Many small businesses don’t have the budget to hire a marketing firm to disseminate information about new products, special promotions or upcoming events, so it’s important to know how to get the word out when you are your marketing team. Lynette Lo Tom, president and CEO of Bright Light Marketing, provides a roadmap to creating a news release that could…
Q. My business would be a disaster zone if our data were lost or stolen. What should I do to protect it? A. Today’s small businesses are under assault on many fronts. In October, the FBI warned of a new wave of cybercriminals targeting business bank accounts and, in 2009 alone, 11 million people were victims of identity theft. That’s in…
There are many reasons Luibueno’s Mexican and Seafood Restaurant in Haleiwa has made so many loyal customers since it opened in March 2010. The Spanish and Baja Mexican family recipes from husband-and-wife owners Luis and Taryn Silva have a lot to do with it. But, more likely, it is the combination of great food and excellent service. “The whole concept…
It’s no secret that small businesses typically don’t qualify for the risk-assessment and loss-prevention counseling that large firms get from insurance companies. Big customers paying tens of thousands of dollars in premiums can get specialists to visit their businesses to identify risks and offer tips on how to lower insurance costs. But small businesses can’t act on their own to…
9:10 A.M., Thursday Aiea Photography by Olivier Koning >> Mika Fonoti of Access Information Management Hawaii stands in front of 1,200-pound bales of shredded documents. Every month, the company destroys more than 500,000 pounds of material containing confidential information. Its shredder has 300 cutters to rip up paper, pillboxes, CDs, VHS tapes and boxes. Shredded paper is sold to another company that…
As a board member of Aloha United Way and publisher of this magazine, I have been engaged in many conversations about AUW and its future. While it is clear from the November cover story, “The New Culture of Giving,” that AUW will need to take strides to maintain and build its relevance and credibility, AUW plays a vital role in…
Q:How has the process of fundraising changed in your time at Punahou? A: When I first got hired, Punahou was leaning on its traditional donors, the kamaaina families that had sent their kids here for generations. But, as we expanded our fundraising – for the science building, the Case Middle School and, most recently, the K-1 Omidyar Building – the trustees…
Mark Dunkerley turned Hawaiian Airlines into a world-class carrier “You’d have to be crazy to get into the airline business,” Mark Dunkerley said wryly. The Hawaiian Airlines CEO was speaking late last year to a group of young leaders from the Pacific Century Fellows, trying to summarize the keys to success in the topsy-turvy airline business. His analysis, only partly…
Style: “Portrait B&W – high key”There’s no question the business community came into the 2010 elections with more than a few concerns about candidate Neil Abercrombie. While Abercrombie has been a good friend of the Hawaii economy through his work on military appropriations in Congress – the hundreds of millions of dollars spent here on military housing construction is just…
Businesses must pay GET earlier, but state takes longer to cash checks For decades, the state has taken weeks on average – even months – to cash taxpayers’ checks. Now, with government-worker furloughs and restrictions on temporary hires, the check-cashing delay has gotten worse. What makes many business owners especially angry about the delays is a new law, which took…
This wooden monkeypod vase from Gump’s, circa 1930s or 1940s, is carved with a shallow relief of torch ginger. Gump’s Hawaii store opened in 1929 in Waikiki on Kalakaua Avenue and commissioned local artists to produce works of art, many of which now are collector’s items. But it remains a mystery who created this vase, which is a foot high…
Hot sauce isn’t a common condiment for pizza, but it works when it’s from Broke Da Face Sauces. Used at the V Lounge Kiawe Fire Pizza in Honolulu, it gives a flavorful, spicy kick that does more than just “broke da mouth.” BDF Sauces started in 2008 when owner Cody Kimoto says he couldn’t find any quality chili water in…
It took five years – from test pot to harvest – for a new variety of local Christmas trees to be available this holiday season from Helemano Farms. The Leyland Cyprus, a popular tree usually grown in the U.S. South, is fuller compared to Helemano’s Norfolk pines. “We planted 15 varieties of trees, about 100 to 400 of each variety,…
For families worried about parents or grandparents living alone, Hookele Health Navigators, LLC has introduced the iHealthHome monitoring system that pulls together existing wireless and computer technologies to keep seniors connected and safe. “We can really bring assisted living to your home,” says Ho’okele co-founder Dew-Anne Langcaon. “We’ve put it in a platform a senior can use.” Several nursing homes…
In its first few months, Haleiwa-based greenteaHawaii has generated a buzz. The October issue of “Life & Style” magazine mentioned that “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Bristol Palin (Sarah’s daughter) drinks its green tea for energy and weight loss. Ryan Hendricks and Dane Pollock, who founded the company in June, got the lucky break during a promotional road trip that…
Big Island Abalone Corp. has been operating on a 10-acre farm at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority in Kona since 1996 and is currently expanding. Over the years, its abalone has been served at some of Hawaii’s finest restaurants, including Alan Wong’s and Restaurant Suntory. Here’s the company’s story, by the numbers: 5 to 8 Minutes to perfectly…
Hundreds of Ewa-bound vehicles came to a standstill on the H-1 Freeway near the airport when space aliens attacked a baseball field filled with Little Leaguers. After each one- or two-minute attack, police cars moved out of the way and allowed normal traffic to proceed. The scene, reshot several times over a few hours on Oct. 21, was one of…
It’s not every day that the federal government allows people to pay taxes over two years instead of one. But that’s what it’s offering to those who convert their traditional individual retirement accounts into Roth IRAs. The catch is people have to make the conversion decision by midnight Dec. 31; then, they can pay half of the income tax due…
Aloha United Way changing with the times While it is true that the dynamics of charitable giving have changed (“New Culture of Giving,” November), it is important not to understate the value that Aloha United Way provides to the community and the ways in which AUW has changed in order to remain relevant to our next generation of donors. In…
Helping guests in every way possible Guests usually ask the hotel concierge basic questions like, “What’s a great place for a romantic dinner?” or “How do I get to the North Shore?” But the request is sometimes more challenging, like helping with a marriage proposal or arranging the memorial for an old friend. We wanted to write about some of…
This fictional short story will be published in March in the local journal Bamboo Ridge I dunno how for respond to da boss’s question when she asks me, “What are you, some kind of Jedi?” I nevah intend for anybody see what I wuz doing. I wuz jus kickin’ it at my desk, waiting for my supah slow computer for boot…
Presented with uncommon design constraints, Critchfield Pacific Inc. came up with a unique air-conditioning system for the new Hale Pawaa Professional Services Building. Critchfield says the system could be used on other high rises. The Problem Hale Pawaa’s developer didn’t like the idea of unsightly air-conditioning equipment atop the new medical office building on Beretania Street. So Critchfield, a mechanical…
Attorney Jay Fidell hasn’t met a gadget he didn’t love and wanted to learn. When the first Apple computers came out about 30 years ago, he learned to program and has been programming ever since. It was an easy leap into high-technology, video and news you can use. Working out of his cramped studio downstairs from his law office, the…
Looking for a great holiday gift? If so, Big Island Candies has put a spin on its world-famous diagonally dipped macadamia-nut shortbread cookies by dunking them in a rich white cream coating with matcha (finely milled green tea). “Green is the new black!” says Lance Duyao, director of retail operations and special events. If you’re more of a traditionalist, Big…