Emily T Gail
Aloha, I'm a Detroiter. I lived and worked in Detroit in 1981 when I was one of the first females to participate in the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. And Herb (Pooh) and I were one of the first couples.
We moved to Hawaii when I was recruited to be interim race director of the Ironman in 1986. In the early 1980's Ironman Directors would spend a week in Detroit learning from what we were learning producing the Emily Detroit Run in the street of Detroit which had become one of the celebrated runs in the country . We were all pioneers. We talked all the time and shared what we were learnng about
We ... Herb (Pooh) and I created the "Say Nice Things about Detroit" movement from Emily's Across the Street in downtown Detroit in 1970's. It was our way of celebrating what was good while working on the challenges of being a resident and business person in Detroit. People were the heartbeat of the movement and what a difference we all made with our stories and our efforts.
In the 80's we lost our lease ... others wanted our corner and there is a whole lot of story in between. Not a good time for us. We went broke, lost our house and our spirit. In hindsight, every day I am grateful for all those hard times when mentoring others.
I'm proud to have been Detroit News "Michiganian of the Year recipient and proud of the continued support from many as I continue to care take the “Say nice things about Detroit” way of life." I never stopped sharing my stories of Detroit and Hawaii and feeling I would work my way back so to speak. Valerie Silk, owner of the Ironman encouraged us to move to the Big Island and continue our style of consulting with them as Interim Race Director as their long time Director Kay Rhead had passed away. So we were deep into Ironman.
After moving to Hawaii, the Kohala Coast golf courses drew me back into the game of golf I had tried to pursue professionally many years ago. I learned the game as a junior golfer around the Detroit area. I turned my knowledge of the game into marketing the Kohala Coast Resorts as a destination, and Marketing Consultant for the Mauna Lani Senior Skins, PGA Champions Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai. I co-created events including the very popular Hilton Waikoloa Dolphin Days Celebrity event in the 1990’s,
After becoming a recipient of the Kona Board of Realtors Civilian Community Enrichment Award I received my real estate license in 1998. I am a REALTOR with Kona Pacific Realty.
I'm was the host/producer of Emily T Gail Talk Sports at the former espnhawaii.com and now at EmilyTGailTalkStory.podomatic.com. More than ever, I am enjoying connecting and/or talking about Detroit and Hawaii on my podcast and sharing the opportunities for people to be involved in both my communities. In spirit and or in person.
It's a big factor when working with people who want to be homeowners here on the Big Island. I enjoy introducing others to those who would welcome being mutually supportive for the community. The challenges, opportunities to share some of my experiences and what I have learned about living in Hawaii is at the heart of helping others find their new home.
Meanwhlle ... mahalo to Shinola for the heartfelt and respectful nod in 2017 to our "say nice things about Detroit" movement by introducing "The Gail" Shinola watch and featuring it in all their stores across the country for a year.
https://www.shinola.com/thejournal/product/watches/say-nice-things-about-detroit-story-emily-t-gail
It's wonderful how many Detroiters reach out to me when visiting the Big Island and there are many Detroiters doing good things here on the Big Island. Detroit Love and aloha go well together.
Aloha Emily emilytgail@emilys.org
