One of the Job Quest job fair stories that didn't make it into this month's Career Changers TV show is posted on the CCTV YouTube Channel, which has now topped 180,000 total views and averages more than 28,000 views per month. But many of our business-oriented stories fly under the radar and don't get much attention because they don't have a built-in following from social media or they shy away from publicity.

Such was the case with Rengo Packaging. Never heard of them? Neither did I, so when I spotted their booth at Job Quest, I went over to investigate who they were and what type of jobs they were looking to fill. Turns out this was the company that sprung up after Weyerhaeuser closed the Honolulu box plant in 2008... well, actually, there were some important interim steps along the way. First, 13 former Weyerhaeuser employees formed Hawaii Box and Packaging to act as a distributor, but weren't producing the boxes locally. Then in 2011, they were acquired by Rengo, the largest corrugated box manufacturer in Asia. Rengo decided to build a new plant on Oahu that was scheduled to open this month and start making boxes by June 1. Here's the link to the video segment. They are looking to hire 30 to 40 new employees -- no small thing in Hawaii's job market.

The reason I took a personal interest in their story was back in 2008 I was deeply involved in the beach access movement because some residents in Kailua put up a locked gate on a "private" beachside lane that neighbors had been using for years to get to the beach. I met Scott Werny, who was the Surfrider Oahu co-chair at the time, and he helped me organize the statewide Groundhog Day rallies that generated a good deal of media attention for the cause. His day job was being a packaging engineer at Weyerhaeuser -- which fascinated me since you don't often think about what goes into designing something as simple as a box. Yet there's a myriad of factors that a designer has to take into account for each product.

After Scott got word the old W plant was closing shop, he told me about the small group that was going to form their own company to continue as a distributor. But he acknowledged it was risky, and it was no sure thing they would succeed. A few months later, Scott was hit with more unexpected bad news. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Friends rallied to support the young father of two kids, yet he asked us to make donations to the National Parkinson Foundation on his behalf instead of focusing attention on him. That's the kind of person Scott is.

It had been a couple years since I last spoke to him, so I asked Rengo's Operations Manager Glenn Masaki if Scott was still working for them. Yes, he said. Scott is their one and only packaging designer, and his Parkinson's is under control. Later, I caught up with him on the phone and he sounded great. His personal life was in transition again (divorce, moving to a new place) while his professional life is doing well now that Rengo has given them the capital and resources to build their new plant at Campbell Industrial Park with about 4 acres under roof.

So, next time you get a pizza delivered or buy a box of locally-made candy, chances are Scott and his co-workers at Rengo were the folks who are responsible for the packaging. It's a testament to the resilience of hard-working people in Hawaii, who didn't give up when a big company decided to pull up stakes... or when personal challenges confronted them. If you would like to make a donation on Scott's behalf, here's the link to the National Parkinson Foundation site. Progress has been made in treating the disease, but there is still no cure.

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For daily viewing times of the new schedule for Career Changers TV, please visit www.CareerChangers.TV.

OC12 SCHEDULE CHANGES: The new March episode of Career Changers TV was preempted by high school wrestling this weekend, but now that we have new time slots on OC12  (er, OC16 which is shown on channel 12/high def 1012) you have additional viewing options each day. Click here for the new times under "When to Watch." On this month's show, we have segments on the Job Quest job fair and Farmlovers Farmers' Markets -- btw, despite the rain there was a great turnout for their Cacao Fest in Kailua on Sunday!

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Diehard sports fans love to play armchair quarterback (which really should be "armchair coach" or "backseat coach" since QBs rarely call their own plays anymore, unless it's an audible at the line). That includes me and my wife, who had an interesting suggestion when the UH men's basketball team was leading Long Beach State by one point with about 18 seconds remaining in the game last Thursday. LBSU had the ball and called a timeout. It was obvious The Beach could hold out for the last shot to win or lose the game.  She said, "They (UH) should foul!"  I agreed.

