Master of None
Q: In May, it will be four years and five jobs since I graduated from college and I’m still trying to map out a career. Is it better to be a specialist or a jack-of-all-trades? A: I posed this question…
Business & Industry
Nonprofit Corner: “I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food”
Charlie Lorenz knows what it’s like to be homeless and hungry. As a teenager, he lived on the streets of Honolulu due to a family dispute. “With that experience, Charlie does know the hunger and lack of hope you experience…
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…
My Job: The Hottest Job in Town
Name: Hadley Andersen Job: Senior Science Educator, Bishop Museum Duties: Twice a day – at noon and 2:30 p.m. – Andersen dons a protective aluminized suit, enters a shielded “cage” and melts little pieces of volcanic rock, or cinder, in…
Turning Play into Pay
Most of them are Millennials, first-generation digital natives strutting their stuff and chiseling new entry points into a post-recession economy. Those who achieve social-media stardom get labelled as “digital talent,” which sounds so Hollywood, but signals their digital charisma and…
Our Digital Media Director Links In
Power: As the new digital media director of Hawaii Business, I have the ability and responsibility to engage with you by sharing creative and smart content through social media and our website, HawaiiBusiness.com. I will share observations and insights in…
Managing Negative Online Reviews
"My store got blasted on Yelp. What do I do now?" You and your staff can deliver great service and products, all with a smile, yet still get a bad review online. You can’t control what people say about you,…
What's Astronomy's Future in Hawaii
For weeks, the astronomers, technicians and support staff working on Mauna Kea watched the protesters. Native Hawaiians and others opposed to the massive Thirty Meter Telescope gathered near the 9,000-foot mark, their encampment near Hale Pohaku, the small campus where…
Making Nice With the New Boss
There’s a new boss for our division and I fear I made a lousy first impression. Where do I go from here? Ch-ch-cha-changes. Ah, David Bowie, may he rest in peace. According to Aden Kirschner Nepom, of the Art of…
Honoring the 20 For the Next 20 Class of 2016
It was hard to tell who was more honored to be at the Hawaii Prince Hotel for the "20 For the Next 20," the 18 honorees or audience. There was a buzz in…
20 for the Next 20 Community Project: More Than a Celebration
“THIS IS AN AWESOME NIGHT,” Kawika Riley, chief advocate at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, said last March as he and 19 others were introduced as Hawaii Business’ 20 for the Next 20, class of 2015. Proud family and friends…
5 Steps to Being Strategic in Saying No
Saying no does not come easy in Hawaii, where we emphasize the Aloha spirit. But being selective about where to direct your energy, efforts and time is an important part of leadership. Executive coach Alison Zecha offers tips on when,…
Ensuring a Bright Future for Hawaii
The time is now because the need is urgent! I am starting this monthly column on Leadership because Hawaii must help the next generation of local leaders step up and guide our state’s future. I’ve heard time and time again…
Workers: Know Your Rights
There are many myths and misunderstandings about employment rules and regulations. Here’s our guide to workers’ rights and employers’ obligations, but please take note: We are not lawyers and this guide is no substitute for legal counsel. In many ways,…
100 Years Young
While describing the values that have carried KTA Super Stores to its 100th year as a family-owned business, president and COO Toby Taniguchi brings up traditional Japanese concepts. “The organization has been able to survive because our focus is not…
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…
Nonprofit Corner: Connecting People to Forests
Native plant restoration is an ongoing process at the Kaupulehu Dryland Forest in North Kona – one of more than a dozen projects by the nonprofit Hawaii Forest Institute. “Not all (Hawaii) forests are native forests,” notes Rob Pacheco, who…
Cause Marketing
I’m hearing a lot of buzz about cause marketing. How do I get my small business started on it? Cause marketing aligns a brand with a cause in the community, such as sustainability, helping children or homelessness. When executed strategically,…
Creativity: Hawaii's Next Big Export
How a public-private program called Creative Lab accelerates entrepreneurs in six creative areas: screenwriting, broadband, interactive media, fashion, producing and music While Hawaii is known worldwide for its rainbows, aloha spirit and beautiful weather, Georja Skinner hopes to add “creative…
Nonprofit Corner: Giving Life to Hawaiians
The kupuna who founded Hoola Lahui in 1986 gave the Kauai nonprofit its name, which means “to give life or health to the nation of Hawaii.” “They picked the name because they thought it would reflect what was needed, which…
Parting Shot: Life Savers
Monday, 3:11 pm Blood Bank of Hawaii Dillingham Boulevard Photo By Odeelo Dayondon Noelle Andrews and Cody Stoll place red blood cells, which have undergone 13 tests, into inventory at the Blood Bank of Hawaii. The Blood Bank is the sole…
Good Neighbors with Jennifer Kem: Lifting Up the Leeward Side
Jennifer Kem has a soft spot for folks on the Leeward side. The 41-year-old global marketing strategist and owner of KemComm Media Group grew up in Waialua on the North Shore, graduated from Mid-Pacific Institute and then went to college…
Privatizing Building Permits
It’s no secret that Hawaii is a bit, shall we say, constipated when it comes to building permits. Permits can take six months or more. A 2013 study conducted by the National Association of Home Builders found the median time…
5 Steps to Break Into the C-suite
With the new year, many middle managers are setting their sights on the C-suite. The stable economy and low unemployment make for the right external conditions, but will you be up for the challenge? Executive recruiter Judy Bishop, founder of…