wayneharada.com

After 20 years of top-tier service, a prominent hospitality executive with Hawaii ties will retire as CEO of BWH Hotel Group. His departure means a huge void in AAPI presence in the realm of hotel management leadership.

David Kong, a graduate of the TIM school at the University of Hawaii, will retire at the end of 2021. His successor will be named at the BWH convention Oct. 7 in Las Vegas.

BWH is the acronym of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, where Kong had served since 2001 and became CEO in 2004. 

He has been the hotel industry’s longest tenured CEO, an indication of his leadership and savvy in shaping the Best Western brand into a major global competitor and player in travel and hospitality. Under his watch, Best Western has expanded from one to 18 brands in a spectrum of service that taps a range of accommodations in all price brackets.

“What (Kong) has been able to do with Best Western is really create the consistency of the highest level of performance,” said American Hotel & Lodging Association president and CEO Chip Rogers in a statement. “David has created an environment at Best Western that encourages its owners to be their best and to create the best products.”

Kong’s bio often mentions that he entered the hotel business as a dishwasher and busboy and is leaving a legacy of caring atop the peak of an industry. His dedication and reputation of serving and mentoring his colleagues and staff teams and delivering on his promises makes him a one-of-a-kind.

Kevin Iwamoto, a colleague at TIM and also a key player in hospitality trade, said of Kong, “I have so much respect for him; he’s achieved so much but is so humble, soft spoken and a nice human being. He has risen to the highest ranks of the industry and is a role model for Asians and Pacific Islanders (API) who aspire to lead the industry in senior executive positions of influence.  His retirement and departure from full time work will leave a tremendous void for API diversity in the executive ranks of the hospitality industry.” 

Iwamoto, who is chief strategy officer and head of Bizly Inc., a leading meetings technology company, himself is planning on retiring sometime soon.

“The story of me and David Kong is connected forever because we both graduated from UH’s Travel Industry Management School – David in 1971 and me in 1977—and we both were inducted into the 2013 UH TIM Hall of Honors,” said Iwamoto.

Though Hong Kong-born, Kong was educated at UH.  “Our careers intersected in both the business travel and meetings/events worlds of the industry,” said Iwamoto. “We currently both serve as UH TIM Alumni Association Board members”…

Name-dropping

Kudos to Tom Holowach, former honcho at Paliku Theatre at Windward Community College. His first screenplay, “The Kaliikak Crusade,” is a finalist in the UK Page Turner Awards. …

Drew Bright, son of Michael and Jade Bright and grandson of Ron and Mo Bright, will be portraying the role of Dimitri in Castle Performing Arts Company’s “Anastasia,” a Broadway music filled with rich tunes that resonate. Could this be the Hawaii premiere of this jewel, at the Ronald K. Bright Theatre on the Castle High School camps? Performance times and ticket details will be forthcoming. Surely, Poppo (what his family calls Ron Bright) also must be anticipating the rise of the curtain from his orchestra seat in heaven. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

The Makaha Sons, led by Jerome Koko, will be joined by island songbird Robi Kahakalau, in performances at 6 and 8:30 p.m. Friday (Sept. 17) at Blue Note Hawaii at the Outrigger Waikiki resort.

The concerts are emblematic of these pandemic times; folks want to periodically go out for a night of island music, but cost might be a factor. So if there’s an option to attend without the customary admission, it might be easier to take in a show.

Here’s the rub: residents who are fully vaccinated, with proper validation of the vaxx card along with a photo ID, may attend the shows at no cost.

The hope is that with free admission, fans and other show-goers will make donations to the Makaha Sons Foundation to help raise funds for the organization.

Along with  Koko on vocals and 12-string guitar, the group now features Kimo Artis on vocals and electric bass and Hanale Kaʻanapu on vocals and 6-string guitar. 

Saks Fifth Avenue Hawaii and One Community are presenting the Blue Note shows with a win-win prospect for all involved.

Admission normally is in the $25 range; drinks and meals are extra. Still, with free admission, it’s a bargain – for attendees and sponsors.

Doors open at 4:30 and 8 p.m.  For information and reservations, visit www.bluenotehawaii.com

The Makaha Sons Foundation is a Waipahu-based arts and cultural organization supported by the Makaha Sons. It supports Hawaii police officers and families afflicted with illness, and awards scholarships to high school seniors.

One Community is a consulting company that assists their clients in presenting their business objectives to key officials and decision-makers in Hawaii’s government and community.

‘Superstars’ reunited

Teddy Neeley (who played Jesus) and Yvonne Elliman (who was Mary Magdalene) in the film version of “Jesus Christ Superstar” are reuniting this weekend in Boston for a reunion concert as well as a screening of the film.

Neeley and Elliman also had music careers outside of the film and they’ll share their repertoire of faves, backed by an all-star band. Elliman, of course, is the Roosevelt grad who became a global sensation when she recorded the “concept” LP of the rock opera aka “Superstar” that also resulted in a Broadway stage musical in 1971 and a Hollywood film in 1973. Elliman is the lone lead who did the original recording (earning a Grammy) and the subsequent stage and movie versions.

If you’re in the vicinity, the concerts will be at the Regent Theatre in Arlington at 8 p.m. Friday (Sept. 17) and Saturday (Sept. 18).

The two stars will host a screening of a new digitally remastered version of the 1973 film at 6 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 19) at the same venue, with both Neeley and Elliman participating in a meet-and-greet after the showing. Elliman’s husband, Allen Alexander, posted this adjoining pic of Elliman on Facebook. …

Kokua with prayers

Al Harrington, veteran entertainer, has been hospitalized with multiple medical issues. Fans and friends may want to send prayers of support.

