Embattled Hawaii Tourism Authority has long history of political pressure | 5-May-2025
The Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), established in 1998 to operate independently of political influence, has faced persistent political pressure throughout its history. Tourism marketing expert and former HTA executive, Frank Haas, suggests that due to tourism’s significant economic impact, government integration is necessary. The COVID-19 pandemic’s disruption and subsequent tourism resurgence intensified public scrutiny and political involvement. Veteran tourism consultant Keith Vieira criticizes legislative interference, noting it complicates HTA’s operations. Recently, legislation diminished HTA’s board authority, placing it under the governor and state business director’s oversight, highlighting ongoing governance challenges.
How Trump’s New Tariffs Could Affect Your Next Vacation | 10-Apr-2025
President Trump’s tariffs are reshaping the travel landscape. While tariffs directly target goods, their ripple effects are felt across the tourism industry. Airfares may rise due to increased costs of imported fuel and aircraft parts, and hotel prices could climb as imported supplies become more expensive. Jukka Laitamaki, a professor at NYU, notes that tariffs impact service economies by elevating the cost of essential supplies. In Hawai‘i, for instance, where many goods are imported, the tourism sector faces potential price hikes and reduced growth. Frank Haas, Partner at Guild Consulting, highlights that a significant portion of visitors’ spending on shopping and food in Hawai‘i relies on imports, making the state particularly vulnerable to these trade policies.
Read more on Thrillist
Tariffs open door to new isle economies | 5-Mar-2025
In his Honolulu Star-Advertiser column, Guild partner Ray Tsuchiyama reflects on Hawaii’s historical missed opportunities to attract foreign investment—such as Mayor Frank Fasi’s 1984 efforts with Japanese tech firms—and argues that the renewed imposition of tariffs under President Trump’s administration presents a strategic opening for Hawaii to diversify its economy by focusing on sectors like vertical agriculture, renewable energy, AI, and aquaculture, while also advocating for partnerships between the University of Hawaii and industry to build a skilled local workforce, thereby transforming the state from an import-dependent economy into a hub for innovation and sustainable growth.
Hawai‘i Tourism: A Century and a Half in the Making | 12-Feb-2025
Hawai‘i’s tourism evolution spans over 150 years, beginning with elite travelers and growing into a global destination through key developments like luxury hotels and the rise of commercial air travel. The narrative includes influences from early writers, Hollywood films, and pivotal moments like statehood and infrastructure expansion.Frank Haas, former Hawai‘i Tourism Authority marketing director, reflects on the early boom years, explaining that the islands were marketed simply as a sun-and-surf paradise with little competition, making the strategy highly effective.This historical perspective underscores how branding and accessibility shaped modern Hawai‘i tourism.
Travel & Tourism: A Slow Return | 31-Jan-2025
Japanese tourism to Hawaii remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels, with 2024 arrivals at 720,488—just over half of 2019’s 1.58 million. Factors such as a weakened yen, increased travel costs, and competition from more affordable destinations like Korea and Taiwan have deterred many potential visitors. Frank Haas, Partner at Guild Consulting, notes that while Hawai‘i’s appeal endures, the current exchange rate and pricing challenges have made the destination less attractive to Japanese travelers. Despite these hurdles, Hawai‘i continues to attract repeat visitors and is focusing on cultural experiences to rejuvenate interest.
Read more on Pacific Business News
Calming the Storm | 01-Oct-2024
Effective leadership, often hinges on adept conflict management. In his book, Calming the Storm, Dr. Adler, a Partner at Guild Consulting, offers 75 practical guidelines to help leaders navigate unproductive conflicts, drawing from his extensive experience in public, private, and civil sectors. He argues that in today’s fast-paced and polarized environment, leaders must be equipped to mediate disputes, fostering cooperation and understanding. Adler’s work underscores the importance of integrating mediation skills into leadership practices to address challenges and promote organizational harmony.
