Q. We have some great managers in our company but still need to improve our leadership skills. What do you suggest? A. Managers play a vital role in cultivating work environments where employees feel valued and customers are satisfied. Companies can take these five steps to enable their managers to be effective leaders. 1. Get an employee pulse on workplace culture. An…
Douglas Smith, the president and CEO of Hawaiian Island Shine, was fortunate that when local sales began to slump because of the recession, his export business began to takeoff. His car-care products are now sold in six countries and he hopes to add Australia to that list next year. Q: What should you know before trying to sell your products…
Imagine the huge cost to your small business if the 2010 Legislature had raised the general excise tax or failed to cut unemployment insurance premiums. Every year at the state Capitol, similar make-or-break laws are debated and that’s why it’s crucial for small-business owners to have a strong voice there. But most owners barely have enough time to get a…
12:35 P.m., Wednesday Coconut Island Photography by David Croxford >> Last year, more than 4,000 people visited Coconut Island, home to the University of Hawaii’s Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. One of the institute’s research projects is on the echolocation of Pacific bottlenose dolphin and false killer whales. To arrange a tour of the island, call 235-9302, or go to…
Hawaii’s people have lost control of their economy, but this election campaign is a great opportunity to begin taking back control and restoring common sense to our future. If we succeed, we can preserve what is precious about Hawaii, because a healthy, vigorous economy can pay more to protect our natural heritage and to educate our children properly. More importantly,…
In March, the embattled Central Pacific Bank named John Dean as CEO and executive chairman. He has nearly 30 years of experience in the financial industry, including serving as CEO and chairman of Silicon Valley Bank. Q: You came to CPB with the reputation as a turn-around specialist. What special skills do you bring with you? A: I think somehow I…
Some Republicans and Democrats stand out as best, but when we tried to ID the worst, business leaders were reluctant to name names. In this time of severe budget cuts, lots of people are unhappy with their state lawmakers. But for many in the Hawaii business community, the unhappiness is far more than temporary. Local business leaders have complained for…
Top candidates for governor explain how they would make it easier for businesses to succeed. Those in Hawaii struggling to maintain a business or start a new one can rest easy on one thing: Our next governor has no plans to increase taxes that impact business – at least not in the immediate future. All three major candidates – Democrats Neil…
You may have heard that Hawaii Pacific University’s dean of the College of Business Administration, U. Aytun Ozturk, holds a degree in industrial engineering and a Ph.D. in stochastic optimization and scheduling. But did you know this 33-year-old native of Turkey loves Latin dance and poker? COMPUTER He’s a PC! Ozturk tried converting to a Mac but couldn’t adjust to…
Tom Park, founder and owner of Leather Soul, which carries exclusive men’s shoes, can’t believe his success in following a dream. “I’ve always loved shoes, from when I was in kindergarten,” he says. In March, his flagship Waikiki store moved into a larger, 1,300-square-foot location on the Royal Hawaiian Center’s third floor, and, in July, he opened a second store,…
Plaza ClubNeed a comfortable, upscale place in Honolulu to meet and impress clients that doesn’t just serve lattes? Try the Plaza Club, renovated this year and located downtown on the 21st floor of Pioneer Plaza. Furnishings that had been around since the 1979 opening were replaced and local contemporary art added. The club hired executive chef Dan Bower in October…
Asian family portrait with their grandmother. PS: stitching image for the tightly crop area of grandma’s head make additional height to the imageLife doesn’t run smoothly. Crises arise – with children, parents or other relatives – and the generation in the middle can be called on to deal with them. That might mean dropping everything else. “There are countless numbers…
What’s your advice to business executives thinking about volunteering? Do it. Get involved. Volunteer for something. If you don’t know what you like, try them all; find out what you don’t like. It’s just like restaurants: Sometimes you don’t know if you’re going to like them until you’ve tried them. What should young executives expect when they volunteer for nonprofit…
Dustin Shoedel and Brian Brooks have an interesting new product – a relaxing drink made from kava and orange juice – and plan to tell the story of bringing it to market month-by-month on the Internet. The pair created RZO (pronounced “rizzo”) while serving as Navy officers at Pearl Harbor. “We’re filming ourselves having meetings with different people, when we…
An emerging way for stores, restaurants and other businesses to connect with customers is location-based social-media networks like MyTown, Foursquare, GoWalla and Whrrl. Rob Bertholf, chief search architect of Chapter Three LLC, a San Francisco consulting firm, says there are more than 100 smartphone applications for location-based social-media networks. These applications let customers leave consumer tips, photos and feedback about…
HAWAII FIVE-O is a contemporary take on the classic drama series about a new elite federalized task force whose mission is to wipe out the crime that washes up on the Islands’ sun-drenched beaches.¨Ü¨Ü¨ÜLeft to right:¨ÜScott Caan plays Detective Danny ǃ˙Danno” Williams, Daniel Dae Kim¨Üportrays Chin Ho Kelly, Alex O’Loughlin¨Üplays Detective Steve McGarrett,¨Üand¨ÜGrace Park¨Üplays Kono.¨Ü¨Ü HAWAII FIVE-0 will premiere this…
I’ve been hunting archery since I was a kid,” says Jeff Grundhauser, owner of the 5,500-acre Arrow One Ranch in Kula, Maui. And for more than a decade, his prowess with a bow has helped keep the ranch afloat. In 1999, hoping to take advantage of a herd of more than 800 wild Axis deer that roamed the property, Grundhauser…