West Oahu Roundup
Kapolei Middle School student Teah Laupapa earned recognition for sharing visions of her dream car in Toyota’s 2014 Dream Car Art Contest. Laupapa earned the People’s Choice Award in her age group for her drawing (pictured at right). The Toyota Dream Car Art Contest, now in its 10th year, was created to encourage children to use their imaginations and to dream big.
Laupapa, the other People’s Choice Award winners and the local competition winners will be honored at an April 19 awards ceremony.
Kapolei students have had a lot to brag about recently. Kimberly Uehisa, a junior at Kapolei’s Island Pacific Academy, was recently recognized for her community service efforts as a distinguished finalist in the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.
Uehisa is not only a member of the school’s Interact service club, but she also founded her own club to organize various benefit events and cleanups. The club she founded is affiliated with the Travis Manion Foundation.
“We applaud each of these young people for their exemplary volunteer service,” stated Prudential chairman and CEO John Strangfeld. “They use their time and talents to make a meaningful difference in their communities, and we hope their example inspires others to do the same.”
In her spare time, Uehisa also volunteers at Ronald McDonald House.
Speaking of McDonald’s, Aiea resident Michael Muyco recently joined McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii as an area construction manager. Muyco previously worked as a quality control manager for a local contractor, overseeing construction projects for the military.
In his new position, Muyco is responsible for leading the design and construction of McDonald’s restaurants in Hawaii, Guam and Saipan. He also will oversee renovations of existing stores.
“We’re looking forward to working with Michael because he brings a wealth of construction and engineering expertise to our McDonald’s projects,” stated Veronica Kaneko, McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii managing director.
Jonni Adaniya (RA) recently joined Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties as part of its training program, New Agent Training Office. Prior to joining Coldwell Banker, Adaniya was a Realtor-associate with James Kometani Realtors Inc.
Through the training program, which is designed for both newly licensed and experienced agents, Adaniya will be paired with an experienced agent and receive hands-on real estate experience.
Ewa Beach resident Travis Nishijo recently joined Servco Auto Parts Center as assistant director of parts. Nishijo has been in the automotive industry for more than three decades, during which time he has served a range of positions from auto parts manager to delivery driver.
In his new position, he will oversee Servco’s Parts Distribution Center for Toyota, Lexus, Scion, Suzuki and Subaru.
“Travis is an excellent addition to the Servco team, with a wealth of knowledge acquired through his previous experiences in the automotive industry,” stated Beverly Sato, vice president and director of parts.
“I’m certain he will excel in this position at Servco Automotive.”
In his spare time, Nishijo, a Pearl City High School graduate, is an active member of the West Oahu community who serves on the Pearl City Little League board and coaches local baseball teams.
NAPA Auto Parts Hawaii’s Waipahu store manager Tommy Rivera recently was named Store Manager of the Year. He was chosen from store managers in all NAPA stores nationwide. The award is based on various criteria, including customer service and sales growth.
“I was surprised and extremely flattered by this honor,” Rivera stated. “It’s really a reflection of the team we have at the Waipahu store, the support we get from NAPA Corporate, and most importantly, our loyal customers.”
Rivera has been an employee of NAPA Auto Parts Hawaii for nearly three decades. For the honor, Rivera was recognized at an awards ceremony held in Las Vegas.