Read more on Mediate
Presidential politics: Harris leads, goes bipartisan | 10-Jul-2024
Peace Corps veteran and mediator Peter Adler argues that President Joe Biden should step aside and allow Vice President Kamala Harris to take the helm, then immediately appoint a centrist Republican such as Liz Cheney, Mitt Romney, or Adam Kinzinger as vice president and invite other GOP moderates into key Cabinet posts. Adler says a bipartisan “team of rivals” White House could defuse America’s entrenched polarization, reflect the pragmatic spirit of Lincoln, and achieve constructive results that a single-party administration cannot. The piece challenges both parties to embrace coalition governance.
Collaborative solution for Hawaii tourism | 25-June-2024
Frank Haas, Partner at Guild Consulting, notes that Hawai‘i’s tourism challenges require a comprehensive, collaborative approach. He argues that the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority (HTA) alone cannot address the complexities of tourism management due to limited resources and authority. Instead, a whole-of-government strategy is necessary, involving various agencies, communities, and the private sector. The column advocates for a governance model that integrates all stakeholders to effectively manage tourism’s impacts, suggesting that such collaboration is essential for sustainable tourism development in Hawai‘i.
Read more on Star Advertiser
The History And Challenge Of Searching For A UH President | 14-Jun-2024
Exploring over a century of the University of Hawaii’s presidential selections, Ray Tsuchiyama examines how each leader’s background from agricultural experts to international scholars mirrored the institution’s shifting ambitions and Hawaii’s socio-economic evolution, culminating in a reflection on whether the forthcoming 16th president will transform UH into a dynamic economic and cultural force or continue a pattern of underwhelming leadership.
Hawaii trends: out-migration, drop in government services | 07-Jan-2024
Partners at Guild Consulting forecast Hawai‘i’s key trends to watch out for 2024. Rising housing costs and an increasing number of ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) households are accelerating out-migration, with the median single-family home price exceeding $1 million. The state’s budget allocation for agriculture remains minimal despite growing interest in sustainable farming practices. The column highlights a decline in government services due to strategic missteps and staffing shortages, leading to frustrations among residents seeking timely permits and services.
Read more on Star Advertiser
Kona coffee labeling study seeks farmer input | 21-Oct-2023
A study is underway to assess the economic impact of requiring a minimum of 51% Hawai‘i-grown coffee in blends labeled with regional names like “Kona.” This initiative follows previous legislative efforts to tighten labeling standards, aiming to protect local farmers and ensure authenticity. Lesley Harvey and Peter Adler, Partners at Guild Consulting, were selected to conduct the study through a competitive bidding process, which includes consultations with stakeholders such as the Hawaii Coffee Association and the Kona Coffee Farmers Association. The study’s findings will inform potential legislative actions to strengthen coffee labeling laws in Hawai‘i.
Read more on West Hawaii Today
How To Turn A ‘North Star’ Plan For Fire-Prone Lands Into Reality | 9-Oct-2023
Guild partner Peter Adler, writing with former state forester Michael Buck, outlines how West Maui can convert a visionary “North Star” concept for fire-prone lands into an actionable roadmap within six months. He insists any plan be built by a nine-member working group of independent experts who engage landowners early, tether goals to real budgets, and rely on science-based joint fact-finding. Proposed strategies include rotational grazing to curb grass fuels, riparian reforestation, green fuel-breaks, restored wetland agriculture, and upgraded water systems, aiming to forge a fire-resilient, economically vibrant landscape.
Envision Something New And Different For The Lands Above Lahaina | 8-Oct-2023
Guild partner Peter Adler, with former state forester Michael Buck, urges turning the fallow, grass-choked lands above Lahaina into a fire-resilient, water-abundant foodscape. He advocates a “North Star” vision unbounded by ownership lines, replacing invasive grasses with rotational grazing, sequential reforestation, green fuel-breaks and diversified agriculture to suppress future wildfires and rebuild watersheds. Upgrading century-old irrigation, restoring wetlands and linking streams would add up to 15 million daily gallons, bolster aquifer recharge and support communities. Adler stresses swift action within a three-to-five-year window and integrated incentives for landowners.
The Goal: Tourism That Regenerates Hawai‘i, Not Degrades It | 8-Sep-2023
Amid Hawai‘i’s shift from traditional tourism to a regenerative model that prioritizes cultural preservation, environmental stewardship, and community well-being, the article highlights initiatives like the visitor management system at Kaua‘i’s Hā‘ena State Park and the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s strategic focus on destination management and attracting high-spending, low-impact travelers, with Frank Haas, a Guild partner and former HTA executive, emphasizing the long-standing need for proactive visitor management and the growing urgency to implement sustainable practices that benefit both residents and the environment.
