Seafood chives gau is one of 35 types of dim sum served at the Happy Days Chinese Seafood Restaurant in Kaimuki. The owners say they serve an average of 1,000 trays of dim sum every day. Siu mai (pork hash) and char siu buns are the most popular steamed items. DATE: Friday, 8:54 a.m. LOCATION: Happy Days Restaurant | 3553…
LEFT: Gina’s favorite things. RIGHT: Ephraim and Kim’s favorite things. Photo by David Croxford GINA GELBER, MANAGING EDITOR Retro Cool: There’s nothing like relaxing with vino and retro jazz or bossa nova. Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim have been constant musical companions since childhood. International reads: My favorite authors include Colombia’s Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Brazil’s Paulo Coelho. Their…
Imagine a world in which robots, drones and artificial intelligence plant, monitor, harvest, and deliver your food. This may sound like science fiction, but it is, in fact, the emerging reality in farming. “We’re seeing robots that can plant, water and seed a 10-by-10 plot, pick strawberries and shake mac nut trees. There are infrared sensors to show you how…
Harry Weinberg amassed a fortune in local real estate and was renowned for being a financially savvy guy, who cajoled and exasperated the top executives of companies he invested in. However, what most surprised Kit Smith, who covered him for decades as a Honolulu Advertiser business reporter, was his disdain for the trappings of wealth. “By no means your average…
No, it’s not that “CSI.” “Folks are always mixing us up with the TV show,” chuckles Shin (“Sheen”) Domen, 49, executive director of CSI Inc., a financial management nonprofit that seeks to provide Comfort, Security and Independence to elderly or disabled people. CSI was founded in 1987 – first as a for-profit, then in 1988 as a nonprofit – by…
The Salvation Army’s Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center celebrates its five-year anniversary in 2017. Design-firm G70 partnered with The Salvation Army – Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division to build the largest community center in the 50th State, 200,000 square-feet to be exact, on 15 acres in Kapolei. G70 is an award-winning full-service agency based out of Honolulu, employing…
When Max Tsai and Matt Cooley were college roommates at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo in the ‘90s, both were “unimpressed” with the customer call center service they received from companies. “Whether you have to call your utility company or cell phone company, you have to go through a call center,” explains Tsai, 49, president and owner of TC Kokua LLC,…
Q: I want my employees to be healthier in the New Year, but ours is a small business. How can I help without breaking the bank? A: Empowering employees to become healthier doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive. All five of the childcare centers we operate on Oahu recently became Blue Zones Project Approved worksites. Our 150 employees found…
“Oh, no!” was Reuben Chong’s street name – as in “Oh, no! Here he comes!” For a decade, the homeless ex-convict prowled Honolulu’s Chinatown in search of money to support his drug habit. Who could imagine that this 34-year-old, street-smart thug would eventually find his footing at Leeward Community College, where he graduated as a straight-A student and student body…
Q: I’m a freelance graphic arts designer who is completely baffled. One of my best clients has gone radio silent, ghosting me without even so much as a “I’m just not that into you.” I’ve done all the standard stuff – follow-up calls and emails – and nada. They’ve always loved my work, paid me without delay and have been…
It’s hard to tell if it was her business model or her impressive multimedia presentation that won Jana Lam the second annual Pitch Panel at Honolulu Fashion Week. Whatever did it, she received an impressive package of business services, advertising and other resources and opportunities that will help take her “meticulously whimsical” prints to the next level. Jana Lam makes…
Three Big Island breeders have welcomed 14 new alpacas to their pastures, part of what they say is a small but growing market in the state for the South American animals that resemble miniature llamas. Big Island breeders and airport personnel worked together after the arrival of the alpacas at Kona International Airport. “Especially in the past year, there’s been…
The best days passed decades ago for downtown Lihue. Today, sidewalks are narrow, cracked and littered. Parks, lawns and benches are hangouts for the homeless. Once a proud gathering place, Rice Street is now little more than a thoroughfare for motorists en route to someplace else. There’s pretty much nothing to do,” says Jade Nguyen, 21, a dental assistant and…
In the virtual world of apps and video games, a locally founded startup called GamePress has created a global gathering place. GamePress’ site, pokemongo.gamepress.gg, drew a staggering 20 million unique visitors in July when the popular GPS-based mobile game was released. “The typical traffic for a very popular site would be 4 to 5 million unique visits a month,” says…
Will Mather has bike renting down to a science. He’s able to fit a customer with the right size bike, discuss safety and road rules, equip them with a helmet and lock, and take payment for the rental, all in about seven minutes. Mather is the store manager of The Bike Shop Kailua. In the past two years, bike rentals,…
NAME: Lealyn Poponi AGE: 39 JOB: Stilt walker START: Poponi, originally from Monroe, Michigan, dreamed of moving to the Islands since she visited Maui with her family when she was 18. “In 2013, I sold almost everything, quit my job and came out here to give it a shot. Besides clothes, my stilts were one of the only things I…
Two years after taking the helm at AUW, Adams’ top priorities are greater transparency, enhanced metrics, and deeper relationships with the state and other nonprofits. Q: The traditional separation between businesses and nonprofits has been changing. A: There has been a progression because the kinds of issues that we’re struggling with affect the community on a large scale. They are…
Cristina Barbata runs the Young Professionals program at the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, which is aimed at those ages 21 to 39. She is also the chamber’s director of events. Here are five ways that she, as a young professional, plans to ensure business success in the new year. 1. WORK ON SOFT SKILLS Develop your people skills, work ethic,…
Was Your Beach Tested? The state uses a tiered system based on risk to determine which beach waters to sample for bacteria. Tier 1: These beaches take priority because they are heavily used and have factors that could influence higher bacteria counts, such as nearby streams and storm drains. Tested at least once a week. Tier 2: These are average…
Photo: Bryce Johnson Hokulea apprentice navigator Austin Kino has turned his passion into a business by launching Holokino Hawaii, a sailing-canoe tour based out of the Kahala Hotel and Resort. The goal is a cultural experience, not just a joyride, says Kino, who was one of Hawaii Business’ 20 for the Next 20, class of 2016. Photo: Bryce Johnson Water…
Most people are smart enough to stay out of the ocean when signs warn about bacteria in the water. The problem is we don’t always get that warning, or get it quickly enough, because Hawaii has 303 miles of recreational shoreline and only six state inspectors testing for bacteria. The good news is that volunteers on Kauai and Oahu are…
One of the biggest complaints about the media is we focus on bad news, so here’s good news: Hawaii is No. 1 on a national ranking vital to all of us. For the second year in a row, the Islands got top spot in the Gallup and Healthways’ Well-Being Index for Older Americans, which was released in December. That matches…