University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business honored four distinguished individuals at it annual Hall of Honor Awards fundraising dinner on October 19 at the Sheraton Waikīkī. The honorees were Allan K. Ikawa, chairman and CEO, Big Island Candies, Inc.; Thomas E. Nichols, president, Pretika Corporation; Carleton L. Williams, founding partner, CW Associates, CPAs; and Mark H. Yamakawa, president and CEO, Hawaiʻi Dental Service.
This year’s honorees represent a wide range of industries and exemplify the best of business. They were selected for their excellent work and leadership in their profession and community, as well as service to their alma mater.
From a modest business in Hilo to a multi-million-dollar company attracting customers worldwide, Allan K. Ikawa has made Big Island Candies one of the most sought-after treats from Hawaiʻi. As chairman and CEO, Ikawa oversees two retail outlets in Hilo and Honolulu, and a thriving online and catalog sales division. For his success and work in the community, Ikawa has received 15 national and local awards including the Small Business Administration—Entrepreneurial Success Award, Hawaiʻi Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was featured in Entrepreneur Magazine’s 51 American Success Stories in 1992.
A visionary entrepreneur, Thomas E. Nichols founded Pretika Corporation, a company that merges technology with the science of skincare to address the effects of aging. He oversees the company’s strategic direction including product initiatives and management. Pretika is one of the leading developers of medical devices in the growing beauty segment, with patents and trademarks in the U.S. and around the world. Some of his products include Derma-Life, Sonic Dermabrasion, Oxy-Sonic and many other aesthetic devices. Along with his company in California, Nichols oversees Pretika Global Limited in Hong Kong and Fujian Pretika Global in China.
Carleton L. Williams is the founding partner of CW Associates, CPAs, a Hawaiʻi Certified Public Accounting Corporation. Williams has more than 30 years of public accounting experience working with private, government and nonprofit groups, including 11 years with the international accounting firm Deloitte. Previously, Williams managed Deloitte’s Hilo office. He also oversaw the first audits of the City and County of Honolulu, County of Hawaiʻi, and County of Kauaʻi, and the audit of one of Hawaiʻi’s largest publicly held corporations. Today, CW Associates is led by five partners and employs more than 40 professionals. It was selected one of the best places to work by Hawaiʻi Business Magazine from 2015–2017.
Mark H. Yamakawa has more than 30 years of leadership and management experience in the healthcare industry. First with the Queen’s Health Systems and the Queen’s Medical Center as executive vice president and chief operating officer. He currently serves as president and CEO of Hawaiʻi Dental Services since 2014. Yamakawa oversees Hawaiʻi’s largest dental benefits provider with more than 600,000 members throughout Hawaiʻi, Guam and Saipan, and the largest network of participating dentists in the state.
This year’s Hall of Honor Awards also recognized Jay H. Shidler for his gift of $117 million to the college totaling $228 million.
CW Associates, CPAs, served as the title sponsor and Pacific Business News was once again the media partner. The event is the largest fundraiser by the Shidler College of Business Alumni Association to support scholarships, student enrichment programs, alumni outreach and special student activities at the college.
See the flickr album for more images from the event.
For a full list of past honorees, visit: shidler.hawaii.edu/hall-of-honor/past-recipients.
—By Dolly Omiya
