Greater Good Radio - Leaders Inspiring Leaders

John DeFries - CEO of Hokuli'a, President and CEO of Native Sun Business Group

John DeFries has dedicated most of his professional years to promoting the islands of Hawaii. For the past 28 years, he has been directly involved with the State’s visitor industry. Today, John sits as president and CEO of Hokuli’a Development, a 1550-acre master plan community on the Big Island.

John owes his career inclination to the exposure that he has had with various cultures, which has also made him realize the value of his own customs and traditions.

“Engaging with people who come from different places in the world is probably an education that I value greatly even to this day,” he said.

John’s mother, who took care of him and his siblings as they grew up, continues to be his inspiration. But what made a profound impact in his outlook is the passing of his father when he was 28 years old.

“I realized that there needed to be seriousness about my future,” John said. “It’s very easy for me to maintain a carefree attitude because I don’t have roots to speak of even within my own hometown.”

“But the loss of my father had a profound impact to the responsibility I had,” he added. Along with the help he has received from mentors, John struggled though the rough path to success with determination.

“Along the way, several mentors, typically higher executives in the company took the time, took the patience, saw some potential and invested their time, energy and expertise in grooming me,” John said. “I am extremely grateful for that. I find myself reaching out in the same way to others that I meet.”

John is well known for his work in bringing cultures, communities and business together. He is member of the board of a number of community organizations including The Five Mountain Medical Community, Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association, and Native Hawaiian Culture and Arts Program - Bishop Museum.

Listen to this interview and find out more about John’s rise to personal and professional success—all these and more only here on Greater Good Radio.

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Henry Montgomery - Chairman, CEO and Co-founder of Montgomery Professional Services Corp., Member of UH Manoa’s Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship and E-Business Advisory Board

More than two years ago, Henry Montgomery saw a need to provide small companies in Hawaii professional accounting and financial services to help them stay afloat. This mission—to provide smaller enterprises the same cost-effective accounting and financial management capabilities as the bigger organizations—became Montgomery Professional Services Corp. or MontPac’s primary driving force.

Indeed, not long before its establishment, MontPac has made significant impact on their clients, relying on the advantages of outsourcing and globalization.

“By leveraging outsourcing, small businesses can now obtain the type of “big company” accounting and financial management services at a fraction of the cost they would pay a U.S.-based accounting firm,” writes Henry in Outsourcing to Philippines (April 2008).

Beyond cost arbitration, Henry also trusts that his company helps in the professional and economic upliftment of their employees offshore.

MontPac serves as a textbook model of an organization leveraging outsourced talents to provide quality service and create much needed career opportunities otherwise not afforded in developing countries.

Henry has held esteemed tenures in a wide array of organizations including Memorex, Fairchild Camera and Instrument, McKinsey & Company and Arthur Andersen & Company. He co-authored “Enron Provides Lessons on Audits for Accountants and Public Companies” for the Washington Legal Foundation, and “Directors Need to Set the Tone” for the Silicon Valley Biz Ink.

His vast corporate and professional experience aside, Henry is actively engaged in the non-profit arena. Today he sits as treasurer to the Honolulu Symphony, a task perfectly aligned with his skills.

In this interview, Henry narrates his extensive professional background and his eventual foray in to entrepreneurship. He shares with us the value of leveraging one’s skills and talents to create an impact to the wider community.

Listen to this interview and find out why Henry chose to take on the entrepreneurial path after decades in the corporate setting. Find out more about Henry Montgomery, chairman, chief executive officer and co-founder of MontPac, only here on Greater Good Radio.

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Clint Churchill - Trustee of the Estate of James Campbell, Former Commander of the Hawaii Air National Guard

Clinton Churchill’s personal and professional experience spans industries and geographies, and he uses this eclectic background as a tool to reach out to the community.

A former commander of the Hawaii Air National Guard, Clint-who moved to the Islands with his wife 39 years ago-sits as trustee to The Estate of James Campbell, an organization administering the assets held in trust under the will of James Campbell. He is also a Board member for the Bank of Hawaii and Hawaii Pacific Health, and an Executive Board Member and Past President of the Boy Scouts of America - Aloha Council

After retirement from the Air National Guard 12 years ago, Clint set up Acroflight Inc., an extreme air-tour company.

Clint’s formula of work-life balance blends well for the 65-year old. Despite the demands of his career, he is still able to a lot time for himself, and more importantly, spend time with his family.

“Life is about priorities,” he said. “You have to figure out what you want to do and where your opportunities are-how to balance the different demands on your time.”

“Family comes first,” Clint added. “With family is really yourself.”

In the middle of it is a health-centered lifestyle which has helped him cope with the rigorous requirements of being a fighter pilot.

“Exercise has always been important,” he claimed. “Having an active life means being healthy.”

“I found out that if I don’t get to exercise as much I have less energy.”

An ethic of community service, the opportunity to serve, allowed Clint to move from organization to organization and experience different aspects of life. Clint became involved early on in the Special Olympics and in healthcare through the Kapi’olani Medical Center, amongst countless others.

“Be engaged. Be passionate about what you’re doing. Be committed.” Clint advised. “If you’re called on to do something, carry it through.”

In this interview, Clint shares his experiences as fighter pilot and subsequent commander of 154th Wing of the United States Air National Guard. He also talks about the values he has acquired as a military personnel which he uses to this day as a social entrepreneur.

Listen to this two-on-one conversation and find out about Clint’s career beginnings and what brought him to Hawaii and eventually become guardian of the skies as an Air Force pilot-all these and more only here on Greater Good Radio.

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Carol Ai May - Vice President of City Mill Co. Ltd

“I love being in charge of my own destiny,” says Carol Ai May, vice president and marketing manager of City Mill.

Carol was born to a business-minded family, and tried to cultivate her entrepreneurial spirit while building a career in advertising after leaving college. She struggled while trying to climb the ranks but learned how to survive in the modern world. She carved a successful career for herself in the advertising industry, but soon enough was asked to consider using her talents in marketing and advertising in the family business, City Mill.

Continuing to build the family business, Carol eventually followed her passion to apply in new businesses and founded Red Box Jewelry, and co-founded Simply Organized.

Carol claims, “I love the entrepreneurial spirit,” and even goes as far as encouraging her own children, who are high-achievers in school, to venture into business rather than take on corporate roles.

Carol sits on the Board of a diverse set of community and social organizations including Child & Family Service, Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, UH Foundation, Parent Council, and University of Hawaii Arts & Science Council.

Exemplifying Carol’s entrepreneurial savvy and community dedication are the number of distinctions bestowed upon her through the years. This includes 2007 Girl Scouts Women of Distinction Honoree, 2005 YWCA Leader Lunch Honoree, and a 2000 Small Business Hawaii Success Story awardee to name a few.

In this interview, Carol shares with us how she manages to juggle her time as mother and breadwinner.

Evan and Kari bring to the Greater Good fold Carol Ai May and her thoughts on female corporate and familial leadership. Listen now and find out how Carol breaks through the glass ceiling, as a woman and child born to a traditional Chinese family-these and more only on Greater Good Radio.

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James Kapae‘alii Scott - President of Punahou School, Hawaii

Dr. Jim Scott, president of Punahou School, may be described as a devout academe. After graduating from Stanford University in 1975, Jim joined the faculty of the Robert Louis Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California, and rose through the school’s professional faculty ranks to become Academic Dean.

During his tenure at Stevenson, he earned an M.A. Degree in Private School Leadership at the University of San Francisco. After eight years at the Stevenson School, he entered Harvard University to work on his doctorate degree in Administration, Planning and Social Policy and earned his Master’s Degree in that field in 1985, and his doctorate in 1991. Jim was Headmaster of Catlin Gabel School in Portland, Oregon, prior to coming to Punahou where he has been tenured since 1993.

But getting in to the education sector was the farthest from Jim’s mind as a kid growing up in Hawaii.

“I thought I was going to law school after college,” he said. “As a kid, politics was my primary goal.”

This line of thought was born from more than a decade of involvement with the Punahou School.

“I think from the very beginning, this notion of public service was ingrained in me during my 13 years at Punahou,” Jim said. “It might have been the school programs, or my teachers and coaches—all of them seem to have lived fulfilled lives.”

Everything else seems to have just fallen onto their rightful place. It may be serendipitous that Jim landed the presidency of one of Hawaii’s premier primary and secondary education institutions. He is only the third president of Punahou School since World War II.

“It’s not a job you can plan for,” Jim remarked. “The position at Punahou opens every generation—there’s a lot of continuity, tradition, history, and longevity. “

In this foremost Greater Good Radio interview for 2009, Jim talks about the advantage of Hawaiians in the global setting. He said that there is something different and special about growing up in Hawaii and being exposed to a multicultural setting—a plus factor for president-elect Barrack Obama who once sat in class and mingled with classmates at Punahou School.

All these and more only here on Greater Good Radio.

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