Often seen as an island of tranquility in a hectic, fast-paced sales environment, Sadao Goya, a full-time sales associate at City Mill's Kaimuki location, is one of the company's most beloved employees.

Employed by City Mill for more than 19 years, Sadao is popular with regular customers, many of whom are willing to stand in line and wait patiently to speak with him about a problem they're having.

They trust him to give them the right advice, to teach them how to save money on a project, and to do it in a polite and patient manner.

In fact, his peers say that customers will call first to determine whether Sadao will be on duty because they like him so much. These same fellow employees say that Sadao often provides customers with what they need as opposed to what they ask for because he is so knowledgeable about how things work.

For example, Sadao will sell a customer a handful of inexpensive washers instead of a new plumbing fixture if he feels that will solve the problem to a customer's satisfaction.

Over the past 19 years, he has probably accumulated hundreds of customer letters, phone calls and compliments.