Business Trends

Pau Hana with Kevin Bloom Like many people, Kelvin Bloom likes to go for a drive to take his mind off work. Unlike others, Bloom drives at 200 mph or more.…

$20 The True Love Gift Box from Big Island Candies, shown at right, includes six dark- and six milk-chocolate-covered Hawaiian macadamia nuts, four heart-shape milk chocolates, two heart-shape, milk-chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies and three Mika mints. Call 800-935-5510, visit the shop…

Is your business already bringing in more than $1 million in revenue a year, but you want to take it to the next level? Dana Hauanio and her team are here to help. Hauanio is the Hawaii program director for…

Why do some smart people keep repeating their mistakes and how can they stop such foolish behavior? Clinical psychologist Rosalie K. Tatsuguchi addresses those questions in her new book, “Why Smart People Do the Same Dumb Things: Causes and Cures…

A new company offers Hawaii businesses something unique: a peek at secrets that may be hidden inside their own organizations. Risk Source Hawaii provides customers with a 24-hour whistleblower hotline so the customers’ employees can report workplace problems anonymously. “Through…

A little belatedly, the rest of the country is getting it: Tourism is big business. This realization is at the heart of President Obama’s executive order in January, which calls for a national strategy to make America the world’s top…

Local entrepreneurs Chris and Kimberly Dey, who have ventures in varied fields from finance to sports, have found another niche, this time in advertising. AdTournament.com, their online graphic design agency, allows businesses to create an online contest for their advertisement…

The Patagonia store in Haleiwa is one business in Hawaii that doesn’t need a lesson on the federal law covering breastfeeding in the workplace. Hiromi Hasegawa-Suitt’s children, now 2 and 4 years old, were breastfed when they were younger, thanks…

Donna Vuchinich President & CEO, University of Hawaii Foundation After 25 years’ experience in public-university fundraising, Vuchinich was named president and CEO of the University of Hawaii Foundation in 2004 and spearheaded its Centennial Campaign, raising $336 million in 2009.…

NAME: Kendall Sexton JOB: Owner and operator, Crosstown Couriers YEARS OF EXPERIENCE: Five CHALLENGES: Running Honolulu’s only bicycle-messenger company that services the area from Kahala to the airport is tough enough. Add unpredictable weather, bad drivers and a shortage of…

When military families and retirees arrive in Hawaii, they often lack the local knowledge and connections that are so important to finding the right job. The Navy has tried to remedy that situation with the Joint Employment Management System, one…

As a vice-chair at Aloha United Way, I’ve had a front seat to many exciting changes this year. Most significant has been the energy and direction put into the organization by its new president, Kim Gennaula. Among the changes in…

Hawaii Island Gourmet is doing its part to improve the taste reputation of the often-maligned breadfruit. From September through the holiday season, when breadfruit trees on Hawaii Island are bearing fruit, the company produces seven-ounce packages of ulu chips. Though…

Need a unique Hawaii Christmas ornament, such as a grass-skirt wearing Santa surfing? Then visit Santa’s Pen, a local company that specializes in personalized keepsakes. Family ornaments that include everyone’s names and celebrate an occasion are popular, says Karen Sotomura,…

Most business owners talk a good story when it comes to customer service, but, unless you are always there, you depend on employees to provide that service. Do you know how well they’re doing? A secret-shopper company can tell you.…

Subway now has more outlets than any other restaurant chain in the country and, with more than 35,000 locations in 98 countries, it’s closing in on McDonald’s worldwide lead. That growth is only possible because thousands of people are drawn…

On a layover in Seoul, IT consultant Anthony Stanford needed a place to work, preferably with free Wi-Fi and a decent cup of coffee. Instead of Starbucks, he used a “co-working” space where people rented desks in a shared office.…

Every business claims it puts its customers first, but what elevates some companies above the others? One crucial factor is the ability to adapt and improve customer service with changing circumstances. Lex Brodie’s Tire Co. is the first winner of…

The people planning Hawaii’s role as host for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting this November have crucial advice for local businesses hoping to get in on the action: “You snooze, you lose.” They don’t use exactly those words, but…

Are you anxious about presentations or public speaking? How about procrastination, an inability to concentrate or a lack of motivation? Fear of making sales calls? Many businesspeople suffer from one or more of these issues, but few take advantage of…

It’s no coincidence that Terence O’Toole is a veteran triathlete and successful business attorney. Both roles demand stamina and a strong will, with commercial litigation often requiring a marathonlike fortitude. The characteristics have helped him earn a prestigious accolade: He…

There’s no question that business booms at Kailua’s Island Snow shave ice and surf wear store whenever President Obama and his entourage are in town. But those well-publicized visits have left a long tail of increased year-round sales and revived…