Roelfzema joined Barnwell Industries as a director in 1977. He encouraged the company's chairman to look to Hawai'i as a possible location to headquarter the business. He was instrumental in bringing the Tennessee-based energy company to Hawai'i in the early 1980s. The company drilled the first commercial geothermal well in Puna on the Big Island in 1980. The company is a leader in development in Hawai'i and performs oil and natural gas exploration in Canada and North America. Alex Kinzler, Barnwell president, said Roelfzema was an active and valued member of their board. While living in Hawaii Roelfzema became a member of the Waimea Outdoor Circle, a group that fosters environmental preservation and the enhancement of nature through education and community involvement. Outdoor Circle is a statewide environmental non-profit that works with branches throughout the Hawaiian Islands to protect Hawai'i's unique natural beauty.