Preserving Hawaiian Culture

"It's way more cost-effective and efficient," he notes. "Administration loves it."

Speaking from his mountainside office, with its view down into the lush Kalihi valley, Silva says winters on Oahu can be rather rainy, though with temperatures averaging 72 degrees, it's not hard to take.

Silva got a taste of chilly weather in the fall when he ventured to Graph Expo in Chicago to accept his in-plant's Gold Award and to look at new equipment. But despite that tempting glimpse of big city life, Silva says he's not ready to trade Hawaii's rainy winters for the chilly temperatures of the mainland.