Building Industry Magazine - October - (Page 28)

I N T E R V I E W MARRONE AND THE POWER OF COLLABORATION The new CEO and chief lobbyist of the BIA-Hawaii focuses on ways to benefit members, businesses and homeowners T he biggest challenge facing Hawaii's building industry, says Gladys Quinto Marrone, the new CEO of the Building Industry Association of Hawaii (BIA-Hawaii), is the $700,000 median price of a home, which is projected to hit the $1 million mark by 2018. According to the petite veteran attorney and researcher, barriers to increasing the housing supply include unnecessary regulatory requirements, prolonged permitting processes and the lack of infrastructure. "It's quite clear that we have a supply and demand issue: not enough supply plus high demand equals high prices," she says. "We need to build more homes at all price points if we want to preserve our middle class, provide opportunities for the next generation and desire a viable and sustainable future in Hawaii." The Kalihi-raised Marrone, a proud 1985 Farrington alumna, on Labor Day was named the new CEO and chief lobbyist of BIA-Hawaii, succeeding Karen Nakamura, who is retiring after 16 years as CEO of the highly regarded notfor-profit trade organization. "BIA-Hawaii is very fortunate to have Gladys Marrone leading us into new ways of work in our industry," says Nakamura, who plans to lead Karen T. Nakamura 28 | BUILDING INDUSTRY HAWAII | OCTOBER 2014 Associates. "Her experience and knowledge of our industry reinforces the importance of BIA's mission: serving as the voice of the construction industry and ensuring the quality of life for the people of Hawaii." The selection of Marrone, the organization's government relations director since 2011, ended several months of "an exhaustive search nationwide" by the BIA Search Committee, says BIA-Hawaii President Brian Adachi. Adachi, of BKA Builders, Inc., adds that "when it was all said and done, Gladys was the best candidate." Her government relations experience helped make her the final choice, he says, because that's "one of the primary focuses of our organization." Before joining BIA-Hawaii, Marrone was a planner for Group 70 International, Inc., director of research and legal affairs for the Land Use Research Foundation (LURF) of Hawaii, associate director of policy and planning for the Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs and research attorney for the Hawaii State Senate Majority Research Office. She earned a bachelor's degree in public administration from the University of Southern California and a Juris Doctor from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Building Industry Magazine - October

VOLUMES OF RECOVERY
NEW CEO AT BIA-HAWAII
PACIFIC BUILDING TRADE EXPO PROGRAM
POISED FOR A REBOUND
UNDERGROUND DIGGER
PRESENTING THE NEXT GOVERNOR OF HAWAII
Departments: Datebook
Contracts Awarded/ Low Bids
Spotlight on Success: Daniel K. Inouye Fighter Squadron Facility
Concept to Completion: Hale Kula Elementary School
News Makers
New Products
Faces: Remodel It Right, Remodel It Green Expo
Best Practices

Building Industry Magazine - October