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

“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…

aio: Small Name, Big Promise

When translated from Hawaiian, the word aio is defined as “a wave that rises and falls without breaking.” But if you ask aio Hawaii founder Duane Kurisu what it means, he’ll tell you that “aio is about discovering who we…

A Solution to Homelessness: Build a Village

A small peninsula wedged between Sand Island and Keehi Lagoon Park doesn’t look like much. The mauka section is mostly dirt and gravel, and nondescript trees and shrubs cover the makai area. But by the end of this year, it…

Putting Soul Into Your Business

Soul. It’s defined in multiple ways: the immaterial essence or actuating cause of an individual life, a person’s total self, the moral and emotional nature of human beings. Back in the old days, being told that you had soul was…

Welcome to the Real World

Today's assessments aren't just limited to bubble tests. There's also "authentic assessments," which require deeper, more innovative thinking from students. At Hakipuu Learning Center, authentic assessments take shape in the form of senior projects where each senior picks a topic,…

Pass or Fail: Food Inspection

Inside the food and restaurant inspection process, where sanitarians look for things that could make you sick Michael Okamura isn’t a police officer and doesn’t wear a uniform, but he carries his badge and ID while on the job. His…

Honoring Hawaii’s Top Real Estate Agents of 2017

For many of Hawaii’s top real estate agents, Thursday night was a time to celebrate at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. About 400 people gathered for Hawaii Business’ 11th annual Top 100 Realtors Awards. Among them was Yvonne Summerfield, from RE/MAX…

Talk Story: Paul Turnbull

In June 2013, Turnbull took the top job at Mid-Pacific, a private school in Manoa with 1,580 students enrolled in preschool through high school. He talks about technology in education, project-based learning and other innovations in teaching. Q: You most…

5 Steps to Transform Your Company Digitally

Every industry is undergoing a digital transformation. If your company lags behind, it could get crushed by faster moving competition, or abandoned by customers who want better digital service, says Renee McKaskle, CIO for Hitachi Data Systems. [caption id="attachment_21093" align="aligncenter"…

“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 2018 Best Places to Work here: www.hawaiibusiness.com/bptw2018 The…

Harry Weinberg – Not Your Average Billionaire

Harry Weinberg amassed a fortune in local real estate and was renowned for being a financially savvy guy, who cajoled and exasperated the top executives of companies he invested in. However, what most surprised Kit Smith, who covered him for…

Water Warning

Most people are smart enough to stay out of the ocean when signs warn about bacteria in the water. The problem is we don’t always get that warning, or get it quickly enough, because Hawaii has 303 miles of recreational…

The Need for Feed

The high cost of animal feed has long hindered the meat, poultry, dairy and seafood industries in the Islands, but local efforts on several fronts aim to reduce those expenses. Shipping feed from the Mainland costs about $150 to $200…

Bring Back Our Beach!

Oahu, Kauai and Maui are outlined by nearly 170 miles of sandy beaches, but about 70 percent of them are slowly shrinking from erosion, storms and a rising sea, according to a USGS report. Hawaii has the technology and expertise…

Hawaii Loves Horses

People who work with horses in Hawaii agree on two things: It’s a tough way to make a living and a great way to make a living. Tough, because the costs of importing and feeding horses are high and the…

Storm Warning

Hawaii's current building code does not require construction that could withstand a storm as powerful as Hurricane Iniki. In fact, some new local homes are built under the assumption that wind gusts won't exceed 100 mph - much less than…

Back to the Hill

Hawaii companies will return to Washington in June to show that the Aloha State's economy is more than just tourism and the military If you want to make a splash, sometimes you have to cross the ocean. The challenges faced…

Data-Driven Farming

Inspiration: Farmers told Vincent Kimura they needed an affordable way to protect their crops and increase their yields. Once he had an idea to address that problem, he teamed with Ryan Ozawa, Isar Mostafanezhad and Justin Hedani to create the…

Buy, Sell, Or Hold?

Meredith Mawhar says she settled on her new career because she was excited by the Research Challenge, a prestigious competition for college students sponsored by the  Chartered Financial Analyst Institute. Mawhar is a student at UH Manoa’s Shidler College of…

Is That Really A Service Dog?

Brian Kajiyama, an instructor in UH’s Department of Special Education, who has cerebral palsy, has an undeniable need for his trained service dog, Zeus. Such dogs get years of training so they can help their human partners, and Zeus can…

Staying Power

Hawaii’s oldest continuously operated companies and nonprofits include many familiar names and a few lesser-known ones.  Here are 11 enduring ranches, churches, schools and other organizations, each with a history that stretches back at least 165 years. Mokuaikaua Church Mokuaikaua…

New Ways to Measure Prosperity

LAST YEAR, THE TOPIC was growing Hawaii’s economic pie. This year, the annual conference of the Hawaii Economic Association will focus on how to expand other facets of prosperity, such as environmental well-being, sustainability and social quality of life. Everyone…

Nutrition in a Dessert

Creators: Arnie Koss describes himself and his twin brother, Ron, as entrepreneurs. Before creating Brio, they founded Earth’s Best Baby Foods. The brothers conceived the idea of an ice cream that was both nutritional and delicious from their mother’s craving…

We May Love Opihi Too Much

Like most things, the price of opihi often depends on supply and demand – and the supply is inconsistent, especially on Oahu. Some people, such as state Sen. Clayton Hee, are worried that overharvesting is hurting the long-term sustainability of the…