Recognizing SSFM’s Core Values

Each month, SSFM’s staff nominates their co-workers who best exemplify our core values – integrity, progressiveness, customer focus and nurturing. In the midst of Covid-19, we are honoring our team members who have proven invaluable to our work-from-home conditions, ensure that SSFM project delivery is seamless and rise to the standards of our core values.

Robyn Ito, Bennett Fung

Client Focused

 

Robyn Ito

Bennett Fung

 

 

 

 

 

Delivering sound design and technical solutions is always the given. Going above and beyond is what cements relationships between clients and consultants. SSFM were the Civil and Structural engineers for the Hilo Veterans’ Community Project with Design Partners Incorporated (DPI) as our client. We’ve completed past projects for DPI but never with their commercial studio. Robyn and Bennett’s performance, meeting schedules, and always being responsive and interested in cultivating the relationship, led our client to remark, “I love working with Robyn and Bennett. They’re such smart people. Robyn’s like a laser and Bennett is so easy to work with. SSFM is now my favorite consultant!”

Carah Kadota, David Miyasaki, Rethwik Gona

Nurturing

 

Carah Kadota

David Miyasaki

Rethwik Gona

 

 

 

 

 

Mentoring our interns during the pandemic is a challenge. Despite the work from home mandate, Carah, David and Rethwick understand the commitment of our interns and their desire to gain from their participation. The trio arranged a socially distant lunch with the Honolulu office interns to share their own engagement and growth while working in the firm’s Planning and Traffic Engineering Groups. They took time to describe life in the profession and ways the interns could enhance their experience, and, despite Covid-19, make their time at SSFM especially valuable. Carah, David and Rethwik’s actions reflect our culture of nurturing consistent, another reason why SSFM is a great place to be an intern.

Tyler Allen, Romel Tangonan, Manhin Leung, Noel Sario

Client Focused

Tyler Allen

Romel Tangonan

 

 
 

 

Manhin Leung

Noel Sario

 

 

 

 

 

A burning question entering the COVID crisis was can professional firms maintain their productivity goals under work from home mandates? SSFM’s Allen, Romel, Manhin and Noel demonstrated without a doubt that it is more than possible. Project P-459 is a $100 million dollar BEQ project with multiple buildings and complex facilities. As structural engineers for this design/build project, we had just 6 weeks to take the project from 0% – 60% completion. During the peak of the pandemic crisis, working remotely and coordinating virtually, this team produced 111 sheets of drawings, 1,250 pages of calculations, with quality control that exceeded the target and demonstrating an inordinate work ethic and model of efficiency.

Rylan Ikehara, Justin Sakamoto

Client Focused

Rylan Ikahara

Justin Sakamoto

 

 

 

 

 

The impact of Covid-19 is manifesting itself in many aspects of our business. The architect assigned the inspection of over 900 lanais at the Hawaiian Village Rainbow Tower was prohibited from visiting Oahu due to travel restrictions. SSFM was asked to conduct the structural and architectural inspections. Justin and Rylan embraced the challenge, working full days in the field for two weeks, documenting conditions with photographs and Bluebeam software. Each room required furniture removal from the lanais and delays due the hotel lockdown and Covid-19 restrictions further complicated the process.

Josh Kephart

Integrity

Josh Kephart

 

 

 

 

 

Our practice requires all manner of skills and training. Josh Kephart, was recently called upon to exercise talents he never learned in school or on the job. Heading home from SSFM’s Pali Highway Construction Management Field Office, Josh heard a loud alarm coming from the church/preschool facility on the first floor and went to investigate. He was met with smoke and plumes coming from the classroom.

He ran to his truck for his fire extinguisher and returned to find an intense kitchen fire that had completely engulfed the stove and was quickly spreading to the cabinets, ceilings and walls. Fortunately there were no children present and Josh, along with the teacher, managed to extinguish the flames before the fire department arrived. Hardly part of his job description but we salute Josh for his quick action and selflessness in serving our communities.

