BY LEN FUKUSHIMA FINANCIAL ADVISER, UBS FINANCIAL SERVICES I own a successful architectural firm in Honolulu. I’d like to expand my business but am having difficulty finding a lender. I have capital assets, including real estate and a portfolio of stocks and bonds, but I’m reluctant to sell in this low market and I’m also concerned about incurring capital gains…
There’s a reason some people are wealthy: they learn to manage their time, resources and passions. Leading financial adviser Diane Kimura of Merrill Lynch shows how you can get your life in order, financially and emotionally, so you can make a million. 1) Adopt the spending habits of self-made millionaires Buy few things, but when you do, invest in quality….
Audrey Fu spent 42 years running two trendy and successful boutiques, Villa Roma and Chocolates For Breakfast, before closing them in 2005 and 2007 as profits dipped and overhead soared. Now she has a new template for successful retail: Take your product directly to the customer by selling in private homes. HB: After four decades, why change the formula? My…
As chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Jay Rasulo oversees myriad facets of the Disney empire, including its world-renowned theme parks, resorts, timeshares and cruise lines. In an exclusive interview with Hawaii Business, he talks about Hawaii, the differences and similarities between doing business here and in Disneyland Paris, and staying true to your business principles during a recession….
7:45 P.m., Friday Duke Kahanamoku Beach, Waikiki Photography by David Croxford >> Ben Pascual, a lead technician with Hawaii Explosives & Pyrotechnics, Inc., lights up the Waikiki sky on Friday nights. He has been a part of the weekly fireworks show in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village for 18 years. Pascual controls the fireworks from a panel that is…
Two children have dinner,isolated on a white background.Helping people balance their work, home lives and down time. The research is clear: family meals create a protective bubble around kids. The September 2009 report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University clearly shows that children in families that sit together for family meals are less likely to…
One stamp for $8, two for $15 What is it? Collectors’ first-day cover of the 50th anniversary of Hawaii statehood commemorative stamp. Who designed it? Herb Kawainui Kane painted the surfer and paddlers depicted on the stamp. Kane is an artist, historian and author who lives on the Big Island. He is probably best known as one of those who…
James “Jimmy” Chan is packing some major heat – with his new Kilauea Fire Hawaiian Style BBQ sauce, that is. The owner of the Hawaiian Chip Company turned his most popular taro and sweet-potato chip flavor into an all-in-one barbecue glaze, marinade, drizzle and dipping sauce. Infused with habanero peppers, Kilauea Fire will kick up any chicken, pork or beef…
Need another reason not to eat lunch at your desk? Here’s one: According to researchers at the University of Arizona, the average office desk has 100 times more bacteria on it than the average kitchen table. Here’s another reason: A British study found more bacteria on the keyboards in the office of a consumer advocacy group than were found on…
Andy Friedlander, principal broker at Colliers Monroe Friedlander, admits his two greatest passions are really causes. Hobby Friedlander likes playing golf with his buddies. “We play every Saturday and I’m generally the large loser. Then, we have lunch and cocktails and we have a great time. And then we all go moemoe.” Wine Friedlander loves a glass of port with…
I can be a popular person at parties and it’s not because of my magnetic personality, witty repartee and obvious good looks. When strangers learn I work in the news media, they often get excited and say, “You should do a story on … ” and then describe something that has gotten under their skin. The topic could be government…
The Problem How do you decontaminate military aircraft after they’ve collected dangerous air samples from nuclear tests? The prime method — pressure-washing with soap and chemicals — leaves thousands of gallons of contaminated water to dispose of. The Solution Hank Wuh’s Cellular Bioengineering Inc. says it experimented for two years and created a bright-blue gel capable of sliming the worst…
The buzz about “sustainability” and “buying local” has not only helped sales of Hawaii-grown papayas, bananas and other produce, but also spurred sales of locally raised and grass-fed beef. Kulana Foods, a slaughterhouse and processor in Hilo, processes only locally raised animals, including Big Island cattle, lamb and wild boar. Sales manager Tom Asano says Kulana has been supplying meat…
Christmas is big business, so despite the slow economy, Hawaii malls and hotels didn’t try to save money by cutting decorations. Some even increased their displays this year. Ala Moana Center and Windward Mall both say they added more holiday decor. Windward Mall started putting its decorations up Nov. 2. The work was done daily before the mall opened and…
When Jim Moffat moved his career as a chef and restaurateur from the Bay Area to the North Shore of Kauai, he already knew “sustainability” and “eating local” weren’t just catch phrases, but time-tested concepts he’d seen practiced in Mediterranean Europe. “In southern France, you ate what grew in the family garden in the summer and you’d better put things…
Retired Island executive offers advice on office life I work at an import-export company. I’m just a clerk, but I suspect the owners (a family) are illegally bringing things in without paying the proper duty. Am I obligated to report my suspicions? I don’t know if they are doing something illegal, but I strongly suspect it. Have you signed the…
Last year, the Legislature authorized $842 million over six years to improve and expand the state’s harbors. Among Hawaii’s shipping companies and other harbor users, the feeling was, “It’s about time,” after what they saw as nearly 20 years of neglect. But a lot has changed since the governor signed the funding authorization. Here’s a new look at the numbers:…
If you’ve been to a concert in Hawaii in the past couple of years, odds are good that you were fueling the BAMP fire. BAMP — an acronym for its owners, Brad Smith, Aubry Boutin, Matthew Hazelgrove and Philip Pendleton — is a small, but budding concert promotion company that may be on its way to becoming this generation’s Tom…
Eighty Hawaii businesses have committed to helping public-high-school students complete senior projects as part of a special recognition diploma, but more businesspeople are needed. The mentor program, led by the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, comes after a chamber survey last year indicated that local companies are highly concerned about workforce development. About 2,000 seniors have signed up to do…