Tax Reform: Good or Bad for Hawaii?
Now that you are done with your 2017 federal taxes, you may be thinking: How will tax reform affect me? We test local opinion with surveys of 426 residents and 443 business leaders. QUESTION #1 Do you think the…
Steve Petranik
Steve Petranik has been an editor and reporter for almost four decades and now is the editor of Hawaii Business. Before joining the magazine in 2009, he spent 18 years as an editor at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and five years at the Honolulu Advertiser. He’s reported from six countries on three continents and his stories have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times.
Articles
You Can Help Hawaii Heal
Buy from these Hawaii Island companies to help support that island’s economy as it struggles with the impact of Kilauea’s eruption You can support Hawaii Island in this time of need by buying products from local companies. This website, operated…
How Addiction Impacts Most Local People
Separate surveys of the general public and of business leaders in Hawaii assessed the effects of addiction. GENERAL PUBLIC WAS ASKED: Has someone close to you suffered through drug or alcohol addiction? The 266 respondents who knew someone who…
Revenue and Profits Surge
BOSS survey of 443 business leaders shows strong performance by local companies over the past year. What is the BOSS: BOSS stands for Business Outlook and Sentiment Survey. The survey of local business leaders is conducted twice a year for…
Paradise Helicopters Helps Volcano’s Victims
Paradise Helicopters, a tour company that offers flights over Hawaii Island, Oahu and Lanai, is helping communities affected by the Kilauea eruption. “Paradise is actively working with County of Hawaii regulatory agencies to offer relief assistance in coordination with ongoing…
Don’t Laugh: Our Political Inefficiency Is Really A Gift
When this magazine published its “Power Issue” in October 2009, we asked “Who Runs Hawaii?” The answer, of course, was complicated, but we managed to sum it up in a two-page chart listing the main players and in our lead…
Uber/Lyft vs. Taxis
In separate surveys (The BOSS Survey and The Island Issues Survey), we asked local business leaders and the general public about using taxis, Uber and Lyft. Both surveys were conducted for Hawaii Business in the final quarter of 2017 by…
Don’t Be So Certain It Can’t Happen Here
The most important book of our time offers warning signs History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes and I hear an ominous poem these days. Franklin Roosevelt committed one of the biggest sins of his 12-year presidency when he…
5 Things You and Your Business Should Know About Tax Reform
The first significant federal tax reform in 30 years will provide major savings for Hawaii businesses and corporations starting with this tax year but the changes are complex and still evolving, according to a panel of experts assembled by Hawaii Business.
Do You See an Immigrant as a Colleague or Competitor, Catalyst or Criminal?
Immigration is complicated. It’s not a single issue but a thousand issues and factors mixed together, including diverse people, economics, crime, community, compassion, resentment, competition, inequality and so much more. There are two features in this issue that show the…
Do B&Bs Help or Hurt Your Business?
Most business say neither, but there’s a shift over time among those who see an effect The BOSS survey asked 402 local business leaders about the impact on their companies of visitors who use B&Bs and other nonhotel accommodations outside…
What Are Your Biggest Problems?
The BOSS survey examines what’s holding back your business Government Regulations The BOSS survey presented 402 local business leaders with five regulatory issues. They were asked if each one presented an individual challenge to their companies. Afterward, those who…
Even the Innocent Have a Role to Play
I feel trapped in a time machine that has taken me back three or four decades. Workplace problems like sexual harassment that should have died off long ago continue to flourish. In fact, the most persistent theme of history –…
We Work Hard to Earn Your Trust
Facebook is changing the way it evaluates millions of news sites around the world and that process will change what you see on your Facebook news feed. One key question Facebook will ask you and other users in its surveys…
BOSS Asks Business Leaders: Ige or Hanabusa?
Grading Gov. David Ige & U.S. Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa The BOSS survey asked 402 local business leaders about their opinion of the job David Ige has done as governor. They were asked to choose among these letter grades. The same…
Does the Rise in Women Leaders Mean Mission Accomplished?
From 3% to 22% That's a big rise in the number of female leaders. Does it mean a work in early progress or mission accomplished? Inside this issue is the 20th anniversary edition of Hawaii Business’ Black Book, a who’s…
Best Results Ever – Again!
