Spin Zone: Do School-Impact Fees on West Hawaii Property Owners Make Sense?
Yes "It’s an equitable method for requiring some of the costs of future schools be paid by those who would use them." For several decades, public policy…
Author: Hawaii Business Staff
Ask SmallBiz: Retirement Planning
Q. I own a small business. How do I go about planning for my retirement and for my (few) employees? A: If you are a Hawaii small-business owner, you have a lot to think about: sales, expenses, marketing, cash flow, competition.…
Parting Shot – Dining Al Fresco
9 a.m., Tuesday Honolulu Zoo > About 550,000 people come to the Honolulu Zoo every year to check out 221 species of animals, including these crocodile-like gharials being fed by Jamieson Martinez. Gharials, a critically endangered species native to the…
How to Revitalize Hawaii’s Economy
Participants in this discussion: Kirk Belsby, VP of the endowment for Kamehameha Schools Kyle Chock, executive director of Pacific Resource Partnership Keiki-Pua Dancil, president and CEO of the Hawaii Science and Technology Council State Sen. Carol Fukunaga, Democrat, representing McCully to…
Transformers
As revenues fall and old ways fail, a Hawaiian Electric team tries to turn a power behemoth into a clean-energy matrix. “You can’t run an operational company like this without leadership that’s experienced in operational issues,” says Robbie Alm, executive…
Succeeding in Good Times and Bad
Business consultants tell you opportunities exist whether the economy is shooting skyward or tumbling down. Well-positioned firms can always exploit changes in the business cycle and gain ground on competitors. “A lot of companies do look at a downturn as…
Parting Shot
Laser Focus 2:25 P.M., Friday, Ala Moana >> Dr. Tyrie Jenkins performed Hawaii’s first Laser in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) surgery in 1997 and has since completed 10,000 such operations. Here she adds drops to relax the patient’s eyes during the…
Ask SmallBiz: Remodeling a Store and Being Green
Q. We plan to remodel our store. What should we consider to be more sustainable? A. Green build-outs for small businesses are the hot trend these days. But how do you tell between “greenwashing” and truly sustainable design and building? Here…
Transforming Hawaii’s Airports
Ask Ernest Nishizaki what the single most important thing is that Hawaii could do to revitalize its visitor industry and economy, and he does not hesitate with his answer: Fix Honolulu International Airport and fast. “We’re talking about the first…
$14 Billion to Fix Hawaii
The tab has finally come due. For decades, Hawaii neglected its critical public infrastructure. Inadequate roads and highways have left us with mind-numbing traffic jams, not just in Honolulu, but in Kona, Kihei and Lihue. Our harbors – the entry…
Ask SmallBiz: How do I invest wisely?
Q. I’ve just sold some assets and am looking for good investments, but I don’t want to be taken in by the nextBernie Madoff. What should I watch for? A. Many investors share your concerns about protecting their hard-earned nest eggs…
Parting Shot – Highway Inn
Oh Wow, Lau Lau! 11:25 A.M., Friday, Highway Inn, Waipahu >> Highway Inn owner Bobby Toguchi, son of founder Seiichi Toguchi, still hand-wraps the lau lau at his Waipahu eatery. About 150 to 190 lau lau are prepared each day.…
When the Going Gets Tough …
When the real estate market was taking a beating last year along with the overall economy, Rob Kildow didn’t back down. “I like a challenge, and when the market got sketchy on us, I throttled up as much as I…
BOSS Survey: Optimism & Concern
