Tapani Vuori, General Manager of Maui Ocean Center

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Jason Schwartz with special guest MAUI OCEAN CENTER General Manager TAPANI VUORI – sharing of MOC has been a very positive interactive presence in our community here- new SPHERE- Domed theatre constructed is the largest of its kind in the world- and it is very unique. 1-14-2019

Summary & Transcript Below…

     Interview with Tapani Vuori, General Manager of Maui Ocean Center

1. 1. 1. 1. [00:00 → 02:03] Introduction and Guest Welcome

• Jason Schwartz introduces the show and welcomes Tapani Vuori, General Manager of Maui Ocean Center, an acclaimed aquarium located on Maui, Hawaii.
• Tapani shares a bit about himself and expresses enthusiasm for the interview. The conversation sets the tone for discussing the aquarium’s mission, recent changes, and community engagement.

1. 1. 1. 1. [02:03 → 04:22] Maui Ocean Center’s Mission and Community Role

• Tapani explains that Maui Ocean Center goes beyond a traditional aquarium by creating a “sense of place” that connects visitors with Maui’s natural environment and culture.
• The Center integrates cultural enrichment programs and environmental advocacy, emphasizing the importance of local host culture and conservation efforts.
• Visitors often form emotional connections with the animals, which Tapani stresses are under the Center’s care but not owned by them. The goal is education and fostering ocean stewardship.
• The Center’s mission has expanded to include active environmental protection, cultural representation, and community relevance.

1. 1. 1. 1. [04:22 → 08:01] Aquarium Water Systems and Environmental Impact

• The Maui Ocean Center utilizes a unique open water system, pumping approximately 1.2 million gallons of seawater daily into the aquarium.
• Water is filtered mechanically (removing solid waste) and biologically (using bacteria to convert harmful ammonia into less toxic nitrate and nitrite), with additional ozone and degassing treatments.
• The water released back into Māʻalaea Harbor is cleaner than when it was drawn in, showcasing the Center’s environmental responsibility.
• Tapani emphasizes that maintaining water quality and preventing toxicity is critical to preserving the harbor’s marine life. Without the Center’s filtration system, ammonia levels could rise to toxic levels for fish, leading to ecological damage.
• The Center has a dedicated environmental team with regulatory and technical experts, including individuals who have experience with major environmental incidents like Deepwater Horizon.
• Scientific studies and mass flow analyses have led to the identification and elimination of nutrient sinks, highlighting the aquarium’s commitment to sustainable and environmentally sound operations.

1. 1. 1. 1. [08:01 → 11:32] Community Collaboration and Environmental Challenges

• Tapani discusses the broader environmental challenges facing Māʻalaea Harbor and Maui’s nearshore waters, including stormwater runoff and sedimentation.
• He stresses the need for community-wide, public-private partnerships to address these issues effectively, as no single group can solve them alone.
• Nonprofit organizations like Maui Nui Marine Resource Council play a vital role by collecting water quality data to inform and guide conservation efforts.
• Tapani advocates for a “carrying capacity” discussion to balance tourism and environmental sustainability on Maui.
• Financial sustainability is important to him; the Center balances profit and mission, focusing on return on investment (ROI) for the community’s benefit.
• The Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute (MOC MI), a nonprofit arm, collaborates with NOAA and others on marine conservation, including turtle rescue efforts impacted by government shutdowns.
• Tapani highlights the Hawaiian concept of “mauka to makai” (mountains to sea) to emphasize holistic environmental stewardship.

1. 1. 1. 1. [11:32 → 17:37] Water Quality Studies, Climate Change, and Urgency for Action

• The Center has completed studies and presented findings to the Hawaii Department of Health, focusing on watershed and runoff issues.
• Tapani proposed a holistic watershed plan and community consortium to address environmental challenges, which was well received and potentially funded by the state.
• He warns that climate change impacts are accelerating non-linearly, citing examples such as permafrost thaw in Siberia and melting Greenland ice sheets.
• Tapani stresses urgency in environmental action and expresses frustration with political denial of scientific evidence but remains hopeful about community efforts.

1. 1. 1. 1. [17:37 → 20:04] Personal Background and Connection to Maui

• Tapani shares his journey from Finland to the United States and eventually to Maui.
• He reflects on the 2015 coral bleaching event around Maui, describing it as an existential threat that motivated his conservation efforts.
• Recently naturalized as a U.S. citizen, Tapani expresses pride in his new citizenship and a commitment to contributing to the country’s and Maui’s well-being.
• Jason compliments Tapani on his hospitality and passion for his work.

1. 1. 1. 1. [20:04 → 25:01] The Sphere Project: Concept and Features

• The Sphere is a new immersive dome experience under construction at Maui Ocean Center, designed to offer a unique way to experience marine life beyond traditional tanks.
• Unlike typical planetariums where audiences crane their necks to look up, the Sphere has a concave design with an elevated platform, allowing a 360-degree immersive experience.
• It uses cutting-edge laser projectors and acoustical engineering to project moving images and sounds all around visitors, including 3D visuals of whales and underwater environments.
• The sound system is Dolby 7.2, creating a fully enveloping audio-visual experience simulating being underwater among whales.
• Safety measures include restrictions on children under four due to developing brains and balance systems.
• The Sphere is slated to open on February 10th, with media previews and official ceremonies planned.
• Maui County officials have been highly cooperative, ensuring the project complies with all regulations.

