Name: Thomas Coffey
Age: 54
Position: Vice president, wholesale division, Pomare Ltd.
First job: Sears credit department
Favorite pastimes: Windsurfing, Scuba diving, hiking
After six years on the mainland, Thomas Coffey comes back to Pomare Ltd. to head the wholesale division. Coming back home to Pomare
"We just had a show (for buyers) in Florida for our new (1997) tropical resort line of shirts, dresses and sportswear (machine washable rayons) and we did four or five times our expectations," Coffey said.
He oversees the Hilo Hattie brand name mail order catalog, Hilo Hattie's Internet Web site and custom uniform sales.
Coffey has 32 years of retail experience and most recently was president of Mango Clothing Co. in Steamboat Springs, Colo. From 1976 to 1981, he was general manager for Pomare's wholesale division. For the next six years he had his own company, Resort Line Hawaii.
He has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Rockhurst College in Missouri and a master's in business administration from the University of Hawaii.
By Jerry Tune, Star-Bulletin