THIS MONTH’S EXPERT: Bonnie Fong, Senior VP and Personal Trust Manager, Bank of Hawaii (boh.com) Q: I’m a recently remarried business owner with two grown children and one stepchild. My wife and I are also considering having children together. Any ideas on how to best keep things financially fair among “hers, mine and ours,” and ensure there is no friction…
What does it mean to be Native Hawaiian? That was the question that Moses Haia III, 61, executive director of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. (NHLC), had to confront when he was growing up among a lot of military families in Foster Village in the ‘60s and ‘70s. “I was finding that being Hawaiian wasn’t necessarily a plus,” Haia recalls,…
Daniel and Lavonne’s favorite things. Photo by David Croxford. DANIEL IKAIKA ITO, DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Before I got married, my main indulgences were surfboards and shoes. My wife is an accountant and now “my CFO,” and approves all my expenses. Left to right: • Kalaponzer surfboard shaped by Matty Raynor (gift from my wife). • I use Da Fin for…
The end of 2016 is a great time to take stock in your leadership strengths and weaknesses, so you can develop a roadmap to thrive in 2017. Craig Chong, president and founder of Fresh Leadership, a local executive coaching firm, provides five key questions you should ask yourself to help set leadership goals. 1. WHAT IS RIGHT? It’s easy to…
NAME: Christopher Ferrara JOB: Jet pilot and director of operations COMPANY: Resort Air LLC, which operates charter flights within Hawaii. START: Ferrara was born in Hollywood. He used to come to Hawaii during summer high school and college breaks to work for his aunt in Waikiki, then moved here in 1975 after military service and law school. “I started flying in the Air…
A multigenerational panel discusses the value of Millennials, innovation, sharing power and responsibility, and how to solve the “real wicked problems” Hawaii faces. Mahalo to our Merging Visions partners for helping make this conversation possible: Cades Schutte LLP, Hawaiian Telcom and Kaiser Permanente Hawaii. Featuring: Peter Ho, 51 Chairman, President and CEO, Bank of Hawaii. Melialani James, 38 President,…
When chef Cary Peterson opened his Kohala Burger & Taco eatery on Hawaii Island in 2010, all the money he had – $80 – was in the register to make change for customers. “I had exhausted every resource available to me, even going as far as borrowing from my mom in order to get the utilities turned on,” Peterson recalls, wincing….
ORIGIN: Like many origin stories, Activiter’s started in Vegas. Stuck on the Strip in the heat of the day, the company’s co-founders – Rob Lafontaine and Ikaika Sheehan – decided to see a show (mostly for the air conditioning) and waited in a discount line for tickets. “Twenty minutes later, it had hardly moved,” says Lafontaine. They abandoned the line and their…
I have climbed Mount Koko Head and took many selfies. From this pilgrimage I return to you, brethren and sisthren, with these 10 commandments to keep thy company’s image righteous on the World Wide Web. May the spirit of Steve Jobs lead you! 1. I AM THE COMPANY, THY BRAND Post from your company’s perspective and eliminate personal bias. …
Q: The dreaded holiday party is upon me, and I’m panicking. My boss is a great guy, but he can get a little flirty. I usually just ignore it and go about my job, but I’m worried that at the party, where drinks will flow like Kilauea’s lava, things might get out of hand. Am I safer staying home and…
With his recent promotion to president of one of Hawaii’s biggest locally owned businesses (No. 8 on the 2016 Hawaii Business Top 250), Ching is helping oversee Servco’s dramatic overseas expansion. We ask him about the challenges of operating in three time zones in a rapidly changing industry. Q: With the advent of autonomous driving, car sharing and the changing…
If you are a fan of alternate realities and parallel universes, welcome to one of our annual discussions: Who should be CEO of the Year? Each fall, when the editorial team at Hawaii Business considers candidates, we look for outstanding leaders who have contributed immensely to Hawaii’s economy for many years. We ask: Would this important company or nonprofit have…
In business the numbers don’t lie and the same goes for giving. For the past seven years, Swinerton Builders has participated in The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program and this year they’re doubling their charitable donations, increasing their impact to help families year round. “Angel Tree is one of our favorite holiday programs where individuals or families can donate a…
Asian and Mainland entrepreneurs and investors will experience a different East Meets West startup conference next month – and that’s not just because some business ideas will be pitched in outrigger canoes. Honolulu-based Blue Startups is hosting the third annual conference on Jan. 19 and 20, 2017 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village. Chenoa Farnsworth, managing director of the startup incubator,…
➨ When you’re the CEO, just about everything lands on your desk. That’s true in small and big businesses. CEOs are hand-holders, problem solvers, cheerleaders, admonishers, risk-takers and workaholics. They deal with financial complexity, human drama and enough email to sink a ship. They’ve learned how to protect their private time, and to know when something is an emergency and…
RACE PREPARATIONS Once the executive planning committee was formed, the organizers had roughly three months to plan the first race, held in December 1973. Because of its extensive road-race management expertise, the Mid-Pacific Road Runners Club took the lead in handling logistics. The most critical task fell to Col. Tom Ferguson, who designed and measured the original marathon course. He…
When you look at Hawaii’s biggest problems, it’s astounding how many are tied to our housing shortage. Nationally, we’re near the top in cost of living, price of housing, homelessness and time spent in traffic. And we’re near the bottom in disposable income, hours of sleep a night and percentage of two-income families. ELASTICITY This connection was highlighted recently in…
On nights with a full moon, scientists and engineers from Oceanit gather at Duke’s statue on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki, colorful glow sticks fastened around their necks. Toting surfboards, they head for the water’s edge and plunge into the silvery shore break. “With a full moon, it’s magical,” says Patrick Sullivan, founder and CEO of Oceanit, who often joins the…