1. 1. 1. 1. [25:01 → 32:41] The Humpbacks of Hawaii Exhibit and Cultural Sensitivities

• The Sphere will be complemented by the “Humpbacks of Hawaii” exhibit, which highlights Maui’s iconic whales.
• The exhibit development involved community input and carefully handled cultural sensitivities, particularly concerning whale bones considered ancestors by native Hawaiians.
• Initially, a whale skeleton was offered from the Hawaii Maritime Museum, but cultural groups opposed displaying bones as they represent ancestors (Makua).
• The exhibit was redesigned using sandalwood to symbolically represent the skeletal structure, aligning the cultural significance of sandalwood with humpback whales.
• This multi-dimensional exhibit aims to challenge preconceived notions about whales, offering educational and cultural insights.
• The exhibit and Sphere are intended to provide both locals and visitors with meaningful, authentic experiences that encourage repeated visits and deeper engagement.

1. 1. 1. 1. [32:41 → 38:20] Education, Public Use of the Sphere, and Community Benefits

• Tapani emphasizes education as a core mission, expressing concern about low public education levels and the need to empower people with knowledge.
• The Sphere will be used not only for tourism but also for community events and education, with local groups able to use it pro bono during evenings.
• The design includes direct access from parking to make it convenient for diverse programming.
• Programs will include celestial navigation and real-time ocean data visualization, such as NOAA’s “Science on a Sphere,” offering innovative scientific learning opportunities.
• Tapani reiterates the importance of public-private partnerships in solving environmental and community issues, highlighting that government alone cannot manage these challenges.

1. 1. 1. 1. [38:20 → 43:54] Aquarium Animal Care, Sustainability Initiatives, and Responsible Practices

• Tapani addresses concerns about keeping fish in captivity, explaining that the Center’s overriding value is education and conservation.
• Many animals are returned to their natural habitats after care, focusing on endemic species native to Maui waters.
• The Center is committed to sourcing 20% of its animals from sustainable aquaculture by 2020, collaborating with University of Hawaii and Oceanic Institute.
• They have acquired captive-bred yellow tang, a species previously difficult to breed in captivity, showcasing advancements in aquaculture.
• Tapani supports efforts to eradicate harmful fish collection practices such as cyanide or TNT use in other regions.
• The Center invites public accountability and encourages feedback for continuous improvement.

1. 1. 1. 1. [43:54 → 48:55] Signature Exhibits and Local Artist Involvement

• The Center hosts daily educational shows and dynamic programming to engage visitors actively.
• The “Kanaloa Kahalava” exhibit shares local stories of coral reefs and marine conservation, developed with input from diverse cultural and environmental stakeholders.
• The new exhibits and Sphere highlight local artists and photographers, including David Fleadom, Karim Ilya, and filmmaker Daniel Oppiat, who contributed to the immersive whale film.
• The grand opening of the Sphere and associated exhibits is scheduled for February 10th, promising an event filled with entertainment and educational activities.
• Tapani’s leadership ensures the aquarium remains fresh and engaging, encouraging repeat visits from locals and tourists alike.

1. 1. 1. 1. [48:55 → 52:30] Facility Upgrades and Unique Design Elements

• Tapani discusses repainting the aquarium’s exterior after 20 years, choosing a unique, historically significant blue color called “Overseas International.”
• The color is derived from lapis lazuli stone, valued historically for its rarity and royal associations, adding a meaningful aesthetic to the facility.
• The paint was specially sourced and produced through collaboration with local experts and specialty manufacturers.
• The new color will enhance the Center’s visual identity with subtle blue accents, reflecting Tapani’s minimalist design philosophy focusing on form following function and visual balance.

1. 1. 1. 1. [52:30 → 55:53] Tapani’s Personal Journey and Career Path

• Tapani shares his background from Finland, including military service and education at BYU and UCLA in the United States.
• His career path included furniture retail management, computer industry operations, and Japanese anime business before joining Maui Ocean Center in 2002.
• He briefly worked at the Pacific Whale Foundation before returning to Maui Ocean Center as general manager.
• His diverse experiences and passion for people and the environment shape his leadership style and commitment to the Center’s mission.

1. 1. 1. 1. [55:53 → End] Closing Remarks and Invitation

• Tapani invites listeners to visit the Maui Ocean Center, especially the new Sphere experience opening February 10th.
• He expresses willingness to return for future interviews and thanks Jason Schwartz for the conversation and hospitality.
• Jason closes the show with appreciation for Tapani’s time and the community-oriented approach of the Maui Ocean Center.

1. 1. 1. Key Insights:

• Maui Ocean Center serves as an educational, cultural, and environmental hub, integrating scientific research, conservation, and Hawaiian cultural values.
• The Center actively protects and improves local marine environments through innovative water filtration and partnerships.
• The new Sphere exhibit represents a groundbreaking immersive experience designed to foster emotional and intellectual connections with marine life, especially humpback whales.
• Community involvement, cultural sensitivity, and public-private partnerships are essential pillars of the Center’s philosophy and success.
• Tapani Vuori’s leadership is marked by a commitment to authenticity, sustainability, education, and community benefit.

1. 1. 1. Keywords:

Maui Ocean Center, aquarium, environmental stewardship, open water system, filtration, Māʻalaea Harbor, public-private partnerships, conservation, cultural enrichment, humpback whales, immersive dome, Sphere, education, sustainability, aquaculture, Hawaiian culture, marine life, community engagement.

1. 1. 1. FAQ:

Q: What makes Maui Ocean Center’s water system unique?
A: It uses an open water system pumping seawater daily, filtered mechanically and biologically, with treated water released cleaner than intake water, protecting Māʻalaea Harbor.

Q: What is the Sphere experience?
A: A 58-foot diameter immersive dome with state-of-the-art laser projections and surround sound, offering 360-degree underwater whale experiences to educate and inspire visitors.

Q: How does Maui Ocean Center address cultural sensitivities regarding whale bones?
A: Instead of displaying real bones, the exhibit uses sandalwood representations in respect of Hawaiian cultural beliefs that consider whale bones as ancestors.

Q: How is the Center involved in environmental conservation?
A: Through scientific studies, collaborations with nonprofits and NOAA, turtle rescue efforts, and advocating for sustainable aquarium practices and watershed management.

Q: When does the Sphere open?
A: February 10th, with community and media events planned on that date.

This detailed summary captures the essence and breadth of the interview, focusing on Maui Ocean Center’s mission, innovations, environmental commitments, cultural integration, and community engagement.

00:00

good morning it’s Monday at 11 o’clock and we’re here at the neutral zone I’m your host Jason Schwartz welcome to our show [Music] [Music] that is no matter our [Music] his hand [Applause] please [Music] well welcome to our show I’m Jason Schwartz here at the neutral zone it’s Monday January 14 2019 that’s still hard to say I was having a hard time at 2000 so I’m a little behind that time I have a terrific guest today you know we’ve been talking politics and no island I

01:28

decided it was time for us to have fun and knowledge at the same time I have a great guest a wonderful guy named Tapani Vuoriworried that just comes out off my tongue how was it was perfect thank you Jason good morning to you and good morning to all the listeners Tapani is the general manager of the Maui Ocean Center our incredible aquarium really a fantastic presence in Malaya Maui thank you and welcome to our show thank you for the in what appreciate it thank you for coming down you know the Maui Ocean

02:03

Center now it’s been here a while 20 years 20 years in fact I don’t know how it is but somehow I had a client when I was in the mortgage business who was an engineer there and then he became general manager and so over time it’s changed a lot but um if I was gonna ask for a general idea of what the Maui Ocean Center’s mission is because you’re doing a lot of changes and upgrades yeah a lot of changes for sure I mean it’s an exciting year for Maui with all the political changes humans mention

02:38

politics so we are going through a lot of change there and really our mission has enlarged so really to create a sense of place you mentioned through our aquarium I prefer to think of Maui Ocean Center so much more than the aquarium in a traditional sense so like I mentioned we have brought in the sense of place we all kinds of exhibits so we have new exhibits we can talk a little bit more about that the newest fear experience that is going to be amazing experience for the local community and everyone

03:12

actually and all the other advocacy issues that we are very active on environmental and conservation issues so the local host culture that has a prominent place in Maui Ocean Center so the rock I am is a little bit flat in my mind if I may say that I think it’s great so a Maui Ocean Center is a better description you know when I looked at your website I was more than fascinated you have programs cultural enrichment programs things about the sea and sea life and have things running all day and

03:50

I have friends that go down there they’ve made pets they call them their pets uh-huh and they come regularly to visit their friends that live in the aquarium well this is a key point actually I want to make sure that everyone understands I keep telling this to everyone in the organization the animals that are there are under our care they do not belong to us we don’t own them so it behooves us to make sure that we provide the best possible environment for them because the ultimate goal is really to educate

04:22

people and show the wonders in the oceans because if people don’t understand what’s out there in the ocean you know as far as our care for the ocean at large will diminish and when its sight unseen people may not take good care well you know that’s a really good point and I imagine it takes a lot to take good care of them you know kind of I guess you’d say it’s a restricted environment so they’re not swimming out back out to sea how do you keep the water fresh is that a whole filtering system or what do you

04:59

do good question and we’re actually very unique aquarium most of the aquariums that they are available for public to see they’re closed systems we have an open water system what that means we have today we pump about 1.2 million gallons so seawater into the system into the aquarium be filter a couple different ways we have a mechanical filter system which basically very most of biosolids so these are usually high pressur sand filters so all the fish poop and if I may use the word poop on the radio you

05:33

can’t use the word crap he was the head of Environmental Management okay so we’re safe I don’t want to shock anyone out here so that is a mechanical filtration system then we have a biological filtration system basically we call it a cravat II filter what that does it has a bacteria it’s actually a nitrosomonas strain of bacteria that converts ammonia which is nh4+ to nitrate and nitrite no.3 and no2 and then we have also ozone generators we have other degassing solutions there and

06:13

other police and polishing solutions so ultimately the water that we released back into the ocean actually we release it back into the Malaya Harbor it is cleaner than the water we get in and we have an environmental team when I started in this position about three years ago it was really to me a really high priority to get actually an environmental team in place we have two wonderful experts or we have Robin Knox I’m sure many in the community and in all robin knox she was on a show in fact okay perfect

06:47

she’s our environmental director of regulatory affairs and then we have Oviatt Kahana who is a environmental director of our technical affairs and he’s a chemical engineer by training he used to work at Beebe at the Deepwater Horizon incident when that happened way back so we’ve done a scientific analysis and mass flow analysis panel calculations and we’ve actually isolated the nutrient sinks in our system we have eliminated those we have overall cleaned and improved the system and we have conclusively proven that we

07:25

are cleaning the Molly Harper water POC stop discharging the clean water into the Harper actually malya malya harbor by the boat ramp there the ammonia levels would probably rise to 37 micrograms per liter so these are still mine school limits however 30 micrograms per liter for ammonia I say level of toxicity for FINA fees so it is crucial that we pay attention how we impact the environment and this is one of the main reasons also I want to make sure that my Ocean Center we add value to the local community

08:01

every day I want to make sure that we are relevant this is important to me personally that we add value to the local community and there are a lot of other things we are doing and I’d be able to talk about that sure and I’m just curious so our water and melot’s what got me our water in Malaya Harbor has 37 parts per billion well actually uh what would happen if we would stop discharging into the harbor level of ammonia would rise to 37 micrograms per liter we actually modeled this so which is logic right