You know him as “The South Pacific Man,” a Waikiki singer and star of his own Polynesian show, back in the day when most hotels had showrooms, and as Det. Ben Kokua, in the CBS-Jack Lord original of “Hawaii Five-0,” and Mamo Kahike in the Alex O’Loughlin  “Five-0” reboot.
Some may know him as a former football player at Punahou, from where he graduated in 1954, and later became a Punahou school teacher. …

And that’s Show Biz. …

Power couples are normally a famous duo married to each other, or partners with individual or joint accomplishments. Wealth is not a factor; fame could be the game; however, singular achievement matters most.

The other common requisite of a power couple, whether wholly or individually: they are bold-faced names whenever they’re mentioned in columns like this one.

These folks are newsworthy because they make news or are commonly in the gossip mill.  In my world of dealing with bold face names, if you’re a somebody, you earn b.f. status.

This compilation/discussion/reflection is the result of brainstorming about PCs – with recognition a key for inclusion. If you know their names, you know why they’re powerful and popular, without a descriptive tag.

Famous politicos

Politicos easily are PCs: Barack and Michelle Obama. Bill and Hillary Clinton. Perhaps George H. and Laura Bush and George H.W. and Barbara Bush, Richard and Pat Nixon, Jimmy and Rossalyn Carter.  Indeed, John and Jackie Kennedy,  too! Clearly, presidents and their FLOTUS easily fall in this PC. category. Joe and Jill Biden certainly are newbies in this elitist realm, a work in progress still earning stripes; Donald and Melania Trump are a dubious PC, since he was dominant and she remained in the shadows, survivors amid the political snipes.

The Hollywood crowd

Power couples are especially plentiful in show biz or in the performance arena. In no particular order: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones, Beyonce and Jay-Z, Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks, Amal and George Clooney, Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelley, Victoria and David Beckham, Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, Oprah Winfrey and Stedman Graham, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa, Jada Pickett Smith  and Will Smith, Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley,  Scarlet Johansson and Colin Jost and Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka.

More power couples, you ask?  How about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz , Ryan O’Neal and Farrah Fawcett,  Carrie Fisher and Paul Simon, Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman, John Travolta and Kelly Preston, Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, Sean Penn and Madonna, Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenneger and Maria Shriver, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, Sonny and Cher? And you could include partners, or exes, of Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Robert Downey, Ben Affleck, J-Lo, and, well, you get the idea. A few have died; some relationships have dissolved, but these folks were relevant in their prime.

Prolific and creative

Surely, a few PCs are mighty prolific and creative, too: Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, and Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg.

 In many instances, PCs don’t have to be married to each other but are prominent nonetheless, because of compatibility and creativity. First names not necessary, too, when you think of Abbott and Costello, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Bacharach and David, Lennon and McCartney,  Astaire and Rogers, Garland and Rooney, Simon and Garfunkel.

Infrequently, a PC could have a pseudonym, like The Property Brothers, who are actually twins Jonathan and Drew Scott, and The Blues Brothers, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.

Extend this concept, and you can also have fictional PCs with individual potency and presence: Tom and Jerry, The Phantom and Christine, Romeo and Juliet, King Arthur and Guinevere,  Batman and Robin, Jack and Jill, The Lone Ranger and Tonto, and Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog, or expand to real life, with Susannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb,  Pat Sajak and Vanna White, even Barnes and Noble. (Yes, real people; go to Wikipedia, to track who’s who).

One PC duo lacking last names: Barbie and Ken; another PC duo have last names you don’t know: Ben and Jerry  are real people, whose surnames are Cohen and Greenfield, respectively.

The island list

Hawaii has had its share of winsome twosomes, too. In the distant past, PCs included  Duke and Nadine Kahanamoku, Eddie and Peggy Sherman, Jack and Marie Lord, Ed Kenney and Beverly Noa, Kimo and Betsy McVay, Fred and Myrtle Lee, Wisa D’Orso and Jim Hutchison, John and Beatrice Burns, Neal and Lucy Blaisdell and Frank and Joyce Fasi. All but Joyce Fasi are deceased.

Current island PCs qualifiers include Ben and Vicky Cayetano, George and Jean Ariyoshi, John and Lynne Waihee, Jack and Cha Thompson, Henry Kapono and Lezlee Ka‘aihue, Paul Theroux and Sheila Donnelly, Thomas and Mia Kosasa, Denise Hayashi and Roy Yamaguchi, Alan Wong and Alice Inoue, Wade Ueoka and Michelle Karr-Ueoka,

Troy Terorotua and Lisa Kim, Guy Hagi and Kim Gennaula, Kathy Muneno and Nainoa Thompson, Nina Keali‘iwahamana and Gordon Rapozo, Akemi and Rene Paulo, Han and Meredith Ching, Keali‘i Reichel and Fred “Punahele” Krauss, Kuana Torres Kahele and Marc Turner, Steven Ai and Carol Ai May, Keith and Carmen Haugen, Indru and Gulab Watumull, Michael W. Perry and Larry Price, Judge James Burn and Emme Tomimbang, Jack and Maydelle Cione, Cecilio and Kapono and Eddie and Myrna Kamae. A few aforementioned — Judge Burns, Maydelle Cione, Eddie Kamae and Gulab Watumull  — are deceased; Kapono continues on as a soloist, ever since Cecilio had legal issues; Price retired, ending his partnership with Perry.

Cleary, with time, PCs come and go.

If you have a suggestion or two, add to the list.