Tourism consultant floats idea for interagency destination management | 15-May-2023
Frank Haas, partner at Guild Consulting, advocated for a comprehensive, interagency approach to tourism management in Hawaiʻi. He emphasized that the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority (HTA), despite its efforts, lacks the authority and resources to effectively manage tourism on its own. Haas proposed a “whole of government” model, suggesting the creation of a position or agency with the authority to coordinate an interagency tourism plan. This approach aims to distribute the responsibility of managing tourism across various state, county, and other organizations, ensuring a more integrated and effective strategy.
Attracting Japanese Visitors to Hawaii Version 2.0 | 4-May-2023
Guild partner Ray Tsuchiyama examines the evolving dynamics of Hawaii’s tourism industry, emphasizing the need for innovative strategies to re-engage Japanese travelers post-pandemic by leveraging cultural connections, enhancing marketing efforts, and adapting to changing travel preferences, thereby highlighting the critical role of strategic planning and stakeholder collaboration in revitalizing Hawaii’s economy.
Dissolving the Hawaii Tourism Authority | 5-Apr-2023
Dissolving the Hawaii Tourism Authority gauges two 2023 bills that would replace HTA with new state entities, questioning whether simply swapping boards solves Hawaii’s tourism-management shortcomings. Co-author and Guild partner Frank Haas notes HTA’s chronic structural limits—insufficient authority, inconsistent funding and fragmented stakeholder coordination—which have fueled resident frustration. He and his colleagues urge lawmakers to study global best practices and craft a “super-HTA” or comparable governance model with clear authority, diverse expertise and stable funding before scrapping the agency, warning that repeal without reform risks repeating past failures.
How To Better Manage Hawaii’s Tourism Hotspots | 28-Feb-2023
Overtourism at Hawaii’s famed beaches, parks and valleys demands site-specific management, writes Guild partner Peter Adler. He critiques broad visitor-cap limits as ineffective and praises the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s county DMAPs and tech tools like Hanauma Bay, Haena Park and Kalalau trail reservations. Adler urges early, community-based negotiations before anger peaks, proposing a four-sector working group to craft shared principles, procedural templates, leader checklists and a pilot roadmap for hotspots. Strong local leadership, data-driven capacity targets and respect-based dialogue, he contends, can balance resident quality of life with economic vitality.
How to Elevate Customer Service with Japan’s Kikubari | 10-Feb-2023
Guild partner Ray Tsuchiyama introduces the Japanese service philosophy of “kikubari,” which emphasizes thoughtful anticipation of customer needs, and illustrates how adopting this mindset across Hawaii’s service industry—through small yet impactful gestures like offering water to overheated guests or collaboratively addressing issues across departments—can elevate the customer experience, foster a culture of empathy and responsiveness, and ultimately drive operational excellence and employee engagement, positioning “kikubari” as both a leadership mindset and an organizational strategy for enhancing service standards and client satisfaction.
How to Plan for Business Growth When the Future Is Uncertain | 17-Aug-2022
Ray Tsuchiyama, Partner at Guild Consulting, offers strategies for businesses in Hawaii to navigate uncertainty and drive sustainable growth. He emphasizes the importance of proactive planning and adapting strategies to changing circumstances. Tsuchiyama advises businesses to focus on enhancing customer experience, leveraging digital tools, and boosting employee productivity. He also stresses the value of cross-functional collaboration and hiring innovative individuals who bring fresh perspectives. His core message is to shift from reactive to proactive approaches, ensuring businesses are positioned for long-term success despite challenges.
How to Foster an Ownership Mindset Within Your Team | 18-May-2022
Addressing how to cultivate an ownership mindset within teams to boost engagement and long-term performance, the article outlines practical strategies such as empowering employees with decision-making authority, ensuring transparency around company financials, and sharing profits to align personal success with organizational goals, with Guild partner Iqbal Ashraf emphasizing that when employees think and act like owners, they become more accountable, customer-focused, and invested in solving problems proactively—especially when leadership models clarity, trust, and collaboration.
