The annual session of the Hawaii state Legislature is when issues are debated, compromises are forged, new laws are created – and legislators ask for your money. An analysis by Hawaii Business magazineshows that during the 2011 state Legislature, 14 of the 25…
Lyon Associates, Inc. is a Honolulu-based, father-and-son engineering firm with projects from Micronesia to Bahrain. Jim Lyon, 45, was born on Okinawa, when Frank, now 82, was working for another engineering company. After retirement, Frank realized there was more work and…
Our scribe explains the practical pros and cons of cloud computing, while our artiste tells the same tale as an epic quest for the holy grail of computer nirvana Arnold Domingo, operations manager of HawaiiPrint, a graphics and textile…
For a farmer, water is king. But rainfall is fickle and even irrigation systems can falter. That’s why scientists and technicians atSyngenta, a Swiss-based agricultural-technology company with seed operations on Kauai and in Kunia, have developed a new variety of…
As a former top executive at Aloha Airlines, Aloha Island Air, Roberts Hawaii and theHawaii Superferry, Neil Takekawa has had more than his share of high-flying corporate jobs, with their big salaries and big headaches. Now, as COO at the nonprofit Japanese Cultural…
The people planning Hawaii’s role as host for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting this November have crucial advice for local businesses hoping to get in on the action: “You snooze, you lose.” They don’t use exactly those words, but…
The critics' story is familiar: Giant stores move into an American community and destroy its small businesses, local values and sense of place. The same story is being told now in Hawaii, as shoppers abandon longtime neighborhood businesses to buy…
What it's worth? $1,500 Hawaii’s royalty were prolific writers, penning official orders, personal correspondence and literary efforts in their elegant, old-fashioned script. While much of this written history is in museums and other collections, a fair amount remains available for…
There’s no question that business booms at Kailua’s Island Snow shave ice and surf wear store whenever President Obama and his entourage are in town. But those well-publicized visits have left a long tail of increased year-round sales and revived…
Ho is also chair of the Hawaii host committee for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Honolulu this November. The weeklong series of APEC meetings and seminars will be capped by a summit of the 21 leaders of Asia…
Where is THE meeting place? It used to be the Columbia Inn’s bar, but times – and people – have changed, and the “in-the-know” gathering places are now quieter and more sober. You used to be able to find one…
If civil unions for same-sex couples became legal in Hawaii, what would be the added financial burden on local businesses? A major study on the issue says the average business would face a small increase in the cost of employee…
There’s no question the business community came into the 2010 elections with more than a few concerns about candidate Neil Abercrombie. While Abercrombie has been a good friend of the Hawaii economy through his work on military appropriations in Congress…
Hawaii’s people and businesses are as generous as ever, despite the economic slump. But how local people and businesses give is rapidly changing and that transformation has some nonprofit leaders heartened, while others are worried. Optimists welcome the decay of…
You’ve seen bumper stickers with a variation on this theme: “Tokyo, Paris, London, Waimanalo.” Now, a new one might soon appear: “Bejing, London, Rio, Honolulu.” The reference is to the Summer Olympic Games, which – if a group of planners…
Some Republicans and Democrats stand out as best, but when we tried to ID the worst, business leaders were reluctant to name names. In this time of severe budget cuts, lots of people are unhappy with their state lawmakers. But…
Top candidates for governor explain how they would make it easier for businesses to succeed. Those in Hawaii struggling to maintain a business or start a new one can rest easy on one thing: Our next governor has no plans…
Primo Beer is back, but to aficionados of the blue-collar brew, the new version isn’t the real stuff. The real Primo — not all that good, really — is spiked by memories of backyard luau, garage talk-story sessions and pau…
Invite 21 heads of state or other leaders to a party in your hometown and you have a security challenge that could cost up to $20 million. That’s what faces local law-enforcement officials at the massive Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)…
