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WAHIAWA, Hawaii — Brandon Fugal, a real estate mogul and lifelong resident of Pleasant Grove, completed his first commercial real estate transaction shortly after getting his real estate license at age 18.
It was before serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hawaii, where he completed another real estate transaction he contracted just before entering the missionary training center, spending considerable time on the island of Oahu.
"I returned home from my mission and jumped right back into the commercial real estate business and never looked back," Fugal recalled. "I co-founded Coldwell Banker Commercial in 1998, at age 25, and by 2003, it was the largest commercial real estate brokerage in Utah."
Centuries prior, James Dole made Hawaii famous for pineapples — a fruit not native to the islands — after moving to Oahu, in 1899, after graduating from Harvard and moving to the islands to live with his cousin. His cousin, Sanford Dole, had been a Christian missionary in Hawaii for many years before that.
James Dole's parents had hoped he'd follow in his cousin's footsteps and become a minister. His passions, however, were business and agriculture.
In 1922, Dole's Hawaiian Pineapple Company owned the island of Lanai, in addition to a large plantation in Wahiawa on Oahu, and produced 75% of the world's pineapples. By 1992, the then-named Dole Corporation ceased operations in Hawaii, as it was cheaper to grow and package pineapples in South America, where they are believed to have originated, and elsewhere.
Fugal had seen the Dole pineapple plantation property many times while on his church mission and admired its location and beauty. That impression would prove to be a lasting one for him.
In 2013, after obtaining the largest share of Coldwell Banker Commercial in Utah, Fugal later merged the company with Colliers International — one of the three largest commercial real estate providers in the world, according to Fugal. Wasatch Front residents have likely seen Fugal's name on Colliers signs advertising commercial properties all over the valley.
Fugal currently serves as chairman and co-owner of the Colliers International's Intermountain U.S. division, headquartered in Salt Lake City.
While Fugal has several business endeavors outside of real estate, he may be best known today as the owner of the 512-acre cattle property known as Skinwalker Ranch — located near Vernal, in eastern Utah. A History Channel production, documenting various paranormal occurrences on the ranch and the scientific endeavors currently underway to try to explain them, will begin its fourth season on television in April.
Offshore accounts
Five years ago, Fugal, as general partner and largest shareholder, began assembling what is now known as Pomaika'i Partners — including Utah's Wadsworth Development and Woodbury Corporation, among others. The goal was to acquire 1,250 acres of the former Dole plantation in Hawaii — land that Fugal considers the best located and most beautiful agricultural land in the world.
The property is accessed via the famous Kamehameha Highway, which offers direct ocean views and stepped farmland, and is a gateway to the famed surf town of Haleiwa. The property is a 30-minute drive from the Honolulu airport.
The deal for the original 1,250 acres closed a few years ago and Fugal's hope is to gain more acreage over time.
"We've obtained consultants to study and help document the cultural and historical heritage of the site, with the objective of delivering private ownership back to local residents within a truly sustainable agricultural development," he said.
Fugal and his partners recognize that the history of the Dole family, and the plantation is both celebrated and eschewed by some in Hawaiian culture. James Dole's grandfather, Daniel Dole, was one of the early Christian missionaries in Hawaii in 1841. That missionary presence on the islands, and the influence of other westerners, is part of what led to Hawaii rejecting its traditional monarchy and eventually becoming a U.S. state.
The land Fugal and his partners now own has been branded as Laukiha'a Farms (relating to nature, humility and dancing, in Hawaiian) — has been exclusively a part of major corporate farming interests for over 150 years, Fugal stated.
A significant part of the plan for the land is both restoring and preserving 400 acres of native forests, via the nonprofit Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative, and offering the Hawaiian people the opportunity to purchase farming lots of anywhere between 5 and 15 acres. Both local and commercial farm development will consist of 15- to 150-acre lots.
The Dole family also utilized land-sharing with locals while it operated the pineapple plantation. It also still serves as a popular tourist destination, drawing a million visitors each year to tours, pineapple treats and other attractions.
In addition to sustainable and organic farming, which is already underway, the project will eventually include farm-to-table restaurants, a farmer's market and branded organic agricultural goods sold in Hawaii and elsewhere.
Preservation is key
A shared farming community plan, never before tried in Hawaii, according to Fugal, will help local farmers offset the traditionally high costs of doing business and living in Hawaii — something even the Dole Corporation struggled with. This community structure will allow small farms to share in the cost of equipment, maintenance, processing and distribution, and the farmer's market will allow for direct-to-consumer production and shipping cost savings.
"A primary goal of Pomaika'i Partners is to return this royal land to the Hawaiian people and to support and encourage community gathering, education and involvement," said Fugal.
In addition to the acreage that will forever remain native forest, both tourists and locals will have access to what the partners call authentic experiences — everything from horseback rides through the river bottoms to farm-to-table excursions, where visitors will learn about the past agricultural history of the property and experience the new sustainable model first-hand.
I take my stewardship of that property seriously; it is a sacred trust that my partners and I have inherited.
– Brandon Fugal, Utah investment and real estate broker
A 300-acre working horse ranch currently exists on the property and it will be maintained and further developed, Fugal said.
From first seeing the Hawaii property as a missionary at age 19, to building a commercial real estate business from the ground up, Laukiha'a Farms has brought Fugal full circle.
"The Hawaiian property is unique to me because it is the fulfillment of a dream I had while serving as a missionary on the north shore of Oahu — the dream of being involved in preserving the Hawaiian landscape and elevating the cultural heritage of the community," he said. "I take my stewardship of that property seriously; it is a sacred trust that my partners and I have inherited."
