ALOHA!

Idaho Legislator Takes On Sugar Production In Maui

Sunset colors the sky with shades of autumn, as if a turning leaf bleeds onto the sky. Below, the ocean’s surf resembles a tumble of cirrus clouds coming home to rest on miles of sprawling beaches. The fragrant scent of exotic flora fills the evening air.

A top destination worldwide, Maui is the quintessential getaway for young and old. The beaches alone are reason enough to spend some island time here.

As luck would have it, the University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (UI CALS) has a sweet connection with this ultimate getaway destination. The Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Company (HC&S), Hawaii’s largest producer of a raw sugar that resembles the texture and color of its nearby beaches, has recently hired two UI alumni and a UI graduate student spent his summer interning there.

Sweetening the deal is the fact that the company produces more than 200,000 tons of raw sugar a year on 37,000 acres. This sugar trade became an appealing opportunity for UI CALS graduate Tyrel Dyer ’06.

“I think my wife was more excited than I was when we found out,” admits Dyer, who got his bachelor’s degree in agricultural systems management in May. Dyer is now a supervisor in the company’s agricultural development division. “I am only here because of CALS,” explained Dyer, who grew up in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Hawaiian path for veteran Idaho legislator

Doug Jones, former Idaho legislator,
dons hardhat for work around
machines near sugarcane fields.
Photos by John Henry Photography

Doug Jones ’72, an Idaho legislator for 20 years who took the job as  vice president of HC&S’s Agricultural Services in 2005, needed a new entry-level manager. After unsuccessful Internet job posts and local advertising, he approached his alma mater where Jones has maintained strong connections through the years.

A phone call to John Foltz, CALS associate dean and director of      academic programs, provided candidates. “I knew the quality of employee I would get and the quality of education the potential employee would have,” Jones explained.

A quality employee with such a high caliber education is a perfect fit for a company that produces more than 60 percent of Hawaii’s sugar. “It’s really a massive operation,” Jones observes.

The third-generation farmer from the Filer-Twin Falls area is in charge of harvesting, tillage, and planting operations for the company with some 800 employees. It’s more than a full-time job. Jones works  11-hour days, nothing new for the farmer-turned-executive who found the job through word-of-mouth. The challenge enchanted him, even more than the glow of tiki torches and glazed pineapple. “I wanted this opportunity,” he said.

Known for seeking challenges, Jones, during his decades as an Idaho state representative, led the House Agriculture Committee for nine years and served on the Education and Natural Resources Committee.

He is most proud of his legacy in education. “I sponsored and passed legislation for the education of pre-school handicapped children and mandated gifted and talented education programs in every school district,” he said. “I believe that good education at all levels—from pre-school to Ph.D.—is the future of Idaho and the nation.”

Not coincidentally, his wife Mary is completing her Ph.D. in education from the UI this December and has accepted a position with the University of Hawaii.

Jones is centered, not easily distracted. Even in picturesque Maui, his mantra is “I’m here to work.”

UI grads Tyrel and Katie Dyer stroll a Maui beach during off hours from
Tyrel's job with Hawaii's largest sugar producer.

Newlyweds work, play in Maui

Dyer and wife Katie ’06 have found a smart balance between work and play in Maui. The newlyweds spend Sundays enjoying snorkeling, sightseeing, and time in their Maui home.

It’s been quite a roller coaster ride since their college days in Moscow, recalls Katie, a Kuna native. The couple arrived in Maui just nine days after their wedding. “I was very, very excited by the opportunity” of living in a place where many newlyweds only honeymoon. “It’s paradise.”

The idyllic setting provides Tyrel with an opportunity for personal and professional growth. “I like working with people,” he said. As part of his job, he supervises a planting crew of up to seven workers, interesting culturally because most are Filipino and speak little English. But he's prepared.

“The UI really works to promote cultural diversity,” he explained. During his schooling, “We were able to meet people from a variety of cultural backgrounds. Because of that, I’ve been able to work through cultural challenges I’ve experienced so far.”

Katie works at a local western apparel store, with her sights set on management opportunities. Eventually, either on the island or back home, Katie hopes to teach agricultural science and technology and advise FFA students. As beautiful as Maui is, Katie says the couple will likely return to Idaho or Wyoming and buy some land and raise animals. Yet a tropical paradise for the time being suits them just fine.

Internship with time for surf

Shawn Campbell ’05, now back on campus pursuing a master’s degree in agricultural economics, admits his 2006 summer internship at HC&S upped his fashion sense. “This was the first job where my work clothes were nicer than my other clothes.”

Campbell, who grew up on a cattle ranch in Condon, Oregon, graduated from UI with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural systems management. Timing of this internship for the 6-foot-3, 23-year-old seemed perfect. “I figure I should do stuff like this while I can, when I have fewer responsibilities.” Working 40-hour weeks, he found time to explore the island and add bodyboarding and snorkeling to his leisure pursuits.

“It’s the first job where I was able to use what I’d learned,” says Campbell, who observes farming “is entirely different in Hawaii from here. They do everything—prepping, planting, harvesting—every day of the year.” Invited to bring “fresh eyes” to their operation, Campbell did several economic regressions, “when you take a set of data that appears to have a  pattern, and set a line to it, using variables to estimate the actuals.”

He looked at available equipment, how often it sat idle. “Then I made suggestions about how to improve their processes to be more efficient.” He  presented his findings the day before he returned to Idaho. “They were pretty open and accepting. I didn’t have anyone stand up and say, ‘You don’t know crap.’”

The internship helped Campbell realize what he can see himself doing once he finishes his schooling. “I am very thankful for the opportunity, but I don’t see myself working for a corporation on a permanent basis.”

Resumes for all three alums now say Maui, Hawaii, but it’s not all sultry sunsets and luaus. They all know the meaning of hard work, a trait cultivated at their alma mater. It seems that such a work ethic has its sweet rewards.

Caption

At left, Doug Jones, former Idaho legislator, dons hardhat for work around machines near sugarcane fields. Photos by John Henry Photography