Here's why: UH had committed seven team fouls, putting them in a 1-and-1 penalty situation; odds favored LB getting off a decent shot and even if it missed, there's a good chance the player could be fouled while taking that shot. Give average players two foul throws, most will make at least one. If the game is tied at the end of regulation, the home team -- Long Beach State -- usually has the edge in overtime. If UH had fouled right away before LB got off a shot -- possibly a 3-point attempt -- the player would shoot a 1-and-1. Make the first, you get a second foul throw. Miss, and the edge goes to UH players who have inside position for a rebound. Worst case scenario, foul and LB makes both foul shots; UH down by 1 with around 12-15 seconds left. Best case scenario, LB player misses first foul throw, UH rebounds, gets fouled and the advantage shifts to UH...

But apparently UH head coach Gib Arnold decided to let LB take the final shot without fouling. Time ticked off, and the LB player was left wide open to hit a 3-pointer. UH goes down by two points and had to rush a shot to tie or win with around 8 seconds left. Gib still had a timeout in his pocket, but they had already decided not to use it since that could have given LB time to set up a defensive play. The UH guard made a desperate attempt at putting up a prayer of a shot... it missed. Worse, it looked ugly because the ball wasn't in the hands of their best shooters at the end. With that loss came a lot more second-guessing about coaching decisions, particularly in close games decided in the final minute or two. Some of it just comes down to luck. In at least two or three UH losses this season, had the ball bounced differently on the last shot of the game, they would have won.

What's frustrating for fans is we've seen bad clock management and examples of bad math not just in basketball, but in football and also questionable baseball odds strategy as well (eg., when to sacrifice and bunt runners over in low-scoring games). In b-ball, there have been opportunities for the Bows to play 2-for-1 shots in the final minute before halftime. You hear ESPN announcers say it all the time -- since there's a 35-second clock in college, if the team with the ball gets off a shot and leaves at least 40-secs, odds are they will wind up taking the last shot. Do the math. Put up two shots in less than a minute compared to the opponents one shot, and you're more likely to come out  ahead. But if you use up the 35-seconds to get off just one shot and leave your opponent time to score, you go from a chance of a 6-0 scoring run to being down 0-3 in that final minute.

UH football clock management was downright awful at times this past year. I think part of the problem is the head coach is expected to make the calls on timeouts, but with so much going on, you really need another brain calculating the numbers stuff. For instance, I have seen very good coaches and players fail to realize that the opponents were going to let them score so they could get the ball back and have a chance to tie or win the game. In those games, the running back or quarterback should have just taken a knee at the goal line so they maintained control of the ball and could run the clock out. But the players got so excited, they high-stepped into the end zone, not realizing they were giving their opponent a chance to snatch victory from defeat. However, it falls on the coaching staff to alert their players about those possibilities in the waning moments of a game.

Anyhow, maybe what the UH sports teams needs is an assistant coach to be the Designated Screamer -- someone like us fans who yell at the TV screen or shout from the stands advice on when to call timeout or purposely foul an opponent. In the end though, I keep reminding myself it's only a game... and no one feels worse about losing the close ones than the coaches and players themselves.

PROGRAM ALERT: The new March episode of Career Changers TV begins airing Saturday night around 8:45 PM following high school wrestling on OC16... BTW, have you seen the new commercial that reminds viewers OC16 is actually on Channel 12/high def 1012 now? Even the Star-Advertiser television grid recently mixed up listings for OCSports (which is shown on channel 16/1016) and OC12 -- er, OC16 programming. If you ask me, they should just change the name to OC12.

One of the features on our March show is about the two women who run the Farmlovers Farmers' Markets on Oahu. They now have five different locations: Waimea Valley, Hawaii Kai, Kakaako, Pearlridge and Kailua. Pamela Boyar and Annie Suite both have interesting backgrounds, and one way they distinguish their markets from others is by coming up with themes that highlight local products -- take cacao and chocolate, for example.

This Sunday, March 2, they will have a Cacao Guided Walking Tour that departs at 9:30 and 10 AM, plus demonstrations throughout the day at the Kailua market. I've copied their press release below, or you can click here to go to their website for more info. As it happens, we did a piece on Madre Chocolate -- one of the tour stops -- back in 2012. Since then, Nat Bletter and Dave Elliot have been on a roll, winning international awards for their artisan chocolate creations and have expanded to another location in Chinatown. We also did segments on the Hawaii Chocolate Festival and the Waialua Estates cacao farm. If you missed that show, you can click on the hot-linked names to see those videos.

