Former Kaua'i resident Cindy Kauanui returned to Hawai'i last year to help recover from the tragic death of her pro-surfer son in California.

Now she is turning back to her professional roots by opening a Honolulu branch of her successful Southern California modeling and talent agency, Jet Set Management Group Inc.

Kauanui opened a five-person office last month to represent models and actors for work in advertising, catalogs, television commercials, shows and film both locally and outside of Hawai'i. The agency maintains its headquarters in La Jolla, a tony San Diego beach community, with other offices up the coast in Carlsbad and Los Angeles.

"We're finding great models here in Hawai'i," said Kauanui, who recently booked Kailua model Michelle Vawer for a national ad and said her agency typically looks for high-caliber models who can be booked into national campaigns.

"We can discover talent and get them out."

Kauanui said the opening of the branch has been helping her recover from the death of her son, Emery Kauanui Jr., in an incident that shocked La Jolla and made headlines in Southern California and Hawai'i. Her son died last May after being beaten by five men who are sons of the wealthy area residents. Kauanui moved back to Hawai'i shortly thereafter to sort her life out.

"My life changed," said Kauanui, who now lives in a small Waikiki condo with another son, Nigel. "I couldn't live in California anymore. It was too painful."

The homecoming brings Kauanui full circle in a way, having started as a model here and begun a modeling agency on Kaua'i before Hurricane Iniki decimated her business. She moved to California with her three children shortly after Iniki, and in 1995, with the help of a low-interest Small Business Administration loan, started Jet Set Management.

The company concentrated on an under-explored modeling niche at the time. Instead of going after models who photographed well with almost anorexic, sullen looks, Kauanui concentrated on finding models who have a healthy look with natural beauty. She has drawn many of her clients from the world of surfing and beaches.

"She definitely has that niche," said Jenny Quill, editor of Ala Moana, Ward Centers and Whaler's Village magazines. Quill said she's booked Jet Set models for the publications because they typically have an inviting, happy, girl-next-door look.

"Her girls tend to have a healthier, sportier image."

Quill said one of Kauanui's assets is her ability to spot talent who will hit it big. Her clients include or have included Hawai'i surfer Sanoe Lake and Tori Praver, a Maui resident who signed up for a Guess! campaign after starting with Jet Set.

Kauanui said Jet Set currently represents more than 2,000 models and actors and employs 18 in La Jolla. She declined to disclose revenue but said the agency, which won Priority Magazine's 2004 award for Best Small Business Marketer, is a multimillion-dollar business.

Reach Greg Wiles at gwiles@honoluluadvertiser.com.