nice restaurant to touring a submarine.   

“I just went to a cat café with one employee,” she says. “I find the smaller events much more meaningful. … We sat there for an hour or so talking about issues in the company and where they saw themselves in the company.” 

Team-building activities start every Monday morning at a check-in meeting, which might include communication exercises or Lego-building competitions. People are paired across departments, so that operations and sales, for instance, get to know each other better. 

“I believe the activities have a huge impact on morale,” says Lanning. “The magic is in the cohesion of the team, and that cohesion isn’t built overnight and can’t be faked.   

“You have got to spend time together, getting to know each other, so when an issue pops up at work, you are more likely to trust the person and address it.” 

Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours: Paying for Fitness

“Our most valuable resource is our people,” says Jim Doran III, president of the countertop, flooring and cabinetry company on Maui, which his father started in 1977. 

Doran says most of his 32 employees have been with the company for 10 to 28 years. “We’re extended ‘ohana, so if we invite you to be part of the family, you’re stuck with us,” he says with a laugh. 

The company was known as “a cookies and doughnuts place,” says Doran. But when his father died in 2017, he decided to focus on health and wellness, replacing sugary snacks with options like fresh fruit and rolling out an innovative program called IncentFit. 

Using an app, activities are tracked and cash rewards are automatically sent to employees’ bank accounts: $1 for reaching 8,000 steps in a day, $2.50 for going to the gym, $25 for a flu shot, $50 for an annual physical and $75 for a Covid vaccine.  

Jim Doran, far left, joins the Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours team at their Kahului showroom.

Doran says he’s planning to add swimming incentives and to raise the monthly award limit for physical activities from $40 to $50 or $60. He’ll also be introducing incentives to attend financial fitness seminars. About 85% of employees participate in the IncentFit program. 

“One of the main goals is keeping people healthy,” says Doran. “We have a 40,000-square-foot building segmented in clusters, so if one person gets the flu, everyone in the department gets it.” At one point in the pandemic, he says, the entire fabrication unit was out with Covid for 10 days. 

Doran has rolled out incentives in other areas as well. He recently offered members of the fabrication team an extra dollar of hourly pay for three months in exchange for perfect attendance in the previous three months. Sales bonuses are doubled when the team meets its monthly goals, and everyone gets an extra day of pay on their birthdays. 

As the smartest man of the 20th century, Albert Einstein, said: “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.”

If a manager’s most important job is hiring good people, the second-most important job must be retaining them – which is even more challenging, especially in this hyper-evolving world where we all want better balance and more meaning in our lives.

Retaining your team is not something you can cross off your to-do list and move on to something else. It is based on everything that happens in the workplace all the time – each action, word said and email written, all the decisions made and not made, the culture that we think exists and the one that each individual employee actually perceives and responds to.

No one gets it all right, but many successful local companies depend on the annual Best Places to Work program. It is the best tool available to help you create a workplace that retains your top people.

Honest Answers From Employees

The key element in the Best Places to Work program is the confidential survey of your employees. Because their identity is concealed from you, these employees are more likely to respond honestly to the survey’s questions.

Positive responses indicate you are on the right track in that particular question’s area. Negative answers and complaints are hard to take, but they tell you where you have fallen short. These complaints are like radar: They may give you time to fix problems before your employees become less engaged and less productive in their work, or before they get so frustrated they quit.

Hawaii Business Magazine will be taking the survey again this year and studying its results. Reading what employees say is encouraging when it’s positive and hard to bear when it’s not. But that’s the medicine we must take if we want to keep our employees engaged.

Register at bestplacestoworkhawaii.com now; participation is free.

Crucial Recruiting Tool

Peter Burke, CEO of the Workforce Research Group, has been our partner in the Best Places to Work program for 18 years. He and his team are nationwide experts in detecting which workplaces have it right and how companies that fall short can improve their game.

“Organizations participate in the Best Places to Work in Hawai‘i for two main reasons. One, if you make this wellknown list, it has a massive impact on your brand as an employer,” he says. “Your presence on the list makes you the better choice when potential candidates are considering you as an employer. That’s a huge factor in hiring.”

Burke says the second reason that organizations register for the Best Places program may be even more important.

“It gives you access to the employee survey results, which are available for a small fee. You learn what your employees are thinking and feeling. That’s an invaluable management tool regardless of whether you make the Best Places to Work list or not.”

In fact, Burke says, those employee responses are “the vital information you need to turn your ordinary workplace into a Best Place to Work – if you are willing to act on what you learn.”

Many companies participate in the survey every year, including ones that routinely make it onto the list. They know that feedback can change, and they use the survey to guide them on what to keep doing and what needs to change. Register at bestplacestoworkhawaii.com. The deadline is Oct. 21. Email me at stevep@hawaiibusiness.com if you have questions.

Employee’s views about their workplace have changed dramatically over the last two years – engagement, morale, life balance and community commitment now often play a bigger role in workplace satisfaction than compensation.

Platinum level winners have made the list 10+ years, Gold winners 5-9 years, Silver winners 2-4 years and Bronze winners one year.

Platinum Level Winners

American Savings Bank

Wondering what it’s like to work for a company that celebrates diversity, welcomes individuals from all walks of life and rewards team members for speaking up? Teammates at American Savings Bank (ASB) say they are “living the dream,” thanks to the organization’s unstuffy and collaborative culture, combined with its award-winning benefits and work perks.

“We are so proud that our ASB Dream Team has voted us a Best Place to Work for 13 straight years because it tells us that we’re doing something right,” said Beth Whitehead, executive vice president and chief administrative officer. “We work hard to ensure our culture is one that makes people want to show up and do their best work every day.”

Creating an excellent teammate experience begins with feedback, something that is core to ASB’s culture. In fact, some of ASB’s award-winning benefits, such as weekly paydays, casual dress code, and wellness and birthday holidays, were recommendations from teammates. Devoted to celebrating diverse groups and driving positive change, members of ASB’s IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Allyship, Safety) council recommended that Juneteenth be added to the company’s holiday schedule. The holiday is now observed annually at ASB.

ASB hosted a statewide Turkey Drive-Thru for its teammates in November, as part of its annual Teammate Appreciation Month festivities. Twenty lucky teammates scored “Golden Turkeys,” and won an additional $200 gift card to brighten their holidays.

Teammates also influenced the design and amenities of ASB’s Campus headquarters, from the free Starbucks machines and fitness center to the arcade and outdoor lanai games.

Making teammates feel valued for their many contributions is part of ASB’s DNA. Teammates get juiced up with fresh-pressed orange juice on Mondays and celebrate work anniversaries and birthdays with soft serve ice cream every other Friday.

As part of its annual Teammate Appreciation Month festivities, ASB gifted more than 900 turkeys to teammates across five islands. They also received a Hawai‘i Restaurant Card as an added bonus so they could treat their friends and family to a nice meal, while also bringing real impact to the community by supporting local food establishments.

Feeling supported by ASB, teammates were able to focus their efforts on taking care of customers and the community. Staying true to ASB’s vision, teammates contributed more than 13,000 volunteer hours and surpassed previous records by donating more than $210,000 to the community through its Kahiau Giving Program.

ASB’s commitment to provide an awesome experience for its teammates is the reason they’re voted a Best Place to Work in Hawai‘i year after year.

American Savings Bank
P.O. Box 2300
Honolulu, HI 96804
(808)-627-6900
www.asbhawaii.com 

First Hawaiian Bank

First Hawaiian Bank is more than just a bank. The organizations culture is shaped and nurtured by their people. FHB’s, employees are passionate individuals who expect more than a career. They thrive in an environment where they can make a difference – whether it is enhancing someone’s financial future, driving digital innovation for the organization, or working to strengthen Hawaii’s communities. At FHB, the employees embody the bank’s values of caring, character and collaboration.

The career paths offered by the company are as diverse as its people, creating a dynamic and collaborative environment in a progressive industry. The organization strikes a unique balance by enabling employees to be thought leaders while also challenging them with career growth opportunities. Having been recognized for the 12th time as one of Hawaii’s best places to work, it is evident that the company’s culture is second to none.

Ranked as Hawaii’s top bank by Forbes magazine, First Hawaiian also offers exceptional support for career growth. The company provides a generous benefits package, award-winning professional development programs and flexible work schedules, ensuring that employees are provided with the opportunities they need to have a rewarding experience.

Employees volunteer at FHB’s Community Care Slippah Drive to benefit Child & Family Service

At First Hawaiian, they recognize that everything is connected. By enabling their employees to reach their full potential and inspiring them to bring their best to each other, they truly deliver for their customers and community.

The Employee Benefits Offered at Hawaii’s #1 Bank: 

• Award-winning professional leadership and career development
• Flexible remote work schedules
• Low-cost medical, dental and vision coverage
• Generous company match of up to 7.5% to retirement plans
• 11 paid holidays plus three “float” days
• Company match to dependent care/elder care spending account
• Free on-site annual health screenings and flu shot
• Popular tuition reimbursement program for continuing education
• 50% bus pass subsidy
• Discounted banking services and identity protection
• Pet insurance
• Subsidized meals in employee lunchrooms
• Convenient on-site fitness centers
• Fun company sponsored community service and volunteer activities

First Hawaiian Bank
999 Bishop Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
www.fhb.com/careers

Panda Express

As the largest asian dining concept in the US, Panda has over 44,000 associates across over 2,300 locations delivering original American Chinese cuisine to people around the world. Panda Express has been a family-owned business since its establishment in 1983 and operates like a family, putting people first.

Panda takes pride in their unique, purpose-driven culture. They remained committed to continuous learning throughout the pandemic. John Zhang, Regional Director of Operations, shared that the Hawai‘i team has a Panda Toastmasters Club to help associates improve communication and develop leadership. The Hawai‘i region also offers High Potential Training to help develop associates for management positions.

Panda Express celebrated a successful grand opening at Yokosuka, a US Naval Base in Japan.

In addition to developing their people, Panda takes a “whole person approach” to caring for their people by offering a comprehensive benefits package with health insurance, competitive pay, profit-sharing bonuses, 401(k) matching, scholarships, and more. As a result of COVID-19, Panda invested over $27 million in expanding benefits and pay policies to support frontline associates. “Our people development, benefits, and bonuses even during a pandemic is part of why we continue to be recognized as a Best Place to Work in Hawai‘i,” says Zhang. During the pandemic, Panda’s Hawaii stores remained open, associates were still being promoted, and managers made a new record for bonuses. These are some of the reasons why Panda Express is celebrating their 10th year as one of the “Best Places to Work”.

Panda commemorates the 35th anniversary since opening the first Panda Express in Ala Moana Center. Panda now has about 60 stores with nearly 2,000 associates supporting Panda Express and Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers concepts. Zhang led the team that recently expanded internationally and manages nine Panda Express locations in Japan, including their first military base store in another country. They successfully opened a Panda Express in September 2021 at Yokosuka, a US Naval Base in Japan. Panda’s Hawai‘i region, which includes Hawai‘i, Alaska, Guam, and Japan, will continue to grow and expand in Asia by “building the same Panda culture and bringing the aloha spirit and best place to work wherever we go,” says Zhang.

Panda Express
150 S. King Street
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 947-6891

Servco Pacific Inc.

From Australia to California, and of course, Hawaii, Servco’s team members (also known as Team Servco), are a collective of over 2,000 like-minded individuals. Guided by a value-driven business model, Servco is a diversified business with operations in automotive distribution and retail, car sharing, musical instruments, and venture capital. As the company’s journey of innovation continues, Servco is evolving to provide mobility solutions to serve the needs of its customers and communities in Hawaii and beyond.

“We could not be prouder of our team members who have and continue to show dedication, resilience, and flexibility,” said Mark Fukunaga, Chairman & CEO. “Team Servco truly embodies our Core Values of Respect, Service, Teamwork, and Innovation every day and they are what make our company a great place to work, through both the good and tough times.”

Servco’s Leadership Acceleration Program provides the opportunity to lead and accelerate change in the company’s global business and operations in a two-year rotational program that results in a leadership role. Spouses and children of team members are also eligible for scholarships to pursue a college degree from the Servco Foundation.

In addition to investing in professional growth, Team Servco members enjoy competitive compensation packages, generous subsidies on family medical and dental premiums, and discounts on Servco products and services. Servco was the first company to offer a profit-sharing program in Hawaii for its team members, and it’s a benefit that continues today.

Team members are encouraged to lend their time to building better communities, by volunteering with local nonprofits. This year, our team members are focusing their service efforts on four areas: Youth Services, Earth, Wellness, and Social Mobility.

Servco also recognizes the hard work of its team members through company events including an annual Team Servco Dinner and a bi-annual Family Fun Day. In 2021, the company hosted a socially distanced Summer Drive-In Movie event for team members and family.

For more information on joining one of Hawaii’s Best Places to Work for the past 18 years running, visit servco.com/careers.

Servco Pacific Inc.
2850 Pukoloa St., Ste. 300
Honolulu, HI 96819
(808) 564-1300
servco.com

Island Insurance

For more than 80 years, Island Insurance has been providing expert solutions and superior service to Hawaii’s families and businesses as the only locally-owned property and casualty (P&C) insurer in the state.

Island Insurance has been named as one of Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work for the 16th year in a row. Nationally recognized for financial stability among the Ward Group’s top 2% of P&C insurers in the U.S. for 14 consecutive years and counting, Island is committed to excellence and strong local values.

The accolades speak volumes of its team of skilled employees and its strong, collaborative company culture. “Our workforce is a cornerstone of our business and we consistently strive to cultivate a progressive and rewarding work environment,” says Island Insurance President Beverly Ament. “For Island to be nationally ranked for excellence in financial strength is a testament to the valuable contributions and dedication of our talented team of employees.”

Employees receive many benefits, recognition for service and merits of achievement, and leadership development opportunities at the company.

Left to right: Toby Tonaki, Zachary Muranaka, Ryan Kawamoto, Deborah Robinson, Beverly Ament, Jason Okamura, Leilani Oamil, Ramy Ng

Island’s wellness program encourages healthy lifestyles, including a four-month boot camp with activities and prizes like trips and gaming consoles, and a Fitness Jam Competition with team events like planking and hula hooping. College scholarships up to $2,500 are available to children and grandchildren of employees. The company’s P&C Internship Program is the first of its kind that encourages careers in insurance and develops future leaders.

Island also gives back to our communities with a corporate donation program that matches employee donations up to $500 per employee per year. The Island Insurance Foundation last year gave over $1 million to local charities.

A company that’s always enjoyed a long list of employee activities and events, Island has held exciting virtual events with games, such as Bingo, and prizes, during the pandemic. Surprise gift boxes and meals were also delivered to show appreciation to employees and to keep spirits up during this unprecedented time.

“Our ongoing investment in employees goes beyond formal training to creating a balanced and enriching workplace,” says Ament. “Showing our appreciation to employees and helping them grow professionally is integral in building an engaging corporate culture.”

Island Insurance Companies
1022 Bethel Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 564-8200
www.islandinsurance.com 

Nordic PCL Construction, Inc.

Founded and based in Honolulu, Nordic PCL Construction, Inc. is more than just one of the oldest kamaaina construction companies in Hawaii, it’s a team of more than 250 empowered and enthusiastic individuals who are committed to excellence. Providing construction solutions in a timely, client-focused manner for every project, Nordic PCL’s services include preconstruction, construction management and general building contracting. With projects spanning across all major islands, Nordic PCL’s diverse experience covers geographic location and logistics along with project type and delivery method. The company takes pride in promoting a collaborative workplace environment for employees that fosters growth, develops partnerships, builds on innovation, and raises awareness, understanding and education of DE&I.

As an employee-owned company, Nordic PCL provides educational and career growth opportunities for employees through company-sponsored training and seminars as well as recognizing employee accomplishments and services that are exemplary.

Whether on the Big Island of Hawaii, Maui County, Kauai or Oahu, Nordic PCL is grounded on being a part of each island’s community and sets aside time to support, promote and encourage charitable work through fund raising or direct involvement with local charities. While the pandemic stressed many charitable non-profit organizations, Nordic PCL continued to support many including the Aloha United Way, Hawaii Foodbank, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics Hawaii, Child and Family Service, American Heart Association and Teach for America. As a long established kamaaina company, Nordic PCL knows that supporting employees and the local communities is enduring. To find out more on how you can be involved, visit www.nordicpcl.com.

1099 Alakea Street, Suite 1600
Honolulu, HI 
(808) 541-9101
www.nordicpcl.com

ProService Hawaii

For employees at ProService Hawaii work is more than a desk or a to-do list. Every day, their efforts have a meaningful impact on Hawaii’s business community. A sense of purpose is an important reason they show up to work every day and one of the biggest reasons why ProService Hawaii has been voted one of Hawaii’s Best Places to Work for an impressive 16 straight years.

What gets ProService employees excited to come to work everyday?

Here’s what they had to say: “Honestly, it’s my clients,” says Bonnie Hair, Strategic Account Manager at ProService Hawaii. “I’ve developed great working relationships with all of my clients and I’m always wondering what I can do for them,” she adds. For others like Tommy Sapp, a Senior Payroll Specialist, it’s 100% the people. “I have never worked somewhere with so many bright, talented, and capable people – it’s truly inspiring.” Kelly Moy, an HR consultant, adds that what seals the deal for her is the team camaraderie and the “together we can achieve anything” mentality. “The biggest difference I’ve felt coming to work at ProService is that people here do little things so frequently and consistently that it really makes you feel like your co-workers are not just colleagues, they’re family,” she adds.

In early 2020, ProService employees celebrate a day of learning and development offsite in what would be the last in-person company gathering before the pandemic hit.

Despite the pressures of a global pandemic and its impact on workplaces today, ProService has gone to great lengths to preserve the magic and the “secret sauce” that makes it such a special place to work. “In times of change and difficulty, it’s extremely important to be intentional about the company culture and employee experience you’re building,” says Ben Godsey, President and CEO of ProService Hawaii. “At ProService, we’re extremely proud of the high-performing, customer-obsessed culture we’ve nurtured and the creative ways we get to demonstrate our commitment and care for our hardworking team,” he adds.

Perks ProService employees enjoy: 

• Mission-driven workplace with strong core values
• Amazing co-workers and a high-performing work culture
• Everyday opportunities to help Hawaii businesses grow
• Weekly paydays
• Robust healthcare coverage (medical, drug, vision, dental)
• Generous paid-time-off
• Paid parental leave and paid volunteer time
• 401(k) plan with company matching
• Student loan repayment assistance
• Pre-tax benefit accounts for health and dependent care expenses
• Career development opportunities

ProService Hawaii
6600 Kalanianaole Hwy., Ste. 200
Honolulu, HI 96825
(808) 725-6877
proservice.com

Central Pacific Bank

In the early 1950s, a group of young Japanese American Nisei who fought in World War II came together to create a bank that would serve immigrant laborers struggling to give their families better lives. Today, Central Pacific Bank (CPB) continues its legacy of serving all of Hawai‘i’s people. This commitment to their local communities is reflected in how it supports its more than 800 employees.

CPB’s positive work environment starts with a culture of giving. In 2021, the CPB Foundation contributed more than $2.4 million to 114 local nonprofit organizations. CPB extends that philosophy to its workforce, providing employees with up to three days of paid community service leave each year. In 2021, employees tirelessly devoted over 5,400 hours of service to more than 100 nonprofit organizations, including raising more than $487,000 for the United Way.

The health of CPB’s employees during the COVID19 pandemic was also a top priority. In 2021, frequent updates on the bank’s pandemic response helped create transparency and stability. Web-based daily screenings tracked employees’ health and recent travel. And for seven consecutive years, employees enjoyed no increase in the cost of health benefits, giving employees peace of mind to take care of themselves and their families.

Training, development, and team-building helped create additional advancement opportunities for CPB employees. In 2021, CPB provided 284 in-person and 10,200 web-based training sessions. They also gave $3,000 in tuition reimbursements for employees. This support led to a 21% internal promotion rate in 2021. Quarterly team-building activities, companywide gatherings, and community service opportunities helped connect the CPB family and, most importantly, make work fun.

While CPB has an esteemed history, its vision for the future is getting many employees excited. The relaunch of the CPB brand and the grand opening of its flagship main downtown branch in early 2021 heralded its longterm vision to become a leader in digital banking. From launching Shaka, Hawai‘i’s first all-digital checking account, to supporting cutting-edge initiatives and accelerators, CPB is creating an exciting culture of out-of-the-box thinking and innovation, rooted in a culture of giving.

Central Pacific Bank
220 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 544-0500
www.cpb.bank

Imua Family Services

Imua Family Services celebrates 75 years! Imua Family Services’ journey began in 1947 in response to the debilitating effects of polio in our island communities. Now, three quarters of a century later, the organization finds itself in a similar position of adapting to serve families in the midst of a pandemic.

When founded, Imua Family Services was known by a different name – the Maui Unit of the National Society for Crippled Children and Adults. The organization was created to provide critically needed physical therapy services across Maui, Molokai and Lanai to help those affected by polio. Much like today, the agency’s staff were driven by a sense of purpose to serve the community and to help children and families overcome hardship.

Today, Imua Family Services has grown to become the largest provider of Early Intervention services in the state. The mission of the agency – to help children reach their full potential – continues to drive its staff and programs. Those programs have grown dramatically over the past seven and a half decades and now include speech therapy, occupational therapy, special instruction, care coordination, autism services, preschool education, hearing screenings for newborns, recreational programs for school-age children living with special needs, and a dream-fulfillment program for children in the midst of crisis

As the organization looks ahead to the next 75 years, Imua Family Services will strive to maintain the workplace practices that have helped it achieve its 12th recognition among Hawaii’s Best Places to Work. Great things are planned just for this coming year, including the opening of a new Imua Inclusion Preschool campus in Lahaina, further development of Imua Discovery Garden in Wailuku, and the return of the Color Festival Hawaii. And much more is planned beyond that! Learn more by visiting us at www.imuafamily.org, or find us on social media.

Early Childhood Development Center
161 South Wakea Ave, Kahului HI 96732
(808) 2447467
www.imuafamily.org

Molokai Community Health Center Kaunakakai, Molokai
Wailuku, Maui
www.imuagarden.org

EnviroServices & Training Center

EnviroServices & Training Center, LLC (ETC) has been providing high-quality environmental consulting and engineering services in Hawai‘i and the Pacific Rim for 28 years. We’re all about the environment. In fact, it’s part of our name and it starts with the work environment that we strive to create. Pre-pandemic, we held regular social gatherings, and you’d frequently find people in the “Think Tank” using the massage chair, ping pong table, dartboard, or video game console. Even though COVID-19 shuddered all that, our get-up-dust-yourself-off spirit and camaraderie remained as we found new ways to stay connected. ETC started an internal newsletter to feature employees and to replace casual conversations. We hosted socially distanced events like our private drive-in movie night and bring your pet to work week.

Drive-in Movie Night 2021

While we hope to soon reimplement in-person gatherings, for now we’ll continue to recognize that being named one of Hawai‘i’s “Best Places to Work” for 11 consecutive years is a credit to our 60 diverse, talented, and dedicated staff who we consider ‘ohana. Not only are our staff ‘ohana, but Hawai‘i is our home and that’s why our employees are keenly motivated to help the government, local businesses, and residents protect the environment in which we live, work, and play. Our stormwater management programs keep our waters clean to surf and fish. We investigate and remediate contaminated soils and groundwater so that the land is safe to use. Our hazardous waste drop-off program for residents and small businesses ensures our precious ‘aina remains pristine. We survey and design the removal of harmful agents like asbestos and lead from our schools.

Philanthropy is also a huge part of our culture and employees select volunteer opportunities and initiate charitable drives because our community is also an important part of our environment. Our recent drive for the Hawaiian Humane Society led to a truckload of supplies for our furry friends, and our donations for the Hawaii Foodbank consistently raise over 600 pounds of food every year. Environment is part of our name, and our philosophy remains that no matter the task, “We’ll Take Care of It.”

EnviroServices & Training Center, LLC
505 Ward Avenue, Suite 202
Honolulu, HI 96814
(808) 839-7222
www.gotoetc.com

Hawaii State FCU

Always Right By You isn’t just a tagline. For Hawaii State Federal Credit Union employees, it’s a way of life. It’s also a promise, to treat our members fairly and like family. And to always consider what’s best for them in all we do.

This promise is what helped guide our credit union through another tumultuous year, filled with surprises and challenges. Despite many months spent working apart, our employees found ways to rally together to support one other, contribute to our community assistance and giving efforts and provide a safe environment for our members to handle their financial needs.

Our employees are the cornerstone of our organization. They are the ones who provide our members with outstanding service experiences and accompany them along their financial journeys day in and day out. They are also the reason why we place so much importance on hiring and retaining hardworking, talented individuals – providing them with the tools and resources to ensure that they can perform their jobs successfully.

One way Hawaii State FCU does this this is through our commitment to providing employees with a competitive compensation and benefits package. We are also committed to taking care of our employees’ physical, mental and financial health and well-being by offering a number of wellness and engagement activities, vaccination clinics, financial literacy classes, and counseling in-person, over the phone and online. In addition, the credit union also encourages employees to contribute actively to the well-being of our community, donating time, resources and support to organizations such as Hawaii Foodbank, Maui Food Bank, The Salvation Army and Friends of the Library of Hawaii.

We also strive to provide a workplace that is fun, productive and offers opportunities for professional and life-long learning and growth. Our ongoing renovation of a building that will serve as the future headquarters of Hawaii State FCU underscores our long-term commitment to offering a safe, innovative and collaborative environment in which our employees can truly thrive.

As a company, Hawaii State FCU is committed emphasizing trust, respect and integrity in all we do, and fostering solid relationships that help strengthen our organization, our membership, and our community.

Hawaii State Federal Credit Union
560 Halwkauwila Street, #5
Honolulu, HI 96813
www.HawaiiStateFCU.com

Swinerton

Culture reflects the collective values and beliefs that guide an organization’s attitudes and behaviors. For this reason, culture is anchored in mindset. Mindset is everything. It is the intangible competitive advantage that drives our success at Swinerton. When culture is effectively nurtured, it can unleash vast amounts of energy towards a shared mission. Therefore, cultural alignment with an organization’s mission is critical. At Swinerton, our mission is to be the preferred builder and trusted partner in every market we serve. Once the mission is clear, an organization must identify those core values and mindsets that will be essential to sustaining the mission. To be the preferred builder and trusted partner of our clients, Swinerton identified its core values to be:

Integrity: We say what we mean, and we do what we say. We fulfill our commitments, we are candid with our partners and teammates, and we hold ourselves accountable.

Leadership: We focus on solutions-driven teamwork. We listen, are forward-thinking, and share information openly.

Passion: As employee-owners, we are relentlessly driven and enthusiastic in our pursuit of perfection and knowledge. We take pride in the quality of our work and in contributing to the success of those around us.

Excellence: We strive for the highest level of execution in all aspects of our work. We seek to identify root causes, generate new ideas, and minimize complexity.

In addition to these core values, we developed our Career Blueprint to articulate the specific attributes and mindsets that define our culture at Swinerton. While many of these attributes and mindsets will be developed in our employees over the course of their careers, there are several that we look to be strongly demonstrated by all employees and new hires, regardless of experience or organizational level. These fundamental cultural attributes are a positive “can do” attitude, commitment to responsibilities and goals, strength of character, tenacity, respect, ownership, team player mentality, seeking others’ perspectives, curiosity, and a motivation to constantly expand skills through learning.

Swinerton
841 Bishop St., Suite 500
Honolulu, HI 96813
808.521.8408
www.swinerton.com

Intech Hawaii

This year marks Intech’s 10th year in a row ROWas a Best Places to Work company. “We’d like to send our appreciation to our team members past and present who have helped to make Intech such an engaging place to work, learn and grow,” says Intech CEO, Sam Gridley, “we’re also extremely grateful to our customers who put their trust in us to provide IT support, manage their IT costs, and safeguard their network from cyber criminals, and help them meet compliance.

As a kama‘aina company, Intech believes in creating opportunities for the next generation of local techs so they can stay in Hawaii, support their families and have long, successful careers. “Our mission is to help people succeed,” says Mr. Gridley, “we encourage continuous training and certification and we back that up with generous benefits.”

Like everyone else, video and chat technology help us get through these times – usually with a smile.

Intech pays for training materials, tests and even study time, and when team members pass a course or achieve a new certification, bonuses and pay raises follow. “There’s a nationwide shortage of IT and cyber-security professionals,” says Intech President Branden Baker, “we look for employees who are humble, smart, want to learn and don’t have an ego.”

When recruiting, Intech focuses on finding the best talent and making sure that every candidate is a match for their unique tech friendly approach. With a 30+ year track record of service excellence, Intech offers new hires a comprehensive 6-month onboarding process that gets techs up to speed and ready to perform.

The Intech ecosystem is designed to cultivate talent, rapidly expand technical and professional skills, and fast-track careers. “Intech is where junior techs come to ‘up their game,’” says Mr. Baker, “after couple of years with us, our junior techs can become team leads, project leads, and cybersecurity engineers.

Tapa Financial Center
745 Fort Street, Suite 600
Honolulu, HI 96813
808-596-9500
www.intech-hawaii.com

Gold Winners

Parents And Children Together

For more than 50 years, Parents And Children Together (PACT) developed a strong culture of respect, collaboration, and community — internally with staff, and externally with clients and industry partners.

