Interview with Larry Borgatti, Irrigation Technician, Arborist, & Landscaper by Dr. James Keach, Associate Extension Agent for Ornamental Crops in Kauai County JK: What is your current position and role? LB: Right now I’m an irrigation technician for the County of Kaua‘i. I take care of all the irrigation systems for Parks & Recreation. I’ve been doing this for about 6 years. Prior to that I had my own business as a landscape contractor. How did you get started both in land- scape and then transitioning over to this position? I went to college to get a degree in horticulture. When I graduated I got a 3 month internship here on Kaua‘i at a botanical garden that’s now closed. That was in ‘82 and I’m still here! After a 3-month internship I decided to stay. Awesome! That’s a nice connection. I mean, what do you do after graduating college? One of my professors told me about an internship in Hawai‘i and I thought ‘Go for it!’ and never looked back.... ...

We are fortunate to have two new hires, James Keach was another recent hire into the ornamental extension ohana. Russell Galanti, Extension Agent, Oahu, asked James to sit down with him to discuss his interests, duties, and thoughts on the industry. Hana hou! Q: Hi James thanks for interviewing, lets start at the start! What is your area of responsibility? How long have you been in this position? A: I officially started at the beginning of last October, but I was back-and-forth to Hilo a lot to finish up projects there. I really got going on Kauaʽi around November. I started running the local Master Gardener training course around the beginning of the year and now that that’s wrapped-up I’m excited to have more time to get out to other stakeholders. My job description includes ‘ornamental, floriculture, nursery, turf, and landscape’ as well as coordinating the local Master Gardener chapter, so it’s pretty broad. I’ve worked or interacted a little with most of these sectors at some point in my... ...

Christian Renz was elected as President of the Hawaii Island Landscape Association on August 2019, assuming the position formerly held by Ken Sugai from 2017 to 2019. Christian is the founding member of Pacific ‘Aina Management, LLC, a licensed landscape contracting firm and Pacific ‘Aina Design, a landscape design and project management firm. He obtained his horticulture degree in 2010 and started both companies in 2011, serving the clientele along the gold coast of Hawaii Island. In October 2017, he obtained his NALP Certification in Exterior Maintenance. Christian is only one of a handful of NALP Certified Managers in the State of Hawaii. One of his past community projects was the Kamakoa Nui Skate Park on which he was the lead designer and project manager. Christian is an avid supporter of progressive and sustainable green industry practices and innovation; he looks forward to keeping HILA at the forefront of this vision for the green industry of Hawaii Island. Furthermore, he wants to focus his energy on supporting and expanding the... ...

A letter from Mayor Harry Kim of the Big Island states: “It is my pleasure to nominate Kenneth Sugai of Council District 6 to the Water Board. Mr. Sugal is the Managing Member of Keauhou Nursery, LLC. His past work experiences include being a manager at Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union, sales at Big Island Honda Kona and a vacation counselor at Hilton Grand Vacations. Mr. Sugai, a graduate of Konawaena High School, attended the University of Hawai’ i. Active in the community, Mr. Sugai is presently the President of the Hawaii Island Landscape Association, Vice President at Ka Ohana o Honu’ apo, a nonprofit organization that works towards the restoration, improvements, maintenance and protection of the historical and cultural sites’ of Honu’ apo Park.” This year has seen several well failures and emergency water restrictions. If Kona is going to maintain a vibrant and tropical landscape for residents and visitors alike, having a landscaper on the Water Board is more important than ever. Congratulations, Ken! ...