O‘ahu Based Sales Representatives. From Left to Right: Lance Clark, Aaron Wachi, Charles Blaum, Mike Ching, Dwight Harano, Garrett Gum, and Gene Uehara.
This month, we’re excited to put our Hosts of Hawai‘i Spotlight on our Sales Representatives & Merchandising Team. This small but mighty team of 10 Hosts are the “face” of Hawaiian Host & Mauna Loa in the retail space on O‘ahu and the Island of Hawai‘i. We had the chance to sit down with Darryl Miki, Field Sales Manager, and Dane Otani, Key Account Manager – who oversee the team – to hear more about the amazing work our Sales Reps & Merchandisers do. In addition, each team member shared a little bit about themselves, their years of service, and favorite products – check it all out in the interview below.
HHG: What are the main responsibilities of the Hawai‘i Sales Representatives & Merchandising Team?
Dane & Darryl: The Sales Representatives main responsibilities are to service and communicate with our retail store customers who carry our Hawaiian Host and Mauna Loa products. Servicing stores includes everything from placing product orders, coordinating sales & inventory, merchandising shelves to make sure our products look their best, managing relationships with the stores, and supporting individual customers to pick out the right product for their needs.
The Merchandisers main responsibilities are to focus on keeping our products stocked at the right time, in the right quantities, and ensuring our displays are attractive to customers. Each Sales Rep & Merchandiser is responsible for servicing stores within a defined geographical area on either O‘ahu or the Island of Hawai‘i. They are the team members out on the front line, representing our brands as the “face” of Hawaiian Host and Mauna Loa in the retail space. The relationships they have built and maintain with our store customers is key to our continued success.
HHG: What does a typical day look like for a Sales Representative and Merchandiser?
Dane & Darryl: Every day looks a little different for our Sales Reps & Merchandisers. They typically start their days very early – some leave their homes as early as 4:30AM – to service the retail stores and ensure the shelves are full and ready to go by the time the stores open. The team will plan and manage their days based on orders and deliveries coming to each of the stores that they work with. This means that some days are more focused on driving sales and strengthening customer relationships, while other days are spent meticulously merchandising our products on the store shelves.
It also means that each team member may have to adjust their schedule to address any issues that may arise during the day. With their combined years of experience, the team’s job knowledge is so wide that when challenges arise, they automatically know how to respond and handle the situation. We are grateful to have a team that is responsible, reliable, and that we can really trust to represent our brands to our local communities in the highest regard.
HHG: What are you most proud of about the team?
Dane & Darryl: It has been great to see the team get to a place where they are truly working together, supporting each other, and keeping open communication. We are proud of how everyone has truly come together as one, united team, and how everyone is making the effort to embrace both brands and the culture of our parent company, Hawaiian Host Group.
An example of this is a Teams chat the group has been using to motivate each other and stay sharp. The team uses this chat to post photos of displays they have worked on or stores they have serviced – in part to inspire their peers, and in part to show off their hard work. As salespeople, they are inherently a bit competitive, and this chat has become a tool for everyone to take pride in their work, share new ideas, and challenge each other to continuously improve their craft. It’s been awesome to see the collaboration and a fun way to engage in a bit of friendly competition.
HHG: What would you consider some of the team’s biggest accomplishments?
Dane & Darryl: To us, one of the team’s biggest accomplishments is their commitment to persevering through periods of transition and significant change. Their ability to adapt through the ups and downs of the two brands coming under one roof, to navigating the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they have embraced taking on new responsibilities has blown us away.
Another big accomplishment has been seeing the team develop a sense of ownership over both Hawaiian Host and Mauna Loa products. Prior to the brands coming under one roof, some of the team only represented Hawaiian Host, while others only represented Mauna Loa. Now, these team members represent both brands. If you look at a shelf at a local Longs Drugs or Foodland, you can see that together, our Hawaiian Host and Mauna Loa products take up about 80% of the shelf space. Our Sales Reps and Merchandisers are responsible for that huge majority of shelf space. They are the ones ensuring that shelf space is in top shape, and that our products are showcased in the most appealing way for our customers. This becomes such a deep source of pride for them. When the two brands came together, we could see the team begin to realize how much more responsibility they each have now, and truly start to take ownership over what it means to represent both brands to our customers.
