Entrevistas

1. No question about going into the family business

2. From attorney to developer

3. A perfect mix of both

4. Growing up in two cultures

5. Never feeling discriminated against in Hawai‘i

6. About Albert Chikanobu Kobayashi, Inc.

7. Three important things learned from father

Kobayashi,BJ

Empresario hawaiano, desarrollador.

Never feeling discriminated against in Hawai‘i

You know, I’ve heard the stories about what my dad went through and especially my grandfather, but you know, for me, I really can’t point to any discrimination I think, direct. I mean maybe it happened and I didn’t know it but even going back east, I didn’t really feel a lot of it.

I think the big advantage for me was growing up in Hawaii where basically everyone is like me – Hapa Haole. You know, all my best friends are the same racial mix as myself or a lot of them. So I think that sort of diversity in Hawaii really made me feel comfortable and confident about who I am and maybe as a result of that, I was just thicker skinned to it. I’m used to jokes – racial jokes. I liked racial jokes. I think they’re funny. I think it’s kind of cool to notice the differences and make fun. Some people are more sensitive to it, I just have thicker skin. So if it did happen to me, I wasn’t aware of it.

caucásicos discriminación Haole hapa Hawái relaciones interpersonales raza personas de raza mixta Estados Unidos

Fecha: June 1, 2006

Zona: Hawai'i, US

Entrevista: Akemi Kikumura Yano

País: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Entrevista

Bert A. Kobayashi, Jr.,conocido como “B.J.”, tuvo su primera experiencia en el negocio de la construcción como peón en Albert C. Kobayashi Inc., empresa hawaiana que su abuelo fundó y su padre Bert administraba. Tras graduarse en la Universidad de Georgetown en 1993, trabajó en la oficina del senador Daniel Inouye en Washington DC donde el demócrata hawaiano le aconsejó el valor de obtener un título en derecho. Luego de 3 años de estudio de bienes raíces y derecho en Georgetown, B.J. tomó la presidencia de la empresa de su padre, desarrollando el Centro Cívico de Kapolei. Con su hermano, hermana y un socio, formó el Grupo Kobayashi, desarrollando proyectos de condominios y lujosos resort de golf. B.J., además, promueve la sustentabilidad y la protección de los recursos naturales de Hawaii y participa activamente en trabajos comunitarios como en Gift Foundation of Hawai‘i (que cofundó) y Nature Conservancy. (junio de 2007)

Fuente: Basado en el artículo de Pacific Business News.