Q. At the Kapolei chamber's kickoff, economist Leroy Laney said Kapolei will be a stabilizing factor in the state's economy. Do you agree with his assessment?

A. You're just driving down the street and you see all the construction cranes. These large corporations obviously didn't decide to open or develop in a particular area unless it was going to be worthwhile. There's definitely a momentum that's occurring in Kapolei, and so a lot of local people, mom-and-pop businesses and large corporations are seeing the opportunity that Kapolei is providing, and where you want to get in on that is on the ground floor and be a part of that growth. So as far as the stabilizing factor, you take a look at all the statistics — jobs, business development, infrastructure — they're all trending in an upward direction. I definitely agree with Dr. Laney that we are providing a stabilizing factor for the surrounding economies and communities.

Q. Is there such a thing as too much growth too fast?

A. There is such a thing as too much growth. Obviously, any kind of resources that are available in no matter what you're doing are going to be fixed, and so you have to have balance. That would be another situation or issue for the chamber to pursue, which is to make sure that we do have a lot of development going on, but is it sustainable development. Yes, I'm a Realtor, but I'm going to be living in the community and I'm just like every other homeowner or resident. I am concerned about the amount of traffic, the high levels of enrollment in our schools, are our kids being provided an adequate educational environment or are these teachers being overworked?

Q. When did the idea of forming a new chamber come up?

A. The idea has always been around, but it was never acted upon. But as more and more of the retail centers and more and more development occurred, we started discussing it in earnest the first quarter of last year. The impetus behind this whole idea was coming from Dave Ray over at James Campbell Co. They were always looking for ways to improve Kapolei and they said let's see if we can get a jump-start on a chamber.

Q. What are the advantages of having your own chamber?

A. The main purpose of any organization is to provide a voice that represents the particular interests of that organization. There are other organizations already in place. You have the Kapolei Rotary, which is really great for what they do, but nothing out there truly representing businesses that have a specific interest in Kapolei.

Q. How many members do you have?

A. Our kickoff was (April 7) so we pretty much have our board members at this time. We're getting a lot of inquiries. The week before we got members of the board to step up to be part of a committee for membership, so everything is still jelling at this time. We've got 800 businesses, so it would be nice to have representation from every business in the community.

Q. How did you become the chamber's first president?

A. I was approached by James Campbell Co., and they've been talking to different people in the community. They really wanted somebody who lives and works in the community and that's basically what I do. I live on Hawaiian Homestead in the Villages of Kapolei, so I have a vested interest in what's going on with Hawaiian Homes. I participate in a lot of the youth organizations — Scouts, soccer — with my kids right in the neighborhood. After businesses shut down at normal business hours we're still in the community. We live, work and shop in the community, and I guess that was what they were looking for.

Q. As a new chapter, what are some of your challenges?

A. No. 1 is going to be membership. If we go out there and advocate specific topics that are related to Kapolei with the Legislature, what we bring to the table as far as representation is membership and membership translates into constituents. You do have your neighborhood board, but its footprint is very large and everyone is going to bring their own specific desires for their own community to the table, whereas at the Kapolei Chamber we're specifically focused on things relevant to Kapolei.

Q. Are you associated with the Chamber of Commerce of Hawai'i?

A. I had a chance to meet Jim Tollefson for the first time at the kickoff on (April 7) and picked his brain. He's been the president for over seven years. We haven't signed up yet, but I am in the process of becoming part of their affiliate program.

Q. Your name is familiar to many people because you're the son of the former fire chief. How has he influenced you?

A. When Theresia McMurdo from James Campbell Co. called me and mentioned that they were thinking about starting a chamber of commerce and would I be interested in ... helping us with this, I said, "Let me think about it." It's a pretty big step. These are volunteer positions that take a lot of your time. The first person I called was my dad. He's always worked in the public venue and did a real good job. Everybody appreciated what he did. You mentioned the unusual name and that's one of the things that I'm very careful of because people will always relate me back with my dad and I try and preserve his reputation. He did a really good job and I tell people because of that I always try not to be affiliated with things that even create the appearance of indiscretion. I'm always looking to be moving forward, being positive and contributing in whatever I'm involved with.

Q. What was his advice?

A. The first thing he said was you have a pretty full plate, and my dad's always taught me that if you're going to do something that you do it 100 percent. You don't make a commitment to something and not follow through. If you want to get something done you find the busiest person and they'll get it done. You find somebody that's got a lot of time, and they'll come up with a whole bunch of excuses on why they can't get it done. So we talked about a time commitment to that. He said it would be a great opportunity and if you think you have the time then you should go for it.

Q. How can people join the chamber?

A. If people are interested in becoming a member they can send an email to kapoleichamber@gmail.com.