The Hale Koa Hotel is the first property and federal work site in Hawaii to be a part of the Blue Zones Project, a program designed to make it easier for people to live healthier lifestyles through changes to the environment, policies and social networks.

The program, sponsored by the Hawaii Medical Service Association, is a healthy living experiment started by author Dan Buettner, who will tour the hotel today to help the facility adopt practices to promote healthy living by its 750 workers.

The program’s goal is to help people live longer, more productive lives by reducing the rates of obesity, smoking and chronic diseases by making fresh fruits and vegetables cheaper and more accessible to the community, and encouraging people to exercise.

The hotel has already started to make healthier meals for its staff, host wellness workshops and exercise groups, provide employer-subsidized fitness trackers and give employees access to its on-site fitness center.

ON THE MOVE

HomeBridge Financial Services has announced that Wayne Kodama is a mortgage loan originator for their Kahala office on Oahu. He has close to 10 years of experience in the mortgage industry. Prior to HomeBridge, Kodama was a reverse mortgage loan officer for Central Pacific Bank from 2008 to May 2017.

Royal Star Hawaii has promoted Rodney Schultz to general manager. He will be responsible for product improvement, day-today operations and maintenance efficiency within the firm. Schultz was previously an assistant general manager of Royal Star Hawaii and held many roles within the Stars of Paradise family of companies, including food and beverage operations manager for Rock-A-Hula Hawaii.