What do you do when a scandal has tainted your business? For Spire Hawaii, the answer was to start over. Pacific Business News Editor in Chief A. Kam Napier has more.
It was one of the most shocking moments in recent Hawaii business history when Patrick Oki was arrested last April at the Honolulu International Airport, upon his return from South Korea. He’s awaiting trial on charges that he stole more than half-a-million-dollars from his own firm, PKF Pacific Hawaii, through a fraudulent reimbursement scheme.
Several of the firm’s partners had taken their concerns to authorities and left the company after his arrest. But they weren’t the only partners or employees. Partners Rodney Lee and Tyler Kimura said they still had a staff of 20 to take care of. What to do next? How would they recover?
As PBN reporter Kathleen Gallagher writes: they decided to start over. That meant a new name- and the entire staff participated in the process that yielded Spire Hawaii for their new identity. They also refocused their mission. Instead of specializing in after-the-fact audits and traditional accounting services, they’re transformed into consultants, helping their clients with advance planning.
The Spire employees literally took their future into their hands, hand carrying boxes from their old offices to their new offices, to help save on moving expenses.
Spire Hawaii appears to be off to a great start. It’s partner’s say the firm has retained 85% to 90% of the clients they had prior to the Oki scandal. They hope that Oki’s trial, now set foe September 12th, will dispel any last lingering shadows.
