Ross Shigeoka starts his day at 6:30 a.m. by mixing and rolling dough for the noodles he serves at Shige’s Saimin Stand in Wahiawa. He cuts the dough using this 1950s-vintage Japanese machine to produce 60 to 80 pounds of noodles every day, enough for about 400 servings. Noodles are in his blood: His grandparents operated a saimin stand in…
We all know somebody who has some chronic health care problems such as kidney disease or diabetes and it’s never going to go away, but it can be managed with medication, says Greg Payton. It’s the same way with a lifelong mental illness, like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or depression with psychotic features. Payton, the CEO and executive director of Mental Health…
The luckiest man in Hawaii? Despite the natural ups and downs in life, Micah Kane says he reminds himself every day of how fortunate he is. Kane took over this year from Kelvin Taketa as CEO of Hawaii Community Foundation. In this interview, he shares insights about leadership, failure and his vision for the foundation. Q: What is your kuleana? Kane:…
NAME: Christina Doty AGE: 57 JOB: Lead casework volunteer, American Red Cross of Hawaii Start: “My first experience with the Red Cross was in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1974 as a candy striper volunteering with elderly clients in a nursing home,” Doty says. “I used to want to become a nurse, but down the road switched to social work.” The Virginia native from a…
The BOSS survey asked 386 local business leaders if their companies had been the victim of any type of fraud or theft in the past two years. The victims of fraud or theft over the past two years were asked how their losses had changed.* Those leaders whose companies had been the victim of fraud or theft in…
Researchers confirm those guys with the fishing poles on the shore are collectively catching a lot of fish A new study calculates the economic value of Hawaii’s shoreline fishery, and it’s not manini. In terms of food value alone – researchers looked at fish caught for consumption, not tourism or aquarium collecting – Hawaii’s reefs are worth around $10 million…
Mentorships provide numerous benefits to both participants and their businesses.
There are good reasons for the old cliche, “You don’t ask the bank for money when you need it.” First and foremost, rushing to a bank in a cash-flow crisis tells bankers that you are ineffective at planning and management. Both traits are critical to running a business. It also signals that you are ineffective at projecting and controlling cash…
Fourth-generation chicken farmer Chris Peterson inspects eggs over the candler, part of a machine that checks egg fertility and shell quality. The machine is crucial in handling the around 6,800 eggs per day from over 7,000 chickens at Petersons’ Upland Farm. The Wahiawa farm has been helping feed Oahu residents since 1910. Drop by the Highway Inn or Michel’s for…
“We went from a couple of guys sitting around having a beer, to over 300 people working here. That’s what happens when you don’t have any adults around – adults only tell you what you can’t do,” chuckles Jan Dill. Dill, whose first name is pronounced “yawn,” is the founder and president of the nonprofit Partners in Development Foundation. “I…
Past or present, people remain the soul of Kakaʻako Ewa-uplifting its concrete facade, splashing color and character across sullen streets, and creating new spaces for communions and opportunities.
Food is at the heart of local culture. Whether we prepare, serve or simply eat it, food lets us show affection, support and sympathy for those closest to us. Those are big reasons that so many young people choose careers in food service and begin their training at Kapiolani Community College’s culinary program, the largest in the UH system with…
HONOLULU, HI – JULY 03: Steve Scott, CEO of Scott Hawaii at their warehouse on July 03, 2017 in Honolulu, Hawaii.The Scott name has long been associated with footwear. “I went online and found out my ancestor, Pembroke Scott, worked in a shoe factory in the 1800s in Massachusetts,” says Steve Scott, CEO and owner of Scott Hawaii. “My grandfather,…
Q: How do I position my company to land my dream investor? A: Every major milestone has a story, which only comes to life in hindsight. In April 2017, what had been Energy Excelerator transformed and became Elemental Excelerator, a new nonprofit created in collaboration with Emerson Collective. Emerson Collective is an investment and philanthropic organization based in Palo Alto,…
If national news reports are any indication, retailers should all hunker down for the impending Mall Armageddon. Myriad online headlines foretell the imminent doomsday: “The Great Retail Apocalypse of 2017,” “Malls Are Doomed,” and “The Retail Bubble Has Now Burst” are just a few. A Credit Suisse report in May predicted 20 to 25 percent of the country’s shopping malls…
“What makes Hawaii more than your plants and your environment?” Nellie Sugii asks rhetorically. We’re standing in the downstairs room of the micropropagation laboratory at the Harold L. Lyon Arboretum in Manoa, where Sugii manages the Hawaiian Rare Plant Program. The room is full of test tubes. Inside, tiny clones of some of Hawaii’s most endangered plant species, many of…
Gladys Quinto Marrone’s successes did not happen haphazardly. The proud daughter of Filipino immigrants says strategic planning and perseverance are responsible for her successes, whether on BIA’s legislative efforts to keep construction costs down or in her own career. Q: What are the Building Industry Association’s biggest accomplishments? Marrone: We are probably best known for our legislative efforts, but we…
Something as simple as a toy or a blanket can lift the spirits of people in need, light up their faces and perhaps even change their lives. During the holidays each year, The Salvation Army’s statewide Angel Tree program invites the community to experience the joy of giving to keiki or kupuna in need. Thanks to partnerships with Central Pacific…
The BOSS survey presented local business leaders with four negative characteristics of new employees and potential recruits. They were asked which characteristic impacted their companies the most.* Lack of reliability 40% Unmotivated 18% Leave company too soon 18% Don’t know/None of these 11% Can’t focus on the job 4% Don’t need new employees/Not an issue 8% The same business…
Q: I’m one of the lucky ones. While so many of my friends came home after college with lots of debt and no job, I got through school with minimal debt and landed a sweet job with the company I’d interned with over summers and holidays. But here’s the thing. They made me an assistant director, way beyond what a…
Going back to your job after the birth of your baby presents unique challenges. Ma Ry Kim, principal at the architectural firm G70 and the mother of five children, offers five pieces of helpful advice on that difficult transition. 1. SEPARATION ANXIETY IS REAL. When the day comes to return to work, be strong and confident and kiss your beautiful…
When Jin Hong started visiting bar and restaurant suppliers as the new GM for Café Duck Butt, people remembered him. Some giggled when he said the name. “Back in the day, people thought I was either a pervert or that I was running a strip club,” Hong says. Rather than deter the 27-year-old, those reactions verified his hunch: Duck Butt…
Divorce is painful no matter where you live, but the pain in your wallet can be especially torturous in Hawaii. Hawaii is highly ranked for quality of life – which helps marriages thrive – but is also worst in the nation for cost of living, which stresses families and contributes to many of the approximately 5,000 divorces every year in…
I just finished three days of providing testimony and participating in the national Small Business Administration’s Regulatory Fairness Board meeting. Twenty-two board members from across the U.S. attended and represented their states and regions. I represented Hawaii and served as chair of Region IX, which includes Hawaii, California, Arizona, Nevada, Guam and American Samoa. I coordinated the testimony provided by…