Glenn K. Muranaka, an alumnus of and the , will receive the UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹ (CTAHR) 2018 Ka Lei Hano Heritage Award at the college¡¯s on May 4.
Muranaka, recently retired president and general manager of , is being recognized for a lifetime of sound leadership and civic involvement. His solution-oriented ability to plan for strategic change, encourage product development, enhance organizational productivity and strengthen brand equity ensured the vitality of a local agribusiness in a challenging environment, while his commitment to employees¡¯ professional development and community involvement enhanced societal wellbeing.
During a 45-year career with Meadow Gold, Muranaka became the first locally-born executive to head the state¡¯s largest dairy. He joined the company in 1972 as a statistical clerk after earning an accounting degree from Kapiʻolani CC and studying management and accounting at UH ²Ñ¨¡²Ô´Ç²¹. Under his leadership, Meadow Gold has been a strong and longstanding supporter of CTAHR student and community activities as well as partnering with the Â鶹´«Ã½ Department of Education to promote health, fitness and nutrition. The company supports community organizations ranging from youth soccer to the American Heart Association and Â鶹´«Ã½ Island Food Basket and KauaʻiKaua¡®i Veterans Memorial Hospital.
“It¡¯s not always about price and it¡¯s not always about location. It¡¯s about doing what feels right,” Muranaka told Â鶹´«Ã½ Business in 2010. His formula worked: he boosted employee morale and consumer confidence to make Meadow Gold of Â鶹´«Ã½ a top 250 Company in Â鶹´«Ã½ and one of the top performing units in parent company Dean Foods.
The father of three has been inducted into the Halls of Fame of both his alma mater, McKinley High School, and the Â鶹´«Ã½ Food Industry Association. He has also been recognized by Â鶹´«Ã½ Community Foundation, named a Small Business Â鶹´«Ã½ Business Booster and acknowledged by the authors of 2011 book Executive Thinking: From Brightness to Brilliance alongside the likes of Harvard University business school dean and former prime minister of Singapore Stephen Covey.