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Lobbying Lessons

Melissa Teves Pavlicek has fought for the interests of small businesses at the state Legislature for the past five years and became state director of the National Federation of Independent Business in 2006. HB: How can small businesses gain influence…

Native Hawaiian Businesses

Finding a way to preserve culture Hui Ku Maoli Ola, a native plant nursery nestled deep in Haiku Valley on Windward Oahu, is a kind of island unto itself. Except for the steepest, most inaccessible parts of the Koolau Mountains,…

Preserving the Past

Greg Schredder is reviving a classic Hawaiian brand and hopes to turn it into a 100 percent local product. The Kauai entrepreneur was searching for a manufacturing site for his startup, Koloa Rum Co., when he learned that Hawaiian Fruit…

Cooling Tech

Local company solves a big problem: how to cool computers The Problem For decades, engineers have known that heat seriously hinders a computer’s performance. The harder your CPU or graphics card works, the hotter it gets. In fact, some of…

My Favorite Things

Kevin Roberts is president and CEO of Castle Medical Center, the only faith-based hospital in the state. During his downtime, he enjoys activities that, in a sense, bring him closer to God. Music Roberts has been playing acoustic guitar for…

Enjoy Elvis’ and Barack’s View

Never eat lunch at your desk. If you believe that adage, and you should, Honolulu offers more than the usual choices for downtown workers. Last month we suggested eating at the Kakaako Waterfront Park. This month, we go mauka. For…

Operating Music

We all know gentle music can be relaxing, but it can also promote healing, says Hawaii ophthalmologist and classical pianist Jorge Camara. That’s him on the cover of his new CD, “Live from the Operating Room,” the first such on-site…

Whats it Worth?

$159,195 What Is It 2009 Audi R8 Coupe Quattro Why So Special This German-manufactured, mid-engine coupe boasts an 8-cylinder engine that produces 420 horsepower and can run 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds. Drivers can shift gears using a joystick…

Leaving it at Work

Helping people balance their work, home lives and down time. Hawaii attorney Mark Murakami discovered a secret of success early. “My priorities, in order, are: husband, father, attorney, Coast Guard Reserve officer,” says Murakami, a member of the law firm Damon…

Parting Shot: Brewmeister

2:30 p.m., Tuesday Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant, Aloha Tower Photography by Kevin Blitz >> Gordon Biersch’s head brewer, Jeff Liles, examines the opacity of the hefeweizen, which indicates the beer’s flavor. “It should not be clear,” he says. Liles brews…

Where is the Bottom?

When will it recover? Just about everyone in the Hawaii housing sector – brokers, lenders, economists, appraisers, analysts – says the crystal ball on prices is murky. A lot of outside factors make it difficult to predict where prices will…