We believe people join PACT because of our mission — what we stand for and what we do — and for the work they’ll perform to further that mission.

Working together with Hawai‘i’s children, individuals, and families to create safe and promising futures is a mission we take to heart. We annually serve more than 17,000 clients statewide, and every PACT employee knows he or she will touch the lives of many of those we serve.

Our employees are our heroes — frontline workers who provide hope and assistance to those who need it most. Even as PACT continues to assist its clients during the pandemic, we also work to ensure our employees receive the support and care they deserve.

Photography by Harold Julian

It starts with comprehensive onboarding and training that equips employees with the right tools and resources to support their engagement, personal development, high-quality services, and resilience to face every challenge with compassion and empathy.

To mitigate the impact of the pandemic, groceries, masks, cleaning supplies and more are provided to employees who need them. A new workplace wellness program was launched with a special focus on COVID-19. A microloan program was also started that offers qualified employees a one-time low interest loan for a nonrecurring emergency, such as car repair or unexpected medical bills.

Monthly All-Staff Zoom calls help us maintain a sense of community and connection with one another while working remotely. Featured guest speakers have shared valuable insights on topics such as wellness, self-care, diversity and the effects of the pandemic. Other sessions included hula, cooking, zoga (Zoom and yoga), meditation classes, and virtual wellness fairs, which provided a modicum of relief during stressful times.

We are particularly gratified that PACT has retained all its team members during the pandemic. We believe this indicates a high level of commitment and job satisfaction as we continue to serve the hardest hit families and individuals among us with respect and compassion.

Parents And Children Together
1300 Halona Street
Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 847-3285
ParentsAndChildrenTogether.org

Island Palm Communities LLC

Being valued, enjoying their job and the people they work with, and the opportunity for growth and development were among the many positive comments shared by Island Palm Communities (IPC) staff in a survey that resulted in the company being named by Hawaii Business Magazine as one of Hawai‘i’s “Best Places to Work” for the sixth consecutive year.

“It’s important to our organization that our staff know they’re valued, and their hard work is appreciated not just by our residents, but by our management team and their co-workers,” said Ka’eolani Winner, Director of Property Management, IPC. “We also realize the importance of our staff being happy as well as challenged in their jobs, so we offer several opportunities for both professional and personal development, including leadership and skills training, mentorship, and cross-training.

Lendlease owns and manages several military housing projects across the U.S. IPC is owned in partnership with the U.S. Army. This collaboration has been beneficial to numerous military spouses who have built their careers at a Lendlease community and are looking to continue their employment and advancement when moving to another Lendlease-owned military community at their spouse’s newly assigned geographic location.

“Spouses, as well as Veterans, have been a great asset to our business. Their willingness to share their own experiences and knowledge with co-workers has been beneficial and helpful when evaluating our community relations programs,” said Tom Adams, VP WINN Residential Property Service.

A focus on safety and well-being, together with flexibility and support, continues to be highly valued pillars in another extraordinary year. Teams were permitted to work remotely, take time for COVID testing and vaccinations, and participate in virtual and socially-distanced events. An emphasis on employee reward and recognition programs were other constants that contribute to high satisfaction levels.

“Supporting communities where we work and live is integral to our business,” said Jeff Williams, Project Director, Lendlease. “Our employees take great pride in what they do for our residents and each other—their commitment and resiliency during the most challenging times is a testament to a safe and happy workplace.”

With just under 400 employees, IPC offers a full range of benefits to its full-time employees, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, a matching 401(k) plan, paid vacation, sick leave, and a wellness and incentive program that encourages team members to volunteer in the community.

Island Palm Communities
North Regional Office
215 Duck Road
Schofield Barracks, HI 96857
(877) 487-4323
www.islandpalmcommunities.com

Ronald N.S. Ho & Associates Inc.

Established in 1978, Ronald N.S. Ho & Associates, Inc. (RNSHA) is one of Hawai‘i’s largest electrical engineering consulting firms. For over the past four decades, this employee-owned company has invested in its employees as it does in its customers and clients. “The core values at RNSHA emphasize character, caring, courageous, and community. The basis of these values underlie our work ethics, client relations, and business strategies to support and contribute to a growing company,” said Sean Sugai, President.

“In our line of work, the foundation is only as strong as the people who built it.” RNSHA offers a rewarding, nurturing, and collaborative environment for all employees. Promotional programs for certification and leadership opportunities include involvement in the American Council of Engineering Companies of Hawai‘i’s Emerging Leaders Program (ACECH ELP), Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) membership and more.

Employees have health and wellness benefits which include medical coverage and insurance, paid holidays, paid time off, and company sponsored retirement plans.

With the transition of a hybrid working office, the RNSHA team strives to create a fun, productive, and supportive workplace. “As this becomes the ‘new normal,’ we continue to focus on the balance of productivity and adaptability to promote a cohesive work environment,” said Sugai. RNSHA pivoted their practices to work remotely, create development opportunities, foster engagement and recognize team contributions, while prioritizing their health and well-being. Flexible work schedules are encouraged to minimize overtime and promote a work-life balance. Computer software and equipment are provided to the staff and updated regularly to ensure constant communication and an efficient work-from-home environment.

To maintain camaraderie and teamwork, the company also organized several employee events and activities to support local businesses. In lieu of holiday gifts to clients or hosting a holiday party, RNSHA donated monetary gifts to various community organizations.

For the 5th consecutive year, RNSHA has been recognized as one of Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work in Hawai‘i. “We pay tribute to its success in part due to a strong team built on the foundation of trust, collaboration and commitment,” said Sugai.

Ronald N.S. Ho & Associates Inc. 
2153 N. King Street, Suite 201
Honolulu, HI 96819
(808) 941-0577
www.rnsha.com

Express Employment Professionals

Express Employment Professionals is is celebrating their 15th year of business in Hawai‘i and is excited to be named one of Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work. Lisa Daijo, Owner of Express, states, “We are thankful for the recognition and continue to focus on our mission to serve our community by helping local job seekers find great job opportunities and companies find good employees. This past year, Express has made an immense impact of putting over 2,500 people to work at local Hawai‘i companies.”

“We’re Hiring,” is a sign that has become more prevalent as businesses face hiring challenges in this current climate. Express has a team of 19 knowledgeable recruiters that specializes in Industrial, Skilled Trade, Office, Professional, and Accounting positions, as well as a Licensed Medical Division that is Joint Commission Certified. They are helping Hawai‘i companies fi ll their vacant positions, which has been a tremendous challenge, due to a smaller pool of available workers.

In the midst of the “Great Resignation,” Express is there to help candidates find their next job, based on their interests and experience. Their dynamic team helps them find their optimal match with local businesses that are hiring.

Their two local offices, Pearl City and Honolulu, are part of a larger network of more than 830 offices throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand that have experienced remarkable growth in recent years, fueled by its longstanding success and reputation as the leading global staffing franchise.

In 2021, Express Employment Professionals earned numerous accolades, including:

• Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500List (No. 25), Best in Category, for the 10th consecutive year, Best of Business Services
• One of Forbes America’s Best Professional Recruiting Firms and America’s Best Temp Staffing Firms
• Staffing Industry Analysts Fourth-Largest U.S. Staffing Firm, Second-Largest U.S. Industrial Staffing Firm, Fourth-Largest U.S. Office/Clerical Staffing Firm and 11th-Largest Global Staffing Firm
• Clearly Rated Best of Staffing® Client Award and Best of Staffing® Talent Diamond Award

“We are so humbled and honored to be recognized as one of Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work. We truly owe this to our employees because they are the #1 reason why Express is such a great place to work,” said Lisa Daijo.

Express Employment Professionals
Instagram: @ExpressProsHi
Facebook: /ExpressProsHi
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/express-employment-professionals-hawaii/
(808) 525-5225
ExpressPros.com 

Finance Factors

This year marks Finance Factor’s 70th anniversary. Since opening its doors in 1952, the company has helped generations of local families realize their financial goals and has become the state’s largest locally-owned depository financial services loan company. Today, Fi-nance Factors specializes in residential and commercial real estate lending and operates 13 branches across four islands and a mortgage center in Guam.

Rob Nelson, president of Finance Factors, attributes its continued growth over the decades to its employees. “Our employees are agile, hardworking, and compassionate. I witnessed their dedication to our customers and community throughout the pandemic, and I’m humbled to be part of an organization with so much aloha and purpose.”

Finance Factors has a wide range of programs to support the health and financial well-being of its 114 employees. To promote physical health, the company offers team members a subsidy to cover gym membership fees, free onsite immunizations, free exercise classes and stress management sessions, and hosts an annual health fair and health walk. The company also participates in Blue Zones programs. It offers one-on-one personalized retirement planning sessions, 401(k) matching, bonuses, and transportation and education subsidies. It also hosts several seminars throughout the year to strengthen its workforce’s financial wellness.

“What sets us apart is our workplace culture,” said Nelson. “From Halloween costume festivities to casual pau hana parties, we’re always trying to create a fun, connected workplace where our employees can thrive.”

The company also has a robust recognition program where employees recognize each other via a “Mahalogram.” Management also plans an annual staged costume-themed employee recognition party. Every Thanksgiving, Nelson personally delivers “mahalo monies” to each employee to thank them for their unique contribution to the organization.

Finance Factors has a long track record of going above and beyond to deliver the right solutions at the right time to our customers. “We like to say, ‘if no can, we can,’” said Nelson. “It’s our employees’ can-do attitudes that make all the difference. We are so grateful to everyone for creating this company and helping our friends and neighbors thrive.”

Finance Factors
1164 Bishop St., Suite 300
Honolulu, HI 96813
financefactors.com 

Child & Family Service

Child & Family Service is ALL ABOUT FAMILY!

Celebrating our 123rd year of strengthening families and and fostering the healthy development of children across Hawai`i. Child & Family Service (CFS) is one of Hawaii’s largest nonprofits providing a full range of family strengthening services from twinkle to wrinkle. Our statewide community programs include preschool education, prevention of child abuse and neglect, programs for at-risk youth, domestic violence emergency services, therapeutic counseling, employment assistance, and programs for elder care. We work with families to help them achieve their dreams, including financial independence, planning for a thriving future and caring for all generations of their ‘ohana.

At Child & Family Service, our mission is to strengthen families – families of all abilities, beliefs, compositions, ethnicities, and orientations. Using our values of Humility, Ownership, Perseverance, & Engagement (HOPE), our nearly 400 CFS employees are helping families flourish in Hawai`i. In the last fiscal year, we provided direct counseling, intervention and prevention services to more than 17,045 individuals statewide.

The collage represents artwork submitted by CFS employees demonstrating their interpretation of the organization’s HOPE values.

We have built and continue to nurture a culture of inclusivity, where everyone feels a deep sense of pride, empowerment, and belonging. It starts with our organization’s welcoming culture which promotes communication, information flow, and learning in a variety of ways. As an example, to keep staff connected to executive leadership, our CEO hosts a monthly webinar for the entire staff that features guest speakers, live polls, and an interactive chat feature.

Employee wellbeing is the focus of many benefits and programs CFS offers to its staff, including:

• Volunteer paid time off: Employees receive dedicated time off to provide volunteer service to support CFS programs, and/or other community-based organizations.
• Preventative health care paid time off: Employees receive dedicated time off for personal preventative health screenings.
• Wellness committee: The Wellness Committee is comprised of employees coming together to develop health and wellness activities to improve on the staff’s quality of life, both personally and professionally.
• Diversity and inclusion: We are committed to recruiting, retaining, and promoting a diverse workforce representative of the populations we serve.

Child & Family Service
91-1841 Fort Weaver Rd. 
Ewa Beach, HI 96706
(808) 681-3500
www.childandfamilyservice.org

Hawai‘i Energy (administered by Leidos)

As energy costs and our state’s transition to 100% clean energy by 2045 remain a watchable issue for many, the Hawai‘i Energy program’s mission to educate on and incentivize energy-saving choices has become more important than ever.

It’s a two-fold calling: With so much of us feeling the financial squeeze of electricity expenses both at home and at work (especially in cases where your home is a workplace), a big focus in the last two years for the program has been to rise to meet the changing energy needs of Hawai‘i’s residents and businesses. Couple that with a strong passion for addressing the climate crisis head-on and helping local residents understand the connections between the two, one might say this team has their work cut out for them for the foreseeable future.

With no shortage of change to make, building a team of collaborative, passionate individuals has always been at the center the organization, and the Hawai‘i Energy culture is designed to foster the teamwork, communication and leadership skills required to do this unique work. Employees have access to a variety of company-sponsored professional development opportunities including technical certifications; personal communication basics like DISC training; bi-annual education on diversity & inclusion; and even sessions with locally-renowned life coach Alice Inoue of Happiness U®.

In line with the company’s belief that supporting the whole person is critical to success, other benefits like flexible hours, gym membership & equipment reimbursements, and paid family leave for any parent of a newborn are woven into the mix. Employees are especially supported in their health journeys through benefits like counseling through the employee assistance program, free subscriptions to Headspace®, and the chance to earn health savings account contributions through tracking healthy activities online.

Though the pandemic drastically changed the way the Hawai‘i Energy team works, the most critical piece of success has been team members’ resilience and willingness to support their community through challenging times – a true testament to an organization that celebrates being named one of Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work for the fifth year!

Hawaiʻi Energy
45 N. King St. Suite 500
Honolulu, HI 96817
www.Hawaiienergy.com 

G70

Established in 1971, G70 is a diverse family, of entrepreneurial and highly creative individuals who come to work each day aspiring to contribute to the betterment of lives and places.

G70 provides leading-edge creativity for projects in hospitality, commercial office and mixed use, multi-family housing, education, financial, healthcare, and planned communities sectors. The firm specializes in architecture, civil engineering, interior design, and planning and environment.

At G70, we are deeply invested in understanding and perpetuating the cultural and historical resonance of the places we are touching. We endeavor to create exceptional value for our clients and communities by aligning with our clients’ dreams and projecting them with farsighted vision.

Reflecting on the past year, through the darkest of days of the pandemic, we found rays of light. We are deeply invested in our people. We stayed connected, had some fun, and spread positivity to each other and our community.

Our fun committee helped to keep spirits up by planning enjoyable activities throughout the year:

• 50th Anniversary Employee Event• Easter Egg Challenge
• Wellness BINGO
• Lei Day Challenge
• Teamsaraokay (Virtual Karaoke)
• Pumpkin carving contest
• Virtual cooking class with Chef Mark Noguchi of the Pili Group

We found opportunities to be of service and/or spread some aloha to others:

• Special Olympics
• AIA Honolulu Canstruction®
• Hawaiian Humane Society (HHS) virtual PetWalk
• The Salvation Army Thanksgiving meal distribution
• Adopt-a-Village: G70 adopted the Pu‘uhonua o Wai‘anae Village for the holidays.

WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR:

• Our staff for your dedication and commitment. Your work is truly commendable, and we appreciate your contribution to G70. It is because of all of you that we are one of the Best Places to Work.
• Our many loyal clients who have entrusted us to ideate, create and deliver projects across Hawai‘i and the Pacific Rim. Your trust and confidence have encouraged us to innovate with boldness and passion.
• Our communities we are touching. Your thoughts and insights have contributed immeasurably to our planning and design efforts.

We imagine futures.

Come join our team, visit www.g70.design

G70
111 S. King Street, Suite 170
Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 523-5866
mail1@g70.design
www.g70.design

Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual – Hawaiʻi continues to make an impact on its clients’ lives by developing trust-based relationships and providing a comprehensive approach to financial planning. The organization combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry-leading products to help its clients plan for what’s most important.

The mission of the Hawai‘i office is to elevate the trajectory of people’s lives. The team at Northwestern Mutual – Hawai‘i strive to live by that mission and the fi rm’s values of courage, excellence, gratitude, inclusion, accountability, and personal responsibility. Leading through challenge, creating a positive impact in the community, and embracing the opportunity to serve, are what led to another record-breaking year in 2021. Despite the continued impact of COVID-19, Northwestern Mutual experienced record-breaking growth as a Fortune 100 company, growing new client acquisition by 196,000 households. Locally, Northwestern Mutual – Hawai‘i set market records resulting in year-over-year growth of insurance production of 21 percent, and growth of investment production of 32 percent.

“It’s an honor that we continue to see a record number of customers choosing Northwestern Mutual and our advisors for our holistic approach to financial security,” said John Schlifske, Chairman, President and CEO. “These business results prove that having a combination of world-class insurance products and investment offerings is resonating – and I’ve never had more confidence in the future of our company.”

Northwestern Mutual – Hawai‘i is committed to continuing to grow a diverse, equitable and inclusive organization to reflect the diverse Hawaiian community. The office supports the Multicultural, Wahine, Military and LGBTQ+ Affinity Groups which provide ongoing resources and training for employees so they can learn the specific needs of each community. In 2020 and 2021, Northwestern Mutual – Hawai‘i was awarded the #1 Company for LGBTQ+ Equality by Hawaii Business Magazine.

“I am grateful for the incredible team I have the privilege to lead and work with each day. I could not be more proud of our Northwestern Mutual – Hawai‘i ‘ohana,” said Jamie Delgadillo, Managing Director, Northwestern Mutual – Hawai‘i.

Northwestern Mutual 
737 Bishop Street, Suite 1700
Mauka Tower, Honolulu, HI 96813
(808) 521-2345
hawaii.nm.com

Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours

A family-owned business, Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours has been supplying tile, stone and cabinetry to its customers for 45 years. This is the fifth year that it’s been recognized as one of Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work.

“We are so proud of this recognition,” says James R. Doran III, president of Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours. “It demonstrates to us that our employee team members do value their work experience and that they know we value them and their commitment and service to our clients, the business and each other.”

Many of its employees have been with the company for a decade or more. The company treats employees like ‘ohana, and they receive the same benefits as the company’s leadership.

Employees receive 100% paid medical and dental, chiropractic insurance, a gym membership package, and a $50,000 life insurance policy. Additionally, the company has an IncentFit Wellness Program that incentivizes healthy activities, with rewards for employees that include $1 for every day they walk 8,000 steps, $2.50 when they go to the gym, $25 when they get a Flu shot, and $50 when they get their annual physical. There’s also a cash incentive for employees who receive a full COVID-19 vaccination.

Photo: Matthew Thayer

For employees who happen to get sick due to COVID-19, Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours is paying employees in full for the days they are recovering.

“It is stressful enough being sick and potentially infecting others in their households. We did not want them to also worry about income coming in on top of that,” says Doran. “Everyone had a full paycheck.”

Protecting and taking care of the team is of upmost importance, so weekly social-distanced meetings are held every Friday to share up-dates and connect with employees to see how everyone is managing stress and health concerns. The company also provides masks, hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and sprays, and COVID-19 take-home tests for employees and family members who need them.

“I am proud to lead our team – 80% of whom have been with us for 10 to 28 years,” says Doran. “We do our best to help and take care of each other.”

Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours
25 South Kahalui Beach Road
RoadKahului, HI 96732
(808) 871-8674
www.CeramicTilePlus.com

Silver Winners

Aqua Engineers

Award winning Aqua Engineers, Inc. is a 100% employee-owned company which owns, operates and maintains water and wastewater facilities state-wide. From its humble beginnings on Kaua‘i 41 years ago to today’s largest and most experienced water and wastewater management company in Hawai‘i, Aqua operates 40 wastewater treatment facilities, 17 water systems and over 70 wastewater pump stations. Four of our wastewater treatment plants are R-1 facilities, producing the highest quality effluent and conserving millions of gallons of potable water every day. Aqua’s mission is to deliver excellence in the operations, maintenance, management and engineering of our clients’ water and wastewater systems, while supporting the health and safety of the community and protecting our environment through innovative, sustainable services and solutions.

