Our Story

Aloha! We are a kama’aina ‘ohana from Pearl City, ‘Oahu. Our passion is to preserve and enhance the legacy of successful businesses in our local community. For us, this means helping great local businesses continue their tradition by:

1) retaining our local talent and pay them a fair wage so they and their ‘ohana can afford to live in Hawai’i,

2) maintaining the original local brand identity that our community have come to trust and respect, and

3) making a commitment to long-term growth and success for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Trudy & Kuan of Blue Tide - Honolulu, Hawaii Business Acquisitions

Our story started on different Pacific islands but shared many similarities and a humble beginning. While we didn’t have much, our parents blessed us with great values and strong work ethics. Whenever faced with adversity, we were driven by perseverance and a determination to make the most of every opportunity. Through life’s challenges, our values and upbringing shaped our character, fostering a sense of duty to pay forward the blessings bestowed upon us.

We have also been fortunate to excel academically and professionally, accumulating a broad set of transferable skills. Most important of all is the ability to work well with people from all walks of life. These skills coupled with determination and humility allowed us to successfully invest, operate, and start businesses across industries, even where we have no prior experience.

Now, we are ready to take on more. We want to bring our energy and focus to keeping great local businesses local. We don’t view our role as a “takeover” but rather to “carry the torch” and honor the legacy that was built, in the same care and respect as entrusted family would do. We will create win-win situations and commit to being fair in every dealing.

Together, let’s keep the spirit of aloha alive through great businesses, nurturing our local community and ensuring that our islands continue to prosper. We hope to carry on the rich traditions and heritage of Hawai’i, one successful local institution at a time.

Trudy Pajinag Yuan

Trudy, born on O’ahu, grew up in ‘Ewa Beach’s blue-collar community, where from an early age she learned the value of hard work and the importance of treating people with fairness and respect. After high school, she attended UH-West Oahu to earn her Bachelor’s degree and then attended UH-Manoa to earn her Masters of Accounting, graduating the top of her class and with distinction, respectively. Demonstrating her remarkable drive, Trudy passed her CPA exams during her graduate studies and soon after landed her dream job at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

Kuan Yuan

Born to a first-generation immigrant family, Kuan grew up on the western Pacific island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. His upbringing, marked by his family’s entrepreneurial spirit and a challenging neighborhood, instilled in him grit, an agile problem-solving mindset, and a can-do attitude at a young age. While still in high school, Kuan was already involved in the family’s modest automotive tire and parts business. From unloading shipping containers on weekends to installing tires after school, Kuan intimately understood the value of hard work.

After high school, Kuan attended the local community college while working full time at the family’s business. Though they couldn’t afford a university education, his parents recognized the importance of academic and life education. They presented him with a life-changing opportunity: to take over and grow the business so it can pay for his education, and strive to become the first college graduate in the family.

Motivated by this opportunity, Kuan knocked on every door. He cultivated relationships and secured contracts with major commercial fleet owners on the island while also leveraging the internet to establish an international supply chain. Within four years, the business grew more than tenfold, and with this success, the possibility of pursuing further education became a reality.

Island boy at heart, Kuan left the island of Saipan for ‘Oahu to attend Hawai’i Pacific University, later earning his Bachelor’s degree and MBA in management, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Before his graduation, Bridgestone offered him a management position—a dream job for anyone in the automotive tire industry. However, recognizing his limited knowledge in finance—an essential tool—he opted instead for an entry-level position at Bank of Hawai’i.

Through hard work, Kuan quickly excelled within the organization. He became instrumental in driving operational improvements, moved into the investment department, earned the CFA designation, and eventually took on important roles in the bank’s investment management and P&L management.

In 2016, Kuan’s experience and reputation earned him an opportunity to build from the ground up the investment division for what would become the state’s third-largest trust fund. As Chief Investment Officer, he oversaw assets worth over $7 billion, consistently outperforming its peers nationwide. He is most proud and passionate about his team, and their dedication to excellence in investing in private companies around the globe.

Kuan is also dedicated to giving back to his community, volunteering on the board of the Lanakila Pacific Foundation, a local non-profit with a mission to empower and foster independence. In his personal life, Kuan cherishes spending time with his loving wife and two young daughters. He also enjoys carpentry and perfecting his barbecue recipes. His journey exemplifies an unwavering dedication to building, growth, and connection in all aspects of life.

Why Do We Want to Buy?

Reflecting on our collective experiences across companies of all sizes, non-profits, and government, we discovered that our true passion lies in the realm of small to medium-sized businesses. These businesses play a crucial role in empowering Hawai’i and its communities. We also recognize the experience, network, and resources we bring to the table across various disciplines can greatly benefit these enterprises. While we have successful experience starting businesses from scratch, we have also witnessed the amazing legacy businesses around us that command our respect. As a result, we decided to channel our passion and embark on a mission to preserve and enhance these successful local icons.

Our Values

People First

We believe in treating everyone with respect and dignity, prioritizing both employees and customers. We understand that happy employees create satisfied customers. Our ‘ohana-oriented approach focuses on creating gainful employment and opportunities for employees to partake in our collective success.

Responsibility

We believe that businesses hold great responsibilities to their stakeholders. Emphasizing responsibility to employees, customers, partners, communities, and the ‘aina, we commit to making positive impacts and acting as responsible kama’aina, meaningfully contributing to the communities we operate in.

Integrity

We live by our reputation and our words. We believe that integrity is the foundation of any successful business relationship. Committed to honesty and fairness, we consistently follow through on promises. Our reputation is built on our integrity, we have a strong track record and we take that responsibility seriously.

Can-do Attitude

We believe that every challenge presents an opportunity for growth and improvement. We approach problems with a positive mindset, recognizing that the road to success is never easy, but through hard work and perseverance, we can grow and improve our chances of success.

Humility

We believe that great businesses are built through the owners’ ingenuity, hard work, and the incredible teams they’ve assembled. We understand that we don’t have all the answers. But by working together with great people and a positive attitude, we can all learn and grow beyond the challenges we face.

Long Term Perspective

We don’t buy to sell, and we aren’t looking for a quick return on investment. We want to build sustainable businesses that will thrive into perpetuity. We make decisions with a long-term perspective, because this is the best way to create win-win situations and take care of the people who help build success.

Win-win Situations

Underlying everything we do is our pursuit of win-win situations, where all parties benefit. We firmly believe that the best and sustainable outcomes are those where all parties are treated fairly and walk away happy. This is not only the ethical approach, but it also creates strong foundation for successful partnerships.

Our Portfolio

Elite Mechanical Inc. is a premier full-service mechanical contractor serving Hawai’i since 1995. We specialize in HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) construction, installation, maintenance, and repair services for federal and state government, healthcare, hospitality, and commercial sectors.

Blue Tide Protfolio - Style Loft - Business Acquisition

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