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.
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 –…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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. …
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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".
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
"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…
If you read Hawaii Business regularly, you know Dennis Hollier writes engaging stories about complex subjects, such as energy, construction, leadership and farming. He does the opposite of dumbing down; what should I call it, “understanding up”? In his articles,…
"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” I love that quote of F. Scott Fitzgerald because I believe a real…
As part of Hawaii Business’ C-Suite conference series, we brought together three of Hawaii’s leading CIOs. Todd Nacapuy, chief innovation officer for the state, first talks about driving change and accommodating all kinds of users. Then, Sheh Bertram of Bank…
The Participants: Peter Ho, 51 Chairman, President and CEO, Bank of Hawaii. Melialani James, 38 President, Hawaii Venture Capital Association, and Head of New Ventures, Sultan Ventures. John Komeiji, 62 Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel, Hawaiian Telcom. Colbert Matsumoto,…
When I moved to Hawaii in 1981, I found it odd that many of the best-regarded or best-selling books about Hawaii were written by outsiders: “Shoal of Time” by Gavan Daws, now a deep-rooted resident but back then not long…
Innovators and investors from around the world are gathering in Honolulu this January for the second annual East Meets West Conference. “Local entrepreneurs will be able to learn from technology companies that have conquered global markets,” says Chenoa Farnsworth, managing…
The BOSS Survey is conducted twice a year for Hawaii Business by QMark Research. We ask about 400 business leaders, mostly company owners and CEOs, a host of questions: How is your company doing on revenue, staffing and profit? Will…
As we step up our efforts to reduce homelessness, we need to work harder to prevent it. One way is to increase the number of people who have enough savings to weather a short-term financial crisis – a lost job, a…
IT WILL TAKE a lot to pull us out of Hawaii’s housing crisis, but here are thoughts on some partial solutions. ADUs are a good idea, and each county has different rules on what are formally called accessory dwelling units. Honolulu…
WE THINK WE DO good work at Hawaii Business magazine, but it’s always reassuring when we receive affirmation from others – whether our readers or peers. At the end of June, we got a lot of reassurance. In the annual statewide…
It is obvious to anyone who has been there or seen it shining in the distance, that the summit of Mauna Kea is a sacred place. Native Hawaiians are not unique in this reverence: Virtually all the great religions venerate…
WHAT IS THE BOSS? BOSS stands for the Business Outlook and Sentiment Survey and it’s conducted twice a year for Hawaii Business by QMark Research. It provides a revealing picture of Hawaii’s economy by asking about 400 business leaders twice…