In 2003 Aqua was awarded a 50-year contract to own and operate the Schofield Barracks Wastewater Facility on O‘ahu and in 2008 the company was awarded a 50-year contract to take over all the O‘ahu Army owned sewer-systems. In 2015 Aqua purchased its first public wastewater utility on Kaua‘i.

In 2006 the company was sold to the employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). David Paul, President/CEO, says, “Aqua continues our founders’ tradition of providing the best value in water and wastewater operation & maintenance services. We continue to train our employee-owners and recruit licensed operators who can make a difference in our employee-ownership culture.”

Aqua headquarters in Lawai, Kaua‘i, Hawai‘i

As a service provider, Aqua con-siders its employee-owners as its most important asset. Our benefits include competitive compensation and a share of approximately 50% of operating income in distributions through annual cash bonuses & retirement profit sharing contributions. The other 50% goes to employee-owners as “shareholders” through stock price growth.

Employee-owner growth and development remains our number one priority. We believe that employee-ownership promotes greater commitment through a shared understanding of key business disciplines and a culture of greater unity.

Aqua was very fortunate to maintain its workforce, continue to hire and conduct essential business throughout the COVID-19 pandemic without cutting pays, bonuses, benefits or company programs. We stay connected and network through virtual company meetings, trainings, celebrations and participate in community projects through videoconferencing and webcasts.

Aqua Engineers’ benefits include: 

• Annual License & Certification Bonus Program
• Annual Incentive Program
• Health/Dental/Vision – Aqua pays 75-90% of premium for employee-owners & their dependents
• Life Insurance & Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan: 401k Plan with 2% match and Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• 15 Days PTO/10 Paid Holidays Per Year
• Paid Training, Licensing and Certification
• Leadership Development Training Opportunities
• Wellness Program & Quarterly Activities
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Company Uniform/Shoe Allowance

Aqua Engineers 
3560 Koloa Road, Kalaheo, HI 96741
(808) 332-7381
www.aquaengineers.com

HEMIC

This year, HEMIC celebrates a significant milestone: 25 years of proudly taking care of Hawai‘i’s businesses and workers. Founded as a mutual insurance company in response to the many challenges faced by Hawai‘i’s workers’ compensation system, HEMIC has evolved into a diversified local enterprise with products and services that address a wide range of insurance and risk management needs.

HEMIC is dedicated to providing innovative solutions and superior customer service, guided by our core values of excellence, integrity, connection, and belief – belief in the importance of what we do, the people we serve, and what we can achieve working together.

Says Sarah Guay, Vice President of Human Resources, “We work hard to create an environment where our employees are supported and inspired to do great things with a spirit of true partnership and connection.”

Each year, HEMIC makes a significant investment into creating a workplace that fosters employee well-being and excellence, providing staff with professional development, technical training, and growth opportunities. HEMIC also cultivates responsiveness, problem-solving, and innovation and believes that the positive energy of being a “best place to work” is invaluable.

With an eye to long-term stability and employee well-being at its core, HEMIC purchased a building in the heart of downtown Honolulu and in 2021 moved its business operations.

“The HEMIC Tower is a symbol of our collective strength and helps solidify our presence in Hawai‘i. It offers our family of companies an opportunity to come together, collaborate and connect as a single enterprise. It has been carefully designed with our people and our purpose in mind,” says CEO Marty Welch. “The new building has given us a fantastic opportunity to structure our workspaces to be more effective and engaging for our employees – so they can thrive and reach their full potential.”

HEMIC EMPLOYEE BENEFITS INCLUDE: 

• Leadership and career development opportunities
• Benefit allowance for medical, dental and other insurance
• Company-paid life & AD&D insurance, health reimbursement account, identity theft recovery benefit, long-term disability insurance
• Pre-tax 401K with 6% company matching
• Parking, bus-pass and transportation allowance
• Discounted fitness club memberships
• Tuition reimbursement
• Student loan repayment assistance
• Generous PTO, 14 paid holidays – plus your birthday off!
• Flexible work arrangements

HEMIC
Business Address:
915 Fort Street, Honolulu, HI 96813

Mailing Address
P.O. Box 3376, Honolulu, HI 96801
Main Number: (808) 524-3642
www.hemic.com

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Advantage Realty

Celebrating 18 years of dong business in Hawaii, locally owned Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Advantage Realty has 5 offices across Oahu and Maui in Kahala, Kailua, Haleiwa, Kapolei and Wailuku with over 200 employees and licensed agents.

“Creating a clear strong corporate culture has been a key to the growth and success of our company. Our agents and support staff are client centric and they put the clients’ needs ahead of their own. Our core values of honesty, transparency, collaboration, commitment, charity, innovation and strong work ethic are communicated to the agents and employees from the initial interview and throughout every company interaction,” stated CEO/Owner Myron Kiriu.

Voted Hawaii’s Best Real Estate Firm the past 12 years and a Best of Honolulu Company for 9 years, the fi rm has also been recognized nationally as the most Productive Brokerages in the Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate network 7 years in a row. This is the company’s fourth year as one of the Best Places to Work, and it is an honor to be recognized.

The company was recently awarded the 2021 Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate Most Productive Brokerage Award in Volume on the main stage at their national convention in Las Vegas.

“Receiving this recognition is confirmation of the importance that we place on providing an environment for our employees and agents where collaboration, safety, respect, and opportunities for growth are emphasized,” added Kiriu. “My wife Ambur and I appreciate and cherish each and every person at our company.”

The company is a second family for many of their employees and agents where they celebrate personal milestones and company goals together both online and safely in-person. Extensive training, weekly company meetings, and community service activities ensure that the corporate culture is born and nurtured throughout the organization.

Giving back to the community is at the heart of the company. It is exemplified by providing their clients with excellent service and by direct contributions to the people of Hawaii such as the recent creation of the Advantage Kokua Scholarship. This Scholarship was started and is operated by employees and agents of the company to provide scholarships to students in need who are transitioning from local community colleges to UH Manoa or UH West Oahu.

“The heart of this company is our employees and agents,” added Kiriu. “Together, they have continued to go above and beyond to help our company, community and each other. We will never be able to thank them enough for the exemplary support and professionalism they share every day. We are truly, Better Together.”

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Advantage Realty
4211 Waialae Avenue, Box 9050
Honolulu, HI 96816
808-738-3600
BetterHawaii.com

Diagnostic Laboratory Services, Inc.

Diagnostic Laboratory Services, Inc. (DLS) is the largest locally owned medical testing laboratory in Hawaii. DLS employs more than 700 people and has over 50 sites throughout Hawaii, Guam and Saipan.

DLS is more than a company; it is an ohana that weaves our employees, our patients and our communities together. Employees are at the core of our effort. We celebrate our wins together and lean on each other for support, especially during this pandemic. We understand that our communities rely on us and we recognize it is a privilege to provide their health care needs. We have been unwavering in our commitment to service and meeting the ever-changing laboratory needs of our patients. We have an equal commitment to promoting the well-being of our employees while creating a learning environment that promotes professional growth. Our transparent and inclusive culture emphasizes two-way communication and encourages employees to be their best selves at work.

We believe that service makes the difference, supported by our motto of “Great Science. Great People.” During this unprecedented time of the pandemic, our employees continuously meet the needs of our communities by putting our patients first with creative and innovative approaches. We established multiple measures to create a safe work environment, ranging from redesigning workspaces, remote work, staggering shifts, daily symptom checks and proper PPE. We actively communicated and created listening posts to hear from our employees. As we have throughout our history, we were agile and quick to adapt to the needs of our employees and our patients.

“I am so proud to be part of the DLS ohana. For more than 36 years, DLS has provided the highest-quality care for our customers and our employees. The DLS team is so passionate about doing their part to deliver great service to elevate the wellbeing of our communities.” – Mark Wasielewski, DLS President

Diagnostic Laboratory Services, Inc.
99-859 Iwaiwa Street
Aiea, Hawaii 96701
808) 589-5100
DLSLAB.com

Diamond Head Dental Care

Diamond Head Dental Care is proud to be listed as one of Hawaii Business Magazine’s Best Places to Work for the past 3 years! This year marks the eighth year since Diamond Head Dental Care opened at the base of Diamond Head in Honolulu and the first year at its second location in Pearl City. Diamond Head Dental Care provides high quality dental care every day of the week, that is both comfortable and affordable.

“I think the recognition reflects the culture and work environment we’ve created,” says Dr. David Matto, Owner Dentist of Diamond Head Dental Care. “Taking care of the patient is a prerequisite with affordable, convenient and gentle care. However when you start taking care of the team, the business will take off.”

Above: Dr. Matto & our amazing hygienists!

Diamond Head Dental Care’s office culture is one of gratitude, teamwork and support. There’s a genuine understanding that you will make mistakes while developing your expertise. The day begins and ends with a team huddle. The unique environment of trust allows for a candid review of the day’s highlights and challenges. Open discussion of an individual’s mistake provides for proper analysis and reinforces that honest discussions of weaknesses lead to their development into strengths.

“We strive to create a teamwork mentality where everyone participates in ensuring smooth patient flow and excellent patient experience,” says Dr. Matto. “Any team is going to be more successful than an individual by themselves. If you learn together and build together, it’s much more effective in daily operations. It also creates buy-in when staff help develop the systems.”

