Ha'aheo 675

23 Years with Heide & Cook, 33 Years as a Union Member

What is your Hometown? Wahiawa

What high school did you go? Leilehua High School, Class of '90

What are some current projects you are working on? On Maui we have 3 Hotels we are currently working on. We also have numerous Hawaiian Tel projects here on Oahu, as well as on Maui, Kona, and Lanai. We have a Community Center coming up on Lanai as well. We just changed out a chiller at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, and we currently have 60 plus jobs in the books.

What advice would you give to a new apprentice? I always tell the new guys that I hire, to come in open-minded and with a good attitude. I'm not expecting them to know everything, but as long as they're willing to learn and have a good attitude, they'll make it.

11 Years with Heidi & Cook, 33 Years as a Union Member

What is your Hometown? Pearl City

What high school did you go? Pearl City High School, Class of '86

Was there any projects that stood out currently or that you worked on in the past? We did a big renovation work for Odom Corporation (The old Anheiser-Busch got bought out by Odom), changing out equipment. This was one of the bigger projects. We did a lot of store renovations for Times Super Market, Don Quijote etc., 7-11, Tokyo Central in Kailua.

Why did you pick Refrigeration? When we were going school they told us to go into HVAC instead. Refrigeration is a different mindset. Even going through it as an apprentice I questioned if I should be doing this etc. After a while I grew into it. It takes a certain type of person to do refrigeration. Once the job gets done the challenge and the customer satisfaction is important.

12 Years with Heide & Cook, 18 Years as a Union Member

What is your Hometown? Waipahu

What high school did you go? Moanalua High School, Class of '94

What are some of your Responsibilities/Duties? My primary responsibilities include estimating, managing department finances, and overseeing all costs, budgets, and proposals. I did not have previous experience in the role, so it was a steep learning curve. I enjoy the people here at Heidi, the people who I'm loyal to, as well as working with the fellow pipefitters.

What does it mean to you to be a Union member? It's a brotherhood; you make lifetime friends. And the Union provides. I remember when I first came in, I was a little older, and you would hear a lot about the Benefits. The medical that the Union has is important. The benefits provide comfortable living in Hawaii. As far as what the Union is to me, it's opportunity, education, friendship, and security to provide a comfortable living.

18 Years with Heidi & Cook, 16 Years as a Union Member

What is your Hometown? Wahiawa

What high school did you go? Leilahua High School, Class of '06

How did you get into the Union and the Trade? I actually went to school for Aeronautics. Right when I graduated and got all my certificates, Aloha Airlines crashed, and all the mechanics dispersed. So, I came to Heidi as a truck driver delivering materials. I didn't really have any trade interest initially. Then I got offered a job working on bigger equipment like installation. Eventually I got offers to go to plumbing or A/C construction. I like taking things apart and putting it back together so that's why I ended up on A/C contruction side. And I spent 3 years of my apprenticeship on A/C construction before I moved over to service. I just started working my way up. I transferred from A/C construction to A/C service. I've been a Field Operations Manager for 8 years now.

What do you enjoy about what you do? I enjoy helping guide the younger generation into something they can become great at. I see myself in these younger guys, and I hope that one day they can take my place or be better than what I am now, because in the end, they're going to be taking care of us when we retire.

1 Year with Heide & Cook, 12 Years as a Union Member

What is your Hometown? Hawaii Kai

What high school did you go? Kaiser High School, Class of '84

What are some of your Responsibilities/Duties? I oversee the plumbing service side. I estimate all the jobs and do the proposals for the customers. What are some memorable projects? The booster pump replacement projects because they take a lot of coordination just with material, manpower, and the building. And working with all the subcontractors involved. They are challenging but very rewarding.

What is meaningful to you with being a Union member? I just like the support that we get from the Union office. They've been very helpful with helping us find men and secure qualified workers. And they help guide us and work out issues. Especially since I'm so new in the supervisory role. Because I just started in March, the whole process was new to me so they have been very helpful.