Bill Cresenzo Reporter – Pacific Business News
Real estate management company Hawaii First Inc. has taken over the operations of the Moana Pacific condominium, which has 1,397 units in twin oval glass towers on Kapiolani Boulevard in Kakaako, from the much larger Hawaiiana Management Co.
Hawaii First began managing the building on Jan. 1, said Richard Emery, the company’s president.
The condo towers had been managed by Hawaiiana Management for around seven years, since the building first opened, Emery said.
Hawaii First will be responsible for collecting association fees, accrual accounting, publishing a multi-lingual newsletter and the overall management of the building, Emery said.
Hawaii First was founded in 1997 and is Hawaii’s fourth-largest condo management firm, according to PBN research. The firm managed more than 14,000 condo units in 2013, but Emery said the firm has grown 30 percent in the past year and has added 45 condo associations.
Hawaiiana was founded in 1964 and is Hawaii’s largest condo management firm. It manages around 51,000 units, according to PBN research.
“Hawaiiana is very proud of our service to Moana Pacific, and we wish them well,” said Phyllis Kacher, senior vice president of marketing at Hawaiiana. “We maintain a 99-percent client retention rate, and of the few clients who leave us, a large percentage return.”