08:36

that is level of toxicity so what does that say about our harbour what let’s now close our eyes and say the Ocean Center wasn’t there god forbid so we would have a real problem actually uh what would probably happen most likely we would have an additional fish kill in the harbor and the the smells would probably most likely be elevated in the area as well is there something that we could recommend to any group that could help make your work I obviously it’s significant and you don’t want to go

09:13

away but I mean it thinks I would think that we would want to solve the problem because if it’s happening Ally harbour it’s probably happening all over again actually it’s happening all around we as a community at large we really need to be mindful about these issues so and this is really why I personally obviously you can tell from my heavy accent I’m not originally from here but I couldn’t tell but I really appreciate being part of a community that is so progressive in terms of how we value our

09:47

natural resources at some point as a community I think we should have meaningful conversations so what is our carrying capacity in the community for tourism you know what are the loading capacity so for the nearshore marine environments etc but at the same time no single organization including the government can do everything by themselves so public-private partnerships there’s a lot of nonprofits that are doing a lot of good work Maui Nui Marion resource Council under the leadership Robin knew polt is an

10:21

excellent organization now they do a lot of volunteer efforts so they’re actually measuring the water quality around the maui levert side right now from all the way from my iki now to all the way up to past Kaanapali so today daisuki Bicky big data is really the key so we start understanding the patterns and we can actually start making some conclusions and take action the problem is many times or the challenge that we don’t have enough data and we either give up or we start shooting from the hip and we

10:59

may do individual or things in isolation that are not really meaningful so there should always be some oversight overall in terms of environmental actions and and what is the most cost effective I I’m also responsible for the PNL profit and loss statement for the aquarium obviously the owners want to see a return but if you do the right thing the money will always come but I look at things from ROI perspective return on investment and make sure that whatever we are doing it’s effective because we

11:32

do have finite resources so the point that I’m trying to make is I would the community to reach out to a lot of the local nonprofits so who are actually doing a lot of cleanup efforts so you know other conservation efforts even my Ocean Center we started a 501 C 3 three years ago actually uh MOC mi Maui Ocean Center Marine Institute which is actually working very well together right now with NOAA we are working under their permit on the turtle rescue issues and as of today even we have one turtle

12:08

in a quarantine area that is that has fibro Piper aloma virus and we are actually waiting to airship that particular turtle 2 for Thailand for NOAA facility but because of the government shutdown nothing is happening right now unfortunately so anyway there’s a there’s a lot of opportunities so methods really that I have to all of us including myself what can we do to really look at the our environmental or our natural resources you know it’s really mauka to Makai you know like the Hawaiians have been saying

12:48

all this time you know if we are mindful this is what makes our place really special besides the culture and the people of course here the host culture you know if if the nature if the natural resource is called what else is there that really is you know important for us as a community and I think we need to keep our eyes on the ball there I’m just curious when we talk about water quality you out there and around the injection wells do you have any specific readings out there do they keep you informed of what’s happening

13:24

and why um actually Maui Nui marine resource Council have done a lot of water quality readings and there’s public information available on the website there was actually a tracer study done by Taccone on Maui and the results are actually very eye-opening and it’s not very pretty also South Kihei area we have some issues there and again all that information is public I would urge was I have the reason I was bringing it up is I knew that but I I was hoping that you would bring it up what I really

14:02

am seeing initially is there are lots of reasons that people should come to you but one is you’re an avid and active supporter aggressively in helping our community and its waters and in the education and working like you said working with different groups that are responsible along the island and I guess a key to from what you’re sharing a key to keeping my Alya Harbor from getting toxic and that’s get scary yeah let me back up and add a little bit you know last September we had actually completed

14:41

our study we were able to do a presentation in Honolulu for the do eights Department of Health get quite a lot of people in the room and my instructions to our environmental team were very simple when we go there it’s not about Maui Ocean Center because by that time it had become very clear that the stormwater runoff and sedimentation really are the number one and two problems so that the nearshore waters are facing we present this data we presented what we thought were the problems so we also presented what we

15:17

thought were the solutions and I told our team that we are going to go even further than that we are going to tell the state of Hawaii that we want to be partners in this effort and we are going to put some money on the table to help accomplish this they were actually so blown away by this approach they said nobody has ever come to us with this everybody is of course focused on their needs and they have some suggestions saying they said what we would like you to do is write a holistic watershed plan and

15:52

start building a community consortium of community stakeholders and present it to us and if you prove it we will most likely fund it and now this is actually tremendous because this is now state of Hawaii DOAs who is saying this and I think they realized that the public-private partnerships are really one solution and we can accomplish a lot more things because what I’m personally afraid obvious that these issues are not linear so what I mean by that there was a report couple days ago that came and

16:26

that was in the science magazine if anybody wants to look it up so the climate change is not happening linearly so in a linear fashion so I would not characterize it that it’s exponential but however it’s higher than linear croats so if we don’t act if you don’t take positive action or corrective measures so you know we are running out of time it keeps accelerating about that’s what you mean by not linear you clearly you know just add it up like this it is going grow a bit crazy

17:03

well what is happening like you know I mentioned my accent earlier I’m from Finland originally and I’m from up north and there’s permafrost there so what is happening also is like in Siberia and Alaska permafrost is starting to actually thaw and the co2 not readings are going are actually setting the records as we speak so that is crowing and in the what’s really concerned so a lot of people is the Greenland the ice sheet that is actually melting away very rapidly so I don’t want to alarm people

17:37

but we need to also pay attention well no I am of the alarm I think happens every day because I’m guess our president for some reason chooses not to believe experts like yourself and others that have proof that we have to do something well thank you for the expert there well you don’t come empty-handed to Maui from Finland you obviously had credential to walk in and take over an operation like this so well I appreciate that I think you know I am a couple things so I see a lot of politicians so

18:19

say this thing we are in the ocean every day we see what is happening actually 9/11 2015 that was a watershed moment for us and for me personally up to 40% of the coral reef cover it’s bleached around to Maui waters and to me that was an existential threat and on the second note you mentioned president I think just on a personal note November 16th I became a US citizen I’m very proud of that finally I paint in this country a long time thank you and I was thinking and when I was in the swearing ceremony

18:57

and although I was thinking about JFK and what he was talking about this country you know what you can do for the country and this country is bigger than any one person so the system as its own I won’t do well I I want to commend you I mean I the way we met was an unusual thing there was a gentleman that takes water from air and he’s gonna be a guest on our show actually Teddy Bowman from tsunami products and he was talking about construction and things they’re doing with the Hawaiians trying to get

19:29

some project up country and he wanted to see the dome so I was strolling around looking and came to the construction site and your people were very nice to me and they got me directly to you and your hospitality and being able to show that was really good you just seem like a typical to me of anyone that’s running facilities around here your heart just comes out you know I can see that you’re you may say you’re in charge of P&L and ROI but you’re also you know you come from your heart you

20:04

really are caring what did you do before you were here I mean that’s a long story a lot of different things you know it’s very simple to me it’s all about people and you treat people like you want to be treated so to me that’s for it it’s a pleasure yeah anyway when when we went there and looked at there we went to see that sphere tell us a little about that because that’s gonna be very new and exciting very soon the sphere let me repeat it the sphere we call it the sphere it’s actually let me back up

20:42

a little bit normally I’m sure most people listener so happy into planetarium so basically what they have most of these planetariums what they’ve done is they’ve taken a sphere they cut it in half and they put it crown down on the crown on the concrete excuse me concrete slab and then they put the seats on the bottom and people are sitting on the floor or in the seats and they’re looking up and craning their necks and you know sooner than you know your neck muscles start getting sore and

21:15

you get tired of the experience so we have a very unique situation here we have a sphere that we cut off basically one third of it off so if you imagine yourself standing inside the sphere if you look at the horizon the walls are actually concave underneath or horizon so it’s actually coming towards you in the bottom then we have built a elevated platform inside that really creates that fully immersive experience and what’s really unique about this particular sphere or the experience that we have

21:52

created here we have the state-of-the-art laser projectors from a company called ENS Evan Sutherland out of Salt Lake City they’re run by two very powerful computers that have actually an algorithm that is seeming moving images together in the same and now imagine the entire I think Jason when you came by you saw the white protection screen all around the dorm so basically the entire dome inside is covered with projection surface that’s done by a company called feller out of sweet and it’s

22:30

state-of-the-art they use recycled cotton materials and we hear they have all the acoustical engineering studies done and everything that has a perfect blend of frequencies that actually maximize the experience inside the dome and these two laser projectors are projecting the image onto the surface 360 degrees we have active 3d classes that and then we have emitters embedded into the walls and what happens as an end result the image is actually showing in the space so it’s not against the wall so if you imagine yourself being in

23:15

the water I’m sure many listeners so going to water often now imagine all the whales all around you and this is the experience that you get and we have a Dolby 7.2 sound system so in the entire dome is actually moving and reverberating with whale sounds and as the whales move in and out and you’ll see the experience the entire film is actually more like 15 or 16 minutes long it’s not that long but it’s very intense actually we are not going to be able to take children under four years or under

23:55

insight because there’s actually scientific studies showing that you know as they’re equilibriums are developing and their brains are developing it could be potentially harmful so adults it’s okay so we are going to have a kind line I prefer to not say too many nose so of course but this is Safety’s number one for us so it’s going to be amazing experience we are have been calibrating and now for the last two weeks as we are building as you see how I’m dressed today with my

24:26

fur claw clothes I’m building and fabricating there with it it’s all hands on deck right now so we are under deadline to open the new dorm experience or the sphere February 10th that’s when our crane opening will happen I see so that there’s some kind of a preview that I was invited to I guess that’s gonna be seeing that experience for the media and local politicians and Maui County has been extremely helpful very accommodating I want to make sure that everything has been done by the book and

25:01

we co apartment beyond what we are supposed to be doing everything and Maui County has been very professional so I’m very grateful for them you know when I was there and I always have this feeling like it’s very fresh where you can go into I don’t want to pick on them but go into County or state they have a very different attitude the attitude of your people is very different I guess they appreciate their input with you and they all seem to feel valuable which is really terrific yeah I think um well

25:37

well you know we’re here with Tapani who are the general manager of Maui Ocean Center we’re gonna take a break here for a couple of minutes and come back and talk some more so let’s talk and get our sponsors on including know Kauai motors who’s our principal sponsor thank you Jason the neutral zone with me Jason Schwartz would like to thank Naoko motors maui car rentals for their support located at 181 dairy Road across from the fire station in Khalu they’ve served the Maui community for more than 30

26:11

years with services and used cars and automobile rentals find them online at Maui car rentals net or at 877 3300 the neutral zone has heard mondays live at 11 a.m. and again on Saturdays at 7 a.m. on a aku 88.5 FM high youth service directory is online at a youth comm we envision a Hawaii where all youth are connected to the support they need to walk Epona path towards health happiness and abundance 808 youth comm is a free easy-to-use online directory funded by the Office of youth services if you’re

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hear mine are supported by you as well as our underwriters if you would like to help keep the voice of Maui talking loud and clear go to it’s a gravy show Wednesday’s it’s important to buckle up your kids I know sometimes car seats can be complicated I know and if your child’s in the wrong seat and you get into a crash I know it could lead to a serious injury I know so you’re 100% sure you have the right car seat for your child’s age and size I don’t know don’t think you know

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know you know car crashes are leading killer of children 1 to 13 make sure you have the right car seat visit safercar.gov/therightseat a message from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Ad Council well we are back here this is the neutral zone on K aku 88.5 FM I’m a with Tapani voi who is the general manager of the Maui Ocean Center we were talking about the sphere that you’re building give us a little more on the sphere and where its idea came about and sure be happy to you know Benjamin Cohn

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he is the owner of the aquarium he was here 25 years ago actually uh he was part of the envisioning and building the aquarium and he really wanted to create an experience that is too big for a tank you know as everyone I’m sure know so Maui actually you know has a ban on you know mammals in captivity which is amazing which is great that’s really the hallmark in my opinion and it really becomes alive through this experience in the sphere and the 3d classes and you know again it goes back to the create

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and experience that we’ll really create an R for people for the Nature and Natural Resources let’s see people may wonder roughly the size you know if you drive towards Lahaina or coming from Lahaina to Kahului the dome or the sphere that you see at the Millea that’s a it’s about 58 feet in diameter it’s very unique it’s the first in its kind really in the United States specifically built for this purpose feller the company would eat the acoustical you know protection screen they usually work with DoD

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Department of Defense and Navy Department and they even said that it’s the largest one they have done in the world so it’s it was very technical and highly complex a construction project and so I really personally appreciate all the community professional straits people who have been part of this project and from the beginning to the end hopefully and also like I mentioned maui county with their oversight and keeping everything running smooth and seamless and also a lot of people in a community who have come to support this

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as well so that has been really gratifying there inside the exhibit before before you all one enters into the sphere we are going to have the humpbacks of hawaii exhibit now that process took a little bit longer and we had local community involved in the design process of it and weaver actually offered a whale skeleton that used to hang at the hawaii Maritime Museum in Honolulu PI the a lot our that building was operated by piece of museum for and they had had it closed for ten years so they could never make it work and they

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offered the skeleton back to the state of Hawaii and it went to Kirk where their director Mike Mahoney who has been very helpful and very involved with a lot of things and as the community and also kirk is about to start their design process and their process for their visitation center in South Kihei so I hope the community will support that as well he asked us if if it would make sense in our educational context and of course we like the idea we’ve seen a lot of museums etc but when we did the

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meetings with the cultural community groups everybody loved everything else but the objections came to Evie as the listeners know it is really the bones the ancestors so this is your family your Makua how many times so they said you cannot have our family in there we said on the spot we agree with that it’s not coming in and we went to plan B so we redesigned the entire exhibit content and what you will actually see when you come and visit Maui Ocean Center by the way by a manual membership that makes

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financial sense since I like to talk financial stuff sometimes so you will actually see you know sandal wood everywhere so we’ve actually done braces there and sort of a representation of skeletal structure out of sandalwood so one may wonder what can a whale exhibit is this it has all this sandalwood in there so now as many of your listeners know about the cultural issues there’s that duality always there so the humpback whales and the sandalwood they are parallel they Co together so there’s

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a connection there so my instructions to our exhibit designer who is a brilliant exhibit designer was really let’s design something that will really question the preconceived notions about humpbacks and whales in general and I want to make sure that we create an exhibit here that is multi-dimensional that people every time they come take it something new and different out of it and this idea to me personally really resonates with me and it really came from my learning and understanding of Hawaiian culture as I understand it more

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the more respect and awe you know I I came towards that culture and you know it’s really important to make sure that we create a experience that people will not experience anywhere else so they have a reason to come to Maui and even the local community uh sees value in it right like you said an annual membership means local community coming back and back you have a lot of programs I saw involving education for schools you have a lot of that’s for everybody going on and special events will that dome the

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sphere be open for outside events probably right that is correct actually um since you mentioned the world of Education I’m not happy with our level of education going into the public you know arena I used to be a public school teacher a long time ago so public schools are very close and dear to my heart and I personally want to make sure that we provide resources available to all the segments in a society so because knowledge is power so as soon as people have the skills that they are able to

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really control their own destinies better you mentioned the new sphere available yeah a public service for example Saturday night we had male affiliates association at their annual meeting we provided the pelagic area for them for that Mayor Victorino stopped by that was really nice to see the mayor come in and introduce himself and even he mentioned public-private partnerships during the evening which was great my message to local communities that during the day we will need to monetize the sphere with our visit visitors and

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make sure that we can recover our investment but in the nighttime we are going to make it available to local community groups or pro-bono you know during the evening time and we’ll have to see how that starts working but this is our and I actually instructed the architects to design a outside ingress and egress directly from the parking lot so there is no need to open the park which actually simplifies things because we can run all kinds of content we can do celestial navigation which is our intent

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also NOAA has a great program called science on the sphere if your listeners will google it you will see what that is so we have an ability to run that virtual inside the dome so we can actually so real-time the ocean water temperatures etc in a dorm that is rotating so that is mind blowing what a nice thing for Maui I hope people will well I’m sure they already are but I want more and more people we like especially someone who comes here is running a tourist attraction that has local value and really sets its whole

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tone based on involvement from community and culture that’s really a very refreshing thing to hear okay I think also that your mention of public-private partnership I think that is probably the greatest single thing that we can do to solve our problems because the government is happy to help us but if we start in the private sector that’s when we’re really getting the involvement we need to really solve the problem yeah well here’s one example I mean okay let’s um let’s say we we have an

