Letters – 06|06

What our readers have to say

SPACE WARS

I am sure that, if ChipIn ("Anatomy of a Startup" April 2006) were a tenant at MIC and hit it big someday, they would not appreciate receiving a 30-day lease termination notice from us just because they had become too successful to be a tenant at MIC. We do ask successful companies to leave and, as long as they give us a departure plan, we continue to support them in their transition out onto the private sector space market.

We are sorry that we could not accommodate ChipIn — as well as the other 10 or 12 companies in line ahead of it — at exactly the time that they wished to have space. We do operate the State's incubators for start up companies and we do try to move them out within 3 to 5 years or sooner if they achieve significant success at an earlier point than this.

Philip J. Bossert
Executive Director & CEO, High Technology Development Corporation
Honolulu, HI
Via email

FATHER KNEW BEST

I really appreciated Hoyt Zia's "Rich Son, Poor Son." (May 2006) I have not read Robert Kiyosaki's popular book, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," but if there was an implication in the book that his father Ralph Kiyoaski was any less of a father because he did not provide a great inheritance or even the tools to amass a fortune, is quite pathetic. Further, if Robert Kiyosaki is benefiting (via book sales, seminars and other merchandising) from the sales pitch being in part the disparagement of his actual and physical father, that's doubly pathetic.

Will Lee
Honolulu, HI
Via email

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You have put into words my feelings about Robert Kiyosaki's path to riches and wealth. Every time I picked up a newspaper or magazine and read laudatory words of this local boy's rise to success, I sniffed and harrumphed. How dare this son strut out his success story when it came at the cost of showing no respect for a man who deserved his respect and more.

Barbara Ryder
Aiea, Hawaii
Via letter

GOOD RIDDANCE

I truly appreciated your perspective on sexual harassment, that is 2006 versus 1970.

In the early 1970's, I became one of the very few female salespersons for a company I was working for. In those days in Hawaii, men used to conduct business in the bars with other men during the day. Drinking was acceptable and expected.

If an outside salesperson was a woman, she was a target for all kinds of situations. As a female, I wanted to do what the other salesmen did and prove to them that I could keep up with them, so I did meet my customers in bars. After a couple of times, I decided that I was too uncomfortable with these situations and usually the conversation was never about business but about how long I could stay and drink. I was always asked what else did I sell, in a kidding manner, but I knew some of the men meant different things.

When I moved into the employment business in the early 80's, there were times when we were blatantly asked to place young and pretty women. So we worked hard to educate our customers, explaining that we would provide them the best candidates. The epitome of sexual harassment for me was when one day I received a phone call from one of temporaries who was on the job and she said, "What should I do the customer is chasing me around the desk wanting to kiss me?" I told her "to leave the office NOW. Do not worry about anything else, just get out of the office."

Thank you for this great perspective about sexual harassment. Good riddance to bad behavior, may it rest in peace. Amen. I hope, sexual harassment training continues as there is still some leftover thinking from the 60's, 70's and 80's

Signe Godfrey
President of Olsten Staffing Services
Honolulu, HI
Via email

CORRECTIONS: In the May 2006 issue, a description of the Supreme Court opinion in the case of Nelson v. University of Hawaii should have said that the justices divided the "severe and pervasive" requirement for sexual harassment into separate criteria. The article said, "severe and persuasive." Hawaii Business regrets the error.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR MAY BE SENT TO: Address: Hawaii Business 1000 Bishop St., Ste. 405 Honolulu, HI 96813 Fax: (808) 537-6455 e-mail: hbeditorial@pacificbasin.net All letters to the editor must include the writer's name, address (at least city or town, and state) and daytime and evening phone numbers. Writers should also disclose any relationship with the subject of their letter. We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and space and to use them in all electronic and print editions of Hawaii Business.

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