BOSS METHODOLOGY The Business Outlook and Sentiment Survey (BOSS) was conducted by QMark Research using a list of Hawaii companies purchased from Equifax Polk Business Directory. The sample of companies was stratified based on number of employees. Small businesses were…
Health-insurance laws: Hawaii vs. national program
There are major differences between the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act and the national legislation signed into law by President Obama in March. The national law — the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — lets Hawaii retain its distinctive…
Hawaii’s Top 100 Realtors
List of Top 100 Realtors, in alphabetical order: First Name Middle Initial Last Name Agency Island(s) Scott Adams Prudential Advantage Realty OAHU Tracy P Allen Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties OAHU James F. Allison Coldwell Banker Maryl Realty Inc. Big Island…
Ask SmallBiz: Collecting your debts and solving a cash-flow issue
Q. A lot of customers are long overdue on paying me. I’m reluctant to take them to court, but I’m forced to borrow to pay my employees and bills. What do you suggest? A. Many small businesses face the same problems.…
Parting Shot: Traffic Central
Traffic Central 10:03 A.m., Wednesday Honolulu Traffic Management Center Kinalau Place, near Ward Avenue >> Staff here control more than 350 traffic signals within Honolulu’s central business district. Cameras at major intersections provide live images 24 hours a day,…
Editor’s Note: Everyone’s Problem
Education may not seem like a cover story for a business magazine, but I’m convinced that the biggest economic crisis facing Hawaii is our public schools. I’m not alone: A Hawaii Business survey of business leaders in December found a…
My Favorite Things
After nearly a decade reporting news in Vermont, Wisconsin and Washington State, Lara Yamada is back in Hawaii, co-anchoring the KITV news with Paula Akana. This active Kauai girl wants to make up for lost time. Food While away, Yamada…
Changing the School System to Put Our Children First
In January, Hawaii’s three former governors offered this plan for fixing our school system. The effort was organized by a nonprofit group called Hawaii’s Children First, which is dedicated to reforming public education in Hawaii. (Disclosure: Steven Petranik, editor of Hawaii…
Brighter Future
Participants, in the order they begin speaking: Steve Petranik: Moderator and editor of Hawaii Business. Candy Suiso: Teacher at Waianae High School and program director of Searider Productions. Bruce Coppa: COO of Communications Pacific and chairman of the education committee for the Chamber…
Ask SmallBiz: Insurance coverage for your business
Q. I’ve worked hard to build my business and I don’t want to lose it in a disaster. How do I know if I’ve got the right insurance coverage? A. Smart. The best time to think about that question is before…
Parting Shot: Jets Need Regular Care
6:34 A.m., Monday Hawaiian Airlines MAINTENANCE HANGAR Honolulu International Airport >> This Boeing 717 pulled in at 10 p.m. the night before and the maintenance crew went to work overhauling the right engine. Engines are overhauled after a set number…
Spin Zone: Does Hawaii need more fishing regulations?
YES Hawaii’s fisheries need adaptive regulations to ensure that we and future generations can continue to catch fish and preserve cultural practices. Fishing has been regulated in Hawaii since ancient times. Long before Western contact, Native Hawaiians regulated catch based…
What’s Your Beef? Personal calls on the company cell phone.
