Accelerator program offers resources, mentoring for small local construction businesses

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The family behind local company Haloa Construction says they’ve grown their business by about 50% since starting it four years ago.

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Owner and CEO Ramona Lariosa and her son Austin credit much of their growth to the Hui Kapili Accelerator program they joined in 2024.

The program, launched in partnership with American Savings Bank and aio media, brings together local contractors and construction industry professionals to address shared challenges and build collaborative relationships in Hawaii’s competitive construction market.

“When they first called us, I thought it was a scam,” Ramona Lariosa said when they were first contacted. After verifying the opportunity was legitimate, she asked if her husband and son could participate as well. The program accepted all three, marking the beginning of what she described as “the best thing that we could have ever done.”

Building connections in a competitive industry

Contractors often bid against each other for the same projects, but Hui Kapili created an unexpected shift by fostering collaboration rather than competition.

“Being in the construction industry is very competitive, but they offered us an opportunity to come together,” Austin Lariosa said. “It’s more of an ohana when you come with Hui Kapili. You get to know people and their struggles and what they’ve done to overcome those things.”

Participants covered multiple aspects of the industry, including accounting, workforce management, contracting, and material procurement. They also met with experienced developers and contractors.

The Lariosas say the relationships they formed have extended beyond the program, and they maintain regular contact through group texts, share specialty contractor referrals, and help each other secure work when individual companies are at capacity.

“We’ve created lifelong relationships,” Austin Lariosa said. “We still get together. With some of the families we get together Christmas time. We make laulaus together. Some of us partner in other organizations and we are still together.”

Addressing permitting delays

One of the primary issues discussed within Hui Kapili was the lengthy permitting process through the City’s Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP), a challenge that affects both contractors and homeowners.

“A lot of people in Hawaii are actually directly affected by that,” Austin Lariosa said. “Some people, they just find it like, hey, I might as well just move away. I can’t even renovate my home.”

Contractors in the program collaborated to sign a petition and raise awareness about permitting delays with government officials. Austin Lariosa noted that since the program’s 2024 cohort, there have been some changes in the DPP aimed at streamlining the process.

“I think as far as being in the community and as far as being in Hawaii we need to use our voice in order to affect those things,” he said. “We need to make it known that hey, we wanna be here. We wanna live in our island of Hawaii and sometimes that means speaking up.”

Supply chain and tariff pressures

Like other local contractors, Haloa Construction faces challenges related to material costs, tariffs, and shipping delays inherent to operating on an island.

“We live on an island in the middle of the Pacific, so it takes some time to ship here,” Austin Lariosa said. “As far as tariffs go and how that has affected us as a company, working with our vendors and people that can bring in materials sometimes takes a little bit longer because those materials maybe come from a different country or may need a different type of ingredient from somewhere else.”

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These delays push back project timelines and schedules, ultimately affecting the company’s bottom line and project completion dates. Austin Lariosa emphasized that these are real challenges contractors face, even if clients and the broader public don’t always understand the impact.

Advice for homeowners and clients

Both Ramona and Austin Lariosa offered guidance for homeowners considering renovation or construction projects.

Ramona Lariosa stressed the importance of hiring licensed, insured contractors and doing research before committing to a project.

“Make sure you have a licensed contractor, licensed insured, and that you’re hiring the right people because then you hire the wrong people and then this whole industry gets a mark,” she said.

She also recommended homeowners educate themselves about the permitting process and available resources, including the Building Industry Association, the General Contractors Association, and the DPP.

“Go and find out what you need where you look and there’s a lot of resources out there,” she said. “Don’t just expect to hire someone and do it yourself or do it themselves.”

Austin Lariosa advised clients to set realistic budgets and understand that lower prices don’t always mean better value. “Know your budget, understand that there’s different options, and work with the people that you wanna work with and just be able to conversate with them,” he said. “It’s all about collaboration.”

He also recommended checking the Better Business Bureau and the DCCA, and relying on word-of-mouth recommendations from people in the community.

“People know things,” he said. “And if it feels a little uneasy for you, maybe just give yourself some time.”

Community commitment

Despite the challenges of doing business in Hawaii, Haloa Construction says it is committed to staying and serving the local community. Ramona Lariosa said the company sometimes takes on work at a loss to help community members, such as repairing driveways for elderly residents.

“We don’t make money we sometimes lose money but you know we’re helping people right?” she said. “I think that’s the only way that we’re gonna be able to overcome the challenges in life is to be there for one another.”

She also emphasized the company’s broader mission: to provide employment and allow local families to remain in Hawaii despite rising costs of living.

“We ourselves are doing this so that we can help ourselves as well, and create employment, create a place where people can provide for their families and be here,” she said.

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For more information, visit huikapili.com.