Hawaiian Telcom’s first female leader takes the helm with the 136-year old company at a crossroads. In Part I of this extended Talk Story, she talks about her personal journey as part of an immigrant family from South Korea striving…
Since taking the helm in 2005, Godsey has overseen exponential growth, brought in corporate investors and acquired a rival HR services firm. His boldest move may be January’s introduction of a technology platform that will help add more HR consultative…
Elisia Flores took over as CEO in August 2019 from her father, Eddie Flores Jr. The new CEO starts 2020 with a record 200 L&L franchises and the launch of a new concept – L&L Hawaiian Mixplate – at three…
A&B has evolved over its 150 years, starting in sugar, adding shipping, then tourism and now focusing on Hawai‘i real estate. Benjamin attributes the company’s longevity to being able to morph into relevant businesses that provide value and long-term stability.…
At 52, the executive once touted as the next CEO of First Hawaiian Bank is now flying solo, servicing a few select clients with his new strategic advisory firm, Hoku Capital. His vision is to remain engaged in Hawai‘i’s community…
In January, La‘a took over as CEO of the nonprofit that has supported adults and children with disabilities in Hawai‘i for 72 years. Her main goal is to seamlessly integrate people with disabilities into the community, so they can live…
Camp says Hawai‘i needs to change its mindset to alleviate the affordable housing crisis. At the top of her list of needed changes are creating predictable permitting time frames, revamping zoning in low-density areas and creating more urban zoning. Q:…
The longtime Marriott executive has been at HTA less than a year, but Tatum’s strategic changes are already clear: a flattening bureaucracy, a reduced fixation on the number of tourists and a shifting of marketing dollars. Q: What organizational changes…
Kalama grew up in poverty but had a successful banking career and now leads a nonprofit that provides $12 million in grants annually in Hawai‘i. He is using his personal and professional experience to seek answers to some of Hawai‘i’s…
Treacy has more than 20 years of real estate experience in Asia, Europe and on the Mainland. He hopes to infuse international best practices into the 60-acre master-planned community of Ward Village, while honoring the core principles of Hawaiian culture…
Though Young Brothers doesn’t have direct rivals in interisland shipping, Boivin insists on sharpening its competitive edge by enhancing operational efficiencies, reducing costs and shrinking its carbon footprint. Q: The Port of Honolulu is undergoing extensive improvements. How will operations…
If you thought insurance was dull, you haven’t talked with Chason Ishii about all the industry’s developments, including the need for more focused data to enhance the pricing accuracy of premiums. He also discusses how insurance can help companies grapple…
Kaneshiro, who traces his passion for nature to his days as a Boy Scout on Kauai, talks about the challenges that climate change brings to Hawaii, such as the future of our infrastructure, resiliency planning and the need for more…
Despite an unlikely start, the PCC has thrived for more than five decades. Founded by amateur entertainers on what was then the out-of-the-way North Shore of Oahu, it currently hosts about 2,500 visitors a day and continues to evolve. Q:…
Members of the 2018 cohort of 20 for the Next 20 volunteered to prepare a Hanalei farm for new kalo seedlings Lyndsey Haraguchi-Nakayama knows floods. When she was 17, a wave of brown floodwater swept her away as she tried to…
Outrigger is changing with the arrival in April of Wagoner as CEO and an infusion of $310 million from the strategic sale of six Asia-Pacific hotels. Wagoner – who hails from New York City and has an extensive background in…
Former President Barack Obama said “Hawaii is going to be indispensable” as the Obama Foundation launches its leadership development program in Asia-Pacific and throughout the world. “Hawaii has always been a bridge between East and West. It is part of…
After years of robust success, Hawaii’s largest airline faces increased competition and other market pressures. But Ingram remains unfazed and says he is focusing instead on improving the company’s strengths: outstanding operations, a favorable cost structure and its unique Hawaiian…
Dave Matlin, Athletics Director University of Hawaii at Manoa Matlin says UH Athletics has cut costs in many areas and strategically increased spending in others. Meanwhile, revenue is up and deficits down at Manoa’s athletics department. His next challenge is persuading…
It’s been a long path from social worker to leading one of Hawaii’s largest nonprofits, but it seems Karen Tan is just getting started. This fall, she and her team are developing a strategic plan to guide CFS over the…
We could not arