By: Makayla Dilliner
Stemming from a strong cultural background in ‘Oahu, 5th generation Oahu resident William Elliott,Kalaheo Class of 2004,shared his insight into culture and community through connections with ??. From genealogy to wellbeing, Elliott’s life experiences demonstrate that being in line with yourself and where you come from can help determine your future. Elliot is the principal broker of EXP, a prominent commercial real estate firm in Hawaii. “Our parent company is EXP World Holdings. We've had our residential arm in business since 2008 on our commercial brokerage. As a principal broker for EXP, I do everything from sales [to]leasing. We're also developing our asset management line of business for office, retail, industrial, apartments, hotels, agriculture, and conservation land.”
He also shared a brand he is developing, Kuleana Commercial Advisors. This organization allows him to better connect with his work, as it is Hawaii-based. “EXP is also a platform we're able to brand within the company. For me, having a strong brand to connect to personally makes a big difference in how you go about talking to prospective business clients and existing clients and then folks within the industry. It's something I can pour into and have resonate, and that will resonate additionally with our community because it's from here. And EXP can help with the back office and the administrative components of it, running a business, having the insurance, the E&O insurance, and the global recognition as well,” he explained.
Elliott is also a board member of Pālama Settlement, established in 1896. Dating back to the years of Kamehameha and the unification of the islands, this organization aims to give back to the Kalihi and Pālama neighborhoods. “One of the first projects that I was involved with, that I spearheaded, was forming the murals that you see in Kaka'ako and Kalihi. For Kalihi, that was driven because there was a strong need to instill more pride within the community, as Kalihi is typically labeled with a negative connotation. We ended up doing that in May 2023, at the Worldwide Walls festival,” he explained.
Elliott shared more on the process behind the successful completion of the concrete neighborhood tapestries. “ We initially started with the intent to have two walls painted, ended up with 35 on campus and another 35 plus throughout Kalihi, including Farrington High School, Bishop Museum, Kalihi Kai Elementary, Kalihi Uka Elementary, Dillingham Plaza, and a couple of other warehouse properties in Kalihi as well. Over 80 muralists that had come and descended on Kalihi for about a week, half were local and half were from out of state,” he described.
When it comes to working with those on the islands, Elliott explained the root of his love and connection to the land. “In Hawaiian culture, genealogy is a very big component of how you introduce yourself and how you get to know other people that you come into contact with. In all of those connections, you'll find that, For me, when I learned about my family coming from Portugal and that they were sought after to manage real estate, business operations, and things of that nature–it became something that I can pull from and activate within myself. It is something we can all do.”
Developing a stronger sense of identity based on your genealogy and the places in which you came from can be very grounding\. You can get a clearer idea of what brings you fulfillment, the things that you hold in high regard, and what you tend to prioritize on a day-to-day basis. Elliott went on to explain that within this sense of knowing yourself, five components of well-being. “It's everything from yourself to your Ohana, to your community, to the Lahui, which is our greater community, and then Aina. When you're able to address and contribute to each one of those things, at least one thing per day, you're setting yourself up to develop habits to become and be very successful in your way.” Elliot also offered advice to students looking to improve not only themselves but the environment around them. Elliott stressed the importance of knowing yourself to better contribute to your community.
“Understanding the community that you serve, to be able to define that is very critical. But understanding yourself is equally as important. Who are you? What is the meaning of all your names? Knowing the meanings of all your names from first, middle, to last, and even nicknames can be fun and can begin to connect you closer to who you are and who you are meant to be. “Every single person has a different type of gift that they excel at. There's a variety of ways beyond monetary contributions that all have value. So it's to better understand what that looks like per individual. But one percent a day is all it takes to get better and better at any area in your life. If you properly plant and take care of and nurture an acorn from its seedling phase, and you do it properly over a long-term period, you end up cultivating and managing a giant oak tree that's stable and sturdy”.