Some Republicans and Democrats stand out as best, but when we tried to ID the worst, business leaders were reluctant to name names. In this time of severe budget cuts, lots of people are unhappy with their state lawmakers. But…
Top candidates for governor explain how they would make it easier for businesses to succeed. Those in Hawaii struggling to maintain a business or start a new one can rest easy on one thing: Our next governor has no plans…
Tom Park, founder and owner of Leather Soul, which carries exclusive men’s shoes, can’t believe his success in following a dream. “I’ve always loved shoes, from when I was in kindergarten,” he says. In March, his flagship Waikiki store moved…
Yes "It’s an equitable method for requiring some of the costs of future schools be paid by those who would use them." For several decades, public policy…
Conquering the world was not part of the original plans for many Hawaii businesses that have succeeded in global markets. For some, it was a years-long process of gradual growth and careful planning, while others found their way quickly with…
Participants in this discussion: Kirk Belsby, VP of the endowment for Kamehameha Schools Kyle Chock, executive director of Pacific Resource Partnership Keiki-Pua Dancil, president and CEO of the Hawaii Science and Technology Council State Sen. Carol Fukunaga, Democrat, representing McCully to…
As revenues fall and old ways fail, a Hawaiian Electric team tries to turn a power behemoth into a clean-energy matrix. “You can’t run an operational company like this without leadership that’s experienced in operational issues,” says Robbie Alm, executive…
Except for college and graduate school, Jodee Crane has spent her whole life on Kauai and she can’t remember when the job situation has been so bleak. She says there’s desperation in their words as unemployed workers wonder what will…
We saw what happened to Aloha Airlines when go! flew in and started a price war that…
The tab has finally come due. For decades, Hawaii neglected its critical public infrastructure. Inadequate roads and highways have left us with mind-numbing traffic jams, not just in Honolulu, but in Kona, Kihei and Lihue. Our harbors – the entry…
Q. I’ve just sold some assets and am looking for good investments, but I don’t want to be taken in by the nextBernie Madoff. What should I watch for? A. Many investors share your concerns about protecting their hard-earned nest eggs…
That’s me, the luckiest journalist in the state. And not just because I got out of the newspaper business in January 2009, after 22 years with the Star-Bulletin and Advertiser. No, my luck is much more about what I came…
When the real estate market was taking a beating last year along with the overall economy, Rob Kildow didn’t back down. “I like a challenge, and when the market got sketchy on us, I throttled up as much as I…
BOSS METHODOLOGY The Business Outlook and Sentiment Survey (BOSS) was conducted by QMark Research using a list of Hawaii companies purchased from Equifax Polk Business Directory. The sample of companies was stratified based on number of employees. Small businesses were…
Most companies deal with hard times by cutting costs, laying off workers and focusing on their core business. Richard Schuman, owner of Makani Kai Helicopters, took a different path. For more than a decade, Schuman says, his company enjoyed strong,…
So, you want to be a real estate tycoon? If there’s one thing we’ve learned from two years of stagnation in Hawaii’s real estate market, it’s that there’s more to investing than simply buying low and selling high. That’s speculation.…
When Mitch D’Olier left Honolulu’s Victoria Ward Co. to lead Kaneohe Ranch, the largest landowner in Kailua, on Windward Oahu, he thought he would see few tourists on the job. “When I was at Victoria Ward, about 30 percent of…
What a difference a billion dollars makes. Until recently, the state treasury – officially, the Treasury Management Branch of the Financial Administration Division of the Department of Budget and Finance – has operated in relative obscurity. With its staff of…
Mike Strembitsky launched an education revolution in the northern Alberta city of Edmonton in the 1960s and, today, many people consider it the best public school system in North America. It has inspired many districts across the United States to…
While other students around the state begin their day reciting the Pledge of Allegiance or listening to announcements in traditional classrooms with four walls, the 85 students at Halau Ku Mana charter school chant in Hawaiian under a tree-shaded tent…
Participants, in the order they begin speaking: Steve Petranik: Moderator and editor of Hawaii Business. Candy Suiso: Teacher at Waianae High School and program director of Searider Productions. Bruce Coppa: COO of Communications Pacific and chairman of the education committee for the Chamber…
Participants, in the order they begin speaking: Steve Petranik: Moderator and editor of Hawaii Business. Candy Suiso: Teacher at Waianae High School and program director of Searider Productions. Bruce Coppa: COO of Communications Pacific and chairman of the education committee for the Chamber…
When Rick Hadley became chairman and CEO of Hawaiian Springs in 2006, he didn’t want Hawaiian Springs to be just another water. He says his vision was to take the best water from the most beautiful place on Earth and…
If you think your assistant looks forward to flowers and chocolate on Administrative Professionals Day, April 21, you’re wrong. What he or she really wants is to attend a workshop — paid for by the company. It’s a smart investment…