There’s a secret zoo for snails hidden high on a central section of the Waianae mountain range. Jamie Tanino, rare snail conservation specialist, scans the leaves of ieie vines as part of a routine check for almost 300 Kahuli tree snails contained within the 525-foot perimeter of the fenced-in area. The walls for the enclosure, which protect the snails from…
When victims of domestic abuse seek protection from their attackers, Ed Flores and his nonprofit are there to help. They also work to prevent the violence before it begins. Flores is executive director and co-founder of Ala Kuola, which helps victims obtain temporary restraining orders (TROs) against their abusers. The nonprofit also leads the national domestic-violence-prevention program, Coaching Boys into…
Q: What’s with obligatory office gifts? I love my job, but it seems like I get a couple of emails every month “asking” me to donate money for the office gift for someone’s shower – bridal, baby or whatever. Often, I don’t even know these people! I try ignoring the message, but the office manager sends a reminder that reads,…
Real estate agent’s other job is background actor for movies and TV shows. He’s great at blending in. NAME: Jerald Pang AGE: 56 JOB: Nonunion background actor (extra) and full-time real estate agent START: In the summer of 2013, Pang joined thousands sweltering in long lines for a chance to be an extra on the movie “Godzilla.” He was ecstatic…
A charitable gift annuity provides a meaningful gift to charity while improving your financial situation in two ways for the rest of your life: a steady stream of income and tax benefits. More important, you create a lasting legacy in your community. Curtis Saiki, VP of philanthropy and general counsel for the Hawaii Community Foundation, offers these steps he shares…
The Montgomery family has been in the motorcycle sales and repair business for more than 70 years. “It all started in the living room of my grandparents’ house in Pearl Harbor housing, back in 1945,” says Ross Montgomery, VP of Montgomery Motors Ltd. “My grandfather would pull motorcycles into the house in the evenings after he was done playing electrician…
Today’s assessments aren’t just limited to bubble tests. There’s also “authentic assessments,” which require deeper, more innovative thinking from students. At Hakipuu Learning Center, authentic assessments take shape in the form of senior projects where each senior picks a topic, spends the year researching it, and defends what they’ve learned in front of the community. CLICK HERE TO VIEW ON…
Inside the food and restaurant inspection process, where sanitarians look for things that could make you sick Michael Okamura isn’t a police officer and doesn’t wear a uniform, but he carries his badge and ID while on the job. His workplace is any food establishment between Haleiwa and Temple Valley. Okamura is one of 50 state food inspectors who enforces…
Hawaii News Now received two regional Emmy® Awards at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences San Francisco/Northern California Chapter Awards Gala on Saturday, June 3, 2017. The Emmy® Award is presented for excellence in television. Hawaii News Now: Sunrise received the award for Best Daytime Newscast in a Medium Market for its coverage of the 75th Commemoration Ceremony…
Hawaii is 500 doctors short. Here’s what the UH medical school is doing to fix the huge deficit, especially on the neighbor islands. The Neighbor Islands count success in single digits these days: Two new doctors on Kauai over the last few years. Two on Maui. Six or seven on Hawaii Island. Two on Lanai, though both later moved back…
A family business is one of the oldest forms of capitalism, but that doesn’t make it easy. “It’s hard enough running a business, but then you have all of these family things that are overlaid on top of it,” said Laurie Foster, a longtime consultant to local family businesses. Laurie Foster of Business Consulting Resources. Photo by Aaron K. Yoshino….
Five months after being named interim CEO, Wong became CEO of Kamehameha Schools in September 2014. He oversees a portfolio that includes a $10.6 billion endowment; ownership of more Hawaii land than any other nongovernment organization; and developments in Kakaako, Moiliili, Kapalama and Kona; three K-12 campuses and 30 preschools with a total of 7,000 students; plus another 7,000 learners…
It’s not every day that you smell sizzling Spam as you roam the halls of Capitol Hill or see a crowd of Congress members adorned with lei. On June 13-14, however, the aloha spirit will be on proud display in Washington, D.C. Sixty-five local companies are set to participate in the annual Hawaii on the Hill event hosted by the…
The black market thrives throughout the Islands. Here’s how much people make in three local underground industries: cockfighting, prostitution and marijuana dealing – and why they do it, despite the risk of arrest. Tonto pulls down his black beanie and walks under the carport of a two-story house tucked in Waianae’s Lualualei Valley. He joins two men huddled in one…
For many of Hawaii’s top real estate agents, Thursday night was a time to celebrate at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. About 400 people gathered for Hawaii Business’ 11th annual Top 100 Realtors Awards. Among them was Yvonne Summerfield, from RE/MAX Kauai Living, who made the Top 100 list this year for the 10th time. “I think it’s just gratifying to…
I try hard not to live in a bubble, so I read widely and listen when people express opinions contrary to my own. But I was shocked when I started reading the latest edition of Chapman University’s annual survey of America’s Top Fears. This is a legitimate survey, a random sample of 1,511 adults from across the United States who…
Hawaii Business magazine is honored to publish the Top 100 Realtors, the gold standard in identifying the highest producers in Hawaii’s residential real estate industry. This section lists the Top 100 Realtors, based on transactions that closed in 2016. It also ranks the leaders in transactions and vacant-land sales, and lists the top real estate companies. We also showcase pictures…