Amazing Business Tales
Pencil and Ink: Andrew Catanzariti Pencil and Ink: Andrew Catanzariti Pencil and Ink: Andrew Catanzariti Categories: Lifestyle
Archives: June 2009
Enjoy Elvis’ and Barack’s View
Never eat lunch at your desk. If you believe that adage, and you should, Honolulu offers more than the usual choices for downtown workers. Last month we suggested eating at the Kakaako Waterfront Park. This month, we go mauka. For a breezy, inspiring break from the cubicle-and-computer world, consider filling the car with co-workers and heading up to Puu Ualakaa…
Is it Really Green?
Often the best answer is not yes or no, but try a Third Way The great frustration of trying to live sustainably is the false dilemma —being asked to decide whether to do this or that, when in fact there are other alternatives. When asked which of two options is greener, the best answer might be: What are the other…
The Storm Warning
Will commercial real estate be the next crisis? “There’s an old adage,” says Steve Sofos. “Pigs get fat; hogs get slaughtered.” Sofos, president of Sofos Realty, Hawaii’s largest independent commercial real estate brokerage, is discussing the possibility of a collapse in the rents and prices for Hawaii’s stores, offices, hotels and warehouses. In his metaphor, the hogs are landlords who…
Cold Calls and Shoe Leather
What makes commercial real estate so complicated? “Downtown” Jamie Brown, a CRE All-Star and president of Hawaii Commercial Real Estate, looks puzzled by the question. “Have you ever seen a commercial real estate contract?” he asks. Fishing out a thick binder, he opens it at random and pulls out the paperwork on a recent deal. “This is what, 40 pages,”…
Hawaii’s Top 25 Realtors
Welcome to our 2009 list of Hawaii’s Top 100 Realtors, based on sales volume for 2008. We hope you find it informative and useful. On this page we rank the top 25 sellers and on the following pages we list the Top 100 alphabetically. Our figures were compiled by Harvey A. Shapiro, research economist for the Honolulu Board of Realtors,…
Where is the Bottom?
When will it recover? Just about everyone in the Hawaii housing sector – brokers, lenders, economists, appraisers, analysts – says the crystal ball on prices is murky. A lot of outside factors make it difficult to predict where prices will go and when, like whether: the stimulus packages work; interest rates stay low; public fear gives way to confidence; in-migration…
Parting Shot: Brewmeister
2:30 p.m., Tuesday Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant, Aloha Tower Photography by Kevin Blitz >> Gordon Biersch’s head brewer, Jeff Liles, examines the opacity of the hefeweizen, which indicates the beer’s flavor. “It should not be clear,” he says. Liles brews up to 10 different beers a year, and up to 2,800 gallons of beer are consumed at the Aloha Tower…
Leaving it at Work
Helping people balance their work, home lives and down time. Hawaii attorney Mark Murakami discovered a secret of success early. “My priorities, in order, are: husband, father, attorney, Coast Guard Reserve officer,” says Murakami, a member of the law firm Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert. “Success at work means nothing if you are unsuccessful at home.” Instead of toting home a…
Whats it Worth?
$159,195 What Is It 2009 Audi R8 Coupe Quattro Why So Special This German-manufactured, mid-engine coupe boasts an 8-cylinder engine that produces 420 horsepower and can run 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds. Drivers can shift gears using a joystick or shift paddles on the steering wheel. Other Highlights 19-inch polished alloy wheels, a 12-speaker Ban & Olufsen sound system…
Operating Music
We all know gentle music can be relaxing, but it can also promote healing, says Hawaii ophthalmologist and classical pianist Jorge Camara. That’s him on the cover of his new CD, “Live from the Operating Room,” the first such on-site recording of classical piano music. The CD resulted from a 2005 clinical study by Camara and others on the effects…
My Favorite Things
Kevin Roberts is president and CEO of Castle Medical Center, the only faith-based hospital in the state. During his downtime, he enjoys activities that, in a sense, bring him closer to God. Music Roberts has been playing acoustic guitar for 38 years. On Saturdays, he plays on the praise team at Kailua Seventh-DayAdventist Church. “It’s definitely not my day job,…
Talk Story with Kelvin Taketa
After the enormous changes in 50 years of statehood, a crucial question is where should we go in the next 50 years? Over the next several months, Hawaii Business will chat with community leaders and average citizens about their vision of Hawaii’s future. Last month, former Gov. Benjamin Cayetano launched the series; this month, Kelvin Taketa offers his thoughts. I…
Should I Sell My Home Myself?
Yes If you have the time, the answer is yes, with a few caveats. In this market, price is key and you need to be the lowest priced property in your neighborhood compared with similar properties. Selling on your own gives you an edge price-wise. You know your home better than anyone. Now for the bad news about going it…
Cooling Tech
Local company solves a big problem: how to cool computers The Problem For decades, engineers have known that heat seriously hinders a computer’s performance. The harder your CPU or graphics card works, the hotter it gets. In fact, some of today’s overworked microchips would explode if the designers didn’t include a cooling system. Until now, those clunky systems had more…
Preserving the Past
Greg Schredder is reviving a classic Hawaiian brand and hopes to turn it into a 100 percent local product. The Kauai entrepreneur was searching for a manufacturing site for his startup, Koloa Rum Co., when he learned that Hawaiian Fruit Specialties LLC, makers of Hawaiian Kukui jellies and jams, was for sale. Schredder says he saw an opportunity to save…
Corner Office Curmudgeon
“A crusty, irascible, cantankerous old person full of stubborn ideas” Life at work is never easy. We are often confronted with situations we don’t know how to handle. Each month, this retired senior Honolulu executive offers his take on how to handle the challenges and foibles of office life. ——————————————– I’m in my 20s and sometimes get pretty bus’ up…
Young and Green
Michael Fairall doesn’t go to great lengths to advertise the “green” side of Mokulua Woodworking, his Kailua-based construction company. Never mind the sometimes surreptitious adherence to LEED standards, like low-flow plumbing (“Basically, we bring that approach to anything that we control”). Pay no attention to the international search for sustainable building materials (“I’m naturally a research kind of guy”). And…
Feedback
> Send letters to feedback@hawaiibusiness.com Citizen Economists not paying its writers I’m a freelance writer living in Bellingham, Wash. I recently ran across the December 2008 issue of Hawaii Business at my local library. I took a look at it, and had to laugh at the profile of CitizenEconomists.com on page 114 (“The Pitch”). I laughed because I’d been writing…
Our Team Works Hard (and plays hard)
Here is the talented group of people who produce Hawaii Business each month. We work hard to deliver the best magazine possible for our readers and advertisers by focusing on the big issues facing Hawaii’s businesses and economy, and on being useful to our readers. But we’re not above having fun, as you can see. For more fun, check out…
Internet Transforms Home Sales, but Realtors Survive
Some say real estate professionals might be more important than ever Less than 20 years ago, prospective homebuyers could look at newspapers and drive around to find yard signs. However, most would call a Realtor because they alone had access to the Multiple Listing Service, a list of all the houses on sale from other Realtors. No more. With MLS…
Ask SmallBiz: Dividing Family Stock
Q. What should the owners of a family business consider when dividing shares of stock among their children? I have been told never to give two children equal shares. -Monica Toguchi, VP, Administration and Planning, Highway Inn Inc. A. You’re right, it is a recipe for future trouble if you divide stock equally between two children. While the kids may work…