Douglas Smith, the president and CEO of Hawaiian Island Shine, was fortunate that when local sales began to slump because of the recession, his export business began to takeoff. His car-care products are now sold in six countries and he…
There are many factors that determine where you buy your groceries: location, service, selection, and product quality. But price may be the most important, because everyone likes a deal. During three weeks in May, I visited 22 grocery stores all…
Health insurance is the second-biggest expense for most employers after payroll. And that cost keeps soaring: Hawaii companies have been paying an average 9 percent more in premiums each of the past 10 years – and that will likely continue.…
When you think of a great place to work, a hospice probably doesn’t come to mind. Emotional and physical pain are a daily part of the job, as employees try to comfort people in the last days of their lives.…
Raymond Jefferson has already given a lot for his country and for his comrades. During Special Forces training in 1995, Capt. Raymond Jefferson lost all five left-hand fingers as he shielded teammates from a grenade that exploded prematurely. He spent…
More than 50 percent of marriages in the United States end in divorce and Hawaii accounts for about 5,000 of those breakups every year. Of those who remain married, true love is not always the reason. That’s why relationship experts…
The Corner Office Curmudgeon offers advice about life on the job I suspect one of my co-workers has a drug problem. It has not impacted his work performance as far as I can tell, but I’m concerned that things might…
There’s a reason some people are wealthy: they learn to manage their time, resources and passions. Leading financial adviser Diane Kimura of Merrill Lynch shows how you can get your life in order, financially and emotionally, so you can make…
BY LEN FUKUSHIMA FINANCIAL ADVISER, UBS FINANCIAL SERVICES I own a successful architectural firm in Honolulu. I’d like to expand my business but am having difficulty finding a lender. I have capital assets, including real estate and a portfolio of…
Three Ways To Make Your Office Truly Digital A great stack of banker’s boxes dominates the scanning room of Sterling & Tucker, a law firm that specializes in estate and financial planning. The neatly labeled boxes are packed with hundreds…
Q. We are growing our business and want to make sure that we are able to perpetuate it long after we are no longer active in the company. We have no children, so what are our options to ensure the…
Q: I’m a small business owner and I’ve heard about the new ARC loans. How do I get approved for these loans? A: For small-business owners, the American Recovery Capital loan seems like a silver bullet, the solution to many…
In good times or bad, motivating employees is an important, but often overlooked, aspect of running a business. Nicholas Mitsakos, chairman of Arcadia Holdings Inc., explains how to keep workers excited for the workweek, or “how to help your team…
Credit-card processing is a ubiquitous and major expense for businesses. Most of the cost is upfront, according to Matt Sakauye, senior consultant at credit-card processing firm Gravity Payments. Once things are running, he says, “credit-card processors are pretty automated. But…
Sex Discrimination Sex discrimination has been the first or second most common basis for employment discrimination complaints filed with the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission for the past seven years. At the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Honolulu office, 34 percent…
In this job market, competition is fierce. That's why it's important for candidates to make a favorable impression in the first interview. Your skills are crucial, but don't expect to be offered a job unless you also look the part,…
It’s a workday morning late in the week and attorney Ellen Carson is at her home computer, in her pajamas, working on affidavits. She’s been at it for three hours — since 6 a.m. — but by 9 she’s able…
Something major is happening. Women everywhere are mobilizing — themselves and each other — to get into the community, grow their contact lists and build meaningful relationships to advance their careers. This new age of wahine networking is a far…
By Brian Ishikawa, Senior Vice President of Corporate Security, Bank of Hawaii During this challenging economic time, it’s more important than ever for businesses to protect their money. No one is immune from fraud, but there are ways to reduce…
A little book has important advice for some of the Islands' big-business leaders Growing up, Wesley Park aspired to be ordinary. He ended up being extraordinary. When he was 4 years old, Park was stricken with polio. The debilitating disease…