Industry on Molokai (Hilo: sales, real estate, 2014)

[StampedePress]

Hey guys,
I had a question, I'm in search of a position in electronics engineering and I was wondering what industry on Molokai or Maui is like. I'm having trouble finding a good position, I'm going to keep plugging away and see what I can find. I was even looking into Live Audio as I was a sound mixer years ago, so I was even looking at that in a pinch to get me started as I'm sure there are plenty of live events on the islands.

I was wondering if there was a first hand perspective anyone could offer me, any new electronics businesses opening up. Or any established companies that employ engineers of all kinds. The state offers some good I.T. positions which I'm certified for but the pay is just under what I need to support my wife and I.


Thanks!
Pete

[HanapepePuppy]

I.T. does not pay well anywhere in HI from my own research, but your best bet would be on Oahu not so much Maui and definitely not Molokai.

[whtviper1]

Molokai is farming and cattle - you aren't going to find IT jobs.

What pay are you looking for - and what do you do in IT, I'll tell you if it is realistic. Figure 30-50% less pay than the West Coast.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by JoppaJawbone

I had a question, I'm in search of a position in electronics engineering and I was wondering what industry on Molokai or Maui is like.

Industry? <scratching head> Sorry, there's not a lot of industry in Hawai'i, especially not in electronics. And Molokai is tiny, less than 8,000 population. There's not a lot of most things there.

Here's what the City Data profile for Hawai'i has to say about industry in the state...

Food and food products account for about one-third of the total annual value of shipments by manufacturers, including sugar and pineapples. Other major industries are clothing; stone, clay, and glass products; fabricated metals; and shipbuilding.

Hawaii's publicly held corporations include Amfac, involved in food processing, merchandising, and land development; and Castle & Cooke, which owns the Dole and Bumble Bee food product lines. Other corporations are Dillingham, which is involved in maritime industries and land development, and Brewer (owned by IU International), which produces 20% of the state's sugar and more than half the world's macadamia nuts.

http://www.city-data.com/states/Hawaii-Industry.html

And the state Data Book has this take on it...

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR INDUSTRIES IN THE STATE OF HAWAII?
Hawaii’s economy is not easily summarized into conventional industry sectors common to economic analysis, i.e. those categories that comprise the Gross State Product. The primary source of income for Hawaii is the visitor sector which spreads itself over several industries, such as service, transportation and retail trade. Because of this, the question “What are the top ten industries in Hawaii?” is not easily answered.

As a partial answer to this question, the Research and Economic Analysis Division staff at the Dept. of Business, Economic Development and Tourism have developed a table called “Direct Income from Major Export Industries”. This table, included in the State of Hawaii Data Book, shows the top four export industries in terms of expenditures to be visitors, defense, raw sugar and molasses and fresh and processed pineapple.

Research & Economic Analysis | What are the major industries in the State of Hawaii?

Good luck!

[pmmenn2014]

A lot of posters are confusing IT support with Electrical Engineering. They both use electronics but are totally different. Being a former engineer I would look in the government support/University Lab areas. There are vendors on may of the islands Maui, Kauai, Big and Oahu. Think Observatories, Radar and undersea listening stations, (Pacific Fleet support. Expect to pass a security clearance for defense contractors, Possibly Altitude Physical), Research equipment support Marine Biology. Every US sensor in the mid pacific is supported by the islands.

Good Luck

[hotzcatz]

Try the observatories on the Island of Hawaii. They are probably the highest paid electronics people around, but I'm just guessing.

There is almost no electronics industry in the state of Hawaii, you'll be working with end users and not manufacturers.

Actually, there is almost no industry in the state due to the shipping distances involved as well as the higher rents for manufacturing real estate. You'd pretty much have to manufacture things which are going to be sold here and have to produce them less expensively than from being outsourced.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Actually, there is almost no industry in the state due to the shipping distances involved as well as the higher rents for manufacturing real estate. You'd pretty much have to manufacture things which are going to be sold here and have to produce them less expensively than from being outsourced.

Exactly my point. There's a manufacturer of standing seam metal roofing in Hilo, because it is cheaper to bring in the raw materials and make it to order locally than to ship in finished goods in all the various patterns and colors they offer... and yet large quantities of other roofing materials from the mainland are still shipped in, and the flow of such goods would never go the other way.

