NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION
HONOLULU CHAPTER NO. 114
January - May, 2015
Issue: III
President’s Message
June Keaton
H
ere we are already in
the month of May. I
Have a
hope all our Mom’s had a great
great summer!
Mother’s day. For me, all I
wanted to do was take a day to
do absolutely nothing, and
that’s what I did. Sat in bed,
husband made me breakfast,
then daughter and grandkids
made me lunch, with the day
Plan to celebrate our topped off with a delicious
60th year at this
homemade dessert. Wish
year’s AMEC in
everyday was like that.
Nashville, TN,
Sept. 2-5, 2015
Maegan, Evelyn, Elaine and I
attended Forum in San Diego
– you’ll find more information in
our reports included in this
newsletter. Plans are now
being made to attend Convention in Nashville in September.
This year’s golf
Tournament is July All members should have
24th. Make sure all received the convention flyer
your golfer friends
by now and if still interested in
know about it!
attending, please get your
registration in to Jessica for
payment as soon as possible,
as we are already past the
Next B.O.D.
early registration fee date. As
Meeting: June 4th,
of this writing Maegan Best
HAPI office, Kalani and I will be attending and
St., Honolulu would love to have more of you
going with us. If you can’t
make Convention, think about
attending the Annual Planning
Conference on October 16th17th at Zermatt Resort in
Midway Utah.
It’s time to begin thinking about
taking on a leadership role in
the chapter for year 20152016. Our Nominating Committee (Patty, Fale and Evelyn)
have been busy getting the
slate ready for voting on our
new Board in June. The slate
will be forwarded to all members for review. Remember,
you can still volunteer and/or
nominate a member or
members from the floor.
We participated in the Hawaii
Food Bank drive on Saturday,
April 18th. Thank you to
Shannon for organizing this
event again this year and to
Kehau, Evelyn, Gail and Lili,
who worked at an intersection
in Mililani for 4 hours in the hot
sun. I, on the other hand, took
a spot in another area in the
shade. (Benefits of being the
old one…) I believe when we
left we raised over 130
pounds, but that amount may
have changed at final count.
We also participated in the
annual Hawaii Construction
Career Day event held in Maui
this year. Due to work conflicts
I, for the first time, could not
participate in the event, but
Shannon Gascon held court for
us.
Our Membership night last
month was fun and informative. A casual evening where
we had more time to just talk
about us and what NAWIC has
to offer. Good job Maegan. June
President’s Report / Announcements
Page 1
Board of Directors & Committee Listing / Member Anniversaries / June Meeting Advisory
Page 2
Membership Photos
Page 3
Nashville AMED Information
Page 4
Block Kids Photos & Letter
Pages 5 & 6
WIC Week Photo—Aloha Tower Tour / Hawaii Food Bank Drive at Mililani Town Center Photos
Page 7
Hawaii Construction Career Day—Maui Photos
Page 8
Pacific Southwest Region Forum Reports & Photos
Pages 9 -14
Calendar of Events ./ Birthdays
Page 15
1 Anniversaries
OFFICERS/DIRECTORS/COMMITTEES
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President:
June Keaton
Phone: 792-5766 Cell: 342-1627
President-Elect:
Maegan Best
Phone: 536-8725 Cell: 478-7374
Vice President:
Evelyn Toyama
Phone: 596-9883 Cell: 469-7492
Recording Secretary:
Amy Mijo
Phone:
Cell:
Corresponding Secretary:
Phone:
Cell:
Treasurer:
Jessica Crimmins
Phone:
Cell:
Immediate Past President:
Patty Suniga
Phone: 836-1936 Cell: 282-2407
Directors: Ashlyn Asato, Shannon Burke, Jennifer Creedon
and Michelle Sakamoto
Parliamentarian:
Elaine Swisher
COMMITTEE CHAIRS/CO-CHAIRS
Construction Industry:
Community Benefit
Shannon Burke
Elaine Swisher
June Keaton
Hawaii Const. Career Day
W.I.C. Week
Legislative & Occ. Research Lili Shintani
Health & Safety
Finance Coordinator:
Jessica Crimmins
Ways & Means:
Chinese Auction
Jennifer Creedon
Golf Tournament
Jennifer Creedon
Scavenger Hunt
Shannon Burke
Marketing & Public Relations
Michelle Taketa
Membership:
Maegan Best
Attendance & Telephone
Lili Shintani
NAWIC of the Year
Evelyn Toyama
NAWIC Education:
Block Kids
Michelle Sakamoto
Darlean Kiyokane
NEF Classes
June Keaton
Professional Education:
Fale Esekia
Darlean Kiyokane
Special Committees:
By-Laws
Darlean Kiyokane
June Keaton
Construction Dictionary
Fale Esekia
Ka Leo
Elaine Swisher
Scholarship
Shannon Gascon
recognizing eight of our chapter
W e’re
member anniversaries for the months of
January through May, 2015.
