Age: 46

Title: President, chief executive officer and general manager

Organization: Paradise Cove Luau

High school: Moanalua High School

College: Associate degree from Kapi'olani Community College

Breakthrough job: Working as a Realtor since 1985. "I was in my 20s, dealing with clients my parents' age," Horita said. "I had to be a good listener, empathetic, trustworthy, know the available inventory, have knowledge of financing and be tenacious."

Little-known fact: Before becoming a Realtor, Horita worked in a variety of jobs including landscaping on Kaua'i, bagging groceries on Maui, washing dishes in Waikiki and shooting photos of tourists on dinner cruises in Kewalo Basin.

Major challenge: To deliver quality entertainment, food and service every night, and to have his more than 240 employees — of different ages, cultural backgrounds, education and economic status — work as a team toward the same goal.

Book recently read: "The Spice Routes" by Chris and Carolyn Caldicott. It was a gift from his sister, Karen.

Hobbies: Surfing, golfing and traveling — when he has the time.

Mentor: "My father, Herbert (developer of Ko Olina), taught me to be tenacious and observant. My mother, Miriam, taught me how to be fair, honest and to treat people with respect. The late Chuck Halter taught me that everyone counted. ... And Janice Yoneda taught me there's more than one way to teach people who think they know it all," Horita said.

Q. Hawai'i's tourism industry enjoyed a prosperous 2004, with projections to continue to grow in the coming years. How has Paradise Cove Luau benefited?

A. We've done well — I can't complain. But it wasn't just last year. ... The visitor industry in Hawai'i has had steady growth (since) the beginning of 2002. Americans, who would normally take a vacation to another country, chose Hawai'i instead, an exotic locale within our national borders. As other attractions and hotels benefited from the steady post-9/11 upswing in visitor arrivals, so have we.

Q. You took over the lu'au in May 2001 — four months before the Sept. 11 terrorists attacks. How did you make it through those turbulent, uncertain times?

A. That was called learning quickly. (Paradise Cove Luau) went from being a moderately successful business to being a disaster real quick. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a Tuesday and there were no flights coming in until Saturday; Friday, we barely had 100 people out there. ... I asked myself, "What did I do?"

Q. Why did you stick with the business?

A. I'm not a quitter. I knew it wasn't going to stay like that forever. We just needed to tighten the belt and, to our credit, there were no massive layoffs; we didn't really change what we did. We had to reduce the hours, but we kept all our employees ... and we stuck to our schedule (of shows seven nights a week). It paid off, but it was a tough six months after that before we started to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Q. What was key in your business' rebounding?

A. Well, we were fortunate because at that time we aggressively went after the business that was there. And while the soldiers were being deployed, their dependents were left behind. You know, it wasn't safe, no one was sure if it was safe to travel to another country. Hawai'i is exotic and still in the United States. So we aggressively pursued the dependents and offered them specials for their guests who were visiting them in Hawai'i. And, I have to say, they were a large part in why we are still here.

Q. There is a growing percentage of visitors to Hawai'i who have been here before. How do you keep your show new and exciting?

A. I believe we are the only evening attraction to change our show every other year. Last November our director of entertainment, O'Brian Eselu, produced a new show with new dance and musical numbers and costumes. Also, we periodically change and/or add to our complimentary pre-show arts and crafts, dinner and drink menu.

Q. How is Paradise Cove Luau different from other lu'au-type shows?

A. When I got involved in the business, I looked at who were my competitors. Was it Germaine's (Luau)? Was is Polynesian Cultural Center? And the market is actually big enough for (all of) us to coexist. We do different things. If you have the time and you want to totally immerse yourself in the Polynesian culture, you spend the day at PCC. If you just want the lowest-priced Polynesian entertainment, you go to Germaine's. We're kind of a cross between the two.

Q. What are your goals for Paradise Cove Luau?

A. To deliver quality food, friendly service and exciting entertainment in a fun environment for our guests and employees, seven days a week.

Q. Have you noticed any changes in what your audience wants?

A. Today, our guests are more discriminating. They expect quality food and lots of it, friendly and fast service, as well as exciting entertainment — all at a reasonable price.

Q. How important is authenticity to your lu'au?

A. It is extremely important to make sure our experience is authentic — otherwise we could just be another theme park. We want our guests to come away with a feeling inside that Hawai'i is a special place.