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The Nareit Foundation’s REIT Way Hawaii Community Giving Initiative has awarded a $120,000 grant to the nonprofit Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity.
The grant will be used to build a self-help house in Eleele for a low-income family in support of Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity’s mission that “brings people together to build homes, communities and hope.” The four-bedroom, two-bathroom home will have 1,248 square feet of interior living space and a covered lanai of 126 square feet.
Representing the Nareit Foundation in recognizing the grant were Chris Benjamin, president and CEO of Alexander & Baldwin; Francis Cofran, senior general manager of Brookfield Property REIT’s Ala Moana Center; and Pamela Wilson, general manager of Hawaiian real estate for American Assets Trust. Each company is a real estate investment trust (REIT) with notable property holdings in Hawaii.
The Nareit Foundation encourages other qualified organizations throughout Hawaii to submit applications to be considered for grants supporting affordable housing projects in 2020 through its REIT Way Hawaii Community Giving Initiative.
Applicants should be implementing projects that provide affordable housing for sale or rent. Grant funds are not intended for planning and will only go to organizations with “shovel-ready” projects or to make land purchases for such projects.
For more information, go to thereitwayhawaii.com.
ON THE MOVE
Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel has promoted Shimpei Oki to partner. Oki joined the firm as an associate in 2013, where he used his fluency in Japanese to assist Japanese companies and investors with real estate, corporate and business immigration issues. He received his J.D. from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii.
Kamehameha Schools has named John Komeiji as its new general counsel and vice president. He will succeed Eric Sonnenberg on Feb. 18. Komeiji most recently served as chief administrative officer and general counsel for Hawaiian Telcom. He also served as senior partner at Watanabe Ing & Komeiji LLP before joining Hawaiian Telcom. Komeiji is a past president of the Hawaii State Bar Association; he received the Hawaii Venture Capitalist Association’s Corporate Intrapreneur of the Year Award in 2018 and the University of Hawaii’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011.