Kekoa Castillo

Hello, my name is Kekoa Castillo. I am a Heavy Equipment Operator at the Costco Wholesale Waipio, Hawaii, location #485. I have been employed by Costco for about 23 years and have worked in multiple departments and locations throughout my career. I started my Costco career in 2003 with the Iwilei warehouse in Honolulu, Hawaii, #687, where I began as a Front-End employee and later became a Merchandising Clerk. In 2012, after getting married in Japan, with the help of Japan’s HR Director, Nakagawa Yuko san, I was given the opportunity to transfer to Japan and did so to the Shin Misato, Saitama warehouse under the management of Nakamura, Osamu san, where I worked as a Merchandising Clerk. In 2015, Nakamura, Osamu san, offered me a transfer opportunity to open a new warehouse, and I accepted a position as a Merch Supervisor at the Imizu location. Shortly after transferring to my new warehouse, my mother, back in Hawaii, fell ill, prompting me to move back to Hawaii to help my family. I was allowed to return to the Iwilei warehouse, where I obtained a Forklift Operator Certification and was employed as a Forklift Operator for 2 years. After her health improved, I decided to transfer to the Kona, Hawaii, warehouse #140, where I held roles in various departments as a Merchandising Clerk, Front-End Supervisor, Forklift Operator, Receiving Clerk, and Business Delivery Driver, and worked there for 5 years. While working at the Kona location, I decided to go back to school to pursue further education and earned my associate's degree 2 years later. Because my wife wanted our children to receive an education in Japan, she decided to return to Japan first with my two daughters, where she currently resides. Shortly after she moved back home to Japan, I decided to return home and was given the opportunity to transfer to the Waipio, Hawaii, warehouse #485, where I am currently employed as a Night Merch and Heavy Equipment Operator. I have about 9 years of experience as a Forklift Operator, about 15 years as a Merchandiser, and years of experience in various other departments.