Q: As I read through the fine print of our new office lease, I noticed it stipulated that mediation would be used in case of a dispute. Should I agree to this? A. I think you should. In fact, this stipulation will likely save you money and ensure a faster, more equitable resolution to any dispute. When I graduated in 1989 with…
Since it opened in January, Podium Raceway has been packed every weekend with screaming kids and screeching tires. The presence and popularity of the indoor electric-go-kart track signals a new plan for Barbers Point, at least for the short term. Until recently, only a handful of nonprofits and churches had moved into the area, isolated among the many abandoned buildings and overgrown…
Corporate team-building activities usually involve bowling or “catch-me-while-I-fall-backwards” exercises, but what about training like the team that took out Osama bin Laden? For five hours, Navy SEAL Experience drives teams of eight or more to do pushups, sit-ups, log lifting, bear crawls, and other strenuous exercises through surf and sand at Kahana Bay. “If a group of individuals like a…
One taste of paletas was all it took to convince Joe Welch to adapt the frozen Mexican treats to Hawaiian tastes. Joshua Lanthier-Welch thought his brother was a little lolo until he tasted them for himself and then was so sure, he quit his job and moved home from California. Together, they started developing test flavors and OnoPops was born…
What it’s Worth? $256,928 Kamaaina Rate: $127,808 Nonresidents pay $64,232 a year for four years of medical training at the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine – not including living expenses. Local students pay half that. The larger figure is about the same as the median tuition and fees at medical schools across the nation – an…
Judy Boyle Chun took her first horseback-riding lesson at the age of 6 and her love of horses has lasted ever since. “You’re two athletes partnering to achieve a result,” says the CEO of Hawaii-Western Management Group, an insurance agency/broker with 144 employees. “Horses have their own minds. It’s just extremely satisfying to be able to connect with the horse.”…
It’s Monday morning and Melissa Chang has gathered her laptop and smartphone, and is on her way to her “coffice,” a comfortable setting likeBlue Hawaii Lifestyle, Burgers on the Edge or Good to Grill. There she can settle down with coffee, free Wi-Fi and her daily work sending client news into the Twittersphere. The laptop is loaded with everything she needs, the phone makes her constantly…
10:30 am Monday Aloha Air Cargo Hangar, Honolulu International Airport Photo: Olivier Koning >> Captain Grant Arakawa, the fleet manager, and pilot Jeni Shibata familiarize themselves with Aloha Air Cargo’s latest plane, a Saab 340A turbo-prop named Ke Kela, meaning “excellence.” The aircraft carries up to 8,300 pounds – about one-third of what the company’s B737-200s carry. A second 340A is…
Clyde Tamaru, an aquaculture specialist atUH Manoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, is on a mission: putting marginal land to good agricultural use with aquaponics. Along the way, Tamaru helps enhance the reputation oftilapia, a fish that many locals avoid because it tends to live in dirty water – the “Ala Wai fish,” he calls it. Tamaru explains…
When political leaders and multinational CEOs arrive for the APEC Conference in November, Hawaii will have its big chance to show half of the world that we are more than just a pretty face. It’s our best shot at proving Hawaii is also smart and means business. I’m proud to say that Hawaii Business was chosen to write the program for that…
At the president of the state’s oldest and largest tour and transportation company, Percy Higashi oversees 1,400 employees and 900 vehicles on four islands, the world’s largest Polynesian catamaran, and theMagic of Polynesia show. Before joining Roberts last year, he had served for more than a decade as VP and GM for Prince Resorts Hawaii. Q: You’ve been president at Roberts Hawaii not…
Every business claims it puts its customers first, but what elevates some companies above the others? One crucial factor is the ability to adapt and improve customer service with changing circumstances. Lex Brodie’s Tire Co. is the first winner of the International Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award for Excellence in Customer Care, awarded in March. The BBB says Lex Brodie’s…
“How Much Does Military Spending Add to Hawaii’s Economy?” is the name of a study by the Rand National Defense Research Institute. Here are numbers from the report, including some that received little media attention when it was released in June. $6.5 Billion Direct military spending in Hawaii from 2007 to 2009 $12.2 Billion How much military spending increased gross…
Kurren isn’t a typical business executive. She’s not a natural risk taker, has never thought of herself as ambitious, and credits others for recognizing her abilities and challenging her to accept greater responsibilities, which eventually gave her the confidence to lead. HB: Have you ever been assigned a task that you felt was beyond your skill level? Yes. When I…
It’s kidding season and the number of goats behind the Lava Rocks Puna Goat Cheese label has grown to 43. Some are bucks, kids or mamas out of commission while caring for newborns, so the number of milking goats is 27. They must be milked twice a day. “This is a lifestyle,” says co-owner Lava Stacey. “It’s about having chores,…
Name: Gregg Levine, DVM Job: Marine-mammal veterinarian at Dolphin Quest facilities on Oahu and the Big Island, contract veterinarian for the National Marine Fisheries, and small-animal veterinarian and acupuncturist. Years of experience: 12 Toughest part: No matter what kind of animal he is treating, the toughest part is the effects of senseless cruelty. “This may be attending to a dog…
Hanapepe was one of Kauai’s most vibrant communities until hard times fell. Competition from a new shopping center in Lihue and hurricanes in 1982 and 1992 closed businesses and wounded Kauai’s “biggest little town.” But Hanapepe is definitely on the map with its active salt ponds, lively Friday-night cultural scene and now Kauai’s only bookstore. Since opening Talk Story Bookstore…
For 28 years, Hawaii Business has been publishing a list of Hawaii’s Top 250 organizations based on gross revenues, because we think that’s the most effective way to measure a company’s size. However, there have always been critics in the business community who believe we should use profits instead. “After all,” they point out, “many of those in the Top…
It’s much the same with businesses. When they’re thriving, their income statements all look alike – tidy family portraits of profits and tranquility. It’s when companies fail that all their neuroses and idiosyncrasies come into view. That’s when you discover dysfunctional capital structures, crazy expenses in the attic, crackpot expansion theories. By then, though, it’s often too late. It takes…
At age 4, growing up in Lumber Bridge, N.C. – a town too small even for a stop sign. Donald Horner has a saying:”When life hands you challenges, you have two choices – you can be bitter, or you can be better.” He’s chosen to be better. The CEO of First Hawaiian Bank is both exactly and not at all like what…