This month marks the start of one of my favorite programs at Foodland – Give Aloha. In many ways, it seems like just yesterday that our marketing team came together to brainstorm ideas of how to appropriately honor our late founder, Sully. To us, a program to support the community was the logical choice as Sully was not only known for his support of local non-profits, but he had always instilled in us that we “have a responsibility to support the community that supports us.”

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my time at Foodland, it’s that everyone who knew our company founder, Maurice J. “Sully” Sullivan brightens up at the mention of his name. Although the business world remembers him as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the history of Hawaii, local folks remember him best for being warm, kind hearted and generous.

A number of years ago, I remember sitting at lunch with our produce supplier, Mark Teruya of Armstrong Produce and a couple of local farmers. Our purpose was to find out how we could build better partnerships with them. What I remember about lunch was how much I enjoyed their company and learning about their businesses. What Richard Ha of Hamakua Springs Country Farms tells me he remembers is that I ate my salad with chopsticks! Richard claims he had never seen anyone eat salad like ... more »