Born and raised on Kaua‘i, Mike Faye is the grandson of pioneer Kaua‘i sugar planter Hans Peter Faye, and his father and an uncle managed Waimea Sugar Mill Co. and Kekaha Sugar Co.
Faye grew up on Kaua‘i during an era when eight sugar plantations dominated the economy and way of life on Kaua‘i.
As a kid, he became interested in moving and repairing when he saw his father, Alan Faye Sr., moving plantation houses in Waimea Sugar Mill Camp.
He began moving and renovating plantation camp houses himself in the 1980s, while managing Kikiaola Land Co.
At first, nine Waimea camp houses, two supervisors’ houses, the manager’s house and his mother’s family cabin at Koke‘e were moved to the beach at Waimea, and then restored and renovated.
In 1986 he said, “We have a preservationist bug in us. We preserved the shells, but we retouched every board on the houses. These were the oldest Waimea Sugar Mill houses, ranging from before 1920.”
By 1992, he had completed the Waimea Plantation Cottages resort with renovated houses from nearby sugar camps.
“Although one of the cottages dates back to 1885, most were built in the pre-World War II era,” Faye said.
A year later, forty renovations had been completed, and Faye had praise for his “very talented and knowledgeable supervisor,” Irvin Vidinha, and the Cottages General Manager Ray Blouin.
His business of specializing in recycling, shoring, restoring, preserving, and when necessary, moving buildings, had expanded to Hawai‘i Island and Maui by 2003.
In 2008, Kikiaola Construction completely stabilized the historic Kohala Girls School, and later the Kalahikiola Church in Kapa‘au on Hawai‘i Island.
On O‘ahu in 2011, his crew loaded onto specialized structure moving equipment and transported six historic World War II era military buildings from Red Hill, O‘ahu, to a goat farm near Schofield Barracks.
Faye’s company also transported the Hawaiian voyaging canoe “Namahoe” from a Halehaka Road shed to Nawiliwili in 2016.
Among other projects was the old Waimea Theater restoration.
Nowadays, Faye is busy managing the Kekaha Ditch and other Kekaha Sugar legacy infrastructure for Kekaha Agricultural Association.
Mahalo Mike, and have a very Happy New Year. Also, to your sister and family.