Name: Thomas B. Fargo

Age: 57

Organizations: Trex Systems International, CEO; Pearl Harbor Memorial Fund, Hawaii Advisory Council chairman; commander of the U.S. Pacific Command (retired); board member at Hawaiian Electric Industries, Hawaiian Airlines, Japan-America Society, Iolani School

Born: San Diego

College: U.S. Naval Academy

Breakthrough jobs: "First was division officer aboard the submarine USS Gurnard. It was an opportunity to lead people and manage a very sophisticated technical operation aboard a nuclear submarine. Second was my first command aboard the submarine Salt Lake City, because I learned what it was like to be in a responsible position where you can't look over your shoulder."

Mentors: "Admiral Robert Long taught me that you could be demanding and compassionate and have a sense of humor all in the same package. Admiral Paul Miller taught me that you have to have vision — and he had great vision."

Major challenges: The first is getting a new visitors center and museum for Pearl Harbor. The second is making the transition from government to the private sector and learning the difference between spending money versus making money.

Hobbies: Golf; keeping up on Asia/Pacific policy and political military affairs

Books recently read: "Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 Until You're 80 and Beyond" by Chris Crowley and Henry Lodge; "Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done" by Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan and Charles Burck; "Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

Q. After retiring in March from a 35-year career in the Navy, how are you handling the switch to the business world?

A. It's going really very well. I've been impressed by how well my military experience prepared me for leadership and management challenges in the private sector. Probably the area with the biggest difference that I needed to concentrate on was the financial piece because of the difference in the way it's handled in government. Hawaiian Electric Industries sent me to (the business school at Stanford University) to learn that part of the private sector.

Q. In addition to various positions you hold at Trex Enterprises and its subsidiaries, you sit on the boards of Hawaiian Electric Industries, Hawaiian Airlines, the Japan-America Society and the Iolani School Board of Governors. Do you ever feel like you've bitten off too much?

A: The book "Younger Next Year" talks about the fact that one of the keys to staying active and healthy is commitment. You have to be committed to a number of efforts; that's the key. If you slow down, you quit moving and you stagnate. These levels of activity are stimulating for me. It's the way I've lived my life for the past 35 years. I'm used to the pace; it's very exhilarating.

Q. Do you think your drive is innate, or is it something imparted on you by the military ?

A. Everyone is wired a bit differently. I think this is part of my makeup. Certainly the military teaches you how to perform at a very high level and to deal with multiple tasks simultaneously. Maybe the military attracts people of that makeup rather than produces them.

Q. How would you compare the way leadership is carried out in the military versus the private sector ?

A. I don't think it's dramatically different in the case of my leadership style. Ultimately you still have to make the case to people that you're doing things for the right reasons and that your logic is compelling. People think that in the military you just bark out orders and they're followed. But fundamentally it doesn't matter what organization you're in, people need to understand the compelling logic of your decision. As long as you've articulated the mission clearly, people will go to heroic levels to make it come out right.

Q. What criteria did you use in deciding which jobs and directorships to accept upon your retirement?

A. First, I wanted a career in the private sector, which includes my board positions and my work at Trex. Second, I wanted to give something back to the community, and I fulfilled that by joining the board of governors at Iolani and working on the Pearl Harbor project. ... Third, I wanted to stay engaged in Asia/Pacific affairs — an area where I have a lot of experience — and that drove my involvement in the Japan-America Society and some of the think tanks like the East-West Center.

Q. What were some of the factors that went into your decision to stay in Hawai'i after your retirement?

A. Hawai'i connects tremendously well to Asia with the multicultural society here. I was here for six years in jobs with the Navy and made a great number of friends. Frankly, we like the people and the community.