D’Olier looking forward
to country life

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By Tim Ruel
truel@starbulletin.com

Mitch D'Olier said he has a lot of homework ahead of him.

As incoming president and chief executive of major Kailua landowner Kaneohe Ranch Co. and the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, D'Olier must get familiar with company holdings, which include assets on the mainland, and reacquaint himself with a residential beachside town that differs vastly from his former turf in Kakaako.

"I have work to do," he said. "It could be the neatest little beach town in the world."

"It's a mature community. It's a well-established community and I respect both of those things," D'Olier said. "I start to relax whenever I go over the Pali or Like Like."

Kakaako was a redevelopment site subject to rezoning. "None of those things are the case with respect to the Windward communities," he said.

Under the watch of D'Olier's predecessor, Randy Moore, Kaneohe Ranch has reportedly invested $8 million into renovation and construction at its Kailua shopping centers. What happens next will be largely up to D'Olier, who promises he plans to meet with community leaders and residents before making up his mind.

D'Olier said his ties to the Castle family trust date back to the early 1970s, when he worked as an attorney with Kaneohe Ranch senior executives James C. Castle and Henry H. Wong. D'Olier later became president of Hawaiian Airlines, and in 1993 became chief executive of Kakaako landowner Victoria Ward Ltd. He's been a director of the Castle Foundation for the past three or so years.

While at Ward, D'Olier recruited Seattle fashion retailer Nordstrom Inc. as a major tenant, as well as Dallas entertainment chain Dave & Buster's. Earlier this year, while Hawaii's tourism industry recovered from the damage of Sept. 11, D'Olier oversaw the sale of the 72-year-old Victoria Ward to the owner of Ala Moana Center for $250 million. The purchase closed last week. This week, D'Olier said he has been relaxing with his family in Kona and scuba diving with dolphins. "This is retirement and vacation." D'Olier starts his new job July 1.

Meanwhile, D'Olier said he plans to continue his other roles with the Hawaii Business Roundtable, Hawaiian Island Ministries and Hawaii Family Forum.