Recognizing SSFM’s Core Values

Each month, SSFM’s staff nominates their co-workers who best exemplify our core values – integrity, progressiveness, customer focus and nurturing. In the midst of Covid-19, we are honoring our team members who have proven invaluable to our work-from-home conditions, ensure that SSFM project delivery is seamless and rise to the standards of our core values.

Robyn Ito

Bennett Fung

Robyn Ito, Bennett Fung

Client Focused

Delivering sound design and technical solutions is always the given. Going above and beyond is what cements relationships between clients and consultants. SSFM were the Civil and Structural engineers for the Hilo Veterans’ Community Project with Design Partners Incorporated (DPI) as our client. We’ve completed past projects for DPI but never with their commercial studio. Robyn and Bennett’s performance, meeting schedules, and always being responsive and interested in cultivating the relationship, led our client to remark, “I love working with Robyn and Bennett. They’re such smart people. Robyn’s like a laser and Bennett is so easy to work with. SSFM is now my favorite consultant!”

Carah Kadota

David Miyasaki

Rethwik Gona

Carah Kadota, David Miyasaki, Rethwik Gona

Nurturing

Mentoring our interns during the pandemic is a challenge. Despite the work from home mandate, Carah, David and Rethwick understand the commitment of our interns and their desire to gain from their participation. The trio arranged a socially distant lunch with the Honolulu office interns to share their own engagement and growth while working in the firm’s Planning and Traffic Engineering Groups. They took time to describe life in the profession and ways the interns could enhance their experience, and, despite Covid-19, make their time at SSFM especially valuable. Carah, David and Rethwik’s actions reflect our culture of nurturing consistent, another reason why SSFM is a great place to be an intern.

Tyler Allen

Romel Tangonan

Manhin Leung

Noel Sario

Tyler Allen, Romel Tangonan, Manhin Leung, Noel Sario

Client Focused

A burning question entering the COVID crisis was can professional firms maintain their productivity goals under work from home mandates? SSFM’s Allen, Romel, Manhin and Noel demonstrated without a doubt that it is more than possible. Project P-459 is a $100 million dollar BEQ project with multiple buildings and complex facilities. As structural engineers for this design/build project, we had just 6 weeks to take the project from 0% – 60% completion. During the peak of the pandemic crisis, working remotely and coordinating virtually, this team produced 111 sheets of drawings, 1,250 pages of calculations, with quality control that exceeded the target and demonstrating an inordinate work ethic and model of efficiency.

Rylan Ikahara

Justin Sakamoto

Rylan Ikehara, Justin Sakamoto

Client Focused

The impact of Covid-19 is manifesting itself in many aspects of our business. The architect assigned the inspection of over 900 lanais at the Hawaiian Village Rainbow Tower was prohibited from visiting Oahu due to travel restrictions. SSFM was asked to conduct the structural and architectural inspections. Justin and Rylan embraced the challenge, working full days in the field for two weeks, documenting conditions with photographs and Bluebeam software. Each room required furniture removal from the lanais and delays due the hotel lockdown and Covid-19 restrictions further complicated the process.

Josh Kephart

Josh Kephart

Integrity

Our practice requires all manner of skills and training. Josh Kephart, was recently called upon to exercise talents he never learned in school or on the job. Heading home from SSFM’s Pali Highway Construction Management Field Office, Josh heard a loud alarm coming from the church/preschool facility on the first floor and went to investigate. He was met with smoke and plumes coming from the classroom.

He ran to his truck for his fire extinguisher and returned to find an intense kitchen fire that had completely engulfed the stove and was quickly spreading to the cabinets, ceilings and walls. Fortunately there were no children present and Josh, along with the teacher, managed to extinguish the flames before the fire department arrived. Hardly part of his job description but we salute Josh for his quick action and selflessness in serving our communities.