In this episode,  we welcome guest and Oahu Economic Development Board member, Tyler Tokioka, who was a close business confidant to Pono Shim. The Tokioka family has been a steadfast presence in the business community for generations, beginning with Tylerʻs grandfather Masayuki Tokioka, who founded Island Insurance in 1940. Grounded in similar values instilled in them by their families, he and Pono found common ground and a safe space to have meaningful conversations about how to do business with aloha and integrity. We discuss his journey from Hawaii to New York, his return to serve in the family business, economic development hopes for Hawaii and more. Mahalo for listening!

Learn more about the ways that Island Insurance gives back to Hawaii: https://www.islandinsurance.com/community/supporting-our-local-communities/

Welcome to the Above the Sides podcast! Join us on our journey to uncover what it means to think, act, and live aloha. The inspiration for this podcast is the late Pono Shim, former President and CEO of the Oʻahu Economic Development Board. His stories capture the essence of what it means to live aloha. He made it known that aloha is a lifestyle. It is not a solution to problems, a marketing brand or to be used as an advantage over anyone else. Aloha is to be honored and practiced.

The name of this podcast is in reverence of Hawaiʻi's Queen Liliʻuokalani, who wrote: "To gain the kingdom of heaven is to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen, and to know the unknowable – that is Aloha. All things in this world are two; in heaven there is but One.” Through these episodes, we seek to find that singular perspective, the one that is "above the sides" as we strive for universal peace.

We welcome you to pause with us as we share the stories and voices of Hawai’i business leaders, educators and community members who have chosen to be lifelong students of aloha. Mahalo nui loa for listening.