And there's a manufacturer of molded polyethelene tanks in Kea'au, because big, bulky items like water tanks and septic tanks are expensive to ship in, while the barrels of feedstock used are far more economical.

Other than locally produced items for the local market, what gets manufactured here for shipment elsewhere mostly has local "charm" in one form or another. Clothing with Hawai'i themes, local food specialties like macadamia nuts and coffee and guava jelly, surfing gear.

That's one of downsides of being at the end of a 2,500 mile supply chain. There's not a lot of industry that really COULD be run here and be competitve in the global market.

[hotzcatz]

Which is why growing those eucalyptus trees along the Hamakua coast for wood pulp is so stupid. Growing a commodity when you have limited arable land and then shipping it away to be processed elsewhere doesn't make sense. Nobody local makes any money other than a few truck drivers hired and a few folks operating the tree harvesting equipment, but not many jobs considering the amount of property covered in eucalyptus trees. The folks making the money are those banker sorts who put them in "eco-portfolios" and other financial whoodoo. They may have sold carbon credits, too. Hasn't much to do with the real world and it clutters up our hillside and keeps us from growing food or trees we can use.

We should be growing tropical hardwoods and having fine furniture made or other high end products. The folks who buy that sort of item aren't concerned about shipping. Also, the state and county would make piles more money on the sales tax of finished items instead of mere commodity level of taxes. There'd be loads more jobs, too, if it were hardwoods that were processed locally.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Which is why growing those eucalyptus trees along the Hamakua coast for wood pulp is so stupid.

I don't think that's what is happening. As I understand it, the Eucalyptus trees were planted to provide windbreaks and stabilize the soil against erosion, the way they were used starting in the early 1900s in central California's citrus groves. Then, as the years passed and the liabilities of Eucalyptus... including high flammability, poor lumber characteristics and weak branches in mature trees that easily break off to became "widow makers"... people started wondering what to do with them, and one idea that got floated was to revive the old bagasse-burning power plants of the plantation era and burn the resin-rich eucalyptus in them, which they are now doing.

Interesting side note, the noxious Albezias, now one of our worst invasives, were deliberately introduced to help stabilize soil after the sugar plantations closed, because they are so fast growing and so good at rooting in shallow soil. Unlike the Eucalyptus they are a poor fuel source, but they are an excellent source of high quality wood pulp for making fine paper. At least one Japanese firm did investigate the possibility of creating a paper mill and Albezia farm in Puna, but there hasn't been any discernable action on that front in years.

We should be growing tropical hardwoods and having fine furniture made or other high end products. The folks who buy that sort of item aren't concerned about shipping. Also, the state and county would make piles more money on the sales tax of finished items instead of mere commodity level of taxes. There'd be loads more jobs, too, if it were hardwoods that were processed locally.

Agreed, but hardwoods take generations to mature, so who will invest in that? The islands used to be covered in exquisite hardwoods, most notably koa, but it was all overharvested and is now in short supply and extremely expensive. Local artisans pay fortunes for slabs of koa, with which to make gorgeous furniture that only the wealthy can afford. Your vision of local artisans turning out everyday furniture for everyday use seems a remote possibility, especially in the face of the booming furniture industry in Southeast Asia, where labor costs are maybe 10% of US rates.

[StampedePress]

Thanks guys for so many good detailed replies.
pmmenn2014 & hotzcatz These are very good points I had not looked into. Thank you.

It's too bad there isn't more in the way of Tech jobs, but I can imagine the number of willing workers in Silicon Valley far outweigh any need for anyone to open up shop in Hawaii. I guess it doesn't seem practical to these companies who only worry about their bottom line. It's very interesting to hear how people innovate to create products they need on the island to cut costs.

I had I.T. in mind because with all the hotels there as to be teleconferencing going on and a need to maintain internet systems. I only have my A+ and Network + certifications so it may not be enough but I havn't seen any positions in this area either. Other than one with the state that is. Electrical Engineering would be preferred. I see a lot of solar companies, so I'm looking into that as a potential foothold. I'm currently less than a year from graduation and I work at Panasonic as a Supervisor in Pro Video. I'm looking to find work in electronics design, so I may spend another year or so to gain experience in the design work and make the move after graduation. Of course I'll be looking for that good job in the mean time.

That or I go into raising sheep and farming. Which would be a dream other than the fact I would need my own mint in order to purchase a farm ranch on the islands.