Constance Lau is president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric Industries, ranked No. 1 on our Top 250 list of the biggest Hawaii companies. What is the most important lesson you learned at your first job? My first job was as…
When you think of a great place to work, a hospice probably doesn’t come to mind. Emotional and physical pain are a daily part of the job, as employees try to comfort people in the last days of their lives.…
Raymond Jefferson has already given a lot for his country and for his comrades. During Special Forces training in 1995, Capt. Raymond Jefferson lost all five left-hand fingers as he shielded teammates from a grenade that exploded prematurely. He spent…
Developing a vaccine is a “pretty rigorous, complex process,” says Elliot Parks, CEO of Hawaii Biotech, which is deep into development of West Nile and dengue vaccines, and beginning to develop a vaccine for tick-borne encephalitis. “Further back” in the…
One of Hawaii’s largest charity groups has just opened its new urban Honolulu headquarters — a one-stop shop for social services and home to 170 employees who oversee more than 30 programs statewide. Catholic Charities Hawaii says it paid $15.4…
President Tim Schools has been in the driver’s seat at American Savings Bank for just over two years. In that time, he says, the bank has bumped up its profile, increased profitability, and improved job performance and job enjoyment. And it made…
Beware of the Awful Office, the opposite of Hawaii’s Best Places to Work. Last year, we illustrated The Perfect Office (you can find it here). This year, we wanted to peek inside a terrible workplace, where morale and productivity are even lower than…
Welcome to the Hawaii Business 2010 Best Places to Work issue, in which we celebrate companies that keep their employees happy and explain how they do it. Our partner, Best Companies Group, surveyed local organizations and named 60 to the…
Worried that you and your staff are wasting time in unproductive meetings? Attorney Elizabeth Kent of the Hawaii Judiciary’s Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution offers five ways to get the most out of your meetings. 1. Plan Ahead to Be…
After working in Russia, Japan, England, Argentina and the U.S., Daniel Leuck fulfilled his childhood prophecy by choosing the Islands to start Ikayzo Inc., an IT company that specializes in enterprise software development, offshore outsourcing and iPhone applications. HB: What’s…
Sometimes, it doesn’t make sense to be the biggest bull in town. That’s the theory around the country, at least, as smaller community banks, savings and loans, and credit unions insist that they are different, and better for individuals and…
Q. My small business has really slowed down, and I am worried that I will not have sufficient cash to pay all of the taxes I will owe. What can I do? A. Your small business is facing the same…