HHG: What makes this team different than any other team at Hawaiian Host Group, and what is something about the team the rest of the company might not know?
Dane & Darryl: Something the rest of the company probably does not realize about the Sales Reps & Merchandisers is how many years of service and experience they have as a group. Out of 9 Sales Reps, more than half have worked for over 15+ years with us. Even with this incredible tenure, they are extremely down-to-earth guys who are humble, self-motivated, and have a ton of pride for the work they do.
This team is truly made up of unsung heroes. Because this team is almost always out in the field, the rest of the company might not actually recognize them, or even know their names. The team is so under the radar, but they carry out such a critical part of our business.
It is important for us to put this spotlight on our Sales Reps & Merchandisers and share how much they do to drive HHG’s success. Each one of them is a crucial member of our HHG family and they deserve to be recognized and celebrated. They really are a special group, and we are so fortunate to have them on our team.
HHG: Mahalo, Dane & Darryl!
Dane & Darryl: You’re welcome, thank you for putting the spotlight on this team!
We also had the chance to learn more about each of our Sales Representative Team Members & full time Merchandiser. Here’s a look at their experience in terms of years of service, their favorite Hawaiian Host, Mauna Loa or KOHO product, and how they like to spend their time off.
In alphabetical order by first name:
Aaron Wachi
Service Area:
Downtown Honolulu – Pearl City, O‘ahu
Q: How many years of service do you have with the company?
A: 5 years with the company.
Q: What is your favorite Hawaiian Host, Mauna Loa, or KOHO product?
A: For Hawaiian Host, the AlohaMacs Milk Chocolate, and for Mauna Loa, the Mountains Milk Chocolate.
Q: How do you like to spend your time off?
A: A lot of yard work!
Charles Blaum
Service Area:
Mākaha – ‘Ewa Beach, O‘ahu
Q: How many years of service do you have with the company?
A: 28 years with Mauna Loa, and over 7 with Hawaiian Host.
Q: What is your favorite Hawaiian Host, Mauna Loa, or KOHO product?
A: Favorite Mauna Loa would be the macadamia nuts, and favorite Hawaiian Host would be the MacNut Crunch.
Q: How do you like to spend your time off?
A: Spend time with family.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: I like working for two local iconic brands that everyone knows.
Dwight Harano
Service Area:
Waikīkī – Kaimukī – Salt Lake, O‘ahu
Q: How many years of service do you have with the company?
A: I just made 20 years this past April.
Q: What is your favorite Hawaiian Host, Mauna Loa, or KOHO product?
A: That’s a tough one, it has to be Hawaiian Host’s MacNut Crunch.
Q: How do you like to spend your time off?
A: When I’m not working, I like to spend time with my family, work on the yard, walk for exercise and watch sports- NFL, NBA, and college football.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: I really enjoy working with and learning from the HHG team.
Garrett Gum
Service Area:
Hawai‘i Kai – Beretania, O‘ahu
Q: How many years of service do you have with the company?
A: 23 years with Hawaiian Host and 5 years with Mauna Loa before that.
Q: What is your favorite Hawaiian Host, Mauna Loa, or KOHO product?
A: Hawaiian Host’s Toffee Macs and MacNut Crunch.
Q: How do you like to spend your time off?
A: Golfing, fishing, and washing & waxing my vehicles are some of my hobbies.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: It has been a pleasure working for these companies for all this time. Both companies have been through many ups and downs through the years, but throughout it all, its employee’s and brand recognition have remained strong on our Islands. Now that these two great brands have united, I’m excited and positive that the future of this company will be extremely bright and I’m looking forward to many many more wonderful years to come.
Gene Uehara
Service Area:
Relief/Back-Up for All Areas
Q: How many years of service do you have with the company?
A: I have been with Hawaiian Host for 4 years.
Q: What is your favorite Hawaiian Host, Mauna Loa, or KOHO product?
A: My favorite product is Hawaiian Host Founder’s Collection Matcha Chocolates.
Q: How do you like to spend your time off?
A: In my off time I like to be at the beach fishing or diving.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: I like learning as much as I can about the company and business so my position of Relief Sales Representative at Hawaiian Host has been the perfect position. I get to see all of the stores we service and talk to all of the Sales Representatives on a regular basis.
Gina Orozco
Service Area:
Waikīkī – Mililani – Kapolei – Pearl City, O‘ahu
Q: How many years of service do you have with the company?
A: About 3 years total.
Q: What is your favorite Hawaiian Host, Mauna Loa, or KOHO product?
A: Hawaiian Host Maui Caramacs.
Q: How do you like to spend your time off?
A: Spending time with my family, watch movies, home relaxation, going to the beach or doing the chores at home together as a family.
Lance Clark
Service Area:
Waikele – Lā‘ie – North Shore, O‘ahu
Q: How many years of service do you have with the company?
A: 25 years with Mauna Loa and 6 years with Hawaiian Host.
Q: What is your favorite Hawaiian Host, Mauna Loa, or KOHO product?
A: Hawaiian Host’s AlohaMacs, and Mauna Loa’s Maui Onion and Garlic macadamia nuts.
Q: How do you like to spend your time off?
A: Rest & relax, watch sports on tv, play billiards, play table tennis, go hiking with my friends.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: It is a pleasure to work for a company with so many nice people. I also enjoy assisting customers with choosing the right Hawaiian Host or Mauna Loa product they may have questions or concerns about.
Lance Nakamura
Service Area:
Waikōloa – Kealakekua, Hawai’i Island
Q: How many years of service do you have with the company?
A: Coming up on my 2-year anniversary.
Q: What is your favorite Hawaiian Host, Mauna Loa, or KOHO product?
A: Mauna Loa Dark Chocolate.
Q: How do you like to spend your time off?
A: I like to watch anime. I have a niece in Tokyo who recently graduated college and is working for a company there that does character design for anime and also video games. Though only a hobbyist, I enjoy taking photos.
Mike Ching
Service Area:
Windward Side – Nu‘uanu, O‘ahu
Q: How many years of service do you have with the company?
A: 17 years with Mauna Loa and Hawaiian Host.
Q: What is your favorite Hawaiian Host, Mauna Loa, or KOHO product?
A: Mauna Loa Maui Onion and Garlic macadamia nuts.
Q: How do you like to spend your time off?
A: Fixing up my house and the yard.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: I enjoy working hard and am glad to be part of the HHG team.
Steve Huff
Service Area:
Waimea – Pāhoa, Hawai’i Island
Q: How many years of service do you have with the company?
A: 12 years with Mauna Loa and 22 years in mac nut product sales.
Q: What is your favorite Hawaiian Host, Mauna Loa, or KOHO product?
A: Anything with coconut and chocolate especially the Mauna Loa version.
Q: How do you like to spend your time off?
A: I volunteer my time and energy as an ordained minister as one of Jehovah’s witnesses. I love to surf and try get in the water whenever possible. The ocean has a calming effect and is great for destressing.
Q: Anything else you’d like to add?
A: On this side of the Big Island, my route covers from Volcano to Pahoa to Kea‘au to Hilo, Honoka‘a and Waimea. I order deliver merchandise and set up displays!
Thank you, Sales Representatives and Merchandisers, for your dedication over many years and for all you do to support our company’s growth. You drive Hawaiian Host Group’s success and you are so appreciated!
Category: News
