Businesses Evolve With Zoomers, Boomers and Everyone in Between
In her first month as editor-in-chief of Hawaii Business Magazine, Jennifer Ablan kept hearing how multigenerational teams lead to stronger, more vibrant workplaces.
New Stories
From Purple Heart To Persona Non Grata
A Hawai‘i Veteran’s Struggle to Fight Deportation
Worming Toward a Greener Future
The food scraps and leftovers you normally throw away can be turned into new soil or fertilizer and soil conditioner.
Outdated Classifications Still Guide the Use of Hawai‘i’s Ag Lands
The valuation of agricultural lands is more than an academic exercise: It is an important factor governing land and power in Hawai‘i.
Condos Under Pressure
Rising insurance rates continue to squeeze condo owners on O‘ahu, but relief may be in sight
Lahaina Is Rising Slowly
Two years after the fire, its core historic and commercial center is still in ruins. But residents are rebuilding their businesses, homes and lives around the edges of town.
Top Performers in Real Estate 2025
Hawai‘i Business Magazine identified the leading real estate companies and invited them to submit their Top Performers. This section profiles many of these Top Performers in real estate. Consider these agents and companies when preparing to make your next real estate transaction.
A Master Woodworker Makes Furniture That Endures
At his woodworking shop in Hālawa, Dae Son turns local hardwoods into custom furniture.
This Maui Nonprofit Has Offered “Help and Hope” for 60 Years
Maui Economic Opportunity assists all ages with food, rent, transportation, preschool, employment and more.
Hawaii Business Wins National Best Magazine Honor – Again
This year’s award for best regional business magazine comes after we won the same prize in 2018, 2019 and 2020
Tickets are on sale now for the 12th Annual Leadership Conference!
Hawai‘i’s premier leadership event is back, bringing together professionals, executives, and changemakers for a full day of insight, connection, and growth. Expect candid conversations with respected leaders, interactive workshops that challenge your thinking, and real tools to help you lead with impact. Meet people who move the needle in their industries—and walk away with ideas you can act on immediately.
Friday July 25, 2025
8:30am to 4:30pm
Hilton Hawaiian Village
Sonja Schmidt
For over eleven years, Sonja Schmidt has served Hawai‘i Island with integrity, care, and a sharp eye for detail. Known for going above and beyond, she strives to make each real estate journey smooth and stress-free—whether helping first-time buyers, investors,…
Sisi Maw Takaki
Sisi Takaki has been a respected member of Hawaii’s business community for over 20 years, with close to fifteen years devoted to Hawaii’s luxury residential real estate market. A licensed Realtor® and award-winning top producer, she is known for her…
Rolanda Li Racoma
Rolanda Li Racoma is a top-performing REALTOR® with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Advantage Realty. Her journey began with her father’s love for real estate, who taught her the importance of ownership—especially in Hawaii, where land is both valuable…
Kuira Pao
Mahalo Hawaii Business Magazine for acknowledging my achievements as a Top Performer in 2025. This recognition is a significant honor and serves as a testament to the dedication and hard work I have invested in my career. My journey in…
Kim Leslein Soares
Mahalo for your trust and support. I am incredibly honored to be recognized as a Hawaii Business Magazine Top Performer, and I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to my clients, colleagues, and community for making this achievement possible. My…
Lists & Rankings
Hawai‘i’s Best Places to Work 2025
90 Companies and Nonprofits Where Employees Thrive.
Black Book 2024: 410 Executives of Hawai‘i’s Most Influential Organizations
Profiles of business and nonprofit leaders in every sector, from construction and energy to education and health care.
Hawai‘i’s Most Charitable Companies 2024
107 organizations donated more than $300 million to help Hawai‘i’s nonprofits, with a significant portion going to support Maui’s recovery.
Hawai‘i’s Most Profitable Companies 2024
The No. 1 company earned $297 million in profit last year; the last-place company lost almost as much.
Hawai‘i’s Top 250 Companies 2024: List Now Available
The 41st annual ranking of the state’s largest companies and nonprofits shows revenue was up, but the Lahaina catastrophe was widely felt – especially among small and medium businesses with Maui operations.
Top Performers in Real Estate 2024
Hawaii Business Magazine identified the leading real estate companies and invited them to submit their Top Performers. This page profiles many of these Top Performers in real estate. Consider these agents and companies when preparing to make your next real estate transaction.
Leadership Conference
Hilton Hawaiian Village
July 25, 2025
Excellence in Business Awards
Nico’s Pier 38
September 24, 2025
Wahine Forum
Hilton Hawaiian Village
October 24, 2025
Partner Content
Designing for Focus: Why Your Office Might Be Draining Productivity
In today’s distracted world, businesses that design for focus will outperform. Here's how Systemcenter creates environments where people thrive.