4# HNL’s runways – two pairs of parallel runways that are among the nation’s longest. 60# Percentage share of statewide airline passengers. 25# Rank among the busiest airports in the U.S. 16# Millions of passengers who traveled through HNL in 2009. Source: State…
There are plenty of great restaurants in Waikiki where you can eat lunch, enjoy the view and remind yourself you are lucky you live Hawaii. But for a cheaper and shorter Waikiki lunch break, pack up the car with your…
Waikiki and other resorts statewide are more crowded these days. Visitor arrivals are up while beaches, stores and restaurants are filling again with tanned people spending their money. But there is a cloud on the horizon: Union contracts covering most…
A vast, illegal economy operates just beneath Hawaii’s legitimate society, and many people who earn their money in the legal economy spend part of it in the black one. The narcotics trade serves both street-corner junkies strung out on crystal…
When Mitch D’Olier left Honolulu’s Victoria Ward Co. to lead Kaneohe Ranch, the largest landowner in Kailua, on Windward Oahu, he thought he would see few tourists on the job. “When I was at Victoria Ward, about 30 percent of…
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…
Everyone benefits from fresh perspectives and new ideas. Here’s a fun way to get those benefits for the price of a couple of plate lunches. With a few colleagues, choose a popular park near your workplace. On the way, pick…
There’s a place in Honolulu so out of place and time that it is hard to believe it is just a few miles from busy downtown. If you need a break at lunchtime and you or your colleague have wheels,…
Local visitors to the venerable Hawaii State Art Museum near the Capitol enjoy a bonanza of visual beauty created by many of the state’s best artists. What they may not realize is that they helped pay for all that art.…
Sometimes not eating lunch at your desk means getting in a car — preferably with a few office-mates — and taking off for a change of scenery. And there is no better place for lunch-time scenery in Honolulu than Foster…
Need another reason not to eat lunch at your desk? Here’s one: According to researchers at the University of Arizona, the average office desk has 100 times more bacteria on it than the average kitchen table. Here’s another reason: A…
Want to escape from your downtown office into the fresh air? Consider a stroll to the Mission Houses Museum, across the street from City Hall and next to Kawaiahao Church. One of the museum’s three buildings, Ka Hale Laau, was…
Of course, you’re not supposed to eat lunch at your desk, but sometimes there’s no choice. You can’t risk missing that critical telephone call or a meeting that might be called at any moment. So, thinking ahead, you brought something…
What he’s doing now to ensure Hawaii’s future Sen. Daniel Ken Inouye has long been Hawaii’s most powerful and influential individual, a man who has brought billions of dollars into his home state and forged or supported industries in astronomy,…
Lunch should be a break from the workday, but when you must schedule a working lunch with a client, it helps to follow these basic rules: 1. Be on time: Important if you’re the guest, critical if you’re the host.…
Should Hawaii’s tourism czars focus on attracting more visitors or take a holistic view of tourism’s impact? During good times, there is virtually nothing easier to sell than Hawaii. If people have money and an itch to travel, all you…
You’re still eating lunch at your desk, aren’t you? Despite our best efforts, you continue to ignore the sensible advice to shut off the computer, get up and stretch your legs, and enjoy what Hawaii has to offer. So, we’ll…
High unemployment causes spike The smiling folks who work the counter at Don Dymond’s stores in Kailua tend to stay around a while. Dymond, who runs Kalapawai Market, Kalapawai Café and several other small businesses, rarely lays people off and…
As Hawaii approaches August’s 50th anniversary of statehood, we have asked local leaders to reflect on the next 50 years for Hawaii. This month: real estate executive Fran Gendrano. Q: What will Hawaii look like 50 years from today? A:…
If you are in downtown Honolulu at lunchtime, consider feeding your mind as well as your body. The downtown annex of the Contemporary Museum is in the soaring First Hawaiian Center at 999 Bishop St. The gallery is upstairs from…
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…
Climate change has raised the stakes for Hawai‘i and communities around the world. That’s why we are sharing six stories of people and companies that are taking significant climate action.
The state climatologist explains where the wettest places are and what factors contribute to all that rain.
