The Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods Team

Jeffrey Dunster

I received my academy training, my commission in the U.S. Army and my degree in Business from Norwich University in 1982. Thereafter, I served in the Hawaii National Guard as an officer and helicopter pilot and loved every minute of it.

When I was too young to know any better, I became a stock broker, and later, a partner in a brokerage firm with offices stretching from Honolulu to Düsseldorf. After retiring from the securities business in 1990, I began a small Mergers & Acquisitions consulting company with my longtime friend and business partner, Darrell Fox. Over the years, we have had the privilege of consulting for more than two dozen companies worldwide and from many diverse industries. Our expertise in the inner workings of public companies even allowed us the privilege of heading two large shareholder actions in which we successfully removed entrenched corrupt management and restored fiscal controls back to the shareholders.

As cliché as it sounds however, my most challenging and rewarding job has been that of a dad. I have five young children who mean everything to me. As any parent can tell you, the single most important thing you can do for your children is to be a good example. It is so important that we instill in them, a moral compass; one that balances personal goals with personal responsibility. I see the condition of our planet today and it saddens me. It is clear that some members of our own generation and those who came before us, lacked that type of character and have in turn, placed a huge burden on your children and mine.

No single act will repair the environment and no government will ever be able to legislate morality by passing laws. It’s simply up to each one of us to make right choices and to pass on that legacy to our children. Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods was created to allow a new generation of socially responsible individuals an opportunity to secure financial independence for themselves and their loved ones while helping the planet in the process.

Darrell Fox

I graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Wayne State University in 1973. My undergraduate specialty was in Botany and I did extensive graduate research at the University of Hawaii in nutrient cycling. I was twice the recipient of the Achievement Reward for College Scientists.

Upon finishing up with academia, I became the managing partner of an aquaculture project. We designed a state of the art cultivation system for producing premium shellfish for the restaurant industry.

For the last 20 years I have worked with my partner, Jeffrey Dunster, as a consultant to companies both public and private. My special area of interest was companies with operations in the environmental and biomedical fields. One thing that the investment industry taught me is that years of education are only a tool kit that one must decide how to apply to the real world. Another is that as the world changes one must direct their attention to fields that will thrive under the new paradigm.

Deforestation is becoming a global calamity, but it is also the signpost to an incredible opportunity. The growing shortage of tropical hardwood lumber is driving prices at an average of 13% per year. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization expects that rate to increase. As a hard asset, lumber of all kinds will rise in value in response to inflation. This makes it a defensive strategy in troubled economic times. I see it as my responsibility to the planet and more personally my responsibility to my wife and children to be a part of the solution.

As one of the founding members of Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods, I have been able to bring a lifetime of experience to a project that has been in the planning stages for years. We originally looked at this as an opportunity for ourselves and our families, but many of our contacts in the investment industry were interested in finding a way to participate. My experience in the financial and science communities are key elements in blending the biological requirements of growing trees with the financial realities of our times. It is my great pleasure to be able to do something good for the environment while helping individuals find an ethical way to profit in these unsettled economic times.

Mark Buck

For 20 years, I grew and managed a chain of retail stores here in Hawaii. The chain expanded to 23 locations throughout the Hawaiian Islands and was sold in 2003. Since that time I have been actively involved as a Commercial Real Estate Broker dealing in properties located on all of the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaii has been my home since the age of two and I have been so fortunate to be raised and educated to reflect Hawaii’s culture and values. For many years, I have been involved with Hawaiian Canoe Racing as a paddler, a coach and club president. This has brought me even closer to the culture, as Koa canoes are an integral part of the sport. As a member of the Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods Team I am able to bring the perspective of how the cultivation of koa can not only be a smart investment, but preserve this legacy tree for future generations.

John Henshaw

He earned a B.S. in forestry (1975) from Humboldt State University and a M.S. in forest engineering (1977) from Oregon State University. He is also a registered professional forester in California and a registered professional engineer in Oregon and holds both basic and advanced Certificates of Public Administration from Lewis and Clark College (1995). He began his Forest Service career in 1978 in California as a zone logging engineer for Sierra and Sequoia national forests. A year later he transferred to Tahoe National Forest, where he held assistant staff positions in both timber and engineering. In 1982 he was appointed to Nevada City as district ranger, and in 1985 he began serving as the District Ranger at Quinault on the Olympic National Forest. In August 1996, he became Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief for Programs and Legislation at the National Forest Foundation, where he helped maintain a successful partnership between the National Forest Foundation and the Forest Service. After leaving the Foundation he was assigned to special details for the Forest Service, including the Washington Office Recreation, Heritage, and Wilderness Resource Staff as the National Partnership Coordinator. He also served as the Executive Team Director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment (NRE) staff. In June 2001 he was transferred to the Policy Analysis staff in the Agency’s headquarters and worked on a wide range of issues including community-based partnerships. In 2003 he took the position of the Pacific Rim Forest Legacy Program Manager. Forest Legacy is a land conservation program in the State and Private Branch of the Agency that works to promote the long-term integrity of forestlands. John covered a large area in managing this program including Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and the Pacific Islands. During the first 5 months of 2006 he was Acting Deputy Forest Supervisor on the Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara California, where he was responsible for the management of nearly 2 million acres with over 500 employees. After retiring from the US Forest Service at the end of 2008 (with 31+ years) John joined The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii as their Director of Conservation. In this position he was responsible for all terrestrial conservation, science and land acquisition. He managed over 40,000 acres of TNC preserves and worked in partnership with other land managers on over 150,000 acres of conservation lands on 5 islands. In August of 2010 he moved to TNC Hawaii's Director for Land Protection and Conservation Partnerships. In this position he was the major TNC Hawaii contact for all state-wide conservation partnerships. He served as one of the first Directors of the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust (formed in January 2011 by merger of four Island based Land Trusts into the first State-wide Land Trust for Hawaii). He chaired the State Forest Stewardship Committee for the State Department of Lands and Natural Resources and was the first Board Chairman of the Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative (A Federally formed LCC). During this time he closed on two major land conservation projects. In March 2012 he resigned his position at TNC to return home to Napa County and to spend more time with his new granddaughter. Currently he serves on the Board of Directors for the Wildland Firefighters Foundation and the Land Trust of Napa County (both 502-c-3's) and on the Board Board of Directors for Cardinal Investment Company (for profit family held corporation) with over 20,000 acres of land in Hawaii.

