All Stories

What Are Your Biggest Problems?

The BOSS survey examines what’s holding back your business   Government Regulations The BOSS survey presented 402 local business leaders with five regulatory issues. They were asked if each one presented an individual challenge to their companies. Afterward, those who…

Kids Get a Kick Start on Life

“The martial arts teach you a way of life, a way to live. It’s not necessarily just being able to defend yourself,” explains Lee Donohue, president of Kick Start Karate, an after-school program to combat gangs and juvenile delinquency. “We…

Hands of a Skilled Artisan

Sergio Ilagan carefully engraves Na Hoku’s signature designs on a 14kt gold Hawaiian bangle bracelet using a “graver” driven by compressed air. Ilagan has 29 years of experience hand engraving jewelry, which is a rare craft in the modern world.…

A Big Help with Little Things

Name: Donna Rodriguez Age: 46 Job: Errands runner and owner, 808-Errands Start: The El Paso, Texas, native once took a vacation to Maui and says, “The aloha drew me in.” She knew she eventually wanted to live here, so in 2003 she closed…

Hawaii’s People Stay True

Brand loyalty is strong in the Islands, but give a customer a bad experience and they may never forget or forgive.  “From right here, I can see one, two, three, four, five banks outside my window,” says Dennis Christianson, partner/CEO…