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aquarium a lot of people well not a lot of people but some people really have heartburn over the fact that you know they see this fish being held captive and all that we see overriding values so in terms of education providing there are a lot of people who do not have ability to actually coin to the water or even snorkel or dives we are providing a very valuable educational you know methods and educational content for a lot of people and I firmly believe that once people see the beauty in the ocean even if it’s

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represent true representation a few few animals under our care in captivity to me when I look at the scale I think the positives outweigh still negatives also a lot of your listeners may not know but Maui Olsen Center returns substantial portion of the animals that are collected around to Maui waters back into the same place where we collected it so this is all endemic species is pieces that are only you know found here on Maui and to me this is really important aspect to it as well now we need to be held accountable like any

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other organization and I’m the first one to call the public to hold us accountable for higher standards so my email and my contact information is on our website we have so feel free to contact me anytime if you have any suggestions for improvement also we have made a public commitment by 2020 twenty percent of the animals marine animals under our care they will actually be sourced from a sustainable supply chain so what yeah what that means is we’re currently working with UHCL oh and oceanic Institute in Waimanalo Oahu and

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I’m sure many of you remember the news story about a year and a half ago back dr. Chatham Callum he actually bioengineered I used the term a little bit loosely here a yellow thing that has been not been able to be cultivated under under captivity before aquaculture circumstances and we actually purchased a proto of yellow tang which is actually on exhibit right now and we want to start telling these stories more and more we are also providing fish stock or the PhysX to both you hclo and oceanic Institute so

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they can actually continue expanding the aquaculture dynamic that they’re working on we also working with people like Rena hamburger who is very important person on Maui in terms of conservation issues so and she’s been doing Studies on on aquarium pet industry and as you may know there are certain areas in the world where unfortunately the collection practices are not the best they use cyanide or TNT to collect ornamental aquarium fish so it’s a little bit of a problem well it’s

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more of a problem I would say and I support the efforts of Renae what she’s doing so we are doing all these things to make sure that we elevate our responsibility in the community so as we’re going into the future I am sure that our public here is getting excited by all that they’re hearing here let’s tease them a little bit more I mean I when I looked at your website I kept looking and seeing all these you have different daily shows about all kinds of fish that are in the open in the ocean

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and open ocean aquarium and when I was looking through I thought boy this is really good you’re not just sitting there and let’s let people walk around you’re full of new and exciting information to people to take into their heart yeah I’m really excited about a lot of the programs we have started to Institute I can’t speak highly enough of our team that we have in place there everybody like you mentioned earlier everybody really has taken full ownership of what we’re doing I keep

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telling everyone you know this is not work for me I love what I do and I consider myself very fortunate and I wish everyone has that opportunity in their lives might be in situations that I didn’t feel that way and look life is too short to remain in situations like that you know we are we have a my message to everyone at Molson centers that we have a responsibility I would almost say moral responsibility to communicate with the public locals and visitors alike about the issues that affect our natural resources

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and we have an opportunity to change things so we’ve been very active behind the scenes with the Sun screen band you know several other issues that have happened especially here in Maui County so this is to me this is crazy we get to actually work on these issues so talking about the specific exhibits so I’m very excited about the canal or kaha lava exhibit this let me share with you this is an exhibit that auntie Hoku did about 20 years ago and it was at the Smithsonian in Washington DC 18 19 years

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ago for a few months I believe came back and I understand it was at the piece of museum for a few months one our workers who works with us right now he remembers being in elementary or middle school and coined to be sure mr. Holman actually seeing this exhibit and now it’s funny because he’s the one who is actually putting this together at Maui Olsen Center so it really shows how everything is connected and this is really a great exhibit it really talks about the Colome the history what has happened there and

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it really showcases so you know the challenges that have happened there and the viewpoints from Kirk and from pko you know protocol AMA kava Ohana and Kirk that’s the Holloway Island reserve Commission so everyone is coming together to make this possible and really hopefully faster you know the collaboration between different entities for the future for the betterment of canola for coal of a to Acco forward you know it’s so for the local community decide what’s best for it so this is

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really I’m really appreciating as we’re sitting here your passion for the programs that you’re doing you know it’s really nice to see again I’m just generalizing but most people that are in business don’t put as much passion into really the service focus that I hear from you it’s really very nice yeah whatever we do it has to be authentic it has to be relevant you know it’s I keep telling everyone we are not an entertainment business yet we still need to entertain people so do not conflate

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those two issues however it needs to be meaningful I really want to people to feel when they come and visit my Ocean Center that they really received something insights and something of real value for them that they learned something new and hopefully even become a you know you know point for them or it re-energizes or keeps them hope to do different things yeah we have a little bit of time left I want to be sure that I’m covering things that you have on your list because I know there were a few things that you had

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mentioned you wanted to speak about and I want to let you pull from it if you can yeah that’s fine there’s a couple things um you know for example here’s Governor eager Maui awesome center has created a truly innovative exhibit that brings guests up close and personal with humpback whales with zero disturbance to the delicate ecosystem of Hawaii’s oceans so Kelly King our council member mentioned the humpbacks of Hawaii exhibit and sphere goes far beyond whale watching providing insights and

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knowledge about Maui’s humpback whales that are not widely unknown so there is you know a lot of feedback that we are receiving already and you know one thing that I would like to really is you know until now people have only observed humpback whale from the UPOV of the ocean surface witnessing their power and size during their famous praises so our exhibit really transports guests deep into the ocean giving them an inside look into the complex and vibrant life of Maui’s humpback whales

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allowing them to forge new connections with one of nature’s greatest marvels and then our cultural advisor called a Maxwell you know he’s saying that the new exhibit and sphere continues the legacy of our ancestors including my grandfather Charles Maxwell in creating access for those who cannot or are no longer able to experience the ocean and its mana first and what has not been possible now is now is connecting with the beauty and wonder of a wise marine life in their world with no barriers

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between we are going to have plenty of local artists featured there and photographers so we have David fleadom Karim Ilya is going to be featured prominently as well so you will see those very striking close-up image imagery there and of course on Daniel opiates who is a German filmmaker he’s the one the brains behind and the artistic brain behind creating this film along with Benjamin Conte the owner of a coral world our parent company and I know he’s been working very closely with Noah on this project for three years

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pretty much and I would urge everyone to stop by and when you have a chance and like I mentioned we will have the grand opening on February 10th we will have a lot of things happening on that day a lot of exciting things entertaining entertainers etcetera on the property so come on over that’s my mission well I just want to make sure of course you realize I’m talking to the pontiff re the general manager of the Mallee Ocean Center you know I really have found every time I go to the Ocean

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Center its fresh and new and it seems like that is that’s your goal to keep it fresh and new so we all keep coming back in the the Ocean Center when you look at it you talked about being striking you showed me a color of paint that I thought was very it looked like inside of my studio but it’s not easy to find that color tell us what are you doing there with the outside well striking would be the work but you know I come from a design background in a way that less is almost more you know form

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follows function so sort of minimalistic approach it’s very important to me and visual balance and so everything is sort of yin and yang if I may use those terms what we’re doing here we are actually repainting the aquarium we have at the same color there for 20 years now and I think it’s time to refresh and we will have a beautiful light steel cray overall tone of the color and we actually had a put a big challenge than ourselves there is some blue color that I personally I could not sleep because I

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had to find this blue color I had seen it’s summer before and if your listeners are interested in Google in the color it’s called overseas international actually comes from Morocco and Afghanistan originally because the pigment is actually originated from lapis lazuli which is the blue stone and for example Edwin’s they used this color to rx in their clothing it’s usually it was in the Asian times actually Maui news a couple days ago they had great article on the blue color from Germany and they

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they actually talked about how it was related it was very valuable and it was really hard to come by and it was related to have it into a person having some royal statute so I’m not saying trying to pretend here anything but to illustrate the blue color it’s us could not escape my my mind so I kept searching and searching and you know the color is mozzarella Plue ma che o re L le mozzarella blue that was the kind of the genesis for this search that took on for several months and I spoke with all the

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paint companies on Maui couple on Oahu if I remember right and actually emirate on Johnny McKenna’s who is the owner there they came through and Joanie took on the challenge so and she said okay this is not available in the United States however I will do whatever it takes to find this color for you and she contacted several manufacturers in the United States they all pretty much say said no we are not able to do this so this is not possible and company called modern masters actually finally came

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through and we were able to earth they were able to develop a blue color that is very close to this so this will be a accent color it’s not going to be striking in a sense that or overwhelming rather should say it creates a really nice balanced tone and really elevates it to the next level so when you try by my ocean center you’ll start seeing some blue hues coming up and that is the color the whole idea was that it has sort of electricity to it and it really pops out when you see it and it’s just

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amazingly beautiful blue color you have never seen a blue color like that I’m excited to see actually the accents to come together so what had you coming to Maui I mean obviously we had you been here before because um you were refreshing you’re refreshing – you’ve been here three years but Wells they haven’t been by that closely in the way yeah actually I’ve been here longer just to give a little background I’m originally from Finland after my military service everybody has

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to serve in the military in Finland you don’t get paid for that it’s part of your duty it’s only a year so it’s not too bad I actually wanted to be in the Air Force fighter pilot however I did not have perfect eyesight so that destroyed my dream there that that happened I would probably have retired by now anyway I knew I wanted to come go to university to study and I came to you I was able to actually apply to several universities in the United States I was accepted to several I decided to pick

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BYU in Provo Utah I was there two years although I’m not LDS myself but it was very good school amazing school actually I come from a working-class background so I had to because cold and was very high in academic credentials and was cost effective so BYU was the choice for that reason I applied at UCLA where I was accepted I transferred there two years for the two remaining years I graduated from there in 87 but that was happening I was actually working in Los Angeles in furniture chain once I

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graduated I progressed from the sales floor to become a general manager and I was hired to actually streamline the business and make it available for sale which I was able to do and at that time I knew this commercial banker from London and we made a management buyout offer however that did not go through and I came to Honolulu at that time that was before Kmart opened to pick the first big-box retail on evil a name it’s a way and so that was a while ago and I told the management team that Hawaii

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that’s where the price discrepancy is the creator’s thought this is where the opportunity is so I was able to convince one of the partners to drop everything in Los Angeles and motive on the low-low and so we opened a high-end furniture store there i sold my shares about ten years after that then I was in computer business I was a operations manager for computer city and comp USA and after that I was in Japanese anime business we also actually cut a show on k5 sister Roby saying the momentum song in Hawaiian and English

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and back in 2002 I noticed the my Ocean Center had a retail director position open for which we applied and and I I was accepted here and I’ve been here ever since that although I left for one year I went to work for Pacific well foundation that’s another great organization know the work they’re doing this amazing as well well you know I can’t believe but we have queued up another hour here and we’re gonna leave everybody keeps telling me I talk too much Tapani vu re from the Maui Ocean Center

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I hope everyone will realize that February 10th is the start of their new exhibit in the sphere thank you for joining us here today it’s been a pleasure I hope that you’ll come back again and be with us thank you Jason you know if in white is open and your listeners don’t get bored with me I’d be happy to come back good good thank you everyone we’ll see you next week a lot Aloha thank you you’re welcome let me just now put on our neutral zone with me Jason Schwartz would like to thank