Christina Kawamoto-Butler is not your typical pest control operator. As she sits in her Kona office, reflecting on a career that spans over a decade, she reveals a milestone that is still sinking in. In 2025, she became the only woman in the state of Hawaiʻi to hold a pest control operator license. This was a natural progression in her career, but the realization that, in 2025, no other women were leading in the pest industry was both praiseworthy and eye-opening.
For Christina, the path to the top of the pest control industry was paved with dirt, sweat and a deep-seated connection to the land. Growing up as the descendant of multi-generational Kona Coffee farmers, the daughter of a Paniolo and a member of Future Farmers of America, agriculture has always been the "forefront" of her life. Before joining SMART Pest Prevention in 2014, Christina Kawamoto-Butler worked at Brewer Environmental Industries (BEI), where she learned the science behind pest management. It is this background that informs her leadership style today as she oversees operations for the Big Island and Maui.
"If I’m gonna ask you to do something, then I better be able to get out there and do it with you. It really helped me see what my employees deal with every day," Christina says. She worked her own route side by side with her team, performing pest control services in the intense heat of West Hawaiʻi. This hands-on experience led to immediate improvements for her staff, including the implementation of battery-powered sprayers to reduce physical burnout and the provision of battery fans to combat extreme heat. "Until you’re out there with a sprayer on your back and doing the work yourself, then you understand that this one job is too much for one person. You need to have multiple technicians on these jobs and make sure your team is taking care of themselves," she notes.
Christina’s presence in the field does more than just earn her crew's respect; it changes the dynamic for the customer. Entering a home to treat intimate spaces like closets and bathrooms can feel invasive, but Christina finds that female presence is key to removing awkwardness. "As a woman entering into somebody’s home, you already defused any kind of bar that someone might have," she explains. Her team strives to maintain the highest level of professionalism and to make people feel comfortable.
This level of care extends to the brand itself. Unlike larger corporate entities, where a customer might just be a number, Christina and her team pride themselves on "touchpoints." They know the names of the pets and remember when a client has had a life-changing event. "It’s nothing that we do to create an image. It is generally who we are," she says. This authenticity has built a foundation of trust so strong that many homeowners simply provide door codes and ask the team to let themselves in.
At the heart of SMART Pest Prevention is a commitment to the environment rooted in Christina's Native Hawaiian lineage. Her paternal side traces back to the Kumulipo, the Hawaiian creation chant and inception of man. This indigenous perspective shapes her business ethics. "I don’t want to do anything that affects the Hawaiʻi environment for the next seven generations," she says. "I strive to find the balance in n my values of Aloha ʻĀina (love of the land) and the future of the business to be financially stable.
This philosophy manifests in the company’s "Green" approach. They utilize Integrated Pest Management (IPM), a strategy that views spraying as a last resort. Instead, they focus on education and exclusion—sealing holes, managing food sources and trimming trees that act as "super freeways" for pests to access homes. When treatment is necessary, they opt for safer alternatives, such as XT2000 Orange oil. Derived from orange rinds, the oil is injected into wood to treat drywood termites, wicking through the grain like water through a paper towel.
While traditional home fumigation requires residents to move out for a couple of days, SMART Pest Prevention offers an alternative. By using XT2000 Orange oil, homeowners avoid the hassle of bagging food or the risk of damage to foliage and photovoltaic panels that occurs during traditional tenting. This is just one of the services offered by SMART Pest Prevention.
Away from the business, Christina finds her balance on the lands of Parker Ranch. An avid hunter, she views the practice as a vital connection to the ecosystem. The skills she uses in the wild—tracking, reading signs and understanding habitats—are the same ones she applies to pest management. "It’s not just technical; it’s observational and respectful of the ecosystem as a whole," she says.
As a mother of three, Christina is keenly aware of the legacy she is leaving behind. She recently hired her first female technician and hopes to see more women enter the trade. For those considering the field, she points to the financial stability and the freedom it offers. "Once you have the license, you can work anywhere. It’s an underserved stable trade," she says.
For now, Christina is happy right where she is, "talking story" with her neighbors and protecting the island she loves. "Kona is growing and expanding, and there are a lot of new faces," she says. "It’s nice to get out there and meet everybody."
As she celebrates her 43rd birthday, the license and the recognition feel like a fitting capstone to 12 years of dedication. But more than the accolades, it is the quiet satisfaction of caring for the ʻāina that keeps her moving forward.
Learn more at SMARTPestX.com.