How Fashion Happens in Hawaii
PHOTOS BY MARK ABEIT When people think about the fashion business, they tend to focus on the designer’s creative ideas and the finished products they buy. The beginning and the end. But it takes a great deal of work…
Careers
Tugboat Captain
Name: Ben Isabel Job: Tugboat captain for Young Brothers, the main shipper of cargo around the Hawaiian Islands. Experience: Started with YB in 1994. START: Isabel served as an E-5 second-class boatswain mate in the U.S. Navy. But, to work for Young Brothers,…
Winners and Losers in Hawaii's Job Market
Source: Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations One way to follow a changing economy is to track the fastest-declining and fastest-growing jobs. The following infographic report outlines the state’s forecast for the biggest changes in Hawaii’s labor market, both in…
Space Wars
The most heated argument about modern offices pits the relative privacy of cubicles and offices versus collaborative nature of open workspaces When the cubicle hit the furnishings market in 1967, it forever changed the landscape of office culture and the…
Family Tradition of Feather Work
Name: Paulette Kahalepuna Job: Feather artist and owner of Na Lima Mili Hulu Noeau, a store where Hawaiian feather work is taught, and supplies and finished pieces are sold. Experience: 21 years. START: In 1991, Kahalepuna helped her feather-expert mother Mary Lou and father…
Hunting for Purple Squirrels: Why Your Fantasy Job Applicant Doesn't Exist
The hard reality of a slow-growing national economy and persistently high unemployment rates has helped spawn a mythical creature, the purple squirrel. Even though no one has ever seen a purple squirrel, some employers keep looking for one. And, for…
Making a living underwater
Name: Rob Hemsher Job: Scuba diving instructor and owner of Ocean Eco Tours Years of Experience: 17 years as a certified dive instructor Background: Hemsher made his first pool dive when he was 6 while growing up in Boynton…
Parting Shot: Dough Check
Wednesday, 2:34 PM Love’s Bakery, Kalihi Photographer David Croxford >> Nenita Ramos, oven infeed operator, checks the quality of the loaves heading into the 400-degree oven. This batch of Hawaii’s Hearth 100 percent Whole Wheat bread is one of 276…
Editor's Note: How to Spot Bad Advice
This month’s feature on the “Best Advice I Ever Got” suggests a complementary article, “The Worst Advice I Ever Ignored.” Every successful person has followed lots of good advice to get where he or she is, and, along the way,…
Miles From the Telescope, He Watches the Stars
Name: Marc Kassis, Ph.D. Job: Support Astronomer for W.M. Keck Observatory Years of Experience: 9 Starting out: In high school, Kassis thought physics was “the coolest stuff ever” and went on to earn a Ph.D. in astronomy from Boston University.…
Returning Home to Hawaii After Years Abroad
OK, so you grew up in Hawaii. You know your spam musubi and hula kahiko. Then you moved away – for education, for work, to prove yourself. You’re having a great time. You visit often, but never stay. Then, maybe,…
Training Pilots for Hawaii's Future
Retired TWA pilot Peter Forman says the growing airline industry is not prepared for a looming pilot shortage and that’s why he wants to grow the Commercial Aviation Program at UH’s Honolulu Community College. Forman is the coordinator of the…
Starting a Business After Age 50
Ready to move on after decades of experience, but not ready to retire? Consider becoming an encore entrepreneur: someone who takes over or starts a business in a field different from their main career. Many people are doing it in…
My Job: “Eyes and Ears” of the Store
Name: Doug Jago Job: Visual presentation manager, Neiman Marcus at Ala Moana Center Years of Experience: 40 Starting out: After graduating from the University of Tampa in Florida, Jago worked in the visual merchandising department at Bloomingdale’s in Woodbridge, N.J.,…
Fit and Effective Hawaii Business Professionals
Tim Johns Age: 56 Position: Chief consumer officer at HMSA Workouts: Swimming, surfing, resistance training, stationary biking, jogging, paddle boarding, hiking, long walks with his dog On weekdays, Johns says he wakes extra early to fit in a swim before work. “Then I…
Top Employee Perks in Hawaii, Illustrated
Hawaii's best places to work offer many great perks for their employees and we have to admit that we're very jealous. To help us feel better, illustrator Jon Murakami takes an irreverent view of our favorite perks. (Other Best Places…
What Makes a Best Place to Work?
Whether you’re a woman or man, from the Baby Boom, Gen X or Gen Y, liking your job is one thing that everyone agrees is important in the workplace. Beyond that, what drives the genders and age groups can be…
What Makes a Psychologically Healthy Workplace?
For 13 years, the Hawaii Psychological Association has been recognizing psychologically healthy companies with its annual awards. Program chair Don Kopf says the organization looks at six criteria set by the American Psychological Association: Employee involvement in decision making on company issues;…
5 Steps to a successful media interview
Delivering a strong message and making sure it is clear, effective and memorable in a media interview is not as easy as it seems. In fact, many business owners miss opportunities to be quoted because they don’t communicate clearly. Lori…
My Job: Entomologist
Name: John David Nelson Job: Entomologist Years of experience: 14 STARTING OUT: Growing up on an Eastern Tennessee farm, Nelson says, insects were part of his daily life. But it wasn’t until he took an entomology class in college, then…
Professional Addicts
For lawyer Ken Lawson, it began with a sports injury and a prescribed painkiller. It ended in disbarment and prison. In between were years of escalating dependence on prescription opiates, alcohol and cocaine, plus abuse of clients’ trust funds, missed…
My Job: Archaeologist
Name: Windy Keala McElroy Job: Archaeologist Years of experience: More than 10 STARTING OUT: When Windy Keala McElroy enrolled at Windward Community College, she quickly discovered a passion for anthropology, and went on to get bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate…
My Job: Being Paid to Have Fun
Name: Steve VanDermyden Job: Artisan bread baker and new owner of Coffees N Epicurea, a bakery and coffee shop in Captain Cook on Hawaii Island. Experience: Two years. STARTING OUT: Two years ago, VanDermyden was thinking about opening a…
Dozens of online job boards give job seekers and recruiters plenty of options
Only a few years ago, job seekers anxiously awaited the Sunday newspaper because it was the best way to find a new position. In good economic times, there were as many as 20 pages, filled with hundreds of opportunities. Those…