Favorite spots: Blue Hole, Snipes, Paikos and Toes. Main boards: His favorite is a 6-foot Superbrand “Toy” squash tail, but he also likes his Erik Arakawa 6-foot, 3-inch rounded pin. When it comes to surfing, Evan Fujimoto’s mantra is, “No…
Q: It seems like a paycheck isn’t enough to keep my employees fully engaged in customer service and efficiency. What can I do? A: To engage your employees, create a positive work environment that has clear goals and expectations, effective communication,…
12:56 pm, Thursday Honolulu Photographer: Rae Huo >> Central Pacific Bank’s mascot, Alex the Loyalty Dog, and actor Lance Wheeler prepare to film a CPB commercial. The Shetland sheepdog returned to the bank earlier this year after spending…
Margaret Larson has felt “range anxiety.” If you buy an electric vehicle in the near future, you will feel it, too. Larson is the electric vehicle specialist for the state Energy Office and was driving the state’s Nissan Leaf electric car back…
One of the biggest obstacles faced by entrepreneurs is they cannot afford the legal costs to get their businesses up and running. A trio of attorneys – two recent law-school graduates and a veteran – aim to help deserving business…
Stacy Yuen Hernandez >> Writer Chocolate cream pie from Sunnyside Bakery: Pie is one of my favorite things in life and this Wahiawa bakery creates my all-time favorite. Zoku Quick Pop Maker: Got this cool contraption for Christmas. I’m fascinated…
Q. As a small-business owner, what are the tax benefits of installing a photovoltaic system? A. A photovoltaic system is an incredible investment for Hawaii business owners. By installing and owning a PV system, you are protecting all or part…
10:07 am, Tuesday Martin & Macarthur, Kalihi Photographer: David Croxford >> Furniture craftsman Fernando Serrao oils a new Waimea sofa made with curly koa from Hawaii Island. The company says its craftsmen sand and oil koa furniture many…
Ten experts in local healthcare joined in a wide-ranging, two-hour public forum on healthcare costs, quality of care, needed innovations and the future of healthcare. Here is an abbreviated transcript of that discussion. Click here for the full transcript. Hawaii Business, ThinkTech…
Index of Best Places to Work 2012 HALL OF FAME Among this year’s Best Places to Work are 18 companies that have been on the BPTW list for at least five of its eight years. (In parentheses is the number…
ART USHIJIMA, President & CEO, The Queen’s Health System Art Ushijima has been at Queen’s since 1989 and its chief executive since 2005. Interviewed BY Jason Ubay HB: The Queen’s Medical Center is a 153-year-old Hawaiian institution. What’s the most…
Vicky Cayetano, president and CEO for United Laundry Services, will receive the “Salesperson of the Year” award next month from the Hawaii chapter of Sales and Marketing Executives International. Hawaii Business publisher David Tumilowicz recently asked Cayetano about her sales…
Q. I’m tired of renting space for my business. Is this a good time to buy a commercial property? If so, how do I get financing and what options are available? A. Your timing is good. The current financing environment offers…
6:37 pm, Thursday Polynesian Cultural Center, Laie Photographer: David Croxford >> Wardrobe worker Aliecha Wilkenson assigns costumes before the show to the actresses of Ha: Breath of Life. More than 120 costumes are used in the performance. A…
Though it was an ocean away, the devastating earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear crisis that ravaged northeastern Japan in March 2011 struck Hawaii in the heart. People all over the world grieved over the magnitude of the tragedy, but it…
First Place: Baldridge & Associates Structural Engineering Inc. OVERALL WINNER - THE FOOSBALL HIJACKING Victim: STEVE BALDRIDGE, president, BASE Pranksters: BASE EMPLOYEES BASE employees wanted a foosball table, so when president Steve Baldridge was gone on a business trip, they bought a used table.…
Good leaders are crucial to our economy, businesses, governments, nonprofits and schools. That’s why each year, Hawaii Business profiles 20 emerging leaders who will help guide us through the next two decades. This year, we have an outstanding group of…
Q. A state agency compiled information that might be helpful to my small business. How do I get it? A. There is a great deal of government information that is relevant to small businesses, such as unreleased reports, information related to…
Hawaii Business proudly recognizes the six winners and 12 finalists of our 2012 SmallBiz Success Awards.
