Business View Magazine | April/May 2022

39 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 4 HPM BUI LDING SUPPLY lumberyard, HPM is well described as a diversified home center, lumber supplier, building materials distributor and manufacturer serving all major markets in the state of Hawaii. “We have a lot of different facets to our business,” Fujimoto explains. “Yes, we do have the retail stores and the lumberyards, but we also have home design centers. We have an entire program dedicated to packaged homes – 22 pre- approved, prepackaged home models – so we really partner with the homeowner and facilitate the whole home build process.” HPM also has a Pro Services arm, and a manufacturing division where they manufacture custom metal roofing, wall panels, trusses, and pre-hung doors. They also do custom trim packages and provide a variety of specialty commercial products and lines including steel framing, acoustic tile, concrete accessories, paint and coatings. The company’s newest venture expands into the modular home space. Fujimoto notes, “The HalePlus Program combines everything we do as an organization, putting together affordable, small-footprint homes in a controlled or covered factory environment. Overall, we get involved from foundation to roof and everything in between.” Based in Keaau on the east side of the Big Island, HPM has 450 owner-employees spanning what is soon to be 16 facilities across all four major islands. In 1959, HPM began an employee profit-sharing program, and in 1977, became one of Hawaii’s first companies to establish an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Today, employees own 100% of company stock through the ESOP. They’re entitled to a company contribution every year in stock and are able to build wealth through a contribution and/or the share price increasing over time. HPM’s primary customer is the pro contractor and subcontractor base but they also serve the homeowners, the general consumers, the design HPM acquired Kauai Lumber, Inc., located in Lawai, Kauai in 2011. HPM later expanded on Kauai with an additional location in Kapaa in 2015. professionals, the developers, landowners, the realtors, and government agencies. Fujimoto acknowledges, “Because of our deep roots and diversity, not just in what we do but our geography across the state, oftentimes we become a connector or a convenor for various entities. A landowner will come to us wanting to put together a small, affordable housing development. They tell us they need a civil engineer, an architect, and they ask us for recommendations for contractors. These types of conversations happen all the time. That’s good for us. We want to be at the center of all things building, and we’re happy to make those connections that help move our communities forward.” One project that is on the cusp of completion in a town on the Big Island is a source of pride for the entire HPM team. That project is being done with a non-profit organization called HOPE Services that serves the homeless, the lower income demographic, and the elderly. Leveraging