Hawaii Turns Over Tourism Marketing to Group Rooted in Local Culture | 11-Jul-2022
Hawaii is radically transforming its tourism model by shifting marketing oversight from the Hawaii Tourism Authority to the Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau, implementing a groundbreaking culturally-driven strategy that prioritizes sustainable practices, community benefits, and authentic Hawaiian values over traditional mass tourism, with Guild consulting partner Frank Haas—a former Hawai’i Tourism Authority executive and respected industry strategist—playing a pivotal role in advocating for this visitor industry overhaul that carefully balances economic revitalization with cultural preservation, demonstrating how destinations can implement innovative governance structures to foster responsible tourism development while addressing post-pandemic challenges through local empowerment and meaningful stakeholder engagement.
Personal Histories in Conflict Resolution | 9-Nov-2021
In a reflective interview, Dr. Peter Adler discusses his chapter “Wabi-sabi” from Evolution of a Field: Personal Histories in Conflict Resolution. Adler, a seasoned mediator specializing in multi-party negotiations, shares insights from his extensive work in environmental and public policy disputes, including water management and land use. His career spans roles such as president of the Keystone Center and positions within Hawai‘i’s justice system. Adler emphasizes the importance of embracing imperfection and transience in conflict resolution, drawing from his diverse experiences to highlight the nuanced art of mediation.
It’s Time For Hawaii To Get Serious About Managing Tourism | 18-Jun-2021
Frank Haas, Partner at Guild Consulting, stresses that Hawai‘i must fundamentally rethink how it manages tourism. He points out that the current system is outdated, fragmented, and lacks the authority needed to address modern challenges. Haas recommends forming a diverse task force—including government leaders, community voices, and industry experts—to design a new governance structure. He highlights global models where tourism management is tied directly to broader community and economic goals. The overall message is clear: without urgent reforms, Hawai‘i risks allowing tourism to damage both its environment and its cultural identity.
Lessons from M.I.T.: embedding biology for Hawaii’s future | 17-Jun-2021
Reflecting on Hawaii’s challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ray K. Tsuchiyama, a Guild Consulting partner, emphasizes the critical need for integrating biology into the state’s educational and professional frameworks by drawing lessons from MIT’s 1990s initiative led by Nobel laureate Dr. Phillip Sharp, who successfully embedded biology into the core curriculum to foster innovation and economic growth, suggesting that Hawaii should adopt a similar approach by making biology a foundational subject across all college majors to cultivate a workforce capable of driving advancements in healthcare, biotechnology, and sustainable development, thereby enhancing the state’s resilience and self-sufficiency in the face of future crises.
Youth power: Learn from Arkansas’ digital economy quest | 5-July-2020
Amid Hawaii’s economic challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic, Ray Tsuchiyama, a Guild partner, draws attention to Arkansas’ successful integration of computer science education into public schools—highlighting how, under Governor Asa Hutchinson’s leadership, the state implemented mandatory CS courses, established teacher certification pathways, and offered student incentives, leading to a 700% increase in high school CS enrollment and significant growth in female and minority participation, thereby transforming Arkansas into a burgeoning digital economy and suggesting a potential model for Hawaii’s own economic diversification efforts.
Hockey Stick Planning And North Stars | 12-May-2020
Guild partner Peter Adler calls on Hawaii’s public, private, and civic leaders to pair tough “hockey stick” crisis budgets with a unifying “North Star” metric that guides long-term recovery from COVID-19. Immediate steps involve trimming discretionary spending, protecting essential services, and building dashboards that monitor cash flow and social impacts. At the same time, organizations should define a single outcome, like Airbnb’s nights booked, to align both short- and long-range decisions. Adler says integrating austerity with aspirational goals will foster resilience, collaboration, and innovative growth across the islands.
