Appointed board will help schools I attended the symposium sponsored by the Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs and Hawaii Business magazine on the topic of appointed vs. elected school board (Sept. 30, Waikiki Prince Hotel). As I listened to both…
The hotel owner waited patiently to chat with Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle in the steel-and-glass enclosed lobby of the Kai Wah Plaza International Hotel in Kunming, China. When they met, Chau Lai Kai thanked Lingle for staying at her property…
When geothermal steam was first harnessed to generate electricity on the Big Island almost three decades ago, the project left many residents with a bitter taste. The technology was substandard, the community wasn’t consulted and environmental protestors became fixtures outside…
“When I look back on it,” says John D., the former executive director of a small but prominent nonprofit in Honolulu, “the board of directors just really didn’t understand what their role was.” He pauses for a moment, his face…
Hawaii’s people and businesses are as generous as ever, despite the economic slump. But how local people and businesses give is rapidly changing and that transformation has some nonprofit leaders heartened, while others are worried. Optimists welcome the decay of…
Hawaiian electric industries has maintained the remarkable record of paying dividends to shareholders for more than 100 years. But, lately, there’s something else that people may find remarkable. For the past three-and-a-half years, HEI has paid more in dividends than…
There’s no denying it’s been a brutal three years for Central Pacific Bank and its parent company, Central Pacific Financial Corp. The bank’s aspiration of grabbing more market share with its 2004 merger with City Bank has all but disappeared.…
Maui Surfer Girls founder Dustin Tester proves that, with hard work, you don’t need a business degree to own one. Tester’s love of surfing and her Adventure Education degree from Prescott College in Arizona inspired her to start an all-girl…
Some people have the natural ability to speak with confidence in front of large audiences. For everyone else, Mark Blackburn, treasurer of Honolulu’s Downtown Business Association Toastmasters, offers tips on being a better public speaker. “It’s a real challenge, but…
Transforming your workplace from an electricity-sucking abyss to an energy-efficient operation offers tons of benefits – it’s good for the planet, could increase employee productivity and morale, and may even win you a few new customers. But beyond the “soft”…
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…
6:32 A.M., Thursday Aulani, Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina Photography by Twain Newhart >>Father and son crane operators Jim and Mike Beyer walk along the counter-jib catwalk of dad’s crane, 280 feet above the Aulani site, to check…