“With our expansion at our Honolulu location and our new office in Pearl City, we have created significant career advancement opportunities for staff,” says Krista Matto, Business Manager of Diamond Head Dental Care. “It’s been incredibly rewarding as an employer to be able to offer growth opportunities for staff as they’re a vital part of our continuity and future growth. We want to be a good employer for the team because we value them, and without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

Diamond Head Dental Care

Diamond Head Center:
3045 Monsarrat Avenue, Suite 7,
Honolulu, HI 96815

Pearl City Gateway:
1160 Kuala Street, Suite 200,
Pearl City, HI 96782

(808) 735-8883
DiamondHeadDentalCare@gmail.com
DiamondHeadDentalCare.com

Lawson & Associates, Inc.

Lawson & Associates is a certified woman-owned, veteran-owned business established in 2008. Our most valuable resource is our diverse group of people united by a shared vision: Improvement through effective Safety Management Systems. We are dedicated to our team and clients and work hard to instill our seven core values into the way we do our work and care for others. We are service-focused. Our company vision to improve the safety of Hawai‘i’s workers also leads us to strive for a balanced and prosperous life for our employees. Our staff and leaders have input on and directly influence the factors that impact employee satisfaction.

From left to right: The Lawson Tribe of Safe-ty and Health support services professionals at our annual New Years’ celebration.

This past year, we focused on innovating by growing our Safety Intelligence Institute (SII) to accommodate different modes and methods of training. We follow the ANSI/IACET Standard for Continuing Education and Training processes. We provide high-quality, technical training to clients and people worldwide in-person, virtually, and on-demand through SII and following the Lawson blueprint. We improved our processes to make our team’s workplace more effective and efficient. Our various weekly team meetings allow all participants to openly identify, discuss, and solve (IDS) issues in the workplace together. When people participate and collaborate in making decisions that directly impact their work, their sense of ownership and engagement increases. People want to work, be heard, contribute, and make a difference. We understand that and facilitate it.

Although we’re a small business, we provide great benefits such as a 401k Safe harbor plan, full health coverage for employee + family, generous incentive bonus programs, 100% paid continuing education & certifications, 20 days PTO/paid holidays, a company vehicle with a gas card for business use, an annual uniform allowance, and flexible work schedules/work-from-home accommodations when possible.

We are a purposeful, performance-driven company that strives for excellence, welcomes improvement, and embraces changes and challenges. We are the Lawson Tribe.

Lawson & Associates, Inc.
Safety Intelligence Institute
1312 Kaumualii St. Honolulu, HI 96817
(808) 441-5333
www.lawsonsafety.com

Bronze Winner

Prince Resorts Hawaii

As a leading luxury hospitality group whose core mission is to cultivate relationships, Prince Resorts Hawaii, Inc. (PRH) understood that maintaining a culture of excellence starts with values that reflect the dedication and passion of its employees. Its designation as one of Hawaii Business Magazine’s 2022 Hawai‘i’s Best Workplaces is a testament to each PRH team member’s strength, resilience, and ability to overcome any challenge with compassion.

“We’re honored to be named one of the best workplaces in Hawai‘i,” said Shigeki Yamane, President of Prince Resorts Hawaii. “Understanding that each person brings some-thing unique to the mix, our ‘people first’ approach allows us to foster diversity, innovation, and service from the heart. It is through collaboration that our true strength shines. Like a complicated jigsaw, every piece is integral and every person plays an important role.”

This “people first” philosophy is further exemplified in PRH’s Lifetime Wellness program, focused on employee physical, personal, financial, and social wellbeing, to not only provide care while at work, but to offer access to a lifetime of wellness for team members and their families. The program includes increased 401K options, annual company-sponsored HRA distributions, access to telehealth services and industry experts along with paid community service days, and a lifetime complimentary hotel room program for retirees.

Severely tested during the Covid-19 pandemic, the company’s commitment to its 1,600 employees never wavered. The goal being to: “Ensure that each employee emerges from the pandemic whole” – safely, financially, and with positive mental health. Despite closures and a slow recovery, wage increases were implemented as planned and medical/dental benefits continue uninterrupted for employees/families regardless of qualifying requirements.

Recently, all three luxury properties, Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, The Westin Hapuna Beach Hotel, and Prince Waikiki, were recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hotels and Resorts in Hawai‘i,” Travel + Leisure’s 2021 “World’s Best Awards,” and Conde Nast Traveler’s“Readers’ Choice Awards,” demonstrating proof of PRH’s winning formula – people first combined with a supportive, collaborative environment, and a healthy dose of mentoring and empowerment that encourages employees to go beyond the expected.

Prince Resorts Hawaii
100 Holomoana St.
Honolulu, HI 96815
(808) 956-1111
PrinceResortsHawaii.com

Photo: Aaron Yoshino

Hawaii Business Magazine hosted its first in-person Best Places to Work celebration since 2019 on Friday, April 1 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The event was made possible by Presenting Sponsor American Savings Bank; Award Sponsors UHA Health Insurance, Atlas Insurance Agency, ProService Hawaii, Alaska Airlines and Dave & Buster’s; Photo Sponsor Express Employment Professionals; Media Sponsor ESPN Honolulu and Nonprofit Sponsor Aloha United Way’s Society of Young Leaders. Most of the attendees were employees representing some of the 68 organizations that earned a spot on Hawaii Business’ prestigious 18th annual Best Places to Work list.

Click here to view the 2022 ranked list of Best Places to Work in Hawaiʻi

Don’t forget to download your mug photos!

Click the image below to access all the photos

Photo: Aaron Yoshino

Guests enjoyed a cocktail hour prior to the dinner and awards program, replete with a DJ, games and prize wheels. Employees were able to once again celebrate their “Best Places” achievement with a photo opportunity in Hawaii Business’ giant and iconic Best Places to Work coffee mug.

Bowers + Kubota Consulting, WestPac Wealth Partners and Express Employment Professionals of Hawaii took home the top overall prizes in the Large, Medium and Small Company categories respectively.

Photo: Aaron Yoshino

“The rigorous selection process that determines which companies make the Best Places to Work list is based on a confidential survey of each organization’s employees,” said Hawaii Business Publisher Cheryl Oncea. “Making the list is not easy. Making the list during the pandemic is nothing short of spectacular.”

Congratulations to all 68 companies that made this year’s list!

Photo: Aaron Yoshino

Tuesday, March 29, 2022 – Small Companies (Listed in alphabetical order)
Wednesday, March 30, 2022 – Medium Companies (Listed in alphabetical order)
Thursday, March 31, 2022 – Large Companies (Listed in alphabetical order)
Friday, April 1, 2022 – Best Places to Work in-person event / Other Category List-Makers
Monday, April 4, 2021 – Top 3 Companies for Overall Small, Medium and Large Companies, ranked Most Family Friendly Companies, Healthiest Companies, Best Places to Work for Women, Best Companies for LGBTQ+ Equality, and Special Categories

Click here to see the Best Places to Work ‘Benefits at a Glance’

There’s no magic formula: Creating an excellent workplace takes years of energy, effort and conscious planning. Follow this basic roadmap and your company might get there in a few years.

This is my 14th year of reporting on the Best Places to Work in Hawai‘i and this year reminds me of one of my favorite sayings from high school history classes: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

My teenage-self loved the irony of that aphorism and I especially enjoyed saying it in the original French: “Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.”

The saying comes back to me at a time when technology and innovation have upended almost everything, and then the pandemic upended everything again. Yet the fundamentals of human happiness and morality remain largely unchanged.

Similarly, the fundamentals of Best Places to Work have always included – and still include – employees trusting their organizations’ leadership, feeling wanted and valued, and being treated fairly.

A Best Place to Work seeks to deliver on those fundamentals. But it doesn’t stay a Best Place to Work unless it’s also willing to change: correcting flaws uncovered by the annual BPTW survey of employees and revising rules and benefits based on what employees want and need.

Only recently have we begun reporting the percentage of executives who are female in each organization and whether that organization usually offers telecommuting options to employees. And only recently have we named the Best Places to Work for Women and for LGBTQ employees. Those are valuable measures – we should have acknowledged them sooner – just as valuable as the number of vacation days and whether the company offers a 401(k) match.

Large Companies
250 or more Hawaiʻi Employees

The remaining large companies are listed alphabetically

American Savings Bank
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 1,084
asbhawaii.com

Bayer
Headquarters: Leverkusen, Germany
Employees: 488
bayer.com

Central Pacific Bank (CPB)
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 817
cpb.bank

Child & Family Service
Headquarters: ʻEwa Beach
Employees: 309
childandfamilyservice.org

First Hawaiian Bank
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 1,930
fhb.com

Island Palm Communities LLC
Headquarters: Schofield Barracks
Employees: 405
islandpalmcommunities.com

Panda Restaurant Group
Headquarters: Rosemead, CA
Employees: 403
pandarg.com

Parents and Children Together
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 308
pacthawaii.org

Prince Resorts Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 1,301
princeresortshawaii.com

Servco Pacific Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 1,026
servco.com

Medium Companies
50 – 249 Hawaiʻi Employees

The remaining medium companies are listed alphabetically

AHL
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 96
ahl.design

American Floor & Home (formerly American Carpet One Floor & Home)
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 132
americancarpetone.com

Aqua Engineers Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 90
aquaengineers.com

Atlas Insurance Agency
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 93
atlasinsurance.com

Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 69
www.bgch.com

Corteva Agriscience
Headquarters: Wilmington, DE
Employees: 165
corteva.com

CW Associates, CPAs
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 61
cwassociatescpas.com

EnviroServices & Training Center LLC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 57
gotoetc.com

Finance Factors Ltd.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 122
financefactors.com

G70
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 99
g70.design

Hawaiʻi Community Foundation
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 67
hawaiicommunityfoundation.org

Hawaii Dental Service (HDS)
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 128
HawaiiDentalService.com

Hawaii Diagnostic Radiology Services
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 76
hawaiidrs.com

Hawaii Mortgage Experts LLC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 59
hawaiimortgageexperts.com

HEMIC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 114
hemic.com

Hickam Federal Credit Union
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 114
hickamfcu.org

Island Insurance
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 136
islandinsurance.com