Record results in this spring’s BOSS survey are exceeded in the latest survey of 402 local business leaders BOSS Performance Index In each survey, the BOSS Performance Index is based on about 400 companies’ revenue, staffing and profit over the…
Hawaiian Airlines New Repair Hangar Can Hold 5 Jets at Once
Above: Rock Tang, Hawaiian Airlines’ managing director of corporate real estate, welcomes news media and airline retirees to the new repair hangar, which is almost the size of two football fields. The white doors and posts at left rise to…
The Opposite of Fake News
This year marks my 42nd anniversary in the news business. That includes four years working part-time in TV news while still in college but doesn’t count four earlier years delivering newspapers when I acquired my addiction to what was then…
Stanford Professor Offers Strategy to Grow Your Company
A national expert on motivation and achievement is coming to Honolulu to speak on the topic of “Develop the Right Mindset and Grow Your Organization.” The keynote speech by Carol Dweck, a Stanford University psychology professor and the author of…
BOSS Survey Asks Hawaii Business Leaders about Fraud and Theft
The BOSS survey asked 386 local business leaders if their companies had been the victim of any type of fraud or theft in the past two years. The victims of fraud or theft over the past two years were…
BOSS Survey of Hawaii Business Leaders Asks About New Employees
The BOSS survey presented local business leaders with four negative characteristics of new employees and potential recruits. They were asked which characteristic impacted their companies the most.* Lack of reliability 40% Unmotivated 18% Leave company too soon 18% Don't know/None…
Celebrate Rainbow Wahine Athletics
Young teens and preteens will have a great time at the Wahine Experience. The free event on Saturday, Oct. 21, features Rainbow Wahine players, coaches, celebrity alumni, cheerleaders and the UH Band. It will be held from 4 to 6…
BOSS Survey of Hawaii Business Leaders Asks About Obstacles and Opportunities
Business leaders were given a list of four potential obstacles and asked: Which affected you the most? Keeping costs in line 49% Hiring new staff and retaining current employees 30% Beating the competitors 13% Adjusting to the 24/7 digital world…
The Cost of Silence on Hawaii Domestic Violence
If you think domestic violence does not affect you, you’re wrong. You may not be the one with the bruises, broken bones and worse, but you are paying part of the price – at your workplace and with your taxes. Twenty-one percent…
100-Year Visions for Hawaii
A diverse group of young leaders wrote first-draft visions on nine key issues. They want your feedback. OVERALL VISION O ke Aloha Ko Kakou Piko a me Ko Kakou Alakai i Pono (o) Hawaii a i Pono ke Ao…
Hawaii Business Wins 8 National Awards and 14 State Awards
UPDATED 7/10/2017 ADDED 14 STATE AWARDS FROM THE 2017 SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS (SPJ) Hawaii Business is the state’s best business publication and we just won eight national awards and 14 statewide awards to prove it. The prizes were for…
BOSS Says: Best Ever
Twice a year, the BOSS survey asks about 400 local business leaders: How is your company doing on revenue, employment and profit? The latest results: On average, Hawaii companies are doing better than ever in two decades of surveys. …
We’re Back and Better Than Ever
I’ll be honest: A few months ago, I was worried about the future of Hawaii Business. Our publisher and creative director (that’s the person in charge of the entire look of the magazine, from photos to typography) had left to…
Proper Punctuation, Partners and Pride
The ancient Greek poet Archilochus left us with this delightful metaphor: “A fox knows many things, but a hedgehog one important thing.” In this month’s column, I’m a fox, maybe because I’m juggling too many balls to be a hedgehog.…
JFK’s Killers Staged 9/11 to Hide Fake Moon Landing
I try hard not to live in a bubble, so I read widely and listen when people express opinions contrary to my own. But I was shocked when I started reading the latest edition of Chapman University’s annual survey of…
Editor’s Note: I Have Become My Parents
There is a clever series of TV commercials from Progressive Insurance with the theme of a man becoming like his mother, and a woman becoming like her father. In the ads, the humor comes from the children adopting the annoying…
Editor’s Note: ALL the Top Local News
If you are a news junkie like me, you probably check multiple websites every day. In fact, I often read stories on 10 sites in one day, sometimes more. But most sane people don’t want to spend their time that…
ALL the Top Local News
Hawaii Business wants you to have a quick read of the top local news stories every weekday morning. That’s why we are launching Hawaii’s most useful newsletter on Tuesday, March 28 called "Today's Hawaiʻi News".
Editor’s Note: Success, Failure, Joy and Health
A major quandary faced by journalists is balancing our opposing responsibilities to expose and to celebrate. Society expects journalists to report on injustice, inefficiency, corruption and other problems, and when we don't, the news media are rightly derided for the…
Myth and Reality
Entrepreneurism is hip and it seems that everyone has a plan for their own business. It also appears that, more than ever, there are resources to support startups, both locally and nationally, including accelerators, college courses, government programs and more.…
Editor’s Note: How Do You Feel on Monday Mornings?
Decades ago, an acquaintance asked, “What’s your favorite: Sunday mornings or Monday mornings?” I was confused, partly because the answer seemed obvious, so he explained. “Do you prefer your leisure time or your work?” It was clear he preferred the…
Editor’s Note: Stop Whining
One of the biggest complaints about the media is we focus on bad news, so here’s good news: Hawaii is No. 1 on a national ranking vital to all of us. For the second year in a row, the Islands…
Editor’s Note: What If?
If you are a fan of alternate realities and parallel universes, welcome to one of our annual discussions: Who should be CEO of the Year? Each fall, when the editorial team at Hawaii Business considers candidates, we look for outstanding…
Editor’s Note: What We All Want
"What Do Women Want?” was a condescending question often asked (and answered) by men when I was young. It is also a question Gallup set out to answer in a report called “Women in America: Work and Life Well-Lived,” based…
