Group photo from the 2025 CLC Jobsite Tour & Pau Hana at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Building Hawaii's Next Generation of Leaders
The Purpose Behind the Construction Leadership Council
This article appeared in the Hawaii Contractor magazine, 2026, volume 25, issue 2.
Read the digital version here.
If you would like to be added to the mailing list for the next issue, please fill out this form.
For young professionals in Hawaii’s construction industry, breaking into leadership often means finding the right network, and that’s exactly the gap the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) was built to fill. As a program of the GCA of Hawaii, the CLC serves as a resource for the association’s next generation of members, giving rising professionals a space to network, trade ideas about the industry, and sharpen their leadership skills.
Left: CLC Professional Development event at CPB Ocean 20, L to R, Jennifer Nonaka, Leigha Huck, Presenter Jan Kaeo, Roy Shioi, Claire Thompson, Justin Cornair, Frank Fasi III, Joseph Furutani, and David Nakamura.
Right: Building beds with the nonprofit Sleep In Heavenly Peace as one of the CLC's yearly Community Service events.
Rather than functioning as a formal training program, the CLC operates more like a peer community that connects emerging leaders across GCA’s member companies through a steady calendar of social, educational, and community-focused events.
According to its mission statement, the council exists to cultivate Hawaii’s next generation of construction leaders and advance the industry through professional development and community building. Its vision is to become the premier organization for developing leaders in the state’s construction sector.
Left: The CLC was proud to once again partner with the UH Manoa College of Engineering for the annual Senior Social.
Right: CLC Mentorship Night, L to R, Travis Higa, Mentor Robert Tomas, Mentor Kimi Yuen, Mentor Christopher Knitter, Mentor Ryan Kamo, Joseph Furutani, and Jennifer Nonaka.
As Hawaii’s construction industry continues to face workforce and succession challenges, councils like the CLC offer a low-barrier, high-value way to keep talent engaged, connected, and moving toward leadership roles within the industry.
Networking and Social Events
On May 21, the council hosted its Mentorship Night at Cosentino City Hawaii, with sponsorship from Moss and Nordic PCL Construction. The event paired emerging professionals with established industry leaders for guided conversation and relationship building.
On April 7, CLC members joined University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Engineering seniors for a networking social at Beer Lab HI at Puck’s Alley, with sponsorship from Rosendin Electric, Inc., S&M Sakamoto, Inc., and Swinerton. The social offered a chance for soon-to-be graduates to connect directly with people already working in the field.
These two events reflect the range of what the CLC does: one built around mentorship and professional development, the other around introducing students to the industry’s next wave of talent before they’ve even graduated.
Community Service
Giving back to the community is a core part of the CLC’s mission. Each year, the council organizes a service project that puts its members’ construction skills to work for local nonprofits — from building bunk beds with Sleep in Heavenly Peace to restoring native habitat at Kuilei Cliffs and removing invasive limu from Maunalua Bay. This year, on March 28, 2026, CLC members and friends returned to Sleep in Heavenly Peace’s Kapolei warehouse for a third time, spending the morning sanding and assembling bunk beds for local families in need.
ARE YOU A GCA MEMBER AND INTERESTED IN JOINING THE CLC?
Fill out the CLC interest form here!
Not sure if you are a GCA member? If you work for a GCA member company, you are automatically a member! You can view the latest membership directory here and search for your company.
CLC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chair
Claire Thompson, Nordic PCL Construction, Inc.
Vice-Chair
Justin Cornair, Cornair Inc.
Treasurer
Jodi Watanabe, Rosendin Electric, Inc.
Immediate Past Chair
Travis Higa, Constructors Hawaii, Inc.
For more on the Construction Leadership Council, click here.
This article appeared in the Hawaii Contractor magazine, 2026, volume 25, issue 2.
Read the digital version here.
If you would like to be added to the mailing list for the next issue, please fill out this form.