I found it fascinating that the leadership at Maui Land & Pineapple hail from technology backgrounds. The largest shareholder in the Company is Steve Case, co-founder of AOL. Case grew up in Honolulu. Chief Executive, David Cole, was CEO of Ashton-Tate Corporation and an officer at AOL as early as 1994. My friend Rob also served as CEO of technology start-ups, albeit lesser known than AOL. They all left technology behind for the trade winds of Hawaii and the stewardship of some of the earth’s most beautiful natural resources.

The combination of this group of talented executives focused on revitalizing a historical real estate resort and agricultural company in Hawaii is intriguing.  As I discovered, the strategic vision at Maui Land & Pineapple is “to create and manage holistic communities that integrate agriculture, wise stewardship of natural resources and eco-effective design principles to build a sustainable future for Maui.”

The Company draws its core values of equity, economy and ecology from the Hawaiian traditions of Ho`ohanohano, Po`okela and Malama`aina. The executives promote and integrate these core values into all aspects of their business which include the Kapalua Resorts and the Maui Pineapple Company and a diverse workforce of 1,400 employees.

Finding ecological and economical balance amidst world-class resort property and pineapple cultivation is a challenge of enormous proportion.  However, it appears that it is a challenge worth pursuing for the executives of Maui Land & Pineapple.  And why not? These guys have already achieved greatness in technology. Who better to try and bring an ecological sense to business?  We should all keep our eye on this experiment.  I know I won’t mind returning to Maui to check up on it.

To learn more about David Cole, his organic agriculture interests and philanthropy, check out this podcast interview at Greater Good Radio.