Verizon Hawai'i president retiring
By Deborah Adamson
Advertiser Staff Writer
The president of Verizon Hawai'i, under whose tenure Hawai'i became one of the first states with a total digital phone network, said yesterday that he's retiring to pursue other career options.
"Professionally, we have accomplished what was needed to have Verizon Hawai'i succeed," said Warren Haruki, 50. "The time is right to pursue other opportunities."
HARUKI
A successor will be announced as early as next week, Verizon said. Haruki plans to stay with the company in an informal capacity until the end of September to help in the transition.
During his career, Haruki oversaw installation of hundreds of miles of undersea fiber-optic cables and presided over Verizon Online DSL into the state. DSL, a digital subscriber line, is a high-speed Internet connection that travels over phone lines.
Haruki first joined the company, previously known as GTE Hawaiian Tel, 26 years ago as a rate coordinator. He climbed the ranks and eventually became president in 1991.
The telecom market has been transformed during his career.
"When I first joined the company, it was in many ways a pure monopoly," Haruki said. "It's changed incredibly over that time."
Not only have there been technological leaps, but competition has infused the industry, such as in the area of broadband connections.
Earlier this year, Verizon Hawai'i cut prices on its DSL service as it sought to grab market share from Oceanic Time Warner Cable's Road Runner broadband service.
After stepping down, Haruki plans to stay in Honolulu. He will take some time off to consider his career options, he said, but he expects to continue serving at several nonprofits.
He is chairman of the Blood Bank of Hawaii and president of The 200 Club.
Reach Deborah Adamson at dadamson@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8088.
