{"id":229839,"date":"2026-02-23T14:27:27","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T00:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=229839"},"modified":"2026-02-23T14:29:04","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T00:29:04","slug":"stewardship-meets-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/02\/23\/stewardship-meets-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"Stewardship meets strategy: Shidler alum reimagines Â鶹´«Ã½\u2019s landscapes"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"person
Christian de Quevedo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Christian de Quevedo, a University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa<\/span> Shidler College of Business<\/a> alumnus, founded Lēʻahi<\/span> Landscaping after identifying a disconnect between the importance of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s built environments and the standards of the industry serving them. Landscapes shape some of the state\u2019s most visible and valuable spaces, yet the work behind them is often noisy, emissions-heavy and unreliable.<\/p>\n

In Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s unique setting, Lēʻahi<\/span> takes a site-specific approach to sustainability and land stewardship at residential and commercial sites. Using drone mapping and environmental modeling, the team evaluates sun exposure, wind, drainage and soil conditions before design begins. This leads to smarter decisions and fewer unnecessary inputs. As climate pressures and wildfire risks increase, resilience guides the work—prioritizing landscapes that are environmentally appropriate, safer over time and that deliver value to property owners.<\/p>\n

“I couldn\u2019t find a service that matched the standards expected in other professional sectors, so I set out to build one,” said de Quevedo, who graduated from the JD<\/abbr>\/MBA<\/abbr> program in 2021.<\/p>\n

A defining principle of de Quevedo\u2019s entrepreneurial journey has been adaptation. He believes Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> businesses can no longer rely on geographic isolation or outdated practices. He said local companies are now measured against national and global standards.<\/p>\n

He credited his law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law<\/a> with shaping his analytical approach and his MBA<\/abbr> program with giving him the tools to act, scale and execute, and said that his Shidler experience reinforced systems thinking, disciplined operations and long-term value creation.<\/p>\n

He also emphasized that none of Lēʻahi<\/span>\u2019s success would be possible without Kaimalu Stanich, his business partner, close friend and a graduate of UH<\/abbr> Mānoa<\/span>\u2019s School of Architecture<\/a>, or without the Lēʻahi<\/span> team. Since founding the company, he said all profits have been reinvested into growth, systems and employees, reflecting a belief that long-term success begins with investing in people.<\/p>\n

For the entire story and more stories like this, see the fall\/winter 2025 edition of Shidler Business<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lēʻahi<\/span> takes a site-specific approach to sustainability and land stewardship at residential and commercial sites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":229842,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[90,679,240,498,154,1466,158,239,146,9,68],"class_list":["post-229839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-alumni","tag-alumni-recognition","tag-architecture","tag-business","tag-law","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-publication","tag-school-of-architecture","tag-shidler-college-of-business","tag-uh-manoa","tag-william-s-richardson-school-of-law","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t