Waimea, Hawaii (Wikipedia)
Marc Benioff, the Co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Salesforce, is buying up a lot of land in Hawaii. The self-made billionaire has been revealed as the person who quietly acquired roughly 600 acres of it in the town of Waimea, Hawaii. Benioff slowly bought up 38 parcels of land there over the past 20 years.
O.K. We all know the importance of real estate just about anywhere. And when you have big piles of cash just lying around like Marc Benioff surely does then you are probably looking for somewhere to spend.
And this is Hawaii we are talking about. America’s super-rich, from Larry Ellison to Oprah Winfrey, have been buying up properties there for years. But such people have acquired estates and beachfront properties, places to take all of their families and friends to for the holidays and so forth.
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But what is so great about the town of Waimea?
Well, Marc Benioff already lives in a mansion on the nearby beach that he had built for himself 20 years ago. NPR says that the 9,800-square-foot home is valued at $24.5 million.
But what will he do with the extra 600 acres that are not alongside his mansion there? And why did he buy up the land secretly?
Mike Donoho, who works in natural resource planning on the islands, told NPR, “When there’s not clarity or disclosure about what the intentions are of someone purchasing a property or multiple properties, then there’s that level of uncertainty. And with those gaps of information, people are filling in the blanks.”
Marc Benioff himself told NPR, “Everyone’s seen the movie South Pacific. It’s Bali Ha’i. This is a place that everybody loves to be. It’s a magical place. It’s a place that people come and transform and change, evolve. They experience God. They experience nature. They experience themselves.”
“I came to Hawaii for the first time and fell in love,” Marc Benioff said. “I fell in love with the people, or what we call here in Hawaii ʻohana. I fell in love with the land that we call ʻāina. And, of course, I fell in love with the aloha spirit.”
Waimea, also called Kamuela, is located inland on the Island of Hawaii and has about 10,000 residents.
According to “Go Hawaii,” Waimea is “unlike any other place on the island of Hawaii. Known as paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) country this historic area full of rolling, green pastures is still home to cattle, cowboys and ranches.”
Waimea is said to have a thriving community with delicious food and local culture, boasting Merriman’s Restaurant, run by three-time James Beard Award finalist Peter Merriman, a leader in Hawaii Regional Cuisine.
Marc Benioff is an American internet entrepreneur and philanthropist. Benioff and his wife, Lynne, are actively involved in various philanthropic endeavors, focusing on environmental issues, children’s health, and education. They have made significant donations to various causes and organizations.
