Toby Taniguchi, president and chief operating officer of KTA Super Stores and a longtime business and community leader on Hawaii Island, was appointed to the board of directors of Hawaiian Electric.
Taniguchi of Hilo oversees the operations of the island’s largest supermarket chain, which was established in 1916 in Waiakea by the Taniguchi family and today has seven stores and more than 800 employees.
Active as a director and volunteer for a number of community organizations and nonprofits, Taniguchi is a director of Parker Ranch Inc., Hawaii Employers Mutual Insurance Co., and on the board of governors of the Hawaii Community Foundation.
He also leads Community First, a nonprofit founded by his late father, Barry Taniguchi, a forum for finding ideas to improve health and reduce medical costs on Hawaii Island.
“Hawaiian Electric and KTA Super Stores have been fortunate to serve our communities for over 100 years. Our common goal is to keep providing outstanding value and service to our customers,” Taniguchi said. “We look forward to be able to work together to achieve a clean energy future for generations to come.”
“As a business owner, commercial customer and neighbor island community leader, Toby brings an important voice to our board,” said Tim Johns, president and CEO of Zephyr Insurance Co. and chairman of the Hawaiian Electric board of directors.
The Hawaiian Electric board is separate from the board of the utility company’s parent, HEI.