Time-out with Peter Kay

By Katherine Nichols
Advertiser Staff Writer

Peter Kay rarely does one thing at a time. On this day at the KHVH 830 AM studio in Dole Cannery, as Kay gears up for his radio show, "Your Computer Hour," he clicks on two computers blinking in front of him, listens for instructions on his earphones, gleans information from his radio-show guest, uses hand signals to guide her to speak directly in the microphone and puts her at ease.

	Peter Kay
•	Age: 38
•	Hometown: Chicago
•	You may not know: Don't let the English-sounding nom de plume or techno-geek image fool you. He's Greek. And computers aren't his only passion.
•	Future plans: Real Central, an electronic commerce hub for the real estate industry. "It's going to completely revolutionize the way real estate industry executes transactions."
•	Kay in the media: "Your Computer Minute" KSSK 92.3, I 94, 98.5 Island Rhythm, STAR 101.9, and KHVH 830 AM "Your Computer Hour" KHVH 830 AM at 10-11 a.m. Sundays "Computer Talk with Peter Kay" between 5:50 and 6 a.m. Thursdays and Fridays on KITV's "Good Morning Hawai'i."

Just when the visitor thinks she will be left behind, Kay flashes a charming smile. Sally Moncado, director of e-commerce sales at Maui Divers of Hawai'i and Kay's nervous guest, settles instantly into her temporary role.

It all happens in two minutes.

The public has known Kay, 38, for three years as the voice of "Your Computer Minute." His 50-second tips run repeatedly on various radio stations. And for the past five years, he has done a two-minute television segment called "Computer Talk With Peter Kay."

But this is only one facet of a multidimensional person who is notorious for sending e-mails to his 25 employees at 3 a.m. and compares himself to a circus plate spinner, running between sticks to prevent the plates from crashing to the ground.

He is also a devoted husband and father. And he is president and CEO of CyberCom, a company that develops business Web software. His client list includes Bank of Hawai'i, Hawaiian Airlines and Outrigger Hotels.

In his paperless CyberCom office, wearing a purple CyberCom polo shirt that sets off his head of thick, slightly untamed salt-and- pepper hair, he emphasized that computers are not his only passion.

His favorite nontechnical activity? "Bodysurfing big, gnarly Makapu'u," he said.

His other hobby is car racing; he used to play with a Toyota Supra twin turbo, and looks forward to taking his new Lexus GS 400 to the track.

But big surf and fast cars are nothing compared to what he considers his greatest challenge: "I run this business; that's pretty damn wild!" he laughed. "I put my butt on the line every day. That's about as risky as it's ever going to get."

Others in the industry have noticed his courage. "All of us have Peter to thank for bringing the business to the level it is," said Richard Halverson, president of Guide.Net and a former professor of computer science at UH. Several times, Halverson said, "we thought he was going down the wrong path, but he ended up being way ahead of us."

Successful entrepreneur

Peter Kay, host of "Your Computer Hour" radio talk show, interviews Sally Moncado, director of e-commerce sales at Maui Divers of Hawai'i, whose Web site he designed. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

At the top of one bookshelf is artwork created by his 4-year-old daughter, Aina. Electronic pictures of his 1-year-old daughter, Theo, brighten the 21-inch computer screen that sits next to a blue lava lamp.

With a click of the mouse, ancient Byzantine chants fill the room.

"Two thousand years old!" he exclaimed, referring to the chants with a hand that bears a gold ring featuring a carving of the Parthenon. The music, he said, helps him get in touch with his spirituality, an essential component in his hectic life.

He guards his home life by keeping his true identity — and his real Greek surname — a secret. "It lets me have a private life," he said.

His views of relative fame in a small town? "If you're not well rooted, you can really think you're something that you're not," he said. "Luckily I have a really strong wife who reminds me very often who I am." He laughed. "So I'm not able to get too far ahead of myself."

"We're very private," said Roni, his wife of 10 years, who originates from the Cook Islands. She handles all of CyberCom's finances, and relishes her behind-the-scenes role. "We're actually a very good balance. He lives and breathes computers. I'm good support staff."

She does understand computers, but deals with them differently from her "full-on computer geek" husband, as she described him: "When (the computer) doesn't work, I think what you're supposed to do is kick it," she joked. "Then you turn it off."

Modest beginnings

Peter Kay records his radio talk show "Your Computer Hour" on KHVH 830 AM. His wife describes the tips as easy to understand. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

In 1977-78, he saved his money and bought his first computer — an Apple II. "I went crazy on it," he said.

After high school he was supposed to follow the family tradition and attend a local community college to learn the restaurant business and take over the family company, he said, "because that's what Greek boys are supposed to do in Chicago."

Instead, a high salary lured him into a career as a software engineer for Apple, with a side job writing video games for Walt Disney.

When he was 20 years old, he treated his mother to a vacation on Maui for her birthday. "I stepped off the plane, and it was like, 'This is it.' "

Six months later he landed in Honolulu for the first time and found an apartment in Waikiki.

"I couldn't find a job here for anything," he said. "So I scrounged and starved. It took me about two years (working odd programming jobs) to completely lose all my money, and I came down to one final dollar bill."

But he had faith. A job offer came within a week. Then in 1986, he and two partners started a computer hardware and software service company called Xentec.

He realized that to make this company succeed, he needed to learn the art of sales. He believes his hard-earned success in this arena is what separates him from others in his line of work.

"Very few people can do sales and hardcore technology at the same time," he said.

After selling out of Xentec in 1991, he returned to Chicago with his bride. Briefly.

"Hated it!" he said. "For me it was great because it completely closed the loop that I'll never ever, ever live on the Mainland no matter what. I don't care if I starve on a street corner."

The birth of CyberCom

Back on O'ahu, he and Roni started from scratch. Again. While teaching UNIX (a competitor to Microsoft Windows) classes at Honolulu Community College in 1993, he was introduced to the World Wide Web. Like his reaction to Hawai'i, he said, "I saw this thing and I thought, 'This is it.'"

He had big plans. But there was one problem. "I didn't have any capital."

He shared his new knowledge with employees of Outrigger Hotels and Resorts during a UNIX class he was teaching to their information technology department. He pulled up a primitive search engine and typed "hotels." Nothing came up.

The possibilities became apparent to everyone in the room. The result? Outrigger.com, the first commercial Web site in Hawai'i. The success of this site led to the birth of CyberCom in 1994.

"Your Computer Minute" followed four years later. Kay attributes the success of the radio briefs to the fact that "they're easy to hear, easy to understand and easy to apply." But the equanimity he tries to achieve in his life is more complicated.

"Our entire life at work is intertwined at home," said Roni, who brings their children to the office. "And that's how it works out for us. He is truly doing something that he enjoys, so it's not a chore. The hard part is because work is so demanding, (in addition to) having young children, running a business, being married and keeping busy with (Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox) church."

While the public sees the hyperkinetic businessman/radio personality riding a wave of PR, his wife knows the authenticity: "He truly is a really good man. He has very strong family values. Simple, traditional, down to earth."

His daily challenge is to find balance somewhere in the middle.