APEC Gives Hawaii a Chance to Redefine its Image
When up to 20,000 guests attend the APEC 2011 Leaders’ Week in November, the local blue-ribbon committee promoting business investment here won’t be touting Hawaii’s old standbys. …
Community & Economy
Data on Women and Money in Hawaii and Nationally
Wage gap holds steady after shrinking for decades Almost no change since 2001 Hawaii Wage Gap 2009 Median wages in Hawaii for adult, full-time, year-round workers: Success in College Women are 1.5 times more likely than men to graduate from college or…
Hawaii's Construction Industry by the Numbers
After more than two miserable years, many in Hawaii's construction industry think the near future will be brighter because of the Honolulu rail line, planned hotel redevelopments and other projects. "It's cautious optimism," says John White, executive director of the…
Waikiki Construction Refreshes Hotels
In some ways, construction and Waikiki go hand-in-hand. After all, the pleasure palaces along the beach have provided many of the largest recent private construction projects in the state. By some counts, more than $2 billion has been spent over…
Editor's Note: APEC Enhances Hawaii’s Reputation
When political leaders and multinational CEOs arrive for the APEC Conference in November, Hawaii will have its big chance to show half of the world that we are more than just a pretty face. It's our best shot at proving Hawaii is…
Brides Love Kauai Weddings
And Kauai’s romance industry loves the money wedding couples and their families spend on the Garden Island On an April afternoon, Pamela Wen stepped off a plane in Lihue, 5,020 miles away from and 40 degrees warmer than her New…
Editor's Note: If You Have No Fear, You Have No Future
I’m a little scared, and that’s a good thing. In fact, if you have any sense, you should be a little scared, too. I’ll let comedian Chris Rock describe part of why you should be scared and let Andrew Jackson…
Businesses Support Public Schools
The new track at Lahainaluna High School on Maui, along with the field and turf, have been made possible because of millions of dollars worth of in-kind and cash donations by Maui businesses and residents. Additional changes are coming in…
Sorrow & Anxiety
Local businesses have responded quickly and generously to help the victims of Japan's tsunami disaster. In fact, every one of the dozens of companies contacted by Hawaii Business says it has either launched its own fundraising effort or contributed to…
Big Box Stores
The critics' story is familiar: Giant stores move into an American community and destroy its small businesses, local values and sense of place. The same story is being told now in Hawaii, as shoppers abandon longtime neighborhood businesses to buy…
5 steps to marketing in Japan
The Japanese love all things Hawaiian – from hula to music to fashion – which makes Japan an attractive market for Hawaii companies. But Japan is a complex business environment. “That means a company must be serious about wanting to…
Timeshare in Hawaii: Build it and They Will Come
It seems like a contradiction: The traditional hotel business in Hawaii is shrinking even while the hospitality industry recovers from the recession, more visitors arrive and they pay more per room than last year. The relative decline of stand-alone hotels…
Editor's Note: The Best Solution is not Perfect
As editor of this magazine, my greatest obligation is to stimulate a discussion about big economic issues in Hawaii and how local businesses can succeed. I am honored to have that duty. The discussion begins with the magazine’s stories, with…
Businesses Love to Hate the Hawaii PUC
Critics say The state Public Utilities Commission is slow, inefficient and secretive, but this small agency has a lot on its plate. It regulates: 4 electric utilities; 1 gas company; 176 telecommunication companies; 38 private water and sewer companies; 4…
Editor's Note: Measuring Hawaii’s Quality of Life
When financial services companies show a magazine or TV ad, they don’t entice you with a pile of money. Instead, they often show a retired couple walking along a beach, enjoying life in a tropical paradise after years of hard…
Hawaii State ERS Underfunded by $7 Billion
The state got just what it was expecting in its Christmas stocking. Unfortunately, it was another lump of coal – more bad news about the state of Hawaii Employee Retirement System, which covers both state and county employees. In its…
Hawaii Hotels in Foreclosure
Hawaii’s tourism industry blasted a sigh of relief as fierce as the strongest tradewinds as visitor counts rebounded and hotel rooms filled last year. Yet for one group, the recovery hasn’t come fast enough. Those are the owners of resorts…
Talk Story with Chris Tatum, Marriott Resorts Hawaii Executive and Hawaii Hotel and Lodging Association Chair
The new chairman of the Hawaii Hotel & Lodging Association is Vice President in charge of Marriott’s hotels and resorts in Hawaii, North Asia and the South Pacific. Tatum says growing up in Hawaii has given him a valuable perspective on how the hospitality…
How the Hawaii Tourism Authority Markets Paradise to the World
Tokyo, Japan — High on the stage of the Hawaii booth, overlooking the hubbub of Japan’s biggest travel fair, the musical group Manoa DNA launches into “Aloha You, Aloha Me.” It’s a catchy tune, sung mostly in Japanese, that has…
Legalizing Civil Unions – Boon or Bane for Hawaii’s Economy?
If civil unions for same-sex couples became legal in Hawaii, what would be the added financial burden on local businesses? A major study on the issue says the average business would face a small increase in the cost of employee…
Hurry up and Wait on Taxes
Businesses must pay GET earlier, but state takes longer to cash checks For decades, the state has taken weeks on average – even months – to cash taxpayers’ checks. Now, with government-worker furloughs and restrictions on temporary hires, the check-cashing…
Concierge to the Rescue
Helping guests in every way possible Guests usually ask the hotel concierge basic questions like, “What’s a great place for a romantic dinner?” or “How do I get to the North Shore?” But the request is sometimes more challenging, like…
The Coming China Wave
The hotel owner waited patiently to chat with Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle in the steel-and-glass enclosed lobby of the Kai Wah Plaza International Hotel in Kunming, China. When they met, Chau Lai Kai thanked Lingle for staying at her property…
Editor's Note: Giving Everyone a Place to Live
It’s time for a reality check on affordable housing in Hawaii. We are fooling ourselves if we think that current policies and incentives will eventually create enough homes for the tens of thousands of working families who want places of…