The Hilo Station was a smaller location in regards to volume but important to keeping the Big Island's operation running smoothly. When BPA started in Hilo, we took over the contract to manage the Honolulu Fueling Facility Corporation's (HFFC) 105,000 gallon Jet-A tank facility. The daily volume pumped into aircraft at Hilo at the time was about 7,000 gallons. The Kona airport's daily volume was 110,000 gals. utilizing 90,000 of storage. It was clear we needed the Hilo tank to assist with managing inventory for Kona.
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The primary daily fuel operations were tour helicopters. From sunrise to sunset, the helicopters kept the staff busy. Especially of the days the cruise ships were in port. When Untied started its direct flight to Hilo from the mainland, the volume certainly increased.
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David Demello, Lee Marvin Ugalde Jr. and the rest of the ITO staff did an exceptional job keeping things running smoothly.
David Demello
Dave worked at Hemmeter Aviation. in Maui before taking on the position of Hilo Station Manager. When Century bought Hemmeter in 1990, Dave stayed on
until Bradley started its operations in 1998. Dave managed the facility for BPA until he relocated to California with his wife Denise and kids. Bradley was fortunate to have him as long as we did. A great friend.
Lee Marvin Ugalde Jr.
Marvin joined BPA on start up and took on the role of Station Manager when Dave left. Marvin was certainly the right man for
the job, handling every aspect of the operations. Marvin not only was a good manager but a wonderful human being. It was a pleasure working with him. Marvin passed away in May 2022. He will be missed.
