Succeeding in the construction business runs in the family for Glen Kaneshige, who was recently honored by the Hawai‘i Regional Council of Carpenters and Pacific Resource Partnership as the 2024 Outstanding Union Builder of the Year at a Royal Hawaiian Resort Waikīkī reception.
This is the second time Kaneshige was honored with the award, having received it in 2011. No other Hawai‘i builder has been honored twice.
Kaneshige, president of Nordic PCL Construction Inc., grew up in the industry under the tutelage of his late father, Mitsuru “Mits” Kaneshige, who served as president of Nordic Construction until the company’s 1995 merger with PCL Construction Ltd. as part of a joint venture to build the Hawai‘i Convention Center.
“My father, who ran Nordic from the ’70s into the ’90s, showed me that you’re only as good as your last project, and it takes perseverance and an ability to work with other people to succeed,” Kaneshige says. “Construction is a ‘people business’ because no one can build a project by themselves. Being recognized twice as the Outstanding Union Builder of the Year means I’ve been a factor in helping to align management’s business goals with those of labor, which includes the 6,000 hardworking members of the Hawai‘i Regional Council of Carpenters. Without the expertise and skill of these dedicated union professionals, the construction industry would not be a driver of the local economy as it is today.”
As Nordic PCL president, Glen Kaneshige has left an indelible mark on Hawai‘i’s skyline over his remarkable 30-year journey, which includes such notable projects as the Kaiser Honolulu Clinic, Ali‘i Place, and the James Campbell Building in Kapolei.
“Glen represents all of the values that our union strives for, and he has proven to be a true partner in addressing the challenges to our industry,” says Ron Taketa, executive secretary treasurer of the Hawai‘i Regional Council of Carpenters. “In addition to being an extremely successful contractor, Glen has dedicated himself to improving labor-management relations and the collective bargaining process within the construction trades.”