My company provides a cell phone and says it understands if an occasional call is personal (calling home to say I’ll be late, for instance). But I find myself using it more and more as my primary phone and have…
What’s It Worth? Cigar Case
What’s It Worth? $1,150 What is it? Travel humidor cigar case made by German luggage maker Rimowa. Why so special? Only 35 pieces are available in the U.S.; fewer than 500 were made for the global market. Why so VALUABLE?…
The Awful Office
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…
Best Places to Work 2010
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…
5 Steps to Making Meetings Work
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…
Ask SmallBiz: Paying taxes when low on cash
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…
Parting Shot: Fish for Fish
7:00 A.m., Friday Sea Life Park, Waimanalo >> Richard Coughlin, Danielle Holland, Amy Dickson, Stephanie Lawrence and Shanen Langowski break apart frozen capelin before feeding it to the animals living at Sea Life Park. Every day, the park processes about…
Innovation: Take the Monkey Business out of Social Media
SDC Hawaii wants to make it easier to organize and manage your social media life with a new Web site called chi.mp. It created the software for its client Saipan DataCom, which manages the .mp domain of the Northern Mariana…
How to Pick a Financial Adviser
You can thank Bernie Madoff for one thing: His widely publicized crimes demonstrated how important it is to choose your financial adviser carefully. Picking the right person takes research, and lots of questions and legwork, but consider the potential payoffs…
20 For the Next 20: 2010
Energetic and intelligent leaders may be our most valuable resource. We count on them to inspire us, to be our problem solvers, and to guide us as we build our future. We need to nurture and support our emerging leaders,…
Finding a carpool
Using the same networking ideas as Facebook and MySpace, ridesharing sites are popping up all over the Web to connect drivers and riders. “I know traffic is an issue in Honolulu,” says Steven Schoeffler, creator of eRideshare.com, based in Illinois.…
My Favorite Things
Richard Okazaki is president and CEO of Diagnostic Laboratory Services, which has 44 locations statewide. He’s a huge sports fan and an avid skier who also appreciates a good glass of wine and the theater. Weekend hobby He enjoys poker…
Fixing our Schools
Three former Hawaii governors are spearheading an effort to improve our public education system. George Ariyoshi, John Waihee and Ben Cayetano helped organize the group called Hawaii’s Children First, which is focusing on three major reforms: • An Appointed School…
What’s It Worth? $$$
Why so special? This is a 100-percent, hand-loomed Italo Feretti silk tie from Italy. The maker says that, prior to sewing, each silk thread is individually dyed. It features an intricate patchwork design and a buttonhole that allows the tie…
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…
SmallBiz Success Awards 2010
A group of Native Hawaiians helping to keep our nation safe. A solar-energy innovator and a sunscreen company, both of them aiming locally and globally. Two Neighbor Island family stores, each almost a century old. And a company whose employees give and give and give some more. They are the 2010 winners of the Hawaii Business SmallBiz Success Awards.
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…
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…
What’s Your Beef? Dealing with a drug addled co-worker
The Corner Office Curmudgeon offers advice about life on the job I suspect one of my co-workers has a drug problem. It has not impacted his work performance as far as I can tell, but I’m concerned that things might…
State Hawaii Taxes By the Numbers
Many organizations rank the tax climate in the 50 states, but one of the most respected rankings is by the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan educational organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1937, its mission “is to educate taxpayers about…
What’s It Worth? $800
WHAT IS IT? A Takamine EN-10C acoustic-electric cutaway guitar played by renowned slack key artist Makana. “As a professional musician, many people ask why I don’t play a more expensive guitar. It’s about the connection to the guitar, not the…
Ask SmallBiz: How do Public Relations and Advertising fit together?
Q. How do public relations and advertising fit together? A. A wise king once said, “There is nothing new under the sun.” That is certainly true when it comes to product launches, public relations and advertising. One time-tested formula goes…
Parting Shot: Your Next Mechanic
3:00 P.M., Wednesday Honolulu Community College Photography by David Croxford HCC’s automotive technology program usually has an enrollment of 70 to 80 students training to be Hawaii’s future auto mechanics. This class of 16, taught by Noel Alarcon, will graduate…
Spin Zone: Should the Envision Laie Project be Built?
YES I grew up in Laie, a great place for children, a haven for families. My wonderful childhood, spent largely on the water and in the mountains, was…
Steering Growth – Extended Version
Hawaii Business invited six influential business people and political leaders to talk about development and preservation. The moderator was Jerry Burris, editor-at-large of Hawaii Business. The panelists were: D.G. “Andy” Anderson, developer, former state senator W. Allen Doane, former chairman…
Pung! Clicking Tiles and the Business of Mahjong
At tables across O‘ahu and around the state, women are quietly building something more than mahjong hands — they’re building networks, businesses and above all, camaraderie.
All of Hawaii's Eight Gecko Species are Nonnative
Geckos are iconic in Hawaiʻi, as much as pineapples or ukuleles, and, like them, are not native to the Islands. The Polynesians brought them here about 1,500 years ago along with other plants and animals.
