Misconceptions: With TV shows like “The Millionnaire Matchmaker” creating false impressions, it’s easy to misunderstand what professional matchmakers do. At Matchmaking Introductions Hawaii, owner and president Reiko Keifert says singles don’t come to her because they can’t find partners on their own. “Most people who come to our company are people who are proactive about life and have the attitude,…
“You know, it’s a massage seat, too.” The chauffeur, Philippe Deprez, pointed to the control panel on the door of the custom-built 2012 Rolls-Royce Ghost EWB, the only one in Hawaii. “Go ahead,” he says, “press that button.” Talk about traveling in high-class style. That’s the mission of Albatross Transport, a new chauffeur company offering some of the world’s most…
Gummy-bear keychains, Pop-Tart necklaces and shave-ice rings. The art of “deco sweet” or miniature food jewelry is all the rage in Japan. Local business Bit of Sugar is taking the trendy, handmade treasures to new heights this summer. Co-owner Lei Matsuura plans to unveil her Sugar in Bloom product line to expand her clientele. “Too often, while their daughters are…
The assessed value of Coconut Island – also known as Moku o Loe – is $2,666,500. The details, though, are more complicated. In the 1930s, Christian Holmes II, heir to the Fleischmann Yeast fortune, bought the island from Bishop Estate and began converting it into his personal playground. Using dredging spoils, he more than doubled its size, adding an artificial…
People have expectations for your website based on what they have seen and done at other sites. By following conventions that people have grown to trust on the Web, you will help provide a consistently good experience to your visitors. • Make navigation easy. The first thing people do at a website is familiarize themselves. Your navigation should work like…
When Taiji Terasaki needs fresh herbs for a pot of stew or the ingredients for an organic salad, he’ll send his 7-year-old son, Kenta, and 4-year-old daughter, Miya, out to the family’s kitchen garden. There’s quite a selection in the 25-by-11-foot, raised garden bed at their Aina Haina home, including basil, sage, Swiss chard, strawberries, mizuna, bittermelon, collard greens, arugula,…
This summer, hundreds of children in Honolulu and seven mainland cities will compete to create the best lemonade stand. But don’t expect watered-down concoctions and makeshift tables: These kids mean business. The contest, Lemonade Alley, requires participants from kindergarten through 12th grade to write business plans, design and construct booths, market their companies via social media and, finally, sell their…
Q: Why do some leaders fail? A: During the past 30 years, working side by side with hundreds of leaders, I’ve had a “front-row seat” observing the practice of leadership. I’ve seen many factors that resulted in failure, including arrogance, incompetence, dishonesty, abusiveness and cowardice. These flaws represent people who can’t manage themselves, but attempt to lead others. Since most of us have…
Your next business meeting will go more smoothly with proper planning. Plaza Club GM Dan Bower offers five ways to ensure that you succeed and everyone who attends is impressed. 1. Have a clear vision. Before you start planning your meeting, it is essential that you decide what you need to accomplish. Knowing your goals will help determine the size, budget, theme and…
Huggo’s, on the water at the south end of Kailua Bay, is one of Kona’s oldest and most popular restaurants. Executive chef Ken Schloss and butcher Urs Hartmann talk about fish, the mainstay of Huggo’s menu. Where do you get your fish? Schloss: The whole thing starts with the relationships you create with local fishermen. We buy fish from hundreds of…
It’s not easy taking over a family-run business that’s been operating successfully for nearly six decades. And, if loyal customers notice any changes, even necessary changes, they’re quick to criticize the new owner. All that wasn’t lost on Honolulu entrepreneur Peter Kim, who bought the iconic Liliha Bakery in 2008. While change was needed – Kim had much-needed, much-wanted air-conditioning…
2:49 pm, Friday Nimitz Highway Photographer: David Croxford >> Jie Na Liu of La Tour Bakehouse places a cookie on top of cream to create macaroons (known as macarons in French and at La Tour). They will age for a day before being sold; the aging process creates a crispy exterior but chewy interior. La Tour makes approximately 1,000 macaroons…
Creator: Wilson Vinano Jr., avid surfer and owner of Z to A Innovations, has been inventing things for years and wanted to make the ocean safer for people. With the help of two local engineering and development companies, Vinano says, he was able to create a small, affordable shark defense device. Product: The Electronic Shark Defense System emits electrical pulses designed to keep…
When I first came to Hawaii in 1980, I knew I had found paradise and never wanted to leave. However, so many of the people I talked with would say, “No, no, Hawaii used to be much better. Now, it’s too crowded.” Or “noisier” or “less friendly” or one of dozens of pejoratives. Now, three decades later, I have the…
Brizee joined AHL in 1995 as a project architect and manager, and was promoted to principal in 2004 and CEO in 2010. He shares his views on rail and the importance of the LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification system. The American Institute of Architects, Honolulu Chapter, supports a hybrid light-rail system for Honolulu, combining elevated and street-level…
Today’s tourists are not willing to just stay close to their hotels or only take tours to the standard attractions. They want to experience out-of-the-way beaches, trails and neighborhoods that locals have had mostly to themselves for decades. Those incursions into our communities statewide help spread visitor spending around, make tourists want to come back to Hawaii, and create jobs…
Best “Green” Vehicle Sunetric retrofitted this Honda Element with three 230-watt Sunpower modules and 12 killowatt hours of battery storage. The mobile solar power station, named Watt Wheels, provides free electricity at community, charitable and educational events. Best Classic Delivery Truck This 1938 International truck has been retired from service, but DHX – Dependable Hawaiian Express still brings it out…
SOURCES: HSWAC AND HAWAII BUSINESS RESEARCH Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning is scheduled to break ground this year on its cooling system for buildings in downtown Honolulu, says the vice chairman of HSWAC’s board, Bill Mahlum. Here’s a look at the system: 1/3 Air conditioning consumes one-third of the energy used in typical Hawaii office buildings. Financing $145 million in tax-exempt revenue…
It’s a hot Thursday and state Rep. Chris Lee is sitting in traffic trying to get out of Lanikai, his home neighborhood in Kailua. It’s 2:30 p.m., and Kailua and Lanikai beaches are still full of people, but cars trying to leave the area are already backed up way past Buzz’s restaurant. Lee is supposed to be at a meeting in…
The line of customers outside Matsumoto Grocery Store is 15 deep. Visitors and locals alike wait patiently to place their orders, huddling under the eaves of the ramshackle old building to avoid the noon sun. In the dusty gravel parking lot, a Hawaiian family nurses their shave ice in the shade of a banyan tree. Out front, a steady parade…