All Stories

Paying Out More than It Earns for Years

Hawaiian electric industries has maintained the remarkable record of paying dividends to shareholders for more than 100 years. But, lately, there’s something else that people may find remarkable. For the past three-and-a-half years, HEI has paid more in dividends than…

Down, Not Out

There’s no denying it’s been a brutal three years for Central Pacific Bank and its parent company, Central Pacific Financial Corp. The bank’s aspiration of grabbing more market share with its 2004 merger with City Bank has all but disappeared.…

Making a Hobby Your Business

Maui Surfer Girls founder Dustin Tester proves that, with hard work, you don’t need a business degree to own one. Tester’s love of surfing and her Adventure Education degree from Prescott College in Arizona inspired her to start an all-girl…

5 Steps to Better Public Speaking

Some people have the natural ability to speak with confidence in front of large audiences. For everyone else, Mark Blackburn, treasurer of Honolulu’s Downtown Business Association Toastmasters, offers tips on being a better public speaker. “It’s a real challenge, but…

SmallBiz Energy Makeover

Transforming your workplace from an electricity-sucking abyss to an energy-efficient operation offers tons of benefits – it’s good for the planet, could increase employee productivity and morale, and may even win you a few new customers. But beyond the “soft”…

Ask SmallBiz: Successful Women

Q. How can a woman small-business owner succeed in the male-dominated construction industry? A. Women leaders face unique challenges in the workplace, no matter what industry we are in. Yet, as women, we bring abundant talents to the table and can…

Innovation: Virtual Reality

It's been a dizzying year for Craig Carapelho, CEO of Honolulu-based Team Vision Virtual and honcho of what’s billed as the world’s first 3D travel Web site. In April, he completed a Series A round of investor financing, led prominently…

Innovation: KonaRed

The old saying that “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” holds true for Dana and Shaun Roberts. The owners of KonaRed are taking the red fruit of the whole coffee bean, which is usually thrown away, and processing it…