:
Amy Mijo joined NAWIC in February of 1981
(34 years!); Fale Esekia joined in May of 1990
(25 years); Elaine Swisher joined in January of
1994 (21 years); Edean Kitamura joined in April of
1998 (17 years); Danyelle Kahanaoi joined in April
of 2003 (12 years); Leslie Miasnik joined in
January of 2006 (9 years); Lenny Malapit joined
in February of 2009 and Shannon Gascon joined
in March or 2009 (6 years); Maegan Best joined
in January of 2010 and Cheryl Shimizu joined in
March of 2010 (5 years); Donna Dennis and
Michelle Taketa joined in February of 2012
(3 years); Ashlyn Asato and Jocelyn Des Laurier
joined in January of 2013 (2 years); and, Cheryl
Benn joined in January of 2014, Jennifer Creedon
and Cindy Jensen joined in March of 2014, Leisha
Aalona, Ruth Alcotas, Kasey Barcelona, Alyssa
Kong and Gail Macareg joined in April of 2014, and
Roberta Griffifths joined in May of 2014
(all 1 year)!
Congratulations!
NAWIC Core Purpose
To enhance the success of women
In the construction industry
NAWIC Core Values
Believe ~ Persevere ~ Dare
We’ll be voting at our June meeting for our
chapter’s new Officers and Directors. Please
make every effort to attend. We must have a
quorum in order to hold the election and you
should all have a say with your vote on who
will represent you for the 2015-2016 fiscal year.
The meeting flyer will be out shortly. Look for
it in your email.
501c3: Amy Mijo, Darlean Kioykane, Elaine Swisher,
Fale Esekia, June Keaton, and Patty Suniga
2 Membership
Aloha!
New members initiated at our May 19th meeting: From left is Jessica Owen from Johnson Controls,
Joyce Gooman from Lamination House, Joy Kimura from Hawaii LECET, Mayumi Dao from John Hara
& Associates, Charlyn Kawachi from Swinerton Builders, Melanie Romain from Elite Railings &
Windows, Kehau Amorin from Hardware Hawaii, and Membership Chair Maegan Best
Note: Dianne Guieb from Road Safety Services & Design and Sarah Meyers from Swinerton Builders
were initiated at our April meeting. (Photo Unavailable)
3 Fale Esekia, from CC Engineering,
joined our chapter in May of 1990.
At this year’s regional Forum she
was presented with her 25 year pin,
which we were happy to accept on
her behalf. Congratulations, Fale!
Maegan proudly accepted the award for
most new members at Forum 2015.
www.nawicconven on.org Start planning to a end the 2015 NAWIC Annual Mee ng & Educa on Conference in Nashville, Tenn. Once again, those who plan ahead and register early can take advantage of special “Early bird” registra on rates. Registra on Rates: Early Bird: March 2‐April 30, 2015 Regular: May 1‐June 30, 2015 Late: A er June 30, 2015 Members: $595 Members: $645 Members: $745 Nonmembers: $695 Nonmembers: $745 Nonmembers: $845 Anita Renfroe will deliver the keynote address during NAWIC’s Annual Mee ng. Renfroe is an Internet sensa on and will be very enlightening and entertaining. Comedian and author Anita Renfroe became an overnight Internet sensa on when a YouTube video of her singing everything a mother says to her children in a single day to the tune of “The William Tell Overture” in just two minutes and fi y‐five seconds was viewed by millions. Renfroe was featured on numerous morning and late night entertain‐
ment and news programs. This resulted in her becoming a comedy contributor forGood Morning America. With her unique brand of estrogen‐flavored musical comedy and her blend of sass, edge and slightly o eat takes on “All Things Female,” audiences are enthralled. Those who’ve seen her comedy concert tours, viewed her TV appearances or watched her on YouTube would say she just says what everyone is thinking, but won't say out loud. Renfroe is also the author of Hyperion release “Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You:Kids, Carbs, and the Coming Hormonal Apocalypse.” In addi on, Renfroe has been featured in The New York Times, Readers Digest, Women’s Day and The Washington Post. The conference will be held at the Omni Nashville Hotel, located on Fi h Avenue in the midst of downtown. This downtown Nashville Hotel is a one‐of‐a‐kind experience, fully integrated with an expansion of the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum on three levels. Onsite features include the Mokara Spa, a state‐of‐the‐art fitness center, a roo op urban pool deck, Southern restaurant Kitchen Notes, Bob’s Steak and Chop House, Bongo Java Coffee Shop, and the entertainment venue Barlines. NAWIC has secured a conference rate of $149* for single and double rooms and $159 for triple or quad rooms. You can start booking rooms today! Be sure to book your room online at the website listed below or by calling. h p://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/nashville/mee ngs/na onal‐associa on‐of‐women‐in‐construc on‐2015‐annual‐
conven on‐9 Phone: 888‐444‐6664 or 615‐782‐5300 *Room rates are guaranteed if booked by Aug. 17 2015. 4 BLOCK KIDS
5 1st, 2nd & 3rd Place Winners
1st Place: Carmina Chang’s Rooftop Garden
Judging—the hard part
The twins always have a good time
Carmina, our first place winner, wrote this great letter and we want to share it with all of you.
