Hawai`i Draws Some Keiki Home

September 2002

The "brain drain" of young Hawai`i residents leaving the state for jobs in the booming Bay Area reached its peak in the late '90s, becoming one of the community's top concerns. Series of articles in the local Honolulu media lamented the problem and tried to figure out what could be done to reverse the trend.

Well, some of those "brains" of the brain drain are now returning home, thanks to the dot-com bust. Kama`aina who once sought their fortunes and lives here are now returning home, in many cases finding better jobs in Hawai`i. But only a few years ago, their prospects in the Bay Area seemed bright.

Ivan Young of Hawai`i Kai moved to the Bay Area after graduating from the University of Oregon to pursue a career in finance.

"San Francisco is one of the great financial cities in the country," said Young. "A perfect blend of climate, Hawaiian population, gambling cities and, of course, job opportunities." That wasn't all: "My girlfriend was living there and I wanted to be there with her."

Susan Chong of Aiea was working for IBM in Texas before moving to the Bay Area with now-husband Dennis. "We wanted to be closer to Hawai`i after living in Texas for almost four years," said Chong. "We had only planned on living on the Mainland for five years to gain more experience personally and professionally and knew we wanted California to be our last stop."

Mililani resident Christy Chung's motivation for moving here was simple. "Change. I always wanted to move away from Hawai`i and experience something different. There were more career opportunities at that time," Chung said.

The good life in the Bay

After a stint doing research and analysis with Bank of America Securities, Young was recruited for a position in charge of global revenue analysis and reporting at Robertson Stephens. "It was awesome. I was finally on board with the premier investment bank of the late 1990s."

Chung was a sales coordinator and inside sales rep for 24/7 Media, an online media company, selling advertising space.

Chong was a lead management manager for i2, one of the top supply chain management companies. She was responsible for the development and execution of the company's lead management process. Dennis was a field client representative for IBM.

All four shared similar loves of the region. Young enjoyed the compensation, the cool weather, the quantity of good Pho eateries, and the "freedom to drive long distances at excessive speeds." (We're sure he meant "exciting" speeds…)

"We liked the crisper, colder weather and the numerous things to do in California," said Chong. "The beautiful scenic places to visit during the weekends and the Redwood and Sequoia trees."

What did Chung enjoy? "A lot. The food, the things to do at night, the ability to drive anywhere, the dress code, the variety of people, the shopping, the Hukilau, having my own place and all the great people I've met along the way," she said.

Young also liked the attitudes of other kama`aina. "We all had the drive to succeed, but knew how to party and socialize."

Winds change direction

Returning home started looking more attractive to the Chongs when Dennis was offered a transfer to the IBM office in Honolulu and Susan got hapai (pregnant).

Chung had her eye on a job in pharmaceutical sales in Hawai`i. She also missed her family and the weather.

Young's return path started when Robertson Stephens laid him off at the end of 2001. Still optimistic about living here, he worked hard to find another job. While at the Hukilau one day, Young met Ken Enomoto of seafood purveyor Ahi Brothers.

"We ended up chatting for several hours," recalls Young. "It turned out that Ken needed some help and I needed some cash since the unemployment checks weren't cutting it."

"Working with Ken worked out great. I learned a ton about the seafood industry, Ahi and fine dining establishments. I helped with the invoicing, packing and delivering of seafood products to dining establishments. Since all deliveries had to be out by noon, it left the afternoon free to interview and make calls to potential employers."

Five months later, Young landed a job with an asset management firm, but wasn't satisfied. "To put it nicely, it just wasn't the right fit," he said.

Back home - and loving it

Seeing the job market fizzle, Young thought about returning to Hawai`i. After landing interviews with two of the top three banks in the state, First Hawaiian Bank offered him a position doing credit risk management.

Chung grabbed her prize job and became a pharmaceutical sales representative for AstraZeneca.

Chong, now with "housewife" on her business card, has returned home to a little-changed city. "Things haven't changed that much since being away for 6 years," she said. "We found that we've grown to appreciate Hawai`i more - how beautiful it truly is, the water and the local get-togethers."

"My family, a car, live Hawaiian music, and the local kine grinds like meat jun, poke, poi, and my mom's cooking," are back in Chung's life. Chong seconded that: "local food is still unique."

Young said that back in Hawai`i he likes the "freedom to jump in the ocean and not having to worry about seaweed getting in my underwear and seals popping their heads up right next to you." He also yearned to be scolded. "On the mainland, I missed hearing my popo (grandmother) keep yelling at me to grow out my hair," he said. "Now I hear it weekly."

Chong summed it up: "Being close to family and friends that we've grown-up with -- that's what it's all about."

Keith Kamisugi and Kyle Tatsumoto are da Two Japanee Bruddahs. E-mail them at wot@twojapaneebruddahs.com and read their past columns at http://www.twojapaneebruddahs.com.

 

Read the Star-Bulletin's 'Brain Drain'
series from 1999