04 Aug ThankYouPDN: ButHeresSomeMissingCriticalDetails
A non-stop work-in-progress: Roman Dela Cruz expanding reach of Fokai
Bringing people together and making a name for Guam are goals Roman Dela Cruz aimed to fulfill.
“Fokai is a venture that started in the pursuit of creating a local clothing label that could celebrate perseverance …and dedication from a local and more intimate perspective,” he said.
The idea was hatched in his mind around 1991, but he said it didn’t come to fruition until around 1998.
It has since grown to include partnerships in Hawaii, Saipan, California, and Japan.
The company offers men’s, women’s and children’s apparel, plus stickers, accessories and training equipment for mixed martial arts.
It has also dabbled in event promotions, staging mixed martial arts events and bringing off-island athletes to Guam.
Strong following
Fokai has gained a strong following among locals as well as Guamanians on the mainland. Visiting former residents can frequently be found shopping for Fokai products and sharing them with other mainlanders. This fulfills Dela Cruz’s goal of bringing people together.
“As things have grown, I’m only a very small part of the mechanics of Fokai these days,” Dela Cruz said. “I’m just doing a small part of what seems to be turning out to be a pretty big thing.”
In the 10 years Fokai has been around, Dela Cruz said it’s been a non-stop work-in-progress. He’s met many interesting people and gone through different adventures.
These days, Dela Cruz said the company is working on a multimedia project, promoting mixed martial arts.
“A while back, in promoting Fury 6, we had put together “The Effect”, a TV miniseries that provided a window into the back scenes and buildup of that event,” he said. “We’re looking at reopening that window, but this time, instead of TV, we’re aiming for a bigger audience through the Internet.”
Expanding the business isn’t without its challenges, said Dela Cruz.
“Watering and taking care of one plant is one thing. Maintaining a garden is another.”
He said he’s managed to keep the business going by bringing in and collaborating with people of like minds.
He’s quick to add that Fokai wouldn’t succeed without his partners, including the management of Grasshopper Inc., Triad Distributions, FokaiFamilia Distributions, and his partners in Saipan, Japan, Hawaii and California.
Even with its challenges, Dela Cruz said, it’s great to be able to materialize his ideas.
Plus, “(It’s awesome) having the relative freedom to break away and surf when the waves are really good,” he said.
‘Power pellet’
So what’s behind the name?
“Fokai was, is, and always will be the verbal power pellet that activates the spirit for us when the body seems to fail,” Dela Cruz said. “We chose ‘fokai,’ a Chamoru derivative, to label our pursuit of performance. We just want to share this power pellet with people to help them face their adversities in life.”
‘Power pellet’: Fokai owner Roman Dela Cruz at his store in Tumon. Fokai sells clothing, stickers and training equipment for mixed martial arts. (Masako Watanabe/Pacific Daily News/mwatanabe@guamp)
FOKAI INDUSTRIES
BUSINESS TIP
The FokaiClothing venture was pioneered by Myself and my brother-in-life PatrickFleming.
WeReally loved bodyboarding. Wanted to get sponsored. Thought getting sponsred by a local clothing company would be a good idea. At the time, there were no local clothing labels that could define us or that we could attach ourselves to. So we took it upon our selves to create one. Fokai was a word that we used to write on the bottom of ur bodyboards, on our skate decks, on our book covers…one day a friend said that it would look good on a tshirt so here we are.
It needs to be said that We feel that Fokai is far beyond a business plan and it is a venture forged in brotherhood and in spirit. Emphasizing the value of that spirit–something accessible to everyone rich, poor, fat, thin, abled, or disabled–has kind of been our mantra. There are a lot f people we are extremely grateful to, Family, friends, even to people that no longer consider us as friends. Even though it seems we might forget, We will never abandon your contributions and your support.
Ultimately, our gratitude to you is the commitment to work at making things better for all of your children. We all have to be community-conscious. So We promote perseverance but we also align that with positivity.
> 6) What goals do you have for Fokai in the future?
To make a positive difference with people, to bring people together, and to always work for community development through all our offices .Also, very important for us is the Quality and Progressive landmarking for Guam and our people.
> 7) You mentioned a multimedia venture
when we spoke on the phone. Please
> tell me a little more about your plans.
First Id like to say that its ever a work-in-progress.That being said, Weve had some really interesting adventures in between our different locations. Weve met a lot of interestign people and have all had some interesting times.A while back in promoting Fury 6, we had put together, TheEffect, a TV Miniseries that provided a window into the the backscenes and buildup of that event. Well, were looking at reopening that window, but this time instead of tv, we’re aiming for a bigger audience using the internet and instead of opening a window into Fury 6, we’re opening a wndow into the Real FokaiInternational. Working with a video professional, Chris Caffareli, among other associates, We aim for TheEffect, as well as other facets of our website www.fokai.tv <http://www.fokai.tv/> to be another vehicle in bringing people closer to the things of the past and future that we feel makes up the real gravity of the company.