2025-12-15 Liquor Commission Minutes Hilo (Special Meeting)

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Okabe: If you were in our position, why would we hire you? Frendo: I feel I bring a lot of experience both from the private sector and the industry side, and with my 21 years with the Department, I feel I can offer what I have is experience with rapport, and relationships with the different entities that affect the Department itself, the outside agencies, the different private agencies, public agencies. And I always look for a continuous improvement on the way the processes are in place, try to look for improvement. Okabe: What would you consider your strengths and your weaknesses, and what would you do to improve the areas that are not your strengths? Frendo: So my strengths are again like I said, I'm strong with public rapport with licensees and the general public, different agencies, federal, state, and county. One of my downfalls is I have this style of working, or my style of getting anything done just to make sure it gets done, and a lot of times I take on more than I can chew, I take on more rather than assigning it out. I've been working on delegation to subordinates, different investigators now that I have a full staff on that side, I have people to help me. Okabe: If hired, what do you perceive are your obligations as the Director? Frendo: Primarily for the Director is holding up the integrity for the Department, whether it's through enforcement, regulation, and education. Different aspects of that would be responsible for developing policies to put in place that we can relate with the general public, with the industry, like the different staples I put in my statement there. Different you know, community relations, trying to get that to make sure that the Department is involved in something that people, the general public and the industry knows that we are involved, maybe we have a responsibility to show them that. Okabe: No. 5, what are your priorities as soon as you become Director, and what things would you hope to accomplish in the first year? Frendo: My immediate priority would be assessing the Department itself both internally and the relationships with the licensees as far as, if we're efficient in what we're doing. Yeah, we've had good standards set by our predecessors, but as far as if we're holding up those efficiencies. If we're not doing something that we're possibly able to do, like instead of having people specialized in something in the office, having something brought in. Some training or cross -training, and people can you know, like when somebody goes on vacation, that person can step up to the tasks and they'll know the information rather than just one person. Okabe: No. 6, can you provide for us at least two goals you want to set for the Department, and what are your plans to achieve those goals? MINUTES - LIQUOR COMMISSION MEETING SPECIAL MEETING - MONDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2025 - HILO PAGE 25 OF 35