But if you're on the Windward side this weekend, it's a lot more fun (and tasty) to check out this event in person. Oh -- and Camille's on Wheels, another friend of the show, will be there too!

From the Farmlovers press release:

KailuaTown Farmers’ Market is celebrating the transformative power of Cacao- from colorful pod to delectable taste sensation- with its 3^rd Annual Hawaii Cacao Festival on Sunday, March 2nd! Sample delicacies from The Food Company's Chef Jason Kiyota, Mama T from Down to Earth, Chef Nicole LaTorre, Pastry Chef (& James Beard Nominee!) Michelle Karr-Ueoka, and Camille's on Wheels.. Sign up for a Cacao Guided Walking Tour where you will visit Kokolani Chocolate, Manoa Chocolate, Madre Chocolate & Whole Foods Market, and watch how this weird little fruit gets turns into delightful decadence. Discover how cacao is grown and why Hawaii is the only state in the nation that can grow it. Fun activities for kids include decorating Mr. Cacao Heads! Everyone can enjoy the live music of Paul Izak & Seeds of Love while relaxing in the 75- seat covered café.

Discover the many benefits of this amazing fruit. Buy from Hawaii’s finest chocolatiers like Madre Chocolate, Aloha Chocolate, Waialua Estate, Manoa Chocolate, Lolohana Chocolate, Hawaii Crown Chocolate and Kokolani Chocolate. Learn why Kailua is becoming known at Choc-Kailua. Learn about the Bean-to-Bar Movement in artisanal chocolate-making. Visit over 40 booths of KailuaTown’s premiere weekly farmers’ market. Sample and purchase fun chocolate creations made especially for this event!  Cacao Trees available for purchase. This free festival is fun for the whole family.

WHEN:  Sunday, March 2, 2014

Market: 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Kids Activities: 8:30 a.m. - 1p.m.

Guided Walking Tour: Departing at 9:30AM, 10:00AM.

Sign up on arrival. 20 person limit per tour.

Demonstrations & education: throughout the event

Although I haven't seen the new RoboCop reboot/remake/re-imagining or whatever you want to call the latest incarnation -- or reincarnation, if you will -- I do have a personal connection to the original man-as-machine sci-fi action flick that came out in 1987. Since I frequently mention my failed screenwriting career as the impetus for becoming a local TV show producer, some of you may recall from past blog posts that a co-writer of the first RoboCop took a liking to an early script of mine and tried to get it produced through his contacts in the movie business. This was about 20 years ago, and after months of rewrites, nothing happened with the project.

Well, that's not entirely true -- stuff did happen. I learned a lot about how Hollywood works, and the reality of what it's like to be a screenwriter or producer from the phone calls and Fed Exed script notes I got over the next few months. Back then, writers weren't using email and Skype to communicate. There also wasn't a web-based cottage industry of script scouting services, screenwriting consultants, and dozens of contests that claim they can provide aspiring writers with access to top industry contacts if they win. Back when I banged out my first scripts on an electric typewriter, it was mostly about making personal connections in the business and finding a mentor who could help you get your foot in the door. To a certain degree, that's still true -- writing a great script is crucial, but you have to get it in the right hands. And that takes persistence, creativity or luck.

In my case, it was all three. I had written a dark comedy based on my 1988 stint in rehab for alcoholism, followed by a bizarre punk rock musical comedy about an aging loser who becomes the poster boy for the ultimate lifestyle makeover company... which is really a front for a global entertainment conglomerate that has designs on remaking entire cities and brainwashing residents into buying all their mass media products -- music, movies, TV, merchandise -- from the cradle to the grave. Yeah, like Disney or Comcast. This was around 1994 before merger mania and the internet giants started turning that fanciful notion into reality. Yet I didn't think the co-creator of RoboCop would be seriously interested in my script when I signed up for a University of Hawaii screenwriting workshop given by Michael Miner.

At best, I hoped he would give me professional feedback, which was part of the deal for participants. When each writer got up and pitched their script, he would listen, offer a comment or two on the scripts he had read, and work in some personal anecdotes about his experiences in Hollywood. I have a fear of public speaking and have blanked out in front of groups before, so unlike some of the others who got up and enthusiastically acted out parts of their script, I nervously tried to read a synopsis of the plot. After I finished, a young UH coed with short red hair held her hand up and asked in a bored tone, "Is it supposed to be funny?" Ugh.

But Miner quickly interjected, and told them it was very funny despite my terrible pitch, and tried to retell a scene from it. The other writers just sat there stone-faced. He shrugged and said you had to read it on the page to get it. Later, during a break, he walked over to the little classroom desk I was sitting at and said he liked my screenplay a lot, then added: "We should talk." That turned into a lunch meeting, and a subsequent offer to help me develop (i.e., rewrite) my script and shop it around. One reason he sparked to it was that before he wrote RoboCop, he was a cameraman and had worked on music videos -- my protagonist was a failed punk rocker, who winds up working a dead end job in a Hoboken record store before those became extinct too. He did take the finished rewrite to the president of MTV Films, who passed (they were making movies about singing cockroaches that were geared to their key demographic of 12 to 15-year-old boys) and another movie production company that had ties to the music biz. They passed too.

It was disappointing that the project never got off the ground. However, during that time period I continued writing new stuff that also got attention through big screenwriting contests and other personal referrals... and I've had at least half a dozen scripts get close to being sold or optioned for development, only to fall by the wayside as well. During the past 27 years since the original RoboCop came out, Miner has made a nice living writing a number of projects that weren't produced or got rewritten, but he's never had another movie that has gotten the same critical or popular acclaim of that iconic film. He still writes, has made smaller documentary films, and is an accomplished photographer with gallery showings of his work (some of his beautiful black and white landscapes were taken on the Big Island, in fact). We exchange Christmas cards, and I follow him on Facebook. For the record, he's posted favorable comments about the new take on RoboCop as a reflection of the times we live in now, not the world that existed in 1987.

In hindsight, it's easy to see why he took an interest in my script about recycling and repackaging old TV shows, music and movies for future generations of brain-dead consumers. At its heart, the original RoboCop was a smart satire about privatizing government services such as law enforcement, and mine was a satire about the lack of originality in the entertainment business. The irony is we never foresaw the entertainment powers-that-be taking a classic like his movie and giving it the makeover treatment. For better or worse, I suppose it's better than fading away and being forgotten.

If you've seen the new RoboCop, would love to know you're thoughts on it! Comments are open for now...

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Valentines Day is over, but you can still catch our segments about Watanabe Floral in the current Career Changers TV episode! Click here for daily viewing times and the link to our CCTV YouTube Channel. BTW, in the same show there's a segment about what's new at Waimea Valley... FYI, they have begun offering guided hikes by the Hawaiian Hiking Company and off-road expeditions through North Shore EcoTours. Both are great ways to experience the valley in exciting, new ways!

PROGRAM ALERT: The new February episode of Career Changers TV starts airing Sat., Feb. 1 at 8:30 PM on OC16 (channels 12 or high def 1012). For Valentines Day, we've got features on Watanabe Floral, what's new at Waimea Valley, plus a segment on tattoo removals for those who want to get rid of inked reminders of love gone bad!

People who read my blog know I like to gripe. But I do so in the naive hope that if enough people complain about stuff that should be fixed or improved, positive things can come out of it. And I'll tell you who gets it -- Mayor Kirk Caldwell. I had a chance to interview him for my Career Changers TV show while we were shooting at the Job Quest Job Fair on Wednesday. (BTW,  came across a couple of really interesting news stories that will be on the March show!)

I've been impressed so far with the job he's done, and he comes across as a likeable politician on TV. Which always makes me suspicious. It's one thing to perform well on camera or say all the right things at photo opps. Yet not every politician or government official has that ability to connect with constituents one-on-one during brief encounters. The first thing the Mayor did was study my business card before he began answering my questions. He tailored his responses to the theme of careers, even working in how he went from law to public service and why he feels being Mayor is the "greatest job in the world."

When I asked how he felt about criticism, he didn't hesitate in his answer. He says the second you begin to push back against negative criticism, you lose the battle because the focus should be on listening to the complaints and doing what you can to address those problems. Of course, you can't satisfy everyone and solve every problem overnight. But he seems genuine in his passion for the work he's doing. Kirk also showed real verbal ju jitsu skills in deflecting my question about his bigger career goals, i.e., whether he intended to run for higher office in the future... say, Governor?

He smiled and said, his only concern right now is being the Mayor and living "in the moment," which he feels is good career advice in general. And he's right. Too often we get caught up looking down the road or thinking ahead instead of doing the best job we can today at this very minute. I was thinking about that last night at the UH men's basketball game against Long Beach State. After coming off two impressive road wins, fans were stoked and getting caught up in scenarios of the 'Bows running the table at home to put them on top of the conference. Problem was they didn't take care of business on the defensive end of the game last night. I also thought the coaches were reluctant to put in other players who might have brought in that attitude they were lacking to make stops and show more hustle on defense.

Sometimes teams -- in business, government, sports -- rely too much on their "star" players, and forget that people in supporting roles can spell the difference between excellence and mediocrity. I was reminded of that again this past weekend. My wife, Isabel, and I had tickets to see Keali'i Reichel perform with the Hawaii Pops Orchestra last Saturday night -- a nice treat from their Executive Director, Donna Bebber, because we ran a segment about Matt Catingub and Hawaii Pops in November  (click here for that video). We had a pre-show dinner at Kincaid's, which smartly lured us back after we dined there during the holidays by giving us a $20 gift card -- no minimum amount, no special hour restrictions. The food has always been good-to-excellent on past visits, and our server was friendly, professional and not pushy or too intrusive.

Unfortunately, when my wife cut into her opakapaka it was undercooked. Everything else on the plate was good, so when she pointed out the underdone fish to the server, he quickly rectified the situation. Since the rest of her food was fine, he simply transferred the opakapaka to another plate and had the cook fix it. Then after dinner he offered us a free desert as compensation for the problem, and again apologized for the kitchen's mistake. It may seem like a small thing, but in other restaurants we've been to, the server would have just grabbed the entire plate and left my wife sitting there twiddling her thumbs while I continued to eat.

Anyhow, when we got to the convention center for the concert, we were listening to the UH basketball game on the radio. They were playing at UC Irvine and had made a terrific comeback to put them in overtime against a team that features a giant center who stands 7 feet 6 inches tall. Most UH fans didn't get to see it though because it was only available on a special Oceanic cable sports package (which we get and recorded to watch later). However, as we entered the convention center parking garage, we lost radio reception. I hurried towards the center interior holding up my iPhone to see if I could get a wireless connection -- and who do I see trying to do the same thing? Jeff Portnoy, the UH basketball radio commentator for home games!

Jeff's significant other was able to get a connection and told us the Bows had won. So my wife and I were very happy going into the Keali'i concert. Later, when we watched the replay on TV, I saw how the UH bench contributed to that victory with timely defensive plays and strategic fouling of the Irving giant center (who bricked his foul shots). That is what it takes to be an excellent team -- you need role players who are ready to do the small things when the starters falter.

As for the Hawaii Pops concert, my wife said it was maybe the best birthday gift I've ever given her. Keali'i was wonderful. Funny, self-effacing, humble, and of course, there's that beautiful voice... and the beautiful spirit he seems to emanate on stage. What made it even more wonderful though was the subtle backing of the orchestra instruments. They were never overbearing or distracting. They played their supporting roles perfectly, as did the musicians and hula performers that make up Keali'i's performing troupe. You had the feeling that each and every one of them was totally focused on their respective role as part of the whole experience.

It was excellence personified that night, from the dinner at Kincaid's, to the Bows' win at Irving, to the Hawaii Pops concert. Who says I only gripe about things?

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To see more examples of excellence at work, check out the new Career Changers TV show! For daily viewing times, visit www.CareerChangers.TV or check out video segments on the CCTV YouTube Channel, which is now getting over 15,000 views per month. For advertising rates and info, email me at richfigel@gmail.com.