How the Board of Directors Can Get a Company Through the COVID Crisis | 17-Apr-2020
Drawing on the pandemic’s unprecedented disruption to corporate governance, Guild partner Ray Tsuchiyama outlines twelve practical imperatives for boards—from modeling rigorous health-and-safety behavior, safeguarding independence and encouraging dissent, to filling digital-skills gaps, intervening operationally when divisions falter and seizing the chance to rethink long-term strategy, succession and crisis preparedness—arguing that experienced, diverse directors who cultivate mutual trust, coach rather than micromanage CEOs, and learn from past failures are essential to steering companies of every size through COVID-19’s volatility and building post-crisis resilience; his guidance highlights the need for chemistry, courage and strategic foresight at the board level.
CEOs and COVID-19: 10 Steps to Take Now | 24-Mar-2020
Amid the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and impending recession, Ray Tsuchiyama provides Hawai‘i CEOs with a comprehensive 10-step action plan emphasizing employee health and safety, formation of cross-functional COVID-19 response teams, leveraging board insights and external consultants for decision-making, enhancing cybersecurity for remote operations, and meticulous financial planning to ensure organizational resilience, thereby offering strategic consulting insights during a critical period.
Refocusing Resources At The Honolulu Ethics Commission | 10-Mar-2020
Guild partner Peter Adler, serving on the Honolulu Ethics Commission, explains that chronic understaffing and tight budgets compel commissioners to prioritize education, advice and investigations over continually uploading other agencies’ financial disclosure forms. Public filings are still available through the city clerk, who decides whether to post them online. Adler urges increased funding to update outdated ethics rules, strengthen public trust and keep the commission focused on its core charter mandates while inviting constructive community reforms.
Brainstorming Beyond The Mauna Kea Standoff | 23-Aug-2019
Guild partner Peter Adler convened a confidential 11-member hui of Native Hawaiian leaders, astronomers and officials to brainstorm paths beyond the Mauna Kea standoff. Their 35 suggestions include relocating or delaying the Thirty Meter Telescope, tying occupancy to faster removal of old observatories, expanding scholarships for Hawaiian scientists, hiring local management, moving control of the summit and visitor facilities to Native agencies, and launching a third-party “Vision Keepers” coalition to craft mutual-benefit packages. Adler argues Hawaii must pause hostilities, embrace inclusive leadership and design a coexistence scenario before the conflict tears the state apart.
The Value of Financial Audits for Fast-Growth Firms | 12-Aug-2019
Highlighting the strategic importance of financial audits for fast-growing firms, Ray Tsuchiyama emphasizes that such audits, comprising 20–25 questions completed by senior management across departments, reveal critical gaps in financial processes and controls, thereby enhancing decision-making, aligning management teams, and fostering a culture where managers collectively act on financial data to optimize business strategy execution—an approach that transitions organizations from being “Growth Inhibited” to “Growth Optimized” by ensuring managers understand the links between investments, costs, and service delivery, circulate relevant financial information, and routinely engage their teams on financial topics.
A ‘What If’ Scenario For Honolulu’s Rail Project | 17-July-2019
In the 1980s, a Japanese consortium comprising Marubeni Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries proposed to design, finance, build, and operate a 20-mile Honolulu rail line at no cost to taxpayers, envisioning a public-private partnership that would have initiated service along the city’s busiest corridor and integrated transit-oriented development, potentially transforming Honolulu’s urban landscape and transportation infrastructure.
Students Thrived At This Maui School In Territorial Hawaii | 13-June-2019
In the 1980s, a Japanese consortium including Marubeni Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries offered to design, finance, build, and operate a 20-mile Honolulu rail line at no cost to taxpayers, but Hawaii’s leadership declined the proposal, raising questions about how such a visionary public-private partnership might have transformed the city’s transit system, economic development, and urban landscape—especially compared to today’s troubled rail project, plagued by delays and cost overruns.
From Meiji To Reiwa: The ‘Modern’ King Kalakaua And Japan | 30-Apr-2019
In an exploration of King Kalākaua’s 1881 diplomatic visit to Japan, the article highlights his forward-thinking proposals to Emperor Meiji—ranging from an Asiatic federation and royal marriage alliance to transpacific technology exchanges and the Education of Hawaiian Youths Abroad program—all aimed at reinforcing Hawaii’s sovereignty and cultivating globally competent leadership, with these efforts later undermined by the 1887 Bayonet Constitution yet still representing a bold model of strategic statecraft, international partnership, and visionary governance; authored by Guild partner Ray Tsuchiyama.
Real Estate Firms in 2019 (Business in Hawaii) | 16-Apr-2019
Reflecting on Hawaii’s real estate market evolution, Ray Tsuchiyama, in a ThinkTech interview with Dailynn Yanagida, analyzes the transition from the 1980s’ stagflation and Japanese investment surge to the 2019 landscape marked by a 30% year-over-year drop in residential closings, increased inventory, longer sales cycles, and competitive pricing among Kakaako condos versus older properties in Waikiki and surrounding areas, while also examining macroeconomic factors like U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate hikes, currency fluctuations affecting Japanese yen and Chinese yuan, and the broader implications on Hawaii’s housing inventory crisis, permitting challenges, and demographic shifts influencing the viability of mass transit projects, thereby underscoring the interconnectedness of population trends, job markets, and real estate dynamics.
Hawaii faces a ‘tipping point’ in tourism, and Southwest Airlines could bring relief | 20-Mar-2019
As Southwest Airlines expands its service to Hawaii, the state confronts a critical juncture in managing tourism growth. Guild partner Frank Haas emphasizes the urgency of implementing effective visitor management programs to address the increasing influx of tourists. He notes that while the arrival of new carriers like Southwest offers economic opportunities, it also necessitates a reevaluation of how tourism is managed to ensure sustainability and community well-being. Haas advocates for strategic planning that balances economic benefits with the preservation of Hawaii’s natural and cultural resources.
Make Hawaii tourism No. 1 again | 21-Oct-2018
Advocating for Hawaii to reclaim its leadership in global tourism, Ray Tsuchiyama proposes the establishment of innovative “Teaching Hotels” that combine academic instruction, research, and operational hospitality experiences—drawing inspiration from successful models like Cornell’s Statler Hotel and Hong Kong’s Hotel ICON—to address the stagnation in Hawaii’s hospitality education and meet the projected demand for 80 million new hospitality jobs worldwide, thereby enhancing the state’s competitiveness and educational infrastructure through strategic partnerships with hotel operators and technology firms.
Political Volatility Could Affect Hawaii Constitutional Convention Question | 8-June-2018
Guild partner Peter Adler and Jenna Leigh Saito examine how Hawaii’s volatile political mood could sway voters on November’s question of convening a 2019 state constitutional convention. Drawing on insights from their 17-member “Con-Con Salon,” Adler cites deep frustrations with one-party dominance, bloated infrastructure costs and social divides alongside hopeful signs such as millennial activism and cultural resurgence. Participants outline potential rewards — streamlined governance, energized civic engagement, new leadership — but warn of dangers including special-interest capture and revived culture wars. They urge island residents to host civil, informed discussions before the ballot.
What A Constitutional Convention Might Cost Hawaii Taxpayers | 7-June-2018
Guild partner Peter Adler and Jenna Leigh Saito dissect the financial and procedural realities of convening a Hawaii state constitutional convention. They explain the two-step legal pathway voters must approve, then note that the 1978 convention’s $2.5 million appropriation — covering delegate salaries, travel, facilities and printing — would balloon today after inflation and wider public-engagement needs. Insights from Adler’s 17-member “Con-Con Salon” emphasize producing clear, transparent cost projections before the November ballot so taxpayers can weigh fiscal burdens against potential civic gains. Transparent budgeting, they argue, is essential for informed decision-making.
Before Deciding On A New Constitutional Convention, Consider Those Held Before | 6-June-2018
Guild partner Peter Adler and Jenna Leigh Saito revisit Hawaii’s three previous constitutional conventions (1950, 1968, 1978) as voters weigh holding another in 2018. They describe how 1950 framed statehood governance; 1968 introduced public-sector collective bargaining, an ethics code, and structural tweaks; and 1978’s citizen-driven conclave produced 116 amendments ranging from privacy rights and campaign-spending limits to Hawaiian language recognition, a Water Code, and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Veteran delegates tell Adler the 1978 convention launched new leadership and still shapes policy. He urges residents to ask candidates what issues they would advance in a new convention.
Should We Open The Door To Changing How State Government Runs? | 5-June-2018
Guild partner Peter Adler and co-author Jenna Leigh Saito urge Hawaii voters to weigh the costs and opportunities of a constitutional convention slated for the November 2018 ballot. They note the 40-year lull since the landmark 1978 ConCon and suggest exploring reforms such as term limits, initiative and referendum, stronger home-rule authority and tighter campaign-finance rules. Adler warns that special-interest capture is possible but preventable through transparent delegate elections, public financing and rigorous sunshine requirements. Ultimately, he asks citizens to decide if incremental change suffices or sweeping constitutional revision is worth the risk.
Tourism Industry Needs Better Planning, Not Budget Cuts | 18-Apr-2018
Guild partner Frank Haas argues that Hawaii should increase, not cut, the Hawaii Tourism Authority budget and adopt a comprehensive strategic plan to target high-spending visitor segments. He notes that since 2005 visitor arrivals rose 26% while inflation-adjusted spending stayed flat, so impacts have grown without proportional benefit. Haas urges investing in meetings, incentive, bridal, LGBTQ and golf markets; tightening management of vacation rentals, parks and traffic; and developing exportable tourism services. Strategic marketing and proactive planning, he believes, will maximize economic returns while easing social strains.
On the Scene with M. Jan Rumi | 4-Mar-2018
Through his role as Honorary Consul of Morocco in Hawaii, Guild partner Jan Rumi exemplifies strategic leadership and cross-cultural diplomacy by fostering deep relationships between Hawaii and Morocco, supporting global cultural exchange through consular duties and arts initiatives, organizing international events such as King Mohammed VI Week, and promoting philanthropy and community development, all of which underscore how public representation and global engagement can serve as a model for building international trust and influence.
Rethinking The Future Of Hawaii’s Fresh Water | 12-Jan-2018
Hawaii’s long-term water security hinges on smarter management of its 99%-groundwater supply, argues Guild partner Peter Adler. He warns that looming crises will be financial, not hydrological, as aging systems, wastewater upgrades and climate pressures demand major investment. Adler calls for a cross-sector working group to modernize sustainable-yield metrics, integrate surface and groundwater data, and analyze 25-year financing scenarios. He urges reviewing the Water Code, strengthening inter-agency coordination and expanding conservation, recycling and storm-capture initiatives to meet public-trust obligations while keeping costs equitable for residents.
Lessons for Hawaii, from Google | 25-Oct-2018
Drawing from his tenure at Google, Ray Tsuchiyama advocates for Hawaii to adopt a merit-based hiring system, cultivate a product-focused economy, and encourage cross-sector collaboration to enhance innovation and economic diversification, emphasizing that such organizational and leadership strategies—rooted in consulting principles—can drive Hawaii’s transformation into a more resilient and competitive economy.
Hurricane Harvey’s Reminder For Hawaii: FEMA Can’t Do It All | 1-Sep-2017
Using the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey as a cautionary example, Guild partner Ray Tsuchiyama underscores Hawaii’s urgent need to build self-reliant disaster response capabilities by not overly depending on FEMA, urging local leaders to prioritize proactive planning, multilingual communication strategies, community volunteer networks, and neighborhood-level logistics to protect vulnerable groups like the elderly, tourists, and non-English speakers in future emergencies, ultimately framing preparedness as a civic and strategic imperative for a geographically isolated state.
Book Review: Curse on This Country: The Rebellious Army of Imperial Japan| 22-Apr-2017
Exploring the historical roots of Japan’s militaristic expansion, the article reviews Danny Orbach’s book Curse on This Country: The Rebellious Army of Imperial Japan, which examines how a persistent culture of insubordination among Japanese military officers—from the 19th-century shishi to early 20th-century factions like the Cherry Blossom Society—fostered unauthorized actions such as the assassinations of Queen Min and Zhang Zuolin, ultimately steering Japan toward aggressive imperialism and the Pacific War, with Guild partner Ray Tsuchiyama providing insights into this analysis of leadership failures and organizational dynamics.
Hawaii And Japan: A 75-Year Post-Pearl Harbor Journey of Peace | 28-Dec-2016
Marking the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, Guild partner Ray Tsuchiyama reflects on the profound transformation of Hawaii-Japan relations—from wartime adversaries to close allies—highlighting the historic joint visit by President Obama and Prime Minister Abe to the USS Arizona Memorial as a symbol of reconciliation, and emphasizing Hawaii’s unique role in fostering enduring cultural, educational, and economic ties that exemplify the power of diplomacy and shared values.
