Dennis J. Simonis (Age: 50)
Director
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Simonis has served as a Director of the Managing Partner since August 2002. He was elected as President in August 2001 and was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in December 2004. He was formerly the executive vice president and chief financial officer for the Partnership. From 1993 to 2001, Mr. Simonis served in various capacities at Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation, including Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He serves as a director and officer of the Hawaii Macadamia Nut Association and has served on several nonprofit boards in Hawaii. From 1985 until 1993, he was a vice president of Theo H. Davies & Co., Ltd. and worked as a senior auditor for Price Waterhouse between 1979 and 1985. Mr. Simonis graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Accounting from Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin and earned his C.P.A. certificate in 1983. He resides in Hilo, Hawaii.
David McClain (Age: 60)
Director Member - Audit Committee
Chairman - Nominating and Compensation Committees
Dr. McClain was appointed as the President of the 10-campus University of Hawaii System effective March 2006, having served as Interim President from August 15, 2004, and Vice President for Academic Affairs of the UH System from July 1, 2003. From 2000 until 2003 he was the Dean of the College of Business Administration at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, as well as First Hawaiian Bank Distinguished Professor of Leadership and Management; he was also Interim Vice President for Research of the University of Hawaii System from February to September 2003. Dr. McClain joined the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1991 as the Henry A. Walker, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Business Enterprise and Professor of Financial Economics and Institutions. Dr. McClain is a director of First Insurance Company, and serves as a member of several nonprofit boards in Hawaii. He earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1974 and a BA in Economics and Mathematics from the University of Kansas in 1968. Dr. McClain has taught at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management and at Boston University, where he chaired the Department of Finance and Economics. He also served as Senior Staff Economist, Council of Economic Advisors to President Jimmy Carter, and headed international economic information services for Data Resources, Inc. He resides in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Director Member - Audit Committee
Member - Nominating and Compensation Committees
Mr. Kai has served as a director since June 2004. Mr. Kai is president of Pinnacle Investment Group, LLC and Pinnacle Media Group, LLC, and branch manager and investment representative of Linsco / Private Ledger. Mr. Kai was the resident manager of the Hilo office of Paine Webber, Inc. and was with Merrill Lynch prior to that. Mr. Kai is a graduate of Sacramento City College and attended the University of the Pacific from 1983 to 1985. Mr. Kai also has served on the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii and is a past director of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii (RCUH), current member of the Governor's East Hawaii Council of Advisors, current director of the Hawaii Island Portuguese Chamber of Commerce, a member of Rotary Club of South Hilo and the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce and has served on several nonprofit boards in Hawaii. He resides in Hilo, Hawaii.
Director
Mr. Kendrick was elected as a Director of the Managing Partner in June 2005. He has over 35 years of experience in the Food Processing industry and is currently a consultant to various food companies. Kendrick held various executive positions at Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation from 1991 to 1998, including Executive Vice President of Operations and President. Between 1978 and 1983, he was employed by the Dole Pineapple as Manager of the Honolulu Cannery. Prior to that, he held various engineering positions with Kraft Foods. Kendrick is a graduate of Northern Illinois University and Cornell’s Executive Development Program. He has been active in the Hawaii Macadamia Nut Association and currently resides in Naples, Florida.
Director
Member - Audit Committee
Member - Nominating and Compensation Committees
Mr. Kennett was elected as a Director of the Managing Partner in June 2005. He has worked in various executive capacities in the agriculture sector for over 40 years and currently holds the position of President and Chief Executive for Gay and Robinson Sugar Company, Inc. on Kauai, Hawaii. Kennett held various positions in the Hawaii sugar industry with C. Brewer and Co., Ltd. between 1976 and 1994. Prior to that, he managed sugar operations in Africa, the United Kingdom and the West Indies. Kennett is a graduate of Walton Technical College and the Liverpool College of Technology and completed Cornell’s Executive Development Program. He has been active in various Hawaii non-profit organizations and has written several technical papers. Kennett resides in Kaumakani, Kauai, Hawaii.
Director
Chairman - Audit Committee
Member - Nominating and Compensation Committees
Mr. Kissel is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Safe Renewables Corporation, an established marketer and producer of “Biodiesel” or “B100”, a substitute for conventional petroleum diesel, located inHouston, Texas. He was the Chief Financial Officer for Earth Tech Inc. from 2003 to 2005, a $1.5 billion global engineering and construction company specializing in water treatment, and has held various financial executive positions in publicly traded companies since 1974. From 1997 to 2003, Mr. Kissel was employed by URS Corporation as a vice president of planning and budgeting, and served as Chief Financial Officer for several URS Corporation divisions. Mr. Kissel was President and principal shareholder of Hawaiian Communications between 1992 and 1997. Prior to 1992 he worked with Tesoro, AON and Challenger Petroleum in the energy industry. He has a B.B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Hawaii and currently resides in California and Hawaii.
Scott C. Wallace (Age: 51)
Director
Mr. Wallace was elected as a Director of the Managing Partner in June 2007. He has over 25 years in the consumer products industry. He joined SVP Worldwide (the makers of Singer, Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff sewing machines) as General Manager, Americas & Asia in August 2006. Prior to joining SVP Worldwide, he was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gardenburger, Inc. from January 2001 to July 2006 when he took the company private. Wallace also served as President of Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation from 1998 until 2000 when C. Brewer and Company Ltd. sold the company. He has been involved with food products sales, marketing, processing, manufacturing, and distribution for much of his career. He spent his early career in marketing and sales management positions with Jacobs Suchard (1988-1994), Eastman Kodak Company (1985-1988) and Procter & Gamble (1978-85). Wallace also serves on the Board of Advisors of Venturi and Company, a San Francisco Bay Area boutique investment banking firm.
