0 To 60 In 57 Years

There's always an element of risk in private business, but the Haleck family of American Samoa has taken those risks, and prospered as a result.

"It hasn't all been roses," says Otto Vincent "Vince" Haleck, Jr., vice president of Haleck Enterprises, Inc. "But we've persevered and our business has prospered."

That's an understatement. What began as a plantation and a bakery/grocery store has grown into a multimillion-dollar business empire. Their consolidated gross annual revenue is $15 million.

Vince and his brother, Haleck Enterprises president and CEO Avamua "Dave" O. Haleck, credit their father, 84-year-old Otto Vincent Haleck, Sr., for having the foresight to create something great.

"He worked hard for that property," Vince says of the more than 200 acres on Tutuila that was acquired by Otto Haleck. Otto was just 27 years old in 1947 when he ventured onto property close to where the international airport is now located, seeking land for banana, pineapple, and taro plantations. After marking the land with coconut trees as boundary markers, he went to register it. The surrounding areas' village chiefs filed complaints, but after several years in litigation, the courts awarded the property to Otto Haleck, at which time he called the area Ottoville. It's now a registered village in the American Samoa Atlas.

Left to right, Dave Haleck, Catherine Haleck Tuiolosega, Dorothy Haleck, Otto Haleck, and Vince Haleck in their backyard. You can see much of Tutuila in the background. Photo: Elizabeth Kirkland

Dave and Vince Haleck recall the "good old days" with their mom, Dorothy, and dad. Dorothy ran the bakery and fashioned lava lavas, while Otto worked the plantations.

"The bakery sent all of us through school," Dave says of himself and brothers Vince, William "Bill" Haleck, now director of the Transportation Security Administration at Pago Pago International Airport in Tafuna, Ernest, now a sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department, and sisters Lottie Haleck Lyons, now in Sacramento, and Catherine Haleck Tuiolosega, assistant to the president of Haleck Enterprises.

After the six Haleck children completed college in the U.S. mainland, three of them returned to American Samoa to continue their father's mission. "Dad's mission was acquiring the property," Vince says. "Our generation is to build on it."

And that's exactly what has happened. Haleck Enterprises, which began in the early 1980s, is now comprised of Haleck Beverage, Makisi's Home Improvement Center, Haleck Island Motors, and Haleck's West Bakery-the same bakery that started it all. The Halecks also run Islands Choice, a sister company of Haleck Enterprises, and Ottoville Investments One, Inc., which encompasses the Tradewinds Hotel and neighboring Equator Restaurant, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Cost-U-Less, and will soon include Taco Bell, a second KFC in Pago Pago and another in Apia, and Burger King. Also in Apia, Samoa, there is Haleck Apia Motors, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Haleck Enterprises. In Apia, Vince Haleck also has a hand in running Tropical Island Bottling, Ltd. There are also plans in the works to build "Ottoville Center," which will house movie theaters, additional hardware facilities, and retail space.

Dave Haleck says they have invested $10-million in the Tradewinds Hotel, $15-million in the motors, beverage, development firm, bakery and hardware ventures, and another $5-million in Islands' Choice.

Of the tourism ventures, Steven H. Watson, manager of commercial business and lending for ANZ Amerika Samoa Bank, says, "the hotel project was a tremendous investment in the future of the territory. (American Samoa had) needed a new hotel here for years and they went out and did it. That said, we've got others who've done the same thing in smaller increments. (The Halecks are) risk takers willing to do something like this."

"We wanted to diversify and get away from the traditional businesses on the island," Vince says. "We're in areas where we feel we can make a difference in the community."

Gary Ayre, president and CEO of ANZ Amerika Samoa Bank, compliments the Halecks on their contributions to the territory not only in terms of their businesses, but also through their foundation, which has sponsored many events including little league baseball. "(The Halecks are putting) something back into the community," Ayre says.

And it's the community, say Dave and Vince that have kept the Halecks on track with their business ventures.

"We haven't done this alone," Dave says. "We're grateful for the support of the community, which continues to support us."

Adds Vince: "We're very positive about American Samoa and that's why we'll continue to pursue business here."