STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3537

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NOS. 863, 864, 865

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 863, 864, and 865, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of: 

 

Board of Directors of the Agribusiness Development Corporation

 

G.M. No. 863

PATRICK KOBAYASHI,

for a term to expire 6-30-2016;

 

G.M. No. 864

DEREK KURISU,

for a term to expire 6-30-2015; and

 

G.M. No. 865

LETITIA UYEHARA,

for a term to expire 6-30-2016,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee has reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees and finds Patrick Kobayashi, Derek Kurisu, and Letitia Uyehara to possess the requisite qualifications to be nominated to the Agribusiness Development Corporation.

 

PATRICK KOBAYASHI

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Patrick Kobayashi from the Agribusiness Development Corporation, Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, and two individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that Patrick Kobayashi received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Georgetown University. 

 

     Mr. Kobayashi is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer for Kobayashi Group, LLC, where he handles land acquisitions, marketing, sales, and management for various residential development projects.  Mr. Kobayashi is also a Realtor with Kometani Realty, Inc.

 

     Mr. Kobayashi is also active in the community, serving on the board of the Hawaii Red Cross and PBS Hawaii.  Mr. Kobayashi also serves as a City and County of Honolulu Liquor Commissioner.

 

     Mr. Kobayashi's valuable leadership and business experience in land acquisition will provide unique insights to the Agribusiness Development Corporation and will help it in fulfilling its mission to acquire and manage, in partnership with farmers, ranchers, and aquaculture groups, high-value lands, water systems, and infrastructure for the benefit of Hawaii's agricultural industry.

 

DEREK KURISU

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Derek Kurisu from the Agribusiness Development Corporation; Department of Agriculture; Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation; KTA Superstores; Meadow Gold Dairies; Hawaii Food Industry Association; KYD, Inc.; and eleven individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that Derek Kurisu received his Bachelor's degree in Agriculture from the University of Hawaii.

 

Mr. Kurisu is the Executive Vice President of KTA Super Stores on the Island of Hawaii, where he has worked for over forty-four years.

 

     Mr. Kurisu is also the founder of Mountain Apple Brand Products, a private label brand that currently has over two hundred seventy different products with sixty business partnerships.  Through Mountain Apple Brand products, Mr. Kurisu has helped to diversify Hawaii's agricultural industry and provide local famers and manufacturers a means of making their products available throughout the world.

 

     Mr. Kurisu will bring his knowledge, innovation, and passion for local agriculture to the Board of Directors of the Agribusiness Development Corporation.

 

LETITIA UYEHARA

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination of Letitia Uyehara from the Agribusiness Development Corporation; Department of Agriculture; Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Meadow Gold Dairies; and nine individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that Ms. Uyehara is currently the Director of Marketing and Special Programs for Armstrong Produce Ltd.  She is a former Deputy Director and Communications Officer of the Department of Agriculture.  Ms. Uyehara also served at the Department of Health as a Public Participation Officer and Hearings Officer for the Environmental Protection and Health Services Division.  She then went on to become the Director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control.

 

     Ms. Uyehara is a valued leader in Hawaii's agricultural industry and is well respected for her years of public service.  She is extremely well versed in food safety issues.  As Director of Marketing for Armstrong Produce, Ms. Uyehara was instrumental in making Armstrong Produce one of the first wholesalers to be food safety certified in Hawaii.

 

     Ms. Uyehara's understanding and knowledge of agriculture, garnered from her years of government and private sector experience, continue to make her an ideal member of the Agribusiness Development Corporation.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

 


Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture,

 

 

 

____________________________

CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair