Small Business

The only thing Lark Willey likes to do better than grow vegetables is share them with her neighbors, which is why community-service agriculture is her perfect niche. “To be a CSA grower,…

Name: Misha Lam Job: Jewelry Designer Experience: One year in jewelry, six in fashion design Start: From an early age, Lam knew she wanted a creative career. After graduating from Punahou School in 2001, Lam earned a bachelor’s degree in…

Carey oversees an empire of 35 hotel operations in the Pacific and Asia, with more coming soon. He has an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University, plus a law degree and an MBA from Santa Clara University. He…

About six years ago, Paul Alston bought 20 acres in Volcano on Hawaii Island. The plot was zoned for agriculture and Alston, who grew up in urban Southern California, had no idea what he was getting himself into. “After we…

Steve Sue, founder of BizGym, a cloud-based rapid-development application for startups and entrepreneurs, can’t say enough about Bee Leng Chua’s program, Hawaii Tech Asia. Below: Bee Leng Chua, HiBEAM and K.O. Chia, president of the Hong…

Name: Lo Kaimuloa Job: Owner/Buyer, Riches Kahala Years of experience: 30 STARTING OUT: Kaimuloa spent five years learning high-end retail with jewelry designer Bernard Hurtig, then, in 1986, she opened Riches Kahala, an 87-square-foot kiosk in Kahala Mall. She expanded to 200 square…

As popular as Mexican restaurants are, three within a brief walk of each other in Hilo was probably too much. Casa de Luna and Lucy’s Taqueria both opened in December 2011,…

Whether it’s wholesaling T-shirts to the Navy Exchange or providing information technology to government installations, local businesses can learn the procurement ropes at the Hawaii Veteran and Small Business Forum & Expo next month. Organizers are reaching out especially to…

A slender face appears at the door of Palama Settlement’s kitchen, bowl in one hand, telephone on shoulder. Kathy Masunaga, owner and creator of Sweet Revenge, smiles a welcome to the Palama Settlement kitchen. She and a single employee are…

Name: LOA WONG Job: GREENS COORDINATOR IN THE TV AND FILM INDUSTRY Years of experience: 20   WHAT’S INVOLVED: “Greens” is a specialty in set dressing involving landscape design and building artificial props, such as fake trees. A greens coordinator…

Executives who have trouble finding the time to exercise might consider the Vasper system, which is designed to provide the benefits of a two-hour workout in 20 minutes. “It’s a way to mimic the physiology of an intensive workout and…

Clint Churchill loves the loops, rolls and spins of acrobatic flying, but he gets his greatest pleasure from his passengers’ thrills. “When the passengers’ reactions are that this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and they have these huge grins and want…

Spend a day at Hawaii’s beaches and you can’t miss the many small blue and white pieces of plastic scattered in the sand, along with bigger pieces of trash. Method, an ecoconscious cleaning-products company based in San Francisco, is putting…

Until a few months ago, I thought a “pop-up” was an old-fashioned three-dimensional card or book that surprised you with a magical foldout that popped up as you opened it. Now, I know modern pop-ups are fleeting events  – whether…

If you are a connoisseur of unique and well-designed pens, you’ve probably heard of ACME Studio. But you may not know that the company’s factory and headquarters have been on Maui since 1988. ACME Studio was founded in 1985 in…

Move over, Jet-Puffed, there’s a new marshmallow in town. Kristin and Kui Bento have introduced Marshmahalos, a gourmet take on the spongy confection. “They come in a variety of flavors, including Royal Chocolate Mousse, Salted Caramel Crunch and Strawberry Lemonade,”…

Chef Chris Okuhara says he wasn’t left with a crumb at the inaugural Honolulu Night Market in Kakaako in October. The co-owner of Miso & Ale, a “pop-up” eatery, says close to 1,000 people visited his booth, which served pork…

If they can’t get home for the holidays, Wei Fang and Kina Mahi will help you send a bit of Hawaii to distant family and friends. The two business partners – already involved in a number of startups and other…

83 years after opening her business, Mary Shizuko Teshima still loves company. Mary Shizuko Teshima probably holds the Hawaii record for business longevity: 83 years after opening on her property in Honalo, she still lives behind the family restaurant and…

We love them like family when they’re alive, so why not treat them the same way in death? A cemetery burial for your pet at Valley of the Temples in Kaneohe gives you a way to recognize that affection. Pet…

Q: I have a successful company and am thinking of expanding to another island. What should I consider before taking the leap? A: The desire to grow is imbedded in the DNA of most business owners. Of course, any kind of expansion…

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREG YAMAMOTO Startup Weekend Honolulu condenses entrepreneurship into a fast-paced weekend of networking, programming, design and business development. Red Bull is optional.   Four weeks after being laid off, 27-year-old Bryan Butteling stands before a crowd of entrepreneurs, software developers, designers…