Employees have spoken in the 2018 Best Places to Work Survey. Read on to find out where they work and why they love their jobs.
The most important book of our time offers warning signs History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes and I hear an ominous poem these days. Franklin Roosevelt committed one of the biggest sins of his 12-year presidency when he tried to pack the Supreme Court in 1937. “Sin” because Roosevelt’s move was not only a political blunder but a…
“Mom, do you really want to do this?” asked Kathy Tra when her mother decided to buy a small restaurant in Wahiawa. The front window was cracked and from what Kathy could discern, the books indicated little business. But the kitchen was big and the space seemed good. Her mother, Hang Tran, backed by the confidence of 20 years working…
Cure Oahu opens its doors today on Kapahulu Avenue, offering a safe and secure location for 329 cardholders to purchase medical cannabis. The 2400-square-foot dispensary occupies the old Bank of Hawaii location and looks more like a place to purchase medical insurance or cellphone service rather than a smoke shop. Digital displays on islands in the lobby allow clients to…
Statistics on local veterans that may surprise you 2014 numbers compiled by the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics: Race and Ethnicity 30.2 percent of Hawaii’s veterans are Asian. The next highest state or territory, California, has a mere 6.2 percent. 40.5 percent of Hawaii’s veterans are white, the second lowest percentage in the country after the District of…
Hotel occupancy is a metric that the Hawaii Tourism Authority likes to use to gauge the health of the visitor industry, so it’s safe to say Hawaii Island’s tourism was vivacious and spry last weekend for the Kona Brewer’s Festival. Nearly all of the hotels in Kona were at full occupancy, the ones on Alii Drive were booked-out as 3,000…
The first significant federal tax reform in 30 years will provide major savings for Hawaii businesses and corporations starting with this tax year but the changes are complex and still evolving, according to a panel of experts assembled by Hawaii Business.
The Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association has partnered with aio Media—HONOLULU, Hawaii Business, and HAWAI‘I—to launch an awards program that honors some of the top achievers in the visitor industry.
The 18th Annual Hawaii Venture Capital Association (HVCA) Awards Gala celebrated the best and brightest of Startup Paradise as well as the 30th anniversary of the organization at the Waialae Country Club on March 1. A little over 300 people came out to the event, but the People’s Choice Startup Winner, Mylen Yamamoto, founder of Cropsticks by Cropmade, was noticeably…
This profile of the family business founded by George Downing was written just weeks before the famous surfer died March 5, 2018.
Iris Huynh organizes piping hot aburage as it drops from the frying machine. Aloha Tofu Factory in Iwilei is the only local business producing the deep-fried tofu pouches, says company president Paul Uyehara. Six of the company’s 35 employees work in the frying department producing about 2,000-3,000 aburage a day, Uyehara estimates, the majority of which is distributed to restaurants…
They have already proven themselves by their accomplishments, intelligence, charisma, leadership and passion, but we expect even more from them in the future. They come from all walks of life, including businesses, nonprofits and education. Learn about the 2018 cohort of the 20 for the Next 20 below.
Those who believe astronomy and Hawaiian culture can coexist on the volcano disagree about who should be in charge For the three years since the confrontational protests atop Mauna Kea, the volcano’s future has been discussed, debated, dissected and disputed but not resolved. Many people believe that Hawaiian culture and modern astronomy can exist together at the summit, but they…
There were dozens of volunteers on this December morning at Kahauiki Village, an 11.3-acre development that will eventually provide long-term housing to 153 homeless families on Oahu. Though there was excitement in the air, it was surprisingly quiet for a group of this size. Everybody was on a mission — sweeping, mopping, painting, cleaning – to prepare the site for the…
Here’s who they are and what they contribute to the local economy. Immigrants have an outsized place in Hawaii’s history. In the 19th and early 20th centuries they came from Japan, China, Puerto Rico and the Portuguese Azores and sustained the labor-intensive sugar and pineapple industries that dominated the state until a generation ago, creating a distinctive plantation culture with…
R. Scott Simon is a coach to business leaders and leadership teams, and vividly recalls conversations with prospective clients who said they needed to create trust in their organizations. “More discussion revealed that what they really wanted was to ‘fix’ employees to do what they’re told (i.e., ‘Just trust me!’), to stop questioning and to accept blame for mistakes. That’s…
When was the last time you evaluated your prices? Does this process make you uncomfortable? Let me share a story about a friend and the surprise he experienced when he increased his prices. My friend and his wife had been in business for over 10 years and had done well by providing service to customers on all Islands. Sales increased…
Name: Hans Van Tilburg Age: 56 Job: Maritime archaeologist and diving supervisor, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries Maritime Heritage Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Start: Hans Van Tilburg was born in New Jersey and raised in California. “My mother’s large Chinese family is on Oahu, where she was born. As a kid, I came out here to spend the…
“I came here on vacation when I was 19. I decided then what I wanted to do with my life was move to Hawaii, become a cocktail waitress, marry a surfer and drive a moped,” Mary Scott-Lau recalls with a laugh. Scott-Lau did move here from Seattle the following year, and over time owned a modeling school and served as…
Reader asks why local companies don’t offer the 21st century benefits offered by progressive Mainland companies Q: I’m back from college and grad school on the Mainland and really trying to make my way in Hawaii. I turned down better-paying jobs on the Mainland because I wanted to come home. I landed a good job with a midsize firm here,…
Eric Yeaman was named 2018’s Salesperson of the Year by the Honolulu chapter of Sales and Marketing Executives. Cheryl Oncea continues a Hawaii Business publishers’ tradition by interviewing this year’s honoree about sales and leadership. Q: You are being recognized as salesperson of the year. What does sales mean in the banking business? Yeaman: For First Hawaiian Bank, sales really means…
Students compete to demonstrate their entrepreneurial chops Rose Wong’s first job was at 14 working as a cashier and sushi roller for Kozo Sushi. Three years and seven jobs later, tired of minimum wage, she launched Kolohe Ocean Gems while still in high school. Today, the jewelry business is thriving, said Wong, a sophomore studying entrepreneurship, marketing and finance at…
Meet the 27 winners and finalists of the Hawaii Venture Capital Association awards. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and flourishing in Hawaii, aka Startup Paradise. A total of 27 companies and individuals were honored at the Hawaii Venture Capital Association’s annual awards dinner on March 1 at the Waialae Country Club. The honorees are young and older and cover a lot…
These two companies help pregnant Chinese women obtain visas and fly to Hawaii so their children are born here and get U.S. citizenship Goen Gao runs a tourism company for Chinese visitors called Hawaii Lulutrip, and a side business called HI Baby USA Center, which helps pregnant women from China to safely deliver babies in Hawaii. The side business is part…