1:46 PM, Thursday Bradley & Lily Fine Stationery Kapahulu Photographer: Olivier Koning Ian Nomura, co-owner of Bradley & Lily Fine Stationery, examines stationery printed on an antique Heidelberg Windmill letterpress. Ian and his wife, Stacey, started the company in 2005. Local…
Tim Johns has had an eclectic career. He recently became a senior VP at HMSA and was co-chair of the APEC Hawaii Host Committee. Previously, he served as CEO ofBishop Museum, COO of the Damon Estate, VP of Amfac, chairman…
Q. I need to hire a general manager, but no one working for me now has the right stuff. How do I find the best person? A. Recruiting can take a lot of time and, though many employers are proficient in…
Q. I often find myself face to face with prospective clients, but it feels tacky to introduce myself and start talking to them about my business services or to ask them about their needs. How can I get over this…
8:15 Am, Tuesday United states Post Office, Kailua Photographer: Rae Huo >> Customer Service Supervisor Greg Gittens, foreground, instructs the daily group stretching, a routine begun by the USPS across Hawaii in 2005 to reduce repetitive strain injuries. The…
Poll of 400 local business leaders goes inside the local economy and forecasts what’s ahead LOWLIGHT: Confidence for next year continues to erode. Highlight: Special survey of tourism leaders. PERFORMANCE INDEX Index consolidates the changes in revenue, profit and staffing for 400 local companies…
Q. Our children have no interest in taking over our business, so my wife and I have decided to sell it. How should we proceed? A. Selling your business is one of the most important things you will ever do. Here…
Four or five times a year, Mike Upton closes the door in Petaluma, Calif., and flies to China to check an operation that’s making several hundred-thousand Hawaii-inspired ukuleles a year. Originally based in Hawaii, Upton moved to California but maintains…
10:38 am, Friday United Laundry Service Honolulu Photo: David Croxford >> At United Laundry Service, employees and machines work together to process 18,000 pounds of laundry every hour, including 12,000 sheets, according to president and CEO Vicky Cayetano. When…
Solitude can pay off big Your September editorial was well-written and right on point (“Editor’s Note,” September 2011). In sympathy with your comment that “One problem with solitude is that it looks unproductive,” I submit the following anecdote: The CEO of…
Q. How much business income insurance coverage do I need? A. We’ve all heard stories about businesses that suffer a fire loss, take three months to rebuild and struggle to survive because of income lost during those months. That is…
>> James Carter, CSC, director of photography for Hawaii Five-0, remotely adjusts the camera exposure during a recent shoot of the television show. Inside the tent, Carter works with a digital imaging technician to add contrast to the raw, flat…
Q: You often tell people, ‘I do laundry,’ including Gov. Ben Cayetano when you first met him, but how did you get into that business? I had always been an entrepreneur, but I had just taken time off to have William, my…
Wage gap holds steady after shrinking for decades Almost no change since 2001 Hawaii Wage Gap 2009 Median wages in Hawaii for adult, full-time, year-round workers: Success in College Women are 1.5 times more likely than men to graduate from college or…
Q. I’m planning to outsource my company’s payroll and other human resource needs. What should I look for when choosing an HR company? A. With so many providers entering this field, you need to choose wisely. Here is what ProService suggests…
Capital is essential to all small businesses. It allows owners to launch their companies and invest in their companies’ growth. Elizabeth Echols, regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration, provides tips on how to access capital and make it…
Greasing the Gears 5:16 pm, Thursday Aloha Tower Clock, Honolulu Harbor Photo: Twain Newhart >> Hermann Allerstorfer, Jr., oils the gears of Aloha Tower’s clock as his father, Hermann Sr., looks on. The senior Allerstorfer, a retired clock and…
When Michael Harris and his sons acquired hives for their Wao Kele Farm in Puna in 2007, the beekeeping industry was much easier. "You'd buy a colony with a queen and hopefully it turned into a productive colony," says Harris,…
In some ways, construction and Waikiki go hand-in-hand. After all, the pleasure palaces along the beach have provided many of the largest recent private construction projects in the state. By some counts, more than $2 billion has been spent over…
Q: As I read through the fine print of our new office lease, I noticed it stipulated that mediation would be used in case of a dispute. Should I agree to this? A. I think you should. In fact, this stipulation will…
10:30 am Monday Aloha Air Cargo Hangar, Honolulu International Airport Photo: Olivier Koning >> Captain Grant Arakawa, the fleet manager, and pilot Jeni Shibata familiarize themselves with Aloha Air Cargo’s latest plane, a Saab 340A turbo-prop named Ke Kela, meaning “excellence.”…
For 28 years, Hawaii Business has been publishing a list of Hawaii’s Top 250 organizations based on gross revenues, because we think that’s the most effective way to measure a company’s size. However, there have always been critics in the…
10:38 A.M. Tuesday Peter Carlisle’s private office, Honolulu Hale Photography by Twain Newhart >> Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle gets most of his work done in his inner office, not the ceremonial office that you often see on TV. He…
HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS TOUGH TIMES PERSIST: The news remains bleak on three key measures: jobs, revenue and profi t. In each case, more companies surveyed suffered declines during the past year than enjoyed increases. OPTIMISM STEADY: The outlook for the…
Q. I set up a Facebook page for my store. What should I do to engage customers and bring them in? A. With more than a half billion active users worldwide, Facebook is the major social-network player. The average Facebook user has about…
10:00 A.M. Monday, April 18 State Department of Taxation, 830 Punchbowl St., Honolulu Photography by Olivier Koning >> The room handling incoming tax returns was busy but orderly on April 18. That Monday was the deadline for federal returns…
Dump the D.O.E., Allow Vouchers I don’t believe it’s everyone’s responsibility (“Businesses Help Public Schools,” May). People and businesses meet their responsibilities by paying taxes. Why should parents who are already burdened paying private school tuitions be forced to pay…
Welcome to the 2011 Hawaii Business Top 100 Realtors list, based on total sales volume for transactions that closed in 2010. We ranked the top 25 on this page and listed all 100 alphabetically on the following pages. The accounting firm PKF…
Hawaii’s rapidly changing news media are facing two challenges at the same time: 1. How to gather and deliver news when, where and how people want it; and 2. How to pay for all that. The old ways of delivering…
OAHU Price: $22 million This 1.4-acre, beachfront estate on Kahala Avenue has an indoor pool, a helicopter landing area, a tennis court and access to a small boat. It also comes with some history: Its most famous guests include Jacqueline…
Q. I’m told my business would not have been covered if we’d been hit by the March 11 tsunami. But, last year, I added “water damage” to my insurance. What gives? A. I can see why you’re confused. A tsunami is…
Globally, many popular destinations are experiencing a backlash against tourism. Here are multiple perspectives on the message that Hawai‘i should send to potential visitors.
2025 SmallBiz Editor’s Choice Award winner: President Al Kakazu says his main job is to make the customers’ job easier.