Richard D. Lindberg

I graduated from California State University at Los Angeles in 1993 with a degree in Business Administration. While living in Southern California I had nine years of experience in corporate finance, marketing, accounting and project management. I was privileged to work for major corporations including Hunt/Wesson, Orville Redenbacher and The Walt Disney Corporation. Since moving to Hawaii in 1997, I have been involved in commercial, private and residential finance.

I have been involved with Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods since its inception. I have known the principals of this firm both personally and professionally for a number of years. I am proud to be part of this organization and applaud their business ethics, tenacity and overall vision.

Mike Wilson

I was born in Hawaii a territory at that time and was the fourth generation in my family to do so. Growing up in Makiki I spent my childhood on the beaches of Waikiki the Mountains were my back yard. I began my education in public school until grade 7th, I transferred to Punahou School where I graduated. I was accepted into the group “Up with People” traveling throughout the states and Europe. After my one year tour I pursued my education at San Diego State University receiving a degree in commercial arts and graphics and minored in Botany and Spanish. To support school costs I worked in the restaurant business which became my destiny for the next 32 years of which two years were spent in Indonesia. During my travels I fell in love with meeting people of such diverse ethnicities and culture. While in the restaurant business I met my wife Donna and we had a beautiful girl Kylie. The restaurant business takes its toll on people and the time away from my family coupled with the stress lead me to reevaluate my future. In 2010 I had the opportunity to visit my friend Richard Lindberg (HLH sales manager) at the Kukaiau Ranch where I participated in planting Koa seedlings. The air was clear, the view incredible and the sense of belonging overwhelming. I endured a few more months in the restaurant business until I decided to make the move and joined Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods. Since that time I have become extremely passionate about what we are doing and take every opportunity to invite others to participate. It is truly a blessing to work with a company that does so much for so many.

Betsy Maler

As manager for the Legacy Tree Program, I network with individuals and businesses that understand the importance of hardwoods and reforestation mission and share in the goal of perpetuating the gift of giving back to the earth for future generations.

A professional in Hawaii’s residential, commercial and industrial real estate community, I bring a wealth of experience to Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods, from property management, investment sales and acquisitions to consulting and leasing.

I received my education in the field of nursing. With that knowledge, I developed a hospital management billing company resulting in increased revenue and awareness of compliance for nurses, physicians and billers.

As a mother of two children I believe strongly in the importance of community service and family values. My daughters and I have been involved in mission work serving to educate and assist in building living compounds and help improve conditions for orphans in many developing countries prevailing over limited resources and language barriers. This privilege to serve has allowed me to experience the importance of helping others. My children have taken an active role in mission work creating lasting friendships affirming our belief that when goodness is done, greatness is achieved.

John Morrisroe

Although born in Michigan, I was raised in California. From there, I moved to Frankfurt Germany in 1979, where I graduated from Frankfurt American High School in 1983. I attended the University of Maryland (European Division) before moving back to California where I worked in the fitness industry, managing health clubs for 16 years. I decided to transition careers and became a licensed mortgage broker and real estate agent.

Over the last two years, I’ve heard a lot about the mission and vision for Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods (HLH) through the CEO, Jeff Dunster. I decided to join the HLH team because I truly believed in their mission. Creating a sustainable supply of Koa trees on the Big Island to offset the rapid depletion of Hawaii’s premiere native wood is a beautiful thing. And it makes good business sense.

Myah Ely

I am a graduate of Hawaii Pacific University, with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies and a Certificate of Environmental Policy from the Global Leadership and Sustainable Development graduate program. I worked for a local printing company as their Sustainability Manager, assisting with an array of sustainability projects, including diverting tons of paper from the landfill to be made into “new” recycled paper, reducing packaging waste from distributors and educating others at public outreach events. In this position I connected with international groups such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Rainforest Alliance and the natureOffice sustainable climate protection firm to better understand my responsibilities as a global citizen and to encourage our own community to “Think Global, Act Local”. This concept also spurred me to co-found the Sustainability Association of Hawaii, a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to connecting Hawaii's businesses and individuals to resources that support responsible stewardship of our diverse island community.

I am with Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods as their Sustainability Consultant to share the values we must all embrace to live a more sustainable, prosperous future. Our team understands the importance of reforestation and global climate protection and will gladly share with you all the benefits of planting trees.