Above: The HOV Pisces V was the workhorse of the HUMMA project Credit: Environet/UH
FROM THE TIME HE WAS FIRST ELECTED TO THE UNITED STATES SENATE in 1962 and throughout his remarkable 49-year career in congress, Senator Daniel K. Inouye always made Hawai‘i his number one priority. He understood that the state’s geographic isolation and limited natural resources made it easy for the state to be overlooked in value, except as a well-known tourist destination. To change the narrative, Inouye fought hard to bring in billions of dollars in appropriations to help establish or bolster industries with significant, long-term impact to the islands, including: agriculture, astronomy, education, high-technology, military, and research.
While Inouye helped to position Hawai‘i as a viable player in these industries and strengthened the state’s economic resilience and sustainability through the federal appropriations process, he knew this would not last forever. Inouye envisioned similar growth opportunities for Hawai‘i’s small businesses centered around partnerships on U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) projects with the University of Hawai‘i (UH).
“Senator Inouye was well-aware that most of the DODs large contracts in Hawai‘i were being awarded to mainland companies, with only little pieces of it going to local companies as subcontracts,” said UH Vice President for Research and Innovation Vassilis L. Syrmos. “To even the playing field, he stressed that UH research must effectively collaborate with local small businesses to develop the necessary expertise and capabilities to successfully compete with the mainland contractors for big-dollar federal projects that are in our backyard.”
Unexploded Ordnance Removal on Hawai‘i Island
In 1942, during the height of World War II, the U.S. Government turned nearly 200,000 acres of ranch land into the Waikoloa Maneuver Area to train its troops. For the better part of two years, the area was pummeled by various explosives, including aerial bombs, artillery rounds, and grenades. While a couple of clean-up attempts were made following the war, it was estimated that about 20 percent of unexploded ordnance (UXO) remained in the field, posing a significant danger to island residents. As a result, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) initiated a third clean-up effort in 2002.
At the time, the College of Engineering at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UH Mānoa) was already working with a small environmental firm called Environet, Inc. (Environet) on developing the use of ground penetrating radar (GPR) technology in aerial flyovers as a faster and cheaper alternative to putting huge teams on the ground with hand-held devices to detect UXOs. Environet had done previous soil testing, report writing, and environmental impact statement work for the U.S. Navy, and was already familiar with the clean-up site process through its research partnership with UH.
“Although Environet was a small, relatively unknown company based in Hawai‘i, the USACE selected them as one of three contractors to conduct the UXO remediation work in Waikoloa,” said Syrmos, who is also an electrical engineering professor and was involved in the UXO detection project while at the UH Mānoa College of Engineering. “Much of this can be attributed to their familiarity with DOD deliverables, past performance in GPR, and as a trusted industry partner of UH.”
Hawai‘i Undersea Military Munitions Assessment
Prior to 1970, the DOD had disposed of excess, obsolete, or unserviceable munitions, including chemical warfare agents, in the ocean waters off the U.S. coasts, including the Hawaiian Islands. In 2007, out of growing environmental concerns, the Army embarked on the Hawai‘i Undersea Military Munitions Assessment (HUMMA) to learn more about the condition of these munitions and of any potential pollution that could cause harm to humans and ocean life. The seven-year HUMMA project involved the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, UH, and Environet, who had the flexibility to pivot their land-based UXO expertise to the open ocean.
Growth and Name Change
Both projects marked a huge turning point for Environet, as the interesting work and publicity generated helped to attract job candidates from varied disciplines, enabling the company to grow and expand its field of expertise. Starting with a handful of employees on Hawai‘i Island, the company helped establish the GSI Family of Companies (GSI), which employs nearly 400 staff and now has offices in Hawai‘i, Colorado, Maryland, New Jersey, Washington, Guam, and Japan. GSI currently provides comprehensive solutions in construction, engineering, fuels, environmental, munitions, information technology, and professional services.
“Much of our growth, from a small local company with limited exposure to our large operation today, is because UH understood how to use us and our ability to learn quickly to help their scientists work more efficiently out in the field, in the lab, and in the office,” said Joseph Pickard, Founder of GSI. “We are fortunate to be a good fit with UH research and we look forward to future initiatives to assist in their efforts to preserve and protect our island resources.”
Syrmos added, “GSI is a real-world example of what Sen. Inouye envisioned in a UH-driven industry partnership: impactful research and innovation projects led by UH, small business success, and a knowledge-based workforce development pipeline feeding into our local industry.”