Kupu
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 53
kupuhawaii.org

Nordic PCL Construction Inc.
Headquarters: Edmonton, Alberta
Employees: 149
pcl.com

Northwestern Mutual Hawaiʻi 
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 50
hawaii.nm.com

Pacific Biodiesel
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 78
biodiesel.com

Pacific Whale Foundation
Headquarters: Wailuku
Employees: 121
pacificwhale.org

Pacxa
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 75
pacxa.com

Pearl Hawaii Federal Credit Union
Headquarters: Waipahu
Employees: 74
pearlhawaii.com

Premier Solutions HI LLC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 61
premiersolutions.com

ProService Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 219
proservice.com

Ronald N.S. Ho & Associates Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 75
rnsha.com

Small Companies
15 – 49 Hawaiʻi Employees

The remaining small companies are listed alphabetically

Allana Buick & Bers
Headquarters: Palo Alto, CA
Employees: 25
abbae.com

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate / Advantage Realty
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 33
betterhawaii.com

Diamond Head Dental Care
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 25
DiamondHeadDentalCare.com

DRFortress
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 20
drfortress.com

Dynamic Planning & Response LLC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 38
dynapnr.com

The Hawaii Group
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 29
thehawaiigroup.com

Hawaii Information Service
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 20
hawaiiinformation.com

HiEmployment
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 17
hi-employment.com

Imua Family Services
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 41
imuafamily.org

Integrated Security Technologies Inc.
Headquarters: Waipahu
Employees: 30
istechs.net

Intech Hawaii
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 23
intech-support.com

JR Doran Inc. / Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours
Headquarters: Kahului
Employees: 35
ceramictileplus.com

Kilauea Pest Control
Headquarters: Kailua
Employees: 49
kilaueapest.com

Lawson & Associates Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 32
lawsonsafety.com

Na Aliʻi Consulting & Sales LLC
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 47
nakupuna.com

National Interstate Insurance Company
Headquarters: Richfield, OH
Employees: 22
natl.com

Okahara and Associates Inc.
Headquarters: Hilo
Employees: 35
okahara.com

Pacific Administration Inc.
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 47
pacadmin.com

Servpac Inc. 
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 23
servpac.com

Verity CPAs
Headquarters: Honolulu
Employees: 16
veritycpas.com

Vivial 
Headquarters: Dayton, OH
Employees: 27
vivial.net

Windward Synergy Center
Headquarters: Kailua
Employees: 19
windwardsynergycenter.com

Other Categories

Most Family-Friendly Companies

Small Employer

1. Intech Hawaii
2. JR Doran Inc. / Ceramic Tile Plus and Exclusively Yours
3. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate / Advantage Realty

Medium Employer

1. Premier Solutions HI LLC
2. Pacific Biodiesel
3. Ronald N.S. Ho & Associates Inc.

Large Employer

1. Parents And Children Together
2. Panda Restaurant Group
3. Bayer Hawaii

Healthiest Companies

Small Employer

1. Lawson & Associates Inc.
2. Servpac Inc.
3. Kilauea Pest Control

Medium Employer

1. Hawaii Mortgage Experts LLC
2. Pacific Biodiesel
3. American Floor & Home

Large Employer

1. Panda Restaurant Group
2. Bayer Hawaii
3. Child & Family Service

Best Places To Work for Women

1. WestPac Wealth Partners
2. G70
3. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate / Advantage Realty
4. Express Employment Professionals of Hawaii
5. Pacxa

Best Companies for LGBTQ+ Equality

1. First Hawaiian Bank

Runners-up listed in alphabetical order

• American Savings Bank
• Bayer Hawaii
• Hawai‘i Energy / Leidos
• Northwestern Mutual Hawai‘i

Best Restaurant to Work for in Hawaiʻi

• Panda Restaurant Group

Best Place to Work on the Neighbor Islands

• USAble Life, Hawaiʻi Island

Best Young Business to Work For

• Windward Synergy Center, founded in 2015

Best Places to Work Rookie of the Year

• Verity CPAs

Best Places to Work Hall of Fame (number of year on the list)

• Edward Jones, 18 years
• Servco Pacific Inc., 18 years
• Nordic PCL Construction Inc., 16 years
• Island Insurance, 16 years
• Bowers + Kubota Consulting Inc., 15 years
• ProService Hawaii, 15 years
• Atlas Insurance Agency Inc., 14 years
• Pacific Administrators Inc., 14 years
• Central Pacific Bank, 13 years
• American Savings Bank, 13 years
• First Hawaiian Bank, 12 years
• Imua Family Services, 12 years
• The Hawaii Group, 11 years
• Swinerton, 11 years
• EnviroServices & Training Center LLC, 11 years
• Integrated Security Technologies Inc., 11 years
• Hawaii State Federal Credit Union, 11 years
• Pacific Biodiesel, 11 years
• Hawaii Diagnostic Radiology Services, 10 years
• Intech Hawaii, 10 years
• Panda Restaurant Group, 10 years
• Vivial, 10 years

2022 Benefits at a Glance

How We Pick Them

Each year, Hawaii Business Magazine partners with the research firm Best Companies Group to administer the Best Places to Work survey. The main part of the survey is a confidential questionnaire sent to all employees at small and medium companies and a statistically representative sample at larger ones.

There are 77 questions and open-ended statements in the confidential survey, and the employee responses make up 75% of a company’s score. The rest of the score is based on 80 questions answered by the HR department about benefits, working conditions and more.

Need a value proposition? The Best Places to Work foster “engaged” employees, according to the Best Companies Group. Among other things, that means employees:

• Look forward to going to work on most days.
• Plan to stay with the organization at least two more years, which reduces turnover and ensures stability.
• Are willing to make an extra effort to help the organization succeed, which can yield a culture of excellence.

Employee engagement pays off big for employers, but it’s an ideal win-win situation for both employees and employers.

None of these Best Places to Work are utopias. There will always be employees with gripes. But don’t underestimate the power of employee engagement. After more than four decades of working in a dozen companies big, small and in-between, I know employee engagement is a mighty force and disengagement is a miserable drag.

Top 10 Key Drivers This Year

The confidential survey of employees is the main factor determining the Best Places to Work in Hawai‘i.

Best Companies Group, Hawaii Business Magazine’s partner in identifying the Best Places to Work, says these were the top 10 drivers in the latest survey determining whether a company made the cut.

1. I feel I am valued in this organization.
2. I have confidence in the leadership of this organization.
3. I like the type of work that I do.
4. Most days, I feel I have made progress at work.
5. Overall, I’m satisfied with this organization’s benefits package.
6. This organization helps me pursue a career path that aligns with my skills and interests.
7. This organization treats me like a person, not a number.
8. At this organization, employees have fun at work.
9. The leaders of this organization care about their employees’ wellbeing.
10. I’m satisfied with the amount of vacation (or paid time off ).

Do You Want to Be a Best Place to Work?

None of Hawaiʻi's Best Places to Work started that way. Every organization on the list built workplaces full of engaged employees over the long haul, and many used the annual Best Places to Work survey and its feedback to understand their strengths and weaknesses and to hear what their employees really thought. The confidential survey of employees reveals good, bad and ugly details that you might not discover any other way. It’s the most useful annual survey for Hawai‘i’s businesses.

Register today for the 2023 program at BestPlacesToWorkHawaii.com. There’s no risk in participating in the program; if your company doesn’t make the Best Places list, no one will know it was registered.

Why are 50,000 unemployed people not taking those jobs? The motives vary, and often people have several reasons for staying home: Jobless benefits may provide enough money to survive; they need to care for their children, siblings or grandchildren; they worry about catching COVID- 19 on the job; they live far from available full-time jobs and the bus ride is long.

Some are hanging on to the hope of finding better jobs than their last ones – jobs they like, for companies and bosses that appreciate them, that pay livable wages and leave them feeling good at the end of a workday. Things we all want. Maybe unemployment benefits are giving them the freedom to turn away from the first – or 10th – available job, because they know that once they start working, they might not have the time and energy to find something better. They’re looking for a Best Place to Work.

What Your Employees Really Think

The main factor in selecting companies and nonprofits for our annual list of Best Places to Work in Hawai‘i – 75% of the score – is a confidential survey of employees conducted by our partner, Best Companies Group.

Granted anonymity, workers respond to the survey with honesty. Depending on the company, the answers range from anger to indifference to genuine gratitude and a desire to work hard for the organization. It usually depends on the company’s corporate culture and how it has treated employees over the years.

Every company that nominates itself for the Best Places to Work list wants that feedback. They want to know: What do our employees really think? With that knowledge, they can keep employees engaged and committed to the company and rectify the flaws employees see and feel.

It is an ongoing process of seeking feedback from the survey, acting on the results and taking the survey again next year to see what worked and what needs refining.

The companies on the list year after year are always striving to improve their culture because they know they are competing with every other workplace in Hawai‘i to find the best new employees – and to keep their existing employees engaged and not looking for jobs elsewhere.

There is no cost to nominate your organization for the Best Places to Work list: Just go to bestplacestoworkhi.com to enroll. And there’s no risk; if your company doesn’t make the list, that remains confidential.

Pay Is Not The Biggest Factor

After I get the list each year, I study the reasons why the winning companies have employees who are engaged. Engagement means employees generally:

• Look forward to going to work on most days.
• Plan to stay with the organization at least two more years.
• Are willing to recommend the company to a friend as a workplace.
• Are willing to make an extra effort to help the organization succeed.

Pay is not even among the top 10 factors that drive engagement. This year’s first six are:

1.  I feel I am valued in this organization.
2. I have confidence in the leadership.
3. I like the type of work that I do.
4. Most days, I feel I have made progress at work.
5. Overall, I’m satisfied with this organization’s benefits package.
6. The leaders of this organization care about their employees’ well-being.

That’s why people stay with a job and give their best effort. That’s what a lot of those unemployed people are looking for. If you want your company to be known as a Best Place to Work, go to bestplacestoworkhi.com and register to begin the process.