The Hawaii General Store in Seattle began from a simple act of aloha. In 1998, Hawaii expatriate Gail Stringer wanted to buy a lei in Seattle for a friend undergoing a tough time. A $55 red carnation lei was not what Stringer had in mind, but it did give her a great idea for a niche business. “I have no…
Stacy Yuen Hernandez >> Writer Chocolate cream pie from Sunnyside Bakery: Pie is one of my favorite things in life and this Wahiawa bakery creates my all-time favorite. Zoku Quick Pop Maker: Got this cool contraption for Christmas. I’m fascinated by how it can make popsicles in 7 minutes. Garmin GPS wristwatch: I use it for running. I started with…
SpeediShuttle is on the move, expanding its Oahu service, transferring its headquarters from Maui to Honolulu, adding a frequent-rider program and persuading many people to change their travel habits on the four main islands. One of those people is Bill Allen, president and CEO of Hawaii Care and Cleaning Inc. Allen travels a lot between his headquarters on Kauai and…
One of the biggest obstacles faced by entrepreneurs is they cannot afford the legal costs to get their businesses up and running. A trio of attorneys – two recent law-school graduates and a veteran – aim to help deserving business owners with what they call the Craigslist of free legal services. The nonprofit, called Business Law Corps, was launched Jan….
Earl’s Garage is all about inspiring a sense of wonder in youngsters and nurturing their passion for learning. Located in a warehouse-size garage in Waimea on Hawaii Island, Earl’s Garage offers afternoon programs five days a week, according to program leader Katherine DuBose. On two days, children ages 5 to 18 work with adult mentors on robotics, both land-based and…
Make sure your website is paying off by visiting Alexa.com to compare traffic data for your business with up to four competitors. Alexa is a subsidiary of Amazon that tracks Web traffic for the millions of users who have installed the Alexa toolbar onto their Web browser. Some people argue that its data is skewed, since many people who’ve installed…
Name: Doss K. Tannehill Job: Ocularist Years of experience: 40 Photo: David Croxford Starting out: James Tannehill, a licensed optician, started the family business by fabricating ocular prostheses for people who had lost one or both eyes due to trauma or illness. His son, Doss, took over his father’s business and is the only ocularist in the state. (There are…
Company harvests some trees sustainably to help pay for other permanent forest. Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods is challenging the view that the only way to make money after planting a tree is by cutting it down. Founded in December 2008 by CEO Jeffrey Dunster and COO Darrell Fox, the Honolulu-based company has both for-profit and nonprofit arms. It sustainably grows tropical…
When Sandy Poehnelt launched her pie business on Kauai in 2009, one of her biggest obstacles was finding a suitable commercial kitchen. “For six weeks, I rented a space that was less than 100 square feet and I could use it only when the owner wasn’t there late at night and early in the mornings,” recalls the owner of The…
Working out of donated space on a shoestring budget with just one part-time employee and a volunteer board filled with some of the state’s most influential businesswomen, the nonprofit Women’s Fund of Hawaii supports unique programs for women and children. “Nationwide, only 5 percent of grants support women’s programming,” says Abigail Nickell, the fund’s executive director. “Without our grant program,…
Q. As a small-business owner, what are the tax benefits of installing a photovoltaic system? A. A photovoltaic system is an incredible investment for Hawaii business owners. By installing and owning a PV system, you are protecting all or part of your power use from future electric rate increases. In Hawaii, electric rates have increased by an average of 6…
It was about two hours until dinner service, and there was a steady movement in, out and around The Grove, a family-owned restaurant that opened in Kailua in December. As bartenders got organized and cooks prepped for dinner, there was someone in the restaurant who didn’t seem to fit in. Dressed in shorts and Quiksilver slippers with a pair of…
10:07 am, Tuesday Martin & Macarthur, Kalihi Photographer: David Croxford >> Furniture craftsman Fernando Serrao oils a new Waimea sofa made with curly koa from Hawaii Island. The company says its craftsmen sand and oil koa furniture many times to bring out the natural color and grain of the wood. Categories: Media, Parting Shot
COMPANY: Tetris Online has been headquartered in Honolulu since its launch in January 2006. Co-founders Henk Rogers and Minoru Arakawa have homes in Hawaii, and Rogers’ other organizations, including Blue Planet Software and Blue Planet Foundation, are based in Honolulu. PRODUCT: Its most popular game is Tetris Battle, which applies elements to the original Tetris game that are suited for…
One of the greatest gifts my parents gave me as a child was something I did not want. That bittersweet legacy is a big part of who I am, yet I am thankful that my children will not inherit it. What my immigrant parents gave me was a working-class upbringing. For many years, we were one of the poorest families…
After years of working on contentious issues, such as whether to build a new power plant in West Oahu or wind farms on Lanai, Alm has learned valuable lessons about building community consensus. Now, as the leader of the new Collaborative Leaders Network, he’s trying to apply what he’s learned to other big problems facing Hawaii. What does your new…
“Let me frame healthcare for you in a big way,” says Josh Green, state senator from Hawaii Island. “The big picture is that the rate of increase in the cost of healthcare is unsustainable. The U.S. is spending $3 trillion annually on healthcare – you can take that number to the bank. And as an aside, 10 percent of that,…
Ten experts in local healthcare joined in a wide-ranging, two-hour public forum on healthcare costs, quality of care, needed innovations and the future of healthcare. Here is an abbreviated transcript of that discussion. Click here for the full transcript. Hawaii Business, ThinkTech Hawaii, the Hawaii Venture Capital Association and other organizations sponsored a public discussion on Dec. 6, 2011 by two panels…
Index of Best Places to Work 2012 HALL OF FAME Among this year’s Best Places to Work are 18 companies that have been on the BPTW list for at least five of its eight years. (In parentheses is the number of years on the list, including this year.) Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. (5) Bowers + Kubota Consulting (5) Castle Medical…