Mark Fukunaga

Mark Fukunaga: Servco has been defined by the idea of service from the start, and that idea has allowed us to reach 100 years in business. Putting customers first is still at the heart of how we operate today, even when it might be disruptive to our business. We do things because it’s the right thing to do.

Any business that’s been around for 100 years has reinvented itself five or six times over that period, and certainly that has been the case with us. Implicit in every reinvention is the ability to take risks, embrace new ideas and new ways of doing business, and to walk away from some more traditional ways of doing things. You ultimately have to follow where the customer wants to go.

That’s always been a part of Servco, but perhaps what’s changed is the pace. We’re dealing with many disruptive digital forces that are changing the way we engage and serve our customers. At the same time, we’re also planning for how we adapt to new ownership models, like car sharing and ride sharing, and new technologies like autonomous vehicles and electric drivetrains that use batteries, fuel cells and plug-in hybrid systems.

Our first foray into this disruption was through the launch of our new car share service called Hui. Hui Car Share is a collaboration between Toyota Connected and Servco, and is Toyota’s first global car sharing initiative. We launched it in 2018, and we now have 100 vehicles in our Hui fleet at 45 stations across Oahu. We’re delighted that BOH is a mobility partner with Hui and has a station at its corporate offices in Honolulu. What I think is innovative about BOH is they are thinking about using Hui for their employees who want to work downtown without bringing their car. This is a way for them to commute via mass transit options (like bus and eventually rail transit), car pool, or bike. Then, once in the city, if they need to use a car to run errands or meet a client they have easy access with Hui.

Servco has been a BOH client at least since 1972. They have been a key partner for us over the years, supporting our borrowing needs for general corporate and real estate projects. BOH has also been very helpful in enabling our customers to buy and lease vehicles. They provide funding for all of our Lexus inventory in Hawaii. And BOH is the only local bank that we use for leasing our cars, which is an important part of our business.

To me, a partner is someone who takes the time to understand our business and therefore understands what we need. BOH has been terrific over the years at understanding Servco’s business, and anticipating what we’re going to need because they know us well.

I also think a partner is there when times get tough. Servco has been lucky to avoid having financial difficulties, but when everyone faced challenges in 2008, Bankoh was fully there standing beside everyone. We know they’ll be there if we hit a bump in the road.

In the last five years or so, I’ve also appreciated the opportunity to do some exchange of thoughts as we both look forward into the future as both automotive and banking industries are facing significant changes in our business models.

We have common challenges and we think about the future similarly. We both try to serve customers who range in ages from their teens to their 70s, and across that age gap there are all kinds of differences in how customers want to be treated. We have some very interesting conversations with Bankoh leadership, including Peter Ho, around those ideas, and I enjoy having meaningful discussions with a trusted business partner like BOH.

Bank of Hawaii is a long-term partner who is supportive, who we can rely on. And, like us, values innovation through new initiatives that are good for our business and, most importantly, our community as a whole.