Business & Industry

Lifestyle
Lee Tonouchi,

Some Kind of Jedi

This fictional short story will be published in March in the local journal Bamboo Ridge I dunno how for respond to da boss’s question when she asks me, “What are you, some kind of Jedi?” I nevah intend for anybody see…
Nonprofit
Dennis Hollier,

Nonprofit Boards: Confused or M.I.A.

“When I look back on it,” says John D., the former executive director of a small but prominent nonprofit in Honolulu, “the board of directors just really didn’t understand what their role was.” He pauses for a moment, his face…
Nonprofit
Jerry Burris,

The New Culture of Giving

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…
Trends
Greg Wiles,

Paying Out More than It Earns for Years

Hawaiian electric industries has maintained the remarkable record of paying dividends to shareholders for more than 100 years. But, lately, there’s something else that people may find remarkable. For the past three-and-a-half years, HEI has paid more in dividends than…
Leadership
Greg Wiles,

Down, Not Out

There’s no denying it’s been a brutal three years for Central Pacific Bank and its parent company, Central Pacific Financial Corp. The bank’s aspiration of grabbing more market share with its 2004 merger with City Bank has all but disappeared.…
Marketing
Mariah Mellor,

5 Steps to Better Public Speaking

Some people have the natural ability to speak with confidence in front of large audiences. For everyone else, Mark Blackburn, treasurer of Honolulu’s Downtown Business Association Toastmasters, offers tips on being a better public speaker. “It’s a real challenge, but…
Lifestyle
Greg Wiles,

Innovation: Virtual Reality

It's been a dizzying year for Craig Carapelho, CEO of Honolulu-based Team Vision Virtual and honcho of what’s billed as the world’s first 3D travel Web site. In April, he completed a Series A round of investor financing, led prominently…
Innovation
Mark Brislin,

Innovation: KonaRed

The old saying that “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” holds true for Dana and Shaun Roberts. The owners of KonaRed are taking the red fruit of the whole coffee bean, which is usually thrown away, and processing it…
Lifestyle
Shara Enay,

Exporting Lessons

Douglas Smith, the president and CEO of Hawaiian Island Shine, was fortunate that when local sales began to slump because of the recession, his export business began to takeoff. His car-care products are now sold in six countries and he…
Leadership
Hawaii Business Staff,

Talk Story with John Dean

In March, the embattled Central Pacific Bank named John Dean as CEO and executive chairman. He has nearly 30 years of experience in the financial industry, including serving as CEO and chairman of Silicon Valley Bank. Q: You came to…
Marketing
Dennis Hollier,

5 Steps to Planning an Event

Successful events are a critical way of interacting with customers. Philip Richardson, CEO of Current Affairs, one of Hawaii’s most prestigious event-planning companies, offers advice on getting the most from your events. 1. Define your objectives “You’ve got to have…
Innovation
Mark Brislin,

Innovation: Ship Harvests Ocean Water

Deep Ocean Hawaii is taking Hawaii’s most abundant resource — ocean water — desalinating it and selling the purified product in bulk to companies in countries like China, where water is polluted or in short supply. “Hawaii can become an…
Innovation
Shara Enay,

Innovation: Rethinking Rental Cars

Green Car Hawaii is the first car-share service in the state and the nation’s first aimed at tourists, say founders Warren Doi and Justin MacNaughton. Concept Rather than rent a vehicle for whole days or an entire visit, Green Car…
Trends
Hawaii Business Staff,

BOSS Survey: Optimism & Concern

BOSS METHODOLOGY The Business Outlook and Sentiment Survey (BOSS) was conducted by QMark Research using a list of Hawaii companies purchased from Equifax Polk Business Directory. The sample of companies was stratified based on number of employees. Small businesses were…
Real Estate
Dennis Hollier,

Building Wealth

So, you want to be a real estate tycoon? If there’s one thing we’ve learned from two years of stagnation in Hawaii’s real estate market, it’s that there’s more to investing than simply buying low and selling high. That’s speculation.…
Real Estate
Hawaii Business Staff,

Hawaii's Top 100 Realtors

List of Top 100 Realtors, in alphabetical order: First Name Middle Initial Last Name Agency Island(s) Scott Adams Prudential Advantage Realty OAHU Tracy P Allen Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties OAHU James F. Allison Coldwell Banker Maryl Realty Inc. Big Island…
Construction
Mark Brislin,

Customer Service Lessons

Pacific Pump and Power’s motto is: “We say what we are going to do, we do what we said we would do, and we check to make sure that we did it.” Jeremy Leonard, CEO of the Hawaii-based company that…