For many Hawaiian musicians and singers, performing is both their passion and their livelihood. So, when there’s not enough places to perform locally, or the pay is too low, they have to improvise. Some work day jobs and perform at night, or get creative with their repertoire and services. Others venture to the Land of the Rising Sun, where they…
“What I find interesting is the change in laptops and devices I’ve seen people use at the airports since about 2006,” observes Phil Markowski, CEO and co-owner of the five Mac Made Easy computer sales and repair shops spread across the Hawaiian Islands. “At first there was a mix of PCs and Macs. Then, around 2012, I started to see…
This Month’s Expert: Vladimir Sasic, ChFC, CFP, AEP Managing Partner, Wealth Strategy Partners Q: Why should I be exit planning now when I don’t plan to sell my business for at least 10 years? A: “Begin with the end in mind” is the title of the second chapter of a coveted business book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective…
On a Monday morning last summer, a roar of applause broke out in a human resources solutions office in Hawaii Kai. “It was a celebratory time,” says ProService Hawaii President and CEO Ben Godsey. “This was the company that we had competed with for a long time, and now we were coming together as one company.” In August 2016, ProService…
New to town? Planning to do business in Hawaii? Then you should know that understanding local culture, with all its subtlety and surprises, is as important to success as paying your bills and keeping your word. “Doing business in Hawaii is not substantially different than doing business elsewhere,” says attorney Jeff Watanabe. “However, a basic understanding of, and sensitivity to…
WASHINGTON – ONE TRILLION DOLLARS. As a candidate, that’s how much Donald Trump said he planned to spend, if elected, to fix the country’s crumbling infrastructure. This proposal was one of the key policies Trump used to distinguish himself from the other, more traditional, Republican candidates for president. It also dwarfed the $250 million infrastructure plan proposed by Democrat rival…
Most people in Hawaii have never heard of China Oceanwide. They will soon enough. The little-known Chinese conglomerate has purchased $569 million of real estate in West Oahu, including the remaining oceanfront land between Aulani and the Beach Villas at Ko Olina. There, the company plans to first build a 1,300-unit Atlantis resort with hotel rooms and timeshares, then two…
5 steps to improving your attention span in a world that demands focus but seems intent on destroying it The human brain is a complex computer that helps us interact with our complicated world. Other computers, however, are among the many things that distract our brains from focusing on that world. “There’s all sorts of information in the environment –…
As head of Hawaiian Dredging since 2014, Majkut reveres the history of the state’s oldest full-service general contractor. The company has helped to shape the way Hawaii lives since 1902 through its involvement in big projects, including the Ala Wai Canal, Phase I of Ala Moana Center, the UH John A. Burns School of Medicine and the H-3 Freeway. Majkut…
Welcome to Hawaii Business Magazine’s Most Profitable Companies list, the only compilation of net profit performance in the state.
Business leaders were given a list of four potential obstacles and asked: Which affected you the most? Keeping costs in line 49% Hiring new staff and retaining current employees 30% Beating the competitors 13% Adjusting to the 24/7 digital world 7% Don’t know 1% FINE PRINT: Hiring concerns were cited more o en by leaders on Oahu (33 percent) than…
NAME: Randall Pang AGE: 51 JOB: Certified prosthetist, C.R. Newton Co. Ltd. START: Randall Pang was born in San Jose, California, but moved to Kaneohe with his family when he was 8. While at Mid-Pacific Institute’s high school, he began working as an orthotic technician for his aunt and uncle, who owned Honolulu Orthopedic Supply. “I enjoyed working with…
Q: I run weekly team meetings with our field staff so we can stay abreast of everyone’s projects, deadlines and possible crossovers. It’s one hour, and I try to run a tight agenda that covers all the ground without bogging down. My problem? Everyone brings their phones! Folks are constantly texting, stepping out to take calls and checking email. I…
In professional sports, landing top-dollar contracts is as competitive as the action on the field. In the National Football League, for example, player compensation is restricted by a salary cap – $167 million per team in 2017, according to league officials. With the average NFL career lasting 3.3 seasons, it’s no wonder players fight for every last bite of that…
They may be young, but the women graduating from business schools these days already know what they want and they’re shooting for the stars. They’re passionate, assertive, organized, ambitious, altruistic and well-trained – often with many sets of business skills. They can manage, analyze, work with complex data, design public relations campaigns and schmooze clients. They also care about their…
When Sai Yeung opened his bar and grill over 30 years ago, he wanted a lucky name. His choice was 8 Fat Fat 8 and the lucky name seems to have worked, as the restaurant has been in the same building ever since. You’ve surely noticed it as you’ve driven by on South Beretania Street: if the lucky red sign…
Architects are currently dreaming up designs for the tower of classrooms that will become Hawaii’s first vertical school. It will occupy part of a 10-story, 2.5-acre development on Pohukaina Street that will include stores and mixed-income rental apartments. It will be unlike all the other Hawaii schools that are sprawling one- and two-story buildings usually set apart from the surrounding…
If you think domestic violence does not affect you, you’re wrong. You may not be the one with the bruises, broken bones and worse, but you are paying part of the price – at your workplace and with your taxes. Twenty-one percent of employed adults (women and men) say they have been the victim of intimate-partner violence, according to a national survey by the Corporate Alliance…
There’s an old saying, “The customer is king.” Today, the customer really is a king: well informed, very demanding, willing to change their mind at a moment’s notice – and with their phones – able to act on those whims. Tiffany Bova and Editor Steve Petranik. All photos: David Croxford. That means companies face a huge challenge, said Tiffani Bova,…
It makes sense for the leaders of local small businesses and county governments to fly 4,800 miles every year to visit a hill. That’s because when you are on Capitol Hill, there are opportunities all around you. “As of today,” says Kauai mayor Bernard Carvalho, his voice reaching a crescendo, “I can announce that the U.S. Highways Administration has authorized…
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Firefighters train for two of their most important roles in an airplane fire: clearing a fire-free path for evacuating passengers and rescuing incapacitated victims. These Federal Fire Department recruits train using a mock large-body aircraft, whose fire is fed by propane. Even though this is training, many factors create stressful situations that help recruits learn how to cope with disaster…