Taking a chance in a down economy
Johnson Choi, founder and president of the Hong Kong China Hawaii Chamber of Commerce, can tell right away if a business will be a good fit as a member. He asks: Is your company only interested in doing business in…
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5 Steps to Handling the Media
Hawaii presentation coach Pam Chambers offers five steps to successfully speaking to the media without feeling you’ll have to leave town the next day. 1. Take charge of the interview Don’t give all the control to the reporter, or you…
Competition Lessons
Down to Earth stores have served Hawaii with vegetarian food for 30 years. Chief Vegetarian Officer Mark Fergusson explains how a small, homegrown chain competes with a giant like Whole Foods Market. HB: What have you learned about retailing healthy…
Parting Shot: Keeping the Palace In the Pink
8:00 A.M., Monday Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Waikiki >> Lou Ellen Kaneshiro, director of housekeeping at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, and her assistant, Si Jung Wong, hold a pre-shift meeting with her staff. The iconic pink hotel has 495 rooms and…
Innovation: Enticing way to reach new customers
The Web site Play@SavvyCircle helps local restaurants and other businesses attract new customers in a fresh way. What customers get: The site offers people exclusive deals and discounts from businesses, which have included Hy’s Steak House, Tango Contemporary Café, Heaven on Earth…
Editor's Note: Slam the System, Not the People
People who grew up on a Hawaii plantation often have fond memories of that time. Their families were poor and there was hardship, but the sense of community was so strong that people acted generously, cared for each other and…
Talk Story with Charles Morrison
The East-West Center this year celebrates its 50th anniversary as a national institution that promotes better relations and communities in the Asia-Pacific region through research and education. “Our students have the ability to really make a difference in our globalized…
Spin Zone: Should Hawaii Keep its Singlemember Legislative Districts?
YES John Carroll, Attorney, Republican candidate for governor and former state legislator From territorial times until 1982, almost all Hawaii state senators were elected from multimember districts. This practice ended when a lawsuit for which I was a lead counsel…
$200 Million of Your Money Wasted
For most people, government is simply the sum of the services it provides: security and safety, for example, in the form of police and fire departments; education, in the form of schools and libraries; and transportation, in the form of…
The Business of Love
More than 50 percent of marriages in the United States end in divorce and Hawaii accounts for about 5,000 of those breakups every year. Of those who remain married, true love is not always the reason. That’s why relationship experts…
Helping ‘Buy Local’ Succeed
Every year, millions of dollars in contracts are awarded to Mainland vendors for products and services that could be going to local businesses. The Buying Local First campaign is connecting Big Island businesses with federal, state and county contract vendors…
“Kauai Made” Label Protects Local Shop
Come Valentine’s Day, there will be a line of customers outside the Kauai Chocolate Co. for the giant strawberries from Kula, Maui, that are hand-dipped in an exclusive line of Belgian chocolate. Manager Patrick Greer this year ordered 4,000 of…