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Lailan Bento began her career within the governor’s office, gaining unparalleled experience in understanding Hawai’i laws and regulations, while also establishing herself as a respected businesswoman. Lailan is widely known for her relentless drive, integrity, and expertise. After years in the industry Lailan co-founded Hawai’i Development Group, where she serves as principal broker.
Her client’s happiness and satisfaction is the foundation of her success, which shows in her exceptional record of going above and beyond for others. Lailan is incredibly proud of her Hawaiian home and heritage; her love of the island and its people shines through in her character, making her an exemplary model of the true spirit of Aloha.
Kelly Valenzuela was born and raised in Hawai’i and has extensive knowledge about the islands and all they have to offer. She has an expansive role as both a founding member of Hawaii Development Group and as the team’s Development Specialist.
Currently, Kelly is the Government Relations Liaison for Hawaii’s largest development project – Aina Lea. As someone who brings unique insights and a wealth of knowledge about Hawaii’s laws and regulations – she is an invaluable asset for Hawaii Development Group. She is tenacious in her work and always goes above and beyond to help her clients succeed in their endeavors.
Kelly takes pride in the quality of her relationships and work ethic, and ensures that all of her clients feel at home working with her. If you’re looking for a Realtor that truly knows Hawai’i, from the culture to local district insights, look no further.
Pukanala Llanes is a Hawai’i native with extensive knowledge of the local area. With over 17 years of Hawaiian hospitality experience she now applies those skills to assist her local community to achieve the ultimate goal of home ownership. With a passion for helping others, her goal is to assist you in all your real estate needs and to ensure you’re receiving the best possible service. She will walk you through the process ensuring that you feel comfortable every step of the way.
Her drive comes from raising three beautiful children and she prides herself in the dedication she puts forth in every aspect of life. As a realtor, she embodies the spirit of Aloha through her commitment to her core values of family, kindness, and integrity.
Before joining the HDG team, Erika Misiak worked at the highest level in the hospitality and customer service industries for over two decades. Born and raised on Hawai’i Island, she loves spending time with her family and can usually be found by the ocean or at one of her kid’s many sporting events. As a resident of South Kohala (both Waimea and Waikoloa) she wants to bring the best of these communities to the surface. Her goal is to help people understand the heart and soul of Hawai’i and what it means to be a part of the community here. She is also passionate about helping the local community to own homes, succeed and move forward. She is passionate about cancer research and has been heavily involved in the Relay for Life.
Erika looks to be her clients eyes and ears, guiding them through the homebuying process and ensuring that no detail goes unnoticed. Communication is important to her and she will make sure that you are well informed and taken care of at each step during the homebuying process.
Tehani is a Native Hawaiian born in Hilo. Her childhood consisted of riding horse on her Grandpa Alex Penovaroff’s ranch in Waimea, to surfing Honoli’I, Kawaihae and Lymans with her dad Dr. Ah Loy, diving in Puako for Wana, and four wheeling Mauna Kea with her Ohana, listening to stories of Old Hawai’i from her Tutu Jane Kaniho. Tehani is proud of her Hawaiian Heritage and enjoys sharing her culture with everyone.
Tehani knows the value of being of service to others and has served in her community from when she was a young girl. Volunteering to coach little league basketball, volleyball, soccer, Hawai’i Food Bank, Advocating for Hawai’i’s Keiki, Hawai’i Humane Society, and other local non-profits.
During her college years, Tehani started out working for her father known as “The Surfer Doctor”, Dr. Ron Ah Loy. Where she assisted in the Operating Room with him as a technician. Growing up she remembers her father accepting mangos and avocados as forms of payment. He didn’t discriminate, and was always willing to help people in his community. Her father’s example and passion for helping others, has been a guiding source for Tehani.
Shortly after graduating from University of Hawai’I at Hilo with a double major in Political Science and Communications, Tehani and her ohana moved to Seattle Washington for a few years. Her ohana loved everything PNW had to offer, but knew that Hawai’i was always home and moved home to Waimea.
Tehani has a passion for serving others and she has experienced first-hand the growth and transformation of the Big Island of Hawai‘i. Using her in-depth understanding, knowledge, and training, she helps clients make highly informed decisions about community and helps them choose a home that meets their needs, dreams, and lifestyles.
Trinh understands, from firsthand experience, the complexities and difficulties of working towards obtaining home ownership. Her energetic and driven spirit serves her well in real estate as she helps her clients through the complexities of this monumental life milestone. She is enthusiastic about applying and sharing her skills to help others achieve their dreams of owning a home.
Her background working in a corporate setting has given Trinh the skills to be detail-oriented, resourceful, and hard working. She is dedicated to helping her clients reach their goals while feeling prepared, empowered, and taken care of every step of the way.
As a resident of Hawaii Island she understands the different communities in the area and what they have to offer. Trinh is grateful to be a part of this beautiful island and cannot wait to help families find their home here.
Kekoa, as a Native Hawaiian born and raised on the island of Oahu, found the Big Island of Hawaii as a place where he and his growing family flourished. As a kid, Kekoa learned many skills working for various family businesses in stage, lighting, audio, video production, autobody, welding, light and heavy-duty truck repair and these skills developed a level of entrepreneurship Kekoa continues to yield. In an effort to retrieve the Hawaiian cultural practice of feeding the people of our island community, Kekoa chose to pursue his college career on Hawai’i Island working towards a degree in sustainable aquaculture
After four years of study, Kekoa decided to try another approach to pursue his personal and professional initiatives. Kekoa purchased an acre of land, designed and built his home independently, bringing an unparalleled level of knowledge of Hawaii real estate development. That experience gave Kekoa the knowledge that led him to a career as a certified home inspector for the past 9 years. The experience of building Kekoaʻs own familyʻs home with his own hands gave him an intimate knowledge of the preferred building practices and local regulations.
While conducting business as a home inspector throughout Hawaii Island, Kekoa encountered the island’s vast and growing geographic features and history that are specific to each area of the island. With a foundation of honesty and loyalty, Kekoa strives to maintain relationships by being a trusted resource to his clients. Kekoa possesses an innate style of conducting business with a level of authentic aloha, which has gained him a reputation of excellence in the Hawaii real estate industry.
Ōlelo no’eau/ Hawaiian Proverb
“E lawe i ke aʻo a mālama, a e ʻoi mau ka naʻauao.”
“He who takes his teachings and applies them increases his knowledge.”
When Hawaii Development (“HDG”) was created, our co-founders, both Lailan Bento and Kelly Valenzuela, wanted to create an environment of cohesion between the love for all things Hawaii real estate in addition to a level of service that emanates from the aloha spirit, which is the truest beauty of Hawaii. Each member of HDG, no matter their role or experience, also shares this same intuition and mission statement because each agent, employee and member of HDG understands that Hawaii real estate really begins with Hawaii itself. As a native Hawaiian owned Hawaii real estate brokerage and a company built of long-term residents and Locally raised residents, HDG understands that the truest way to perform a home sale, a Big Island of Hawaii property search and general Hawaii real estate need begins with a level of aloha we all know and love.
Hawaii’s beauty begins with its people because a level of comfort is reaffirmed through every interaction with the residential community in which every member of HDG resides. When performing Hawaii real estate services for our clients, we always begin with getting our clients acquainted with their areas and regions of interest because when it comes to real estate and all real property needs, location is everything but within Hawaii real estate, relationship to the location itself is primary. Hawaii real estate engulfs so many nuances for so many of our clients because of the unique environment and real property history within the Hawaiian islands and each member of our HDG ‘ohana strives to ensure we are always on top of every step of the journey with our clients.
Each member of our HDG ‘ohana comes with unparalleled experience in so much more than just Hawaii real estate, each of them come with a background that includes familial ties to Hawaii, long-standing relationships with the community and a true love for Hawaii. Hawaii real estate is a passion of each member of HDG because we understand the lifestyle and the level of aloha that we share as current residents and for many, we hold lifelong relationships to Hawaii itself as the foundation to our upbringing in addition to our families’ upbringing.
With Hawaii Development Group, our team is always more than willing to curate any Big Island of Hawaii or Hawaii overall property searches for any client from any walk of life. No property search or property sale is alike and we welcome any and all inquiries into Hawaii real estate because we want to ensure clients have the same experience, level of aloha and love for Hawaii the same way each agent has lived in.
We encourage you and your ‘ohana to reach out to one of our agents or all of our agents because we are always more than happy to help you and your ‘ohana find your next aloha lifestyle home within Hawaii real estate! Our team is always available to do any property search for you to ensure your needs and wants are met.
