All Stories

Ask SmallBiz: Successful Women

Q. How can a woman small-business owner succeed in the male-dominated construction industry? A. Women leaders face unique challenges in the workplace, no matter what industry we are in. Yet, as women, we bring abundant talents to the table and can…

Innovation: Virtual Reality

It's been a dizzying year for Craig Carapelho, CEO of Honolulu-based Team Vision Virtual and honcho of what’s billed as the world’s first 3D travel Web site. In April, he completed a Series A round of investor financing, led prominently…

Innovation: KonaRed

The old saying that “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” holds true for Dana and Shaun Roberts. The owners of KonaRed are taking the red fruit of the whole coffee bean, which is usually thrown away, and processing it…

The Business of Local Fashion

Hawaii is not an easy place to be a fashion designer. While inspiration abounds, the business of fashion in the Islands presents a unique set of problems. It costs more to source materials and have them shipped here. Finding people…

Power Players

Participants in this discussion: Margery Bronster 
Partner, Bronster Hoshibata and 
former state attorney general Shari Chang 
Senior VP, marketing and revenue management, 
Aston Hotels and Resorts Kathryn Inouye 
COO, Kobayashi Group Constance Lau 
President and CEO, 
Hawaiian Electric Industries Janet Liang 
President, Hawaii Region, 
Kaiser…

Room Redesigns in a Day

The sluggish economy prompted interior designers Jean Wall and Joan Robinson-Whitaker to start an affordable, one-day design service. Designer for a Day launched in August 2008 after Robinson-Whitaker was laid off from Castle Resorts & Hotels and Wall’s business ended. “We…

Make Your Network Work for You

One group of high-powered executives is giving new meaning to the old concept “Ladies Who Lunch.” The Art of Lunch (AOL) is an informal, all-wahine networking group formed on a whim about two years ago when Louise Ing, a shareholder…

Can Hawaii Capture the 2024 Olympics?

You’ve seen bumper stickers with a variation on this theme: “Tokyo, Paris, London, Waimanalo.” Now, a new one might soon appear: “Bejing, London, Rio, Honolulu.” The reference is to the Summer Olympic Games, which – if a group of planners…

By the Numbers: Ironman Triathlon

Only 1,800 qualifiers and lottery winners make it to the Ford Ironman World Championship starting line in Kona out of the tens of thousands who try to get there. The world- famous triathlon, which combines a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike…