Shidler career services office receives a facelift from HouseMart

Shidler College of Business unveils newly renovated Career Office thanks to HouseMart.
From left: Richard Varley, director, Shidler College of Business Internships and Career Development Office; Paul Mizoguchi, and Guy Kamitaki, co-owners, HouseMart; and Vance Roley, dean, Shidler College of Business.

With the untying of the maile lei, the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa unveiled its newly renovated Internships and Career Development Office thanks to a $200,000 naming gift from HouseMart, the company that operates HouseMart Ace Hardware, HouseMart Ben Franklin Crafts and Daiso Hawaii retail stores.

The office was designed with millennials in mind, with clean lines, new light fixtures, modern and functional workspaces, and the latest software on career data management and information.

Last year, the office served nearly 1,200 undergraduate business students with internships and employment opportunities and career training workshops. They also welcome more than 200 companies to the college to conduct interviews and recruit students.

In a recent survey of Shidler College undergraduates, more than 40 percent were placed in jobs one month before graduation and 88 percent were placed in jobs three months after graduation with 90 percent in their major.

“We are extremely grateful to HouseMart for their gift to renovate the Office of Internships and Career Development,” says Vance Roley, dean of the Shidler College. “This office provides critical programs and services to help students strengthen their employment opportunities. Each naming gift we receive from the private sector not only goes to modernizing the facility but also to improving resources, services and opportunities for our students.”

Other gifts from HouseMart include an endowed scholarship for undergraduate business students and an annual gift of $2,000 to fund the “Outstanding MBA Student” award at Business Night.

About HouseMart

HouseMart is family-owned and operates six Ben Franklin Crafts stores, 22 Ace Hardware stores and two Daiso stores in Hawaiʻi, Washington, Oregon and Nevada. Headquartered in Honolulu, the company began as a small dry goods store in 1951 and has grown into a multi-state business run by its third-generation owners. The company prides itself on exceptional service and creative solutions to enhance its customers’ lifestyles. For more information about HouseMart, visit hmstores.com