Creating Change through Creativity
Youths facing life challenges learn to express themselves and heal through arts education, thanks to a Museum Without Walls grant.
Built for Hawai‘i: Huaka‘i by Hawaiian Empowers Local Travelers
A free travel benefits program helps Hawai‘i's businesses and residents stay connected.
Hawaii News Now Earns Emmy for Emphasis on Streaming Content
Momentum Grows for HNN as Content Floods Streaming
Your Data Has a Story to Tell. Are You Listening?
Effective creative is born from connection. In Hawaiʻi, that connection starts with understanding the unique stories hidden in local data.
HELOC: One solution for life’s planned and unplanned expenses
Flexible financing for college costs, home improvements, and emergency needs
A Master Woodworker Makes Furniture That Endures
At his woodworking shop in Hālawa, Dae Son turns local hardwoods into custom furniture.
This Kaimukī Shop Helps Customers Make Their Own Jewelry
Brendan and Jill Barry’s Bead It! is stocked with jewelry-making materials and offers classes in soldering, drilling and other techniques.
An Old Family Recipe Remains a Classic at This Līhu‘e Restaurant
Tip Top Motel, Cafe & Bakery’s bestselling oxtail soup uses Chinese and mustard cabbage, long rice, bamboo shoots, green onion and plenty of meat.
This Honolulu Store Specializes in the Warm, Retro Look of Film Photography
Rainbow Photo Video caters to amateurs and pros who love the traditional film-processing method.
The Future of Hawai‘i’s Last Sugar Mill
Pu‘unēnē Mill on Maui was bought by Nan Inc., though much of it may be demolished.
Art + Flea: Where Creativity Meets Community
O‘ahu’s original makers market offers original items from illustrators, clothes makers, woodworkers and others.
He’s Part of the “Pit Crew” for a Maunakea Telescope
Derek Petrowski landed his dream job as a telescope support technician at the Keck Observatory.
My Job Is Sharpening Hawai‘i’s Saws, Scissors and Knives
From his Kalihi workshop, Dexter Freitas has sharpened blades for cooks, print shops, furniture makers and others since 1988.
My Job Is Helping People Destress Through Forest Bathing
A certified forest-therapy guide leads visitors and locals into the woods.
My Job Is Repairing Rare Stringed Instruments
Ki-Lin Reece is a luthier at KR Strings, where he restores family heirlooms and old Hawaiian instruments.
My Job Is Helping Grieving Families Through Their Loved One’s Final Days
Joseph Eppink is a death doula, a gift he discovered as a hospice volunteer during the AIDS crisis.
My Job Is Running a Successful Calligraphy and Bottle-Painting Business
Michelle Clemen left a nursing career for creative work, and assures the skeptical that “you can make a living from being an artist.”
In-Depth Reports
Navigating Hawai‘i’s Family-Leave Maze
Rules and policies can leave parents broke and jobless, or push them back to work long before they or their infants are ready. Can the system be fixed?
Native Hawaiians Don’t Own Many Local Hotels. Here’s Why That May Change.
While the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and ali‘i trusts collect land rents from 18 hotels, some Hawaiian groups are aiming for ownership.
Hawai‘i’s Public Schools Are National Leaders in Academic Recovery. Can They Keep Up the Momentum?
Here’s how three Title I schools are making improvements, including expanded assessments, tutoring, and after-school and summer learning.
The Governor’s Choice: Hawai‘i’s Undemocratic Cycle of Influence and Power
The governor’s power to fill vacant seats in the state Legislature has been used at least 82 times. Some appointees then launched big political careers.
Cesspools Are Killing Hawai‘i’s Coral – But It Doesn’t Have to Be That Way
An expert explains how to reverse the damage from the state’s 83,000 cesspools, including using treated wastewater for irrigation and landscaping.
Some Vacationers Wonder: Is It Possible to be a Good Tourist in Hawai‘i, or Should I Just Stay Away?
Globally, many popular destinations are experiencing a backlash against tourism. Here are multiple perspectives on the message that Hawai‘i should send to potential visitors.
Special Advertising Section
Making Business Simple for Hawaiʻi since 1969
1969 In 1969, Bill Guss opened Labor Services Inc. to provide a flexible, on-demand workforce to O‘ahu warehouses, trucking companies, contractors, and naval shipyards. From his office across the street from Waikīkī Beach, he would raise a blue flag to…
The 2025 Guide To Hawai‘i’s Shipping, Air And Transportation
Shipping companies are start of operations at the new Kapalama Container Terminal beginning in the fall, slow revenue growth, probable rate hikes, and more sustainable shipping practices. Although the numbers fluctuate somewhat month…
Better Business Bureau: Trust Drives Growth
When customers trust your business, they choose you – and they keep coming back. For over a century, BBB has helped businesses build credibility and stand out with confidence. Hawai‘i’s most successful companies prove that earning customers’ trust is the key to lasting success.