Noelle Fujii-Oride

Writer and Engagement Editor

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Noelle

Noelle Headshot WebNoelle Fujii-Oride writes about affordable housing, working families, education, construction, climate change, tourism, entrepreneurship and more. She also leads the editorial department’s audience engagement efforts. Prior to joining Hawaii Business Magazine as a staff writer in 2017, she held internships at the magazine, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Honolulu Civil Beat. She is a graduate of UH Mānoa’s journalism program and now lives on Kaua‘i. You can reach her at noellef@hawaiibusiness.com.

 

 

 

Articles

Celebrating the Best in Hawaiʻi Tourism

Lei, smiles and songs were abundant Friday night at the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Great Lawn as 390 attendees gathered for the second annual aio Media Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Awards, a partnership between aio Media and the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association to honor excellence within Hawaiʻi's No. 1 industry.

Celebrating the Best in Hawaiʻi Tourism

Lei, smiles and songs were abundant Friday night at the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Great Lawn as 390 attendees gathered for the second annual aio Media Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Awards, a partnership between aio Media and the Hawaii Lodging & Tourism Association to honor excellence within Hawaii’s No. 1 industry.

9 Ways to Retain Your Employees

We all know it’s much easier and cheaper to keep a good employee than to find and train a new one, but getting workers to stay is hard. Here are strategies that local companies can use to retain their employees.…

How To Replicate Kahauiki Village

Dealing with homelessness is not just the responsibility of the government or nonprofits. As Kahauiki demonstrates, everyone has to pitch in. What was once a barren stretch of dirt, gravel and nondescript trees and shrubs is now a dynamic community…

Policing Hawaii’s Illegal Vacation Rentals

Honolulu’s weak law makes it hard to crack down on illegal vacation rentals, but a new law is in the works. Other jurisdictions – in Hawaii and on the Mainland – have tougher laws and more success with enforcement. Kailua…

5 Takeaways from the 2018 Wahine Forum

  It’s 2018 and ninety-one percent of countries still have laws that discriminate against women, said Amanda Ellis, an adjunct senior fellow at the East-West Center. “We still do not have a level playing field,” she said, “and that’s…

Building for Climate Change in Hawaii

Rising seas and other effects of climate change are changing the way buildings in Hawaii are designed and constructed. In this two-part report, we look at what the building industry is already doing and should be doing, plus some ways…

Ride Along with Hawaii’s Longest Commuters

Four people describe their lengthy commutes and the ways they’ve made them tolerable. Plus we offer tips to make your commute more enjoyable. Waialua to Nanakuli, 33 miles one way Start: 6:00 a.m. Good days: 40-45 minutes to work; 50-55…

Going to College Before College

Many local high school students can now take courses that give them high school and college credits at the same time. If they stick to it, they will eventually graduate from college in less time and at less cost. Leanne…

Business is Brewing

Kombucha’s reputation for healing has spawned local startups and added a popular product to many stores’ lineups Kombucha’s appearance, smell and flavor may resemble apple cider vinegar but don’t let that fool you. People around the world have a thirst…

Child Care: Unaffordable and Unavailable

Part I: The High Cost and Shortages Child care is too costly for many working families and there are too few openings for all the children who need proper care. We examine the problem and the responses, including efforts by…

Finding Good Employees: Old Ways vs. New Ways

Actually you need both to recruit the right employees for the right jobs. This three-part feature first looks at the problem of recruiting in a low-unemployment economy, then focuses on traditional –  and still crucial – recruiting tactics, and then…

You Can’t Beat Robots So Work With Them

Robots and artificial intelligence are already taking over jobs from people, so many schools are teaching cybersecurity, programming and robotics to provide students with employable 21st century skills On a cloudy day in Manoa, a pair of high school…

Ways to Manage Your Millennials

Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials come from the same planet, but they seem to live in different worlds. Here are nine ways that older managers can lead, inspire and, yes, learn from their younger employees.  [  Plus ] Tips on…

Who Should Manage and Protect Mauna Kea?

Those who believe astronomy and Hawaiian culture can coexist on the volcano disagree about who should be in charge For the three years since the confrontational protests atop Mauna Kea, the volcano’s future has been discussed, debated, dissected and disputed…

Hawaii’s People Stay True

Brand loyalty is strong in the Islands, but give a customer a bad experience and they may never forget or forgive.  “From right here, I can see one, two, three, four, five banks outside my window,” says Dennis Christianson, partner/CEO…

To App or Not To App

Many local organizations have created mobile phone apps to connect with customers, students, patients and others, but apps are not useful to every business At any time, students at Hawaii Pacific University can look at their assignments, view their grades,…

Five Things to Know About Local Family Businesses

Hawaii loves locally owned family businesses, and that gives them an advantage over Mainland companies. The problem is that it’s challenging for these businesses to continue operating beyond the first generation of family owners. “Only about 30 percent make it…

#UsToo

Sexual harassment is not just a Mainland problem, it also affects Hawaii workplaces. Here’s what employers can do to prevent it. If you think it doesn’t happen here, you're wrong. The Hawaii Civil Rights Commission and the U.S. Equal Employment…

Project Delays at Hawaii’s Airports

Modernization and expansion projects at Hawaii’s airports are years behind schedule and tens of millions of dollars over budget. Some say the solution is an independent statewide airport authority. Twenty-one hours out of the day, Hawaii’s largest airport has enough…

35 Hawaii Legislators have a Second Job

Nearly half of our state legislators hold second jobs, from pilot, doctor and lawyer to business owner, real estate agent and more. Most people would be surprised to see a state senator mowing the lawn or cleaning the restrooms at…

Reviving a Legend: The Coco Palms Resort

After others failed over two decades, a new team is hoping to rebuild the Coco Palms Resort The once iconic Coco Palms resort is now a set of dilapidated brown buildings in the middle of a jungle. Guinea grass…

5 Things to Know about Leading Through Change

Change is inevitable in business. So organizations need to be thinking about and anticipating change, said Don Horner, former chairman and CEO of First Hawaiian Bank. He suggested that business leaders reevaluate their company visions at least once a year:…

Innovative Ways to Build Teams at Work

One way companies build great corporate cultures is with team building exercises that get people out of the office and out of their comfort zones. That can include walking on ropes 35 feet above the ground or throwing a coconut…

“I Love My Job”

It’s not easy for a company to inspire employees who are engaged, willing to put in extra effort and truly trust their organization. Nominate your organization for the Best Places to Work here. The team at…

5 Takeaways from the 2017 Wahine Forum

It’s 2017, and women are still striving for equal wages and better representation in the workplace. “How can we solve these issues?” asked Noriko Namiki, executive director of the YWCA of Oahu. “Today’s event’s theme says it all: ‘Work together…

Hawaii’s Rural Hospitals on Life Support

Here’s how Hawaii’s rural hospitals (barely) stay afloat. For some, things have gotten better, but others face an even more difficult future. State Sen. Josh Green works the weekend shift at Kohala Hospital's emergency room, and it's normally quiet. That…

Education at a Crossroads

New Chaminade president wants to build on the university’s strengths and add useful programs for undergraduates and older students Lynn Babington had a career in nursing before taking on leadership roles at universities. In August, she became Chaminade University of…