Nordic PCL Construction is highlighting how professionals with backgrounds in art, music, woodworking, dance and athletics are bringing different approaches to project leadership and problem-solving across Hawaii's construction industry.
With nearly 90 years of work in Hawaii, Nordic PCL has delivered a range of projects spanning hospitality, health care, education and military infrastructure. The construction program includes major developments such as Mauna Kea, Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort, health care work at The Queen's Medical Center and Straub Benioff Medical Center, and projects at military installations across the state.
The company says experiences outside traditional construction roles can influence how project teams visualize challenges, communicate and collaborate.
Nordic PCL Vice President and District Manager Mike Betz has applied lessons from woodworking to his approach to construction. His work with raw materials has reinforced experimentation, patience and the ability to identify possibilities in challenging conditions.
Superintendent Craig Akina draws on his background as an artist to visualize projects in three dimensions. That perspective can help identify spatial relationships and potential conflicts before construction progresses further.
The different backgrounds are particularly relevant to projects in Hawaii, where construction work can involve complex site conditions, cultural considerations and community needs.
Superintendent Jose "Joe" Siababa brings his experience as a guitarist into his approach to project coordination. He compares construction projects to music, where individual participants must stay aligned while responding to changes.
Project Administrator Makana Brito draws from a lifelong background in hula. The emphasis on coordinated movement and individual responsibility within a larger group informs her approach to teamwork and collaboration.
That cultural perspective also connects to Nordic PCL's work within Hawaii communities. The company's portfolio includes Kūlanihāko‘i High School in Kihei, Maui, the region's first public high school, designed to serve students and families in the growing community.
Project Engineer Julius Buelow brings an athletic background to construction after playing collegiate football at the University of Washington and the University of Mississippi and later signing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
His experience competing at high levels has reinforced preparation, adaptability and composure under pressure. Buelow says construction, like team sports, depends on people listening, preparing and executing together rather than relying on individual performance.
Nordic PCL also emphasizes learning directly from project users. On a recent health care project, team members observed an operating room before construction to better understand how clinicians move, communicate and respond during procedures.
The approach reflects a broader focus on incorporating perspectives from outside traditional construction disciplines into project planning and execution.
Nordic PCL's leadership approach is closely tied to the communities where it operates. Its portfolio includes projects that support tourism, health care, education, military operations and other essential needs across the islands.
By drawing on different professional and personal experiences, project teams can approach construction challenges from multiple perspectives while maintaining focus on coordination, quality and community needs.
The strategy also reflects the broader role of construction in Hawaii, where projects must account for the physical environment, local culture and long-term community use. For Nordic PCL, those considerations extend beyond individual projects and influence how teams build relationships with clients, trade partners and communities
Source: PCL.
