The BIA Hawai'i History
In the mid-1950s, Hawai'i was still a territory with an agricultural economy. Dwight Eisenhower was President of the United States and Bill Quinn was Hawaii's Governor.
During this time there were visionaries who foresaw the imminence of statehood and recognized the boom it would bring to Hawai'i, the importance of building and development to a growing economy, and the value of bonding together in an association to promote the building and construction industry. In 1955, William Blackfield, Bert Kanzaki, Earl Kato, Robert M. Kaya, Ward Kegin, Robert Kuniyuki, James Lai, Melvin Muraoka, Richard Sato and Kenneth Shioi joined to charter the Home Builders Association of Hawai'i. Robert M. Kaya sat as it's first President. The association became an affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and was granted charter number 1220. Based in Washington D.C., NAHB is one of the largest and most influential trade associations in the country today.
Hawai'i became the 50th State in the Union, and the Home Builders Association of Hawai'i grew and expanded its reach, and became the Building Industry Association of Hawai'i (BIA Hawai'i) in 1979.
Members of BIA are developers, general contractors, specialty contractors, suppliers, Realtors, architects, financial institutions, and a host of other professionals who serve the building industry. This unique mix enables members to network across their respective sectors and also provides the bridging of diverse interests into a common whole allowing the BIA to address the many challenges facing the industry with a uniquely balanced perspective.
In 2004 Congressman Neil Abercrombie chaired the HIPA Job Summit, bringing together community groups, government agencies, and construction trades to address the need for skilled construction workers. With 30% of the skilled labor force retiring in 5 years and the privatization of military housing, the Study revealed the need for pre-apprentice construction training for retaining apprentices and ongoing training for trade workers.
That year, the BIA Hawai'i Board of Directors responded by committing to build the Construction Training Center of the Pacific and established two committees. The Building Committee was chaired by 2004 BIA Hawai'i President John Cheung and members of the committee were James Watanabe, Robert Armstrong, Kenneth Choate, Alan Shintani, Kip Kamoto, Paul Silen, and Rodney Yamamoto. They were tasked with the site search and the development of the project. The "Changing Lives Building a Legacy” Capital Campaign Committee was formed and led by 1992 BIA Hawai'i President Robert Armstrong and members of the committee were James Watanabe, Kenneth Choate, Mary Flood, John Cheung, Audrey Hidano, Scotty Anderson and Karen Nakamura. The 7.2 million dollar goal for the acquisition of land and construction was met with contributions totaling nearly 8.3 million dollars. BIA Hawaii's Construction Training Center of the Pacific opened in September of 2009 and continues to provide training and education to sustain the skilled workforce for the home building and construction industries.
As the statewide Industry leader in advocacy, member benefits, and consumer reach, BIA Hawai'i also hosts award-winning, signature annual events including the BIG Home Building & Remodeling Show, the Building Industry Design + Construction Awards, and the Summer BIG Home Building & Remodeling Show.
The Building Industry Association of Hawai'i (BIA Hawai'i) is The VOICE of the Construction Industry. Together We Ensure Competitiveness and Growth of the Construction Industry in Hawai'i.
Code of Ethics
As members in good standing of the Building Industry Association of Hawai'i, we agree to uphold the following objectives:
- To conduct business affairs with professionalism and skill.
- To provide the best value possible.
- To protect the consumer through the use of quality materials and construction backed by integrity and service.
- To build and renovate with high standards of safety, sanitation, and livability.
- To meet all financial obligations on time.
- To comply consistently with the spirit and letter of business contracts, and manage employees, sub-contractors, and suppliers with fairness and honor.
- To keep informed and to share knowledge regarding laws, regulations, proposed legislation, codes, public policies, and other essential information which affect our business interests and those of the building industry as a whole.
- To comply in both spirit and letter with the rules and regulations prescribed by law and government agencies for the health, safety, and progress of the community.
- To keep honesty as our guiding business policy.
- To protect all parties in our business activities by putting all financial obligations and commitments in writing, expressing the exact agreement of the parties, and providing such copies of such agreements in a timely manner to all parties involved.
- To provide timely and appropriate responses to items covered under warranty.
- To conduct business so as to avoid controversies, and should controversy arise, to seek to resolve such controversies through a non-litigation dispute resolution mechanism.
- To support and abide by the decision of the association in promoting and enforcing this Code of Ethics.
We pledge our support to our associates, our local and national associations, and related industries concerned with preservation of legitimate rights and freedoms.
BIA Hawaii Leadership
2025 Officers
2025 Directors
