Mary Begier is the principal broker of Mary Begier Realty. She's also president of the Rotary Club of Hilo Bay and president-elect of the Hawai'i Island Chamber of Commerce.

Q. As a business leader, how would you characterize the current state of the Big Island's economy and business climate?

A. Everybody is proceeding with a bit of caution. Most of us have been talking amongst ourselves. Because we are a smaller community we run into people in different industries than we might not necessarily in a bigger community. We're all just proceeding. We've got to keep going forward. We can't stop. That's what will make things come crashing down. We have to continue to make purchases, take risks, do the things that keep our businesses viable. We're responsible for all the employees and all of the people that we take care of in our industries.

While we do proceed with caution, the people of Hawai'i Island are not that much different than anyone else in Hawai'i. But because they are a more conservative people by nature, particularly in East Hawai'i, they have this sense of confidence in the future. They have a sense that, "We're not sure how it's going to be OK, but we know it's going to be OK and we just have to keep that faith."

If tourism is down, we need to make sure we're respectful of the other things that do drive our economy. Here in East Hawai'i, one of those is our university and our community college that are very valuable to us. They not only provide a lot of jobs, but being a land-grant school they never deny anyone from the area an education. The small businesses, we're trying to buy locally. We're pretty good about that anyway, but there is a renewed focus on that. We're trying to do as much as we can to support our neighbors.

Q. How is the real estate market there holding up?

A. We were already seeing a little bit of hesitation, but one of the things that I've noticed is that the local people have money. Again it goes back to that conservative nature, and when we were having a real frenzy of real estate activity and a lot of people from outside of the island were active in the market, the local people just pulled back. They just don't get involved. It doesn't mean they want to pay for it, they just don't like to participate in that kind of an environment. As soon as we saw people from afar not being as active, we started to see our local people coming back.

The biggest change that we're seeing right now is all of the lenders are being so much more conservative. Even people that are highly qualified for a loan are being asked to meet criteria and conditions that they're not used to having to do and sometimes they take an affront to that. It's a little bit insulting to them. They've never been required to do those kinds of things so why are you asking of me now? That's something where the salesmanship and people-skill training that I've gleaned over the years, I have to soothe their nerves. I have to make sure they realize it's not a personal affront to them.

Q. You wear many hats. How do you balance all that you do?

A. I find that you make time, that you can accomplish a lot through your volunteerism. I feel I'm a better Realtor because of the people that I meet, the experiences that I have had doing the volunteer things that I do. I live in a wonderful community and they've given a great deal to me through their loyalty in my business and it's just something that they deserve to have brought back to them.

Q. You were in the Navy and that's how you got to Hawai'i, but what kept you here?

A. I came to Hawai'i in 1975 courtesy of the U.S. Navy and I was stationed in a tiny base out in Lualualei on O'ahu and I was one of very few females there. I was kind of adopted by the Palakiko family. He worked at the base and she was the homemaker. She taught me how to make pies and my pie crusts are still requested and that's really the answer why I stayed. I had an incredibly wonderful, door-opening experience in Hawai'i. I lived in Wai'anae for the first three years that I lived here and never had any adverse experiences.

Q. When did you start a career in real estate?

A. I started getting my real estate license before I was out of the Navy and I had started to purchase my own home prior to that. I was going to go to college, but I did so well selling real estate that I just figured I'd keep doing this and that was a long time ago.

Q. When did you start your own firm?

A. It started when I came to the Big Island. My husband worked for Hawaiian Electric and he was transferred from HECO to HELCO in 1994. Initially I stayed in a small partnership in Honolulu and flew back and forth every day. After two years, I was meeting so many local people on the plane and getting so many referrals, I thought, "Maybe I better find out more about the Big Island because I was referring everything out because I felt like I didn't know the market." So I affiliated with a local company for a short time, learned what I felt I needed to and then I did open my own firm because I wanted to do things my way. That was 10 years ago and I've never looked back. That was a wonderful decision that still excites me.

Q. What's your business philosophy?

A. Within my own industry, I never sell something to someone that I don't have some idea in my mind how I would get them back out of it down the road. I try to treat everybody, no matter how much money they're spending, as being very important because that's all the money in the world to them, whether it be for their personal residence or their investment property. To be really respectful, and the golden rule: Don't do anything I wouldn't like having done to myself or my family.

Q. Have you set goals for each thing that you are involved in?

A. A goal is a very important part of a plan and if you don't have a plan, then you've planned to do nothing. Yes, I do set goals. They may not be extremely elaborate. Sometimes it's a philosophy, sometimes it's a goal that's created with an organization. I don't like to play "Queen for a Day." When you're a leader in an organization, you're leading that organization's plan, not yours.

Q. Can you keep up your current pace in the years to come?

A. Five years down the road I won't be 60 yet, so I'll still be working. I'd like to have a little more time to travel. I love my gardening, my handiwork that I do. But I love selling real estate and I love my community. I just want to have more time to do my volunteer thing. I'd like it if I could become instantly wealthy so then I wouldn't need to go to work every day. Not that I don't like my work, but I'd like to be able to write more checks and do more things.

Q. Any advice to potential real estate buyers?

A. I would like to tell people that it's OK to be hesitant, it's OK to look around, but it is really still a great time to purchase real estate, to own a piece of paradise, especially if you don't already. If you're renting a property, it's a great time to stop renting and to start owning.