By providing Hawaii with carbon-neutral printing and implementing environmentally-friendly production and operation standards, Hagadone Printing is leading the way for Hawaii’s businesses to reduce their carbon footprint.
The President of Hagadone Printing, Clint Schroeder, speaks with Pacific Edge Magazine about his business philosophy and success.
How has the Pacific Edge Magazine Business Achievement Award impacted your business?
Being recognized by Pacific Edge Magazine with the Corporate Social Responsibility Award helped immensely in raising awareness among people in Hawaii about the important work needed to help save Puuhale Elementary School and help the Kalihi community, as well as being a megaphone to amplify the larger projects we’re involved with to preserve and save the environment. I know I’m personally grateful for any increased awareness we can bring to the effort we put forth in the Koa reforestation on the Hamakua Coast, through Hawaii Legacy Hardwoods. We’re also appreciative that the award lets more people know that we stand with them on reducing our carbon footprint, using paper recycling to preserve landfill space and reduce waste, and utilizing environmentally-friendly inks.
Since receiving the award, what are some new initiatives your business is undertaking?
We’re making a more concerted effort to remind our customers that it is possible –for literally pennies on the dollar—for them to do business with us and know that it is certified carbon-neutral. We’ve spent a lot of time and resources working with Nature Office to verify and certify every step of our production process to ensure it is carbon neutral. Our partnership with Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods on the Hamakua Coast of the Big Island is what enables us to offer this to our customers.
What do you attribute your success to?
One of the earliest lessons I learned was that it takes a team to accomplish really significant goals. When I first came to Hawaii, I immediately noticed the sense of togetherness –of community—that we all feel being here in the middle of the Pacific. So things like responsible stewardship of the ‘aina, and the cooperation and unity of purpose I’ve seen on the Hagadone team, are all part of what makes this state, and our team, special. The success we’ve found has been a result of the hard work and dedication of these special people I’ve been fortunate enough to work with at Hagadone.
What is one piece of advice you would give young professionals?
Refuse to give up pursuing your hopes and dreams simply because other people deem them impossible. I’ve heard that to be successful in sales you have to be able to never take “no” for an answer, but that maxim also applies to life in general: Don’t take “no” for an answer when it comes to your life’s goals. The harder you work to achieve something, the more it will mean to you having achieved it in the end.
What is your favorite part of your job, what drives you to do what you do?
As cliché as this may sound, the people that I work with in the office are the real reason I get up every day and come in. They are the reason why I always feel excited and energized to take on each new day. The team we have at Hagadone are not just skilled and proficient – they embody the spirit of aloha and that makes it a pleasure to work alongside them: It’s a special privilege I will never take for granted.
Who is your business role model and why?
If I had to identify an individual, it would probably be the Aung San Suu Kyi. I had the honor of meeting her at a recent event in Honolulu, and to see her peaceful eloquence and spiritual outlook on life and the world. It gave me a perspective into living that I will never forget.
From a corporate standpoint, an organization like Rotary International, of which I am a member (president of the Metro Rotary Chapter), provides a daily example of how people with different backgrounds and stories can come together, coalesce around a cause like helping others less fortunate, and then make a huge positive impact on the community. That’s the type of positive impact I hope to say we have here at Hagadone, at the end of the day.