Dennis J. Simonis (Age: 54)
Director
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Simonis has served as a director since August 2002, president of the Managing Partner since August 2001, chief executive officer since December 2004, and was formerly the executive vice president and chief financial officer. From 1993 to 2001, Mr. Simonis served in various capacities at Mauna Loa, including executive vice president and chief operating officer. He serves as an officer of the Hawaii Macadamia Nut Association and has served on several nonprofit boards in Hawaii. He served from 1985-1993 as a vice president of Theo H. Davies & Co., Ltd. and worked as a senior auditor for Price Waterhouse between 1979 and 1985. Mr. Simonis has over 15 years of executive management experience within the Hawaii macadamia industry and possesses financial expertise and experience. 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.
Bradford C. Nelson (Age: 44)
Director
Mr. Nelson has served as a Director of the Managing Partner since October of 2009. He is the Chief Financial Officer and a Director of Seemorgh Investments, Inc., an entity owned by Mr. Fred Ebrahimi, the Partnership’s largest unitholder currently owning about 39.6% of the Partnership’s Class A units. Seemorgh manages all aspects of Mr. Ebrahimi’s finance and real estate holdings, including a large project in India called QuarkCity. Mr. Nelson is a CPA and has served as an officer of other private and public companies in Colorado from 1994 until 2001, when he joined Mr. Ebrahimi’s companies. He received his BSBA in Finance in 1989 and his Masters in Accountancy in 1991 from the University of Denver. Mr. Nelson contributes global financial management experience and expertise and provides direct representation for the unit holders as he is an employee of the Partnership’s largest unit holder. He resides in Thornton, Colorado.
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 First Allied Securities, Inc. Mr. Kai was the resident manager of the Hilo office of Paine Webber, Inc. and was with Merrill Lynch prior to Paine Webber, Inc. Mr. Kai is a graduate of Sacramento City College and attended the University of the Pacific from 1983 to 1985. Mr. Kai served on the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii and was a director of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii, the Hawaii Island Portuguese Chamber of Commerce and has served on several nonprofit boards in Hawaii. Mr. Kai has experience and knowledge of global economics, equity markets, securities, financial instruments and is active in local and state government issues. He resides in Hilo, Hawaii.
Director
Mr. Kendrick has over 36 years of experience in the food processing industry and is currently a consultant to various food companies. Mr. Kendrick held 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 the Manager of the Honolulu Dole Pineapple cannery. Mr. Kendrick worked for Kraft Foods as an engineer. He is a graduate of Northern Illinois University and Cornell’s Executive Development Program. Mr. Kendrick provides a high degree of general manufacturing acumen and extensive macadamia growing, processing and marketing experience and expertise to the Partnership. He currently resides in Naples, Florida.
Director
Member - Audit Committee
Member - Nominating and Compensation Committees
Mr. Kennett has worked in various executive capacities in the agriculture sector for over 40 years and currently is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Gay and Robinson Sugar Company, Inc. on Kauai, Hawaii. He held various positions in the Hawaii sugar industry with C. Brewer and Co., Ltd. between 1976 and 1994. Prior to 1976, Mr. Kennett managed sugar operations in Africa, the United Kingdom and the West Indies. He is a graduate of Walton Technical College and the Liverpool College of Technology and completed Cornell’s Executive Development Program. Mr. Kennett has been active in numerous Hawaii non-profit organizations and has written several technical papers. He possesses an in-depth knowledge of agricultural practices and management, particularly those in the state of Hawaii. He currently resides in Kaumakani, Kauai, Hawaii.
Director
Chairman - Audit Committee
Member - Nominating and Compensation Committees
Mr. Kissel has been the President of The Gas Company since December 2007. He was 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 in Houston, 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. Mr. Kissel possesses a broad range of general management experience in both private and public companies and has a high level of financial expertise. He has a B.B.A. and M.B.A. from the University of Hawaii and currently resides in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Scott C. Wallace (Age: 55)
Director
Mr. Wallace has served as a director since June 2007. He does consulting work with private equity firms and high net worth individuals on potential acquisitions and minority share investments primarily in privately owned companies. Previously, he was President and CEO of Fruit Patch, one of the largest processor/marketers of fresh fruit in the United States specializing in peaches, plums, nectarines, grapes, and specialty fruits. Mr. Wallace has been involved with consumer products, general management, marketing, sales, processing, manufacturing, and distribution for his entire career. Mr. Wallace has spent over 25 years in progressively more senior management positions in the consumer goods industry. He spent three years managing offices throughout the world which market and distribute the Singer, Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff brand sewing machine brands at SVP Worldwide, a Kohlberg and Company owned business. Prior to joining SVP, he was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gardenburger, Inc. until taking the company private in 2006. Previously, he was president and Chief Executive Officer of Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation until 2000. He has also served in management capacities with Fruit Patch (2009 through 2011), SVP Worldwide (2006 through 2009), Jacobs Suchard (1988 through 1994), Eastman Kodak Company (1985 through 1988) and Procter & Gamble (1978 through 1985). Mr. Wallace provides the Board of Directors broad general management and executive level sales and marketing expertise. Mr. Wallace received his Bachelor of Arts in International Business Management and Marketing from San Francisco State University.
