About Us
Delivering water and wastewater operations, maintenance, and compliance services you can trust.
Employee owned, operated, and loved.
We are proud that Aqua Engineers has been a 100% Hawaii-based and employee-owned company since 2006! Being employee-owned means that our employees are more than just employees, they are all owners and influence the value of the company which is returned back in their ESOP. Aqua’s efforts in promoting employee ownership were recognized in 2018 when they were nominated as "ESOP Company of the Year" by the Hawaii Chapter of the ESOP Association. Today, we have over 90 employee-owner participants and beneficiaries.
A mission-driven organization.
We are focused on a healthy water environment through the compliant operation, maintenance, management, and engineering of water and wastewater systems.
Leadership
David Paul
President & CEO
david@aquaengineers.com
Kevin Newton
CFO
kevin@aquaengineers.com
Clifford Lum
Director of Engineering Services
clum@aquaengineers.com
Scott Bly
Director of Army Services
sbly@aquaengineers.com
James Ano
Director of Operations
james@aquaengineers.com
Valerie Matias
Director of Human Resources
valerie@aquaengineers.com
A history of building trust in Hawaii.
Aqua Engineers began when Ian Kagimoto, Walter Briant, Seichi Oyama, and Frank Kiger saw a need for trained operators for the privately owned wastewater treatment plants on Kauai. Aqua Engineers formally opened for business on January 1, 1981, providing operation and maintenance services for the Poipu Kai wastewater treatment plant. The number of clients soon increased, as well as the need to provide design and engineering services. In 1992, Hurricane Iniki hit Kauai and devastated the island. The island’s economy slowed, and the decision was made to expand to the other islands. Our first off-island contract was on Lanai, followed by facilities on Hawaii Island, Maui, and Oahu.
In 2006, the four founders sold the company to its employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Trust making it a 100% Hawaii-based employee-owned company. The company was rewarded for its work in advocating for and building on the many benefits of employee ownership by being nominated as the 2018 ESOP Company of the Year by the Hawaii Chapter of the ESOP Association.