Public-Private Partnerships And Their Potential For Rail | 5-Aug-2016
Guild partner Ray Tsuchiyama makes a compelling case for Honolulu to adopt a hybrid rail solution that blends elevated and street-level transit—citing earlier proposals from consultant Philip G. Craig and Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s Option 2a—as a cost-effective and community-friendly approach to urban mobility, arguing that transitioning to at-grade rail downtown can save taxpayer dollars, reduce project delays, better serve dense neighborhoods, and encourage walkable development while preserving flexibility for future expansions, thereby urging city leaders to align transportation infrastructure with long-term planning, fiscal responsibility, and resident needs.
A Rail System Option That Offers The Best Fit For Honolulu | 29-Jun-2016
Analyzing Honolulu’s rail project challenges, Guild partner Ray Tsuchiyama advocates for a hybrid transit solution combining elevated and at-grade systems to balance cost-efficiency and urban integration, referencing consultant Philip G. Craig’s 2009 proposal that mirrors HART’s Option 2a, which suggests transitioning from elevated tracks to street-level rail in downtown Honolulu to reduce construction expenses, enhance flexibility for future expansions, and better serve densely populated areas, thereby presenting a pragmatic approach to address budget constraints and community needs.
Elderly And Poor Residents’ Vulnerability In Hurricanes | 23-May-2016
Highlighting the urgent need for Hawaii to prioritize disaster preparedness for its most vulnerable populations, the article underscores how elderly and low-income residents face heightened risks during hurricanes due to factors like limited mobility, lack of transportation, and inadequate access to emergency resources, drawing parallels to the disproportionate fatalities among older adults during Hurricane Katrina, and emphasizes that proactive, community-based planning is essential to mitigate these risks and safeguard lives in future storms, as articulated by Guild partner Ray Tsuchiyama.
Sales Flat? Try The Hawaiian Approach | 1-Mar-2016
When Hawaiian event-management firm Gourmet Events Hawaii faced stagnant sales, founder Kathleen Lin-Hurtubise, acting on advice from Guild partner Iqbal Ashraf of Mentors Guild to enhance team engagement and responsibility for business results, successfully implemented open-book management by involving her team in scrutinizing financials, focusing on key metrics like monthly gross margin, forecasting sales, and linking bonuses to profit growth, which dramatically increased revenue by 51%, boosted profits and morale, and empowered employees to develop their own budgets for continued aggressive growth.
A Drone Strategy for Hawaii’s Future | 10-Sep-2015
Guild partner Ray Tsuchiyama outlines a comprehensive vision for Hawaii to capitalize on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology by proposing initiatives such as integrating drones into tourism with visitor-friendly guidelines, shifting K–12 STEM education focus from robotics to UAVs, embedding drone applications across University of Hawaii departments, establishing community college drone-building programs, leveraging UAVs for disaster response and environmental monitoring, and creating drone-centric economic opportunities, thereby positioning Hawaii as a global leader in drone innovation and avoiding a repeat of missed technological advancements like the underutilization of the Alohanet protocol.
Can Drones Play a Vital Role in Hawaii’s Future? | 9-Sep-2015
Drawing inspiration from Alaska’s comprehensive UAV strategy, Guild partner Ray Tsuchiyama examines how Hawaii can harness drone technology to diversify its economy, enhance STEM education, and improve disaster response, highlighting the potential for UAVs in sectors like real estate, conservation, and emergency management, while emphasizing the need for proactive policies and investment to position Hawaii as a leader in the burgeoning drone industry.
On the Scene | 9-Dec-2012
In celebration of His Majesty King Mohammed VI Week, Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie and First Lady Nancie Caraway hosted a Moroccan-themed dinner at Washington Place to honor Hawaii’s growing ties with Morocco through cultural exchange and diplomacy, with notable participation from Guild partner M. Jan Rumi, Hawaii’s honorary consul of Morocco, whose role exemplified leadership in international relations and soft power diplomacy as part of Hawaii’s broader engagement with the global community.
