Credit cards are no longer an “if” question for most businesses, but “what” and “who” questions. “What technology should I use to process credit card payments and who will be my partner?” Answer those questions well, and you will take a big step toward increased sales and success. Here’s a guide to making the right choices and picking the best…
Spalding House is an idyllic spot for a contemporary museum – a 3.5-acre estate on Makiki Heights with panoramic views of Diamond Head and Waikiki – and also a great place to picnic. The cafe on the museum’s first floor offers a picnic service called Lauhala and Lunch for $35, which includes a picnic basket for two, complete with tatami…
Amerjit Ghag strolled around her shop, Chai Studio, at Ward Warehouse and pointed out everything that was repurposed. There was a lot. Like the large wooden mills used to grind grain that she topped with cushions using old sari material and converted into ottomans. Or the teak coffee table made from remnants of an intricately carved ceiling. There’s even a…
Payroll cards are an alternative to paying employees by cash, check or direct deposit, but a new state law will make them more costly for companies. Paycards have gained traction nationally and about 14,000 workers in Hawaii are already paid that way, according to the Hawaii Bankers Association. Employees use the cards to collect their pay at ATMs or banks…
When Hawaii Business published its first Top 250 list 30 years ago, the “Big Five” were still big. The companies that once dominated the local economy were no longer the five biggest companies in the state as ranked by gross sales in 1984, but they were still major players and ranked high on the Top 250: Amfac was No. 1,…
A 40-year veteran at HMSA, Gold has led the local insurance giant since December 2012 as the healthcare industry undergoes a sea change. In a recent op-ed, you wrote that the state should try to close part of the Hawaii Health Connector. Why? I was talking about the part of the Hawaii Health Connector, or the Hawaii Exchange, that deals…
Single blue pawn figure between red and yellow groupsHere’s what happens during a lawsuit: You pay a bunch of money to an attorney. You fight the other guy to prove you’re right and he’s wrong. You attack his credibility, and he attacks yours. What was once a business partnership is now irrevocably hostile. If you haven’t been involved in a…
Name: Guy Hagi Job: Weather anchor at Hawaii News Now Experience: 15 years Hagi will never forget his first day as the weather anchor at KGMB. He had just returned from a family vacation to New York City. It was Sept. 10, 2001. The next day, he and his wife, then-anchor Kim Gennaula, woke up to a ringing phone. “People…
Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just a proud parent trying to keep up with your child’s team, three local websites help you follow high school sports in Hawaii. ScoringLive, run by Oceanic Time Warner Cable, has a comprehensive array of statistics, student-athlete profiles, team standings and game recaps. It also offers live streams of TV and radio broadcasts, and…
APRIL 8, 2013 : Boston, MA : Shane Victorino of the Boston Red Sox hits against the Baltimore Orioles on Opening Day. (Photo by Brian Babineau/Boston Red Sox)Welcome to our annual roundup of the salaries of professional athletes from Hawaii in Major League Baseball, the National Football League and Major League Soccer. There are currently no Hawaii athletes in the…
Hawaii Business won two national awards and two statewide awards for its Hawaii Quality of Life Report in the December 2013 issue. In total, the magazine won 18 awards this summer from two journalism competitions that judged work published or broadcast in 2013. The Quality of Life Report won gold as best ancillary publication and silver for best design at…
Chinese Tourists on day one of the Dragon Tours with Wayne Lu to Pearl Harbor, Chinese Buffet, the Pali Lookout, and the King Kamehameha Statue downtown. Wayne Lu shows the Pali Lookout to the Chinese Tourists.The wave of change coming to Hawaii tourism could be seen on a recent evening at La Mer, the Halekulani hotel’s five-star French restaurant. The…
In late 2012, Ken Ordenstein started his own funeral business, building on a lifetime of experience. His mother and father were Anna and Francis Ordenstein, co-founders of Hawaiian Memorial Park. At the Ordenstein home, which included four sons and three hanai daughters, Ken remembers the drill: When the phone rang, everything stopped. No matter how many kids were around or…
Red-eared Slider TurtleFamously, Hawaii lacks snakes, but, beyond that, it’s one of the few places in the world with no native land reptiles or amphibians – “herptiles,” as they’re collectively known. Anything here that slithers, crawls or hops was introduced, intentionally or by accident. Bob Thomson, an assistant professor of evolutionary and conservation biology at UH-Manoa, says the Islands’ isolation…
Shopping at warehouse stores can be crazy: Traffic frequently jams inside and outside the stores as badly as on our highways, and that’s especially difficult for restaurateurs and other business people who need to grab supplies fast and get back to work. That’s why chef Camile Komine is looking forward to the launch this fall of ChefZone, Y. Hata &…
man standing out from the crowdAlec Brownstein didn’t want to join the millions of young college graduates who settle for jobs they don’t want, because they fail to grab the right person’s attention. Instead, he acted boldly and it paid off. Brownstein hoped to get his foot in the door at an advertising agency, so he created a $6 ad…
Successful business owners in Hawaii know they have to focus on more than just the bottom line. They must support employees, commit to customers, conduct business ethically and support the communities that sustain them. For some small businesses, community outreach is fundamental to their business DNA. Bronson Chang, co-founder of Uncle Clay’s House of Pure Aloha, an Aina Haina shave-ice…
Question: The Chinese have been investing heavily in the U.S. mainland. Now their interest is spreading to Hawaii. How do I ensure that, once I meet with potential Chinese investors, I can attract them to my local business? Answer: Creating a strong bond is essential, but you will need to pay attention to other important details as well. Here are…
1. Keep It Short People are more likely to read your e-mail if they see a short message, ideally no more than three to five lines. Few have time to wade through a long, dense e-mail and read until the end. If you need to discuss a complex topic, it’s best to call. If you need to put a lot of…
Hawaii Pacific University is suffering financial problems that have prompted layoffs of more than 100 faculty and staff, and major cuts in the scholarships that for decades have encouraged local students to attend the state’s largest private university. Meanwhile, the number of Hawaii students and the overall number of students have declined significantly in recent years. Revenue was projected to…
The world has changed. Is Hawaii still stuck in the past? Or were we ahead of the times all along? Remember 2004? That year, a BlackBerry was the height of executive cool, while the first iPhone was still three years away. Facebook was being coded in a Harvard dorm room, and MySpace ruled the emerging world of social media. George…
Groom and bride cake topperDivorce is big business – maybe even bigger than the wedding business in America. That’s because contested divorces involve more than just lawyers. There are also accountants, parenting consultants and other niche specialists to be paid, plus the money spent by the newly single to rebuild their lives. While hard numbers are impossible to nail down,…