Save for Carmina’s le er 6 One of our WIC Week events was a tour of Swinerton Builder’s Aloha Tower project
Hawaii Food Bank Drive at Town Center of Mililani
7 Hawaii Construction Career Day—Maui
Hawaiian Dredging’s display
That’s Hamona making a point—Operating Engineers
NAWIC’s display. Shannon took all the pictures and
manned our display area all by herself. Thanks, Shannon!
Swinerton Builder’s display
8 FORUM 2015 San Diego – April 10/11/2015 Maegan, Evelyn and I started our Forum journey with a 12 hour delay at the airport due to mechanical problems with our Hawaiian Airlines flight. It was quite an adventure, and although exhausted by the me we got to our hotel, it didn’t stop us from hi ng the street to find food! Fortunately, the hotel was situated in Li le Italy where there were many good restaurants in walking distance. Forum was once again a me of learning, ge ng together with old friends and making new ones. This year’s theme was “Community Builds.” I a ended the Self Defense workshop on Friday, and got some really great informa on and some hands on ways to protect myself. Next, was the President’s mee ng, and the sharing of na onal and chapter informa on and sharing of informa on by the Chapter Presidents on what their chapters do. It was at this mee ng that our Director discussed the “Time Capsule.” NAWIC is celebra ng 60 years this year at Conven on. As part of the celebra on we are being asked to put something together from each chapter to place in this capsule, which will be opened at the 75th Conven‐
on. More info will be sent out in May. Saturday brought the formal opening of Forum with reports and speakers. The presenta on by Yasmine Branden, “There is A Place for Every Woman In Our Industry”, was excellent. I’ve asked for the presenta‐
on and will hopefully get that soon. It was a presenta on on how the different age groups think, the different values, and work ethics they each have. I would love to share it with all of you. The Saturday night banquet brought good food, good company, speeches and awards. Summary: Total a endance: 89 Total vo ng strength: 73 Block Kids Awards: 1st Place – Salt Lake City 2nd Place – Orange County 3rd Place – Las Vegas Membership: Mee ng 85% Reten on Goal – Salt Lake City, Orange County, Tucson, Ventura/Oxnard, and Colorado Springs Having the most new members – Honolulu Longevity Awards: Robin Roberts of Tucson and Lee Morgan of Phoenix Twenty Five Year Pin: Fale Esekia of Honolulu Safety Awards – Colorado and Tucson As always, thank you for the opportunity to represent our Chapter and it is my hope that more members will be able to experience either our regional Forum or Na onal Conven on – or both. It is always a learning and fun experience. June Keaton 9 10 11 Pacific Southwest Region Forum 2015
San Diego, CA
By Elaine Swisher
With the exception of last year’s Forum in Honolulu, it has been many years since I’ve been able to attend
our regional Forum and I enjoyed it immensely. It being in San Diego was just a bonus for me since I could add
in a family visit as well. I didn’t come over with the other three and from what was described I’m sure glad. I
don’t think I could take 12 hours in an airport waiting to get on a 5 hour flight. I flew down from Northern California , driving to Sacramento, flying to Los Angeles and transferring to another flight to San Diego. I started off
with a horrendous accident that even blocked getting on the freeway for several miles and then caused bumper
to bumper traffic and made me late for my flight. The flight was late, but I didn’t know that while I was walking
faster than I even knew I could while pulling along way too heavy luggage. I was 15 minutes late, but the flight
was 20 minutes late. The same thing happened in Los Angeles. I heard my name on the loudspeaker the minute I emerged from the tunnel. I ended up the last to board. Somewhere along the line I hurt my right leg and
it throbbed with pain all night. So, I made the decision to skip the first day of classes so I’d be up for the next
day, which was way more important. I rested the leg all day and it worked. I was able to go down for the welcome party and I’m so glad I could. The costumes were so much fun, the food was good and I got to talk to so
many old friends. For me the most enjoyable thing about going to conferences on the mainland is visiting with
friends made over years of attending them, but there’s never enough time to see and talk to everyone you want.
However, the welcome party offers the most free time.
I reported a leaky faucet in my hotel room and as a way of thanking me I got a free breakfast card—so Saturday morning started off well. I’m not a fan of holding our Forum meeting all on one day, but it must have
been the speakers and/or presentations that made this one seem to go by much quicker than usual. The speakers were all good, but I have to say that I enjoyed Yasmine Branden’s the most. We had already discussed
some of the same thing the evening before at the welcome party and it’s a subject I’m particularly interested in.
She talked about the differences in the way that different generations think and what they value and how what
they think affects their work and relationships. With my age I’ve been able to witness these things first hand and
it fascinates me. And, with all of the younger women currently in our chapter, it’s something we should all be
aware of to get the most out of our relationships. Another real highlight for me was seeing all of the first timers in
attendance, a total of 20. I think it was a higher ratio than any other Forum I’ve attended. Lunch was also an
NEF fundraiser and I think they netted a tidy sum. I sat with some women from other parts of our region and
that was enjoyable.
The banquet featured delicious food and great music. We also got to watch Maegan give out the Regional
Block Kids awards. I’m very proud that she stepped up to that regional chair position when she’s pretty busy as
our chapter Membership chair. Then she got to step forward to accept our chapter’s award for the most new
members. With the longevity awards, Fale Esekia was awarded her 25 year pin. I only wish she could have
been there to accept it herself. When the chapter presidents were introduced it was noticeable that several of
them were missing. Fortunately ours was there to make us proud. With four members attending, we had a
good showing. All of us seemed to have a really good time. I know I did. Another day would have been nice,
but I got to spend Sunday with two of my brothers before flying home Monday morning.
I was proud to represent our chapter and appreciate the opportunity to attend this year’s Forum. Next year
is in Santa Maria, CA—lots of time to plan for it—maybe a lot more of us can attend.
12 Pacific Southwest Forum 2015 - San Diego, CA
13 14 C A L E N D A R O F E V E N T S June 4th -
Board of Directors Meeting, 5:00 pm
HAPI Office, Kalani St., Honolulu
Aug. 6th -
Joint Board of Directors Meeting, 5:00 pm
Location to be announced
June. 18th - General Membership Meeting, 5:30 PM
Honolulu Country Club
Aug. 20th -
General Membership Meeting, 5:30 PM
Honolulu Country Club
July 2nd -
Board of Directors Meeting, 5:00 pm
HAPI Office, Kalani St., Honolulu
Sept. 2-5 -
60th Annual Meeting & Education
Conference, Nashville, TN
July 16th -
General Membership Meeting, 5:30 PM
Honolulu Country Club
Sept. 26th - Annual Installation Banquet
Location to be announced
July 24th -
21st Annual NAWIC Golf Tournament
Pearl Country Club
Oct. 16-17 - Pacific Southwest Region APC,
Zermatt Resort, Midway, UT
Happy Belated Birthday to
the following!
Ashlyn Asato - January 2nd
Shannon Gascon Burke - January 7th
Patty Suniga - January 11th
Cindy Jensen - February 3rd
Dorothy Cooper - February 12th
Donna Dennis - February 16th
Joan Nacino - February 18th
Cathy Kaaina - March 1st
Amy Mijo - March 12th
Elaine Swisher - March 21st
Lili Shintani - March 28th
Michelle Taketa - April 4th
Jocelyn Des Laurier - April 25th
Audrey Hidano - May 7th
Danyelle Kahanaoi - May 18th
Evelyn Toyama - May 18th
Cheryl Shimizu - May 29th
Junie Exzabe - May 29th
Happy Birthday to
the following born in June!
Kerry Lum - June 2nd
June Keaton - June 16th
Leslie Miasnik - June 23rd
Here’s hoping this will be your best year yet! 15 Due to the lateness of this issue we have a whole lot of
belated birthday wishes, but even worse is that I don’t know
the birthdays of about half of our membership—so you
didn’t even get a belated wish. A birthday probably isn’t all
that important to most of you younger members, but when
you get to be my age, each year is a bigger celebration
because we’ve been able to hang around a little longer.
So, let me wish you a happy one, too. If you’re a newer
member or one that never divulged the date, please email
me at [email protected]. If you make “birthday” the
subject, all you have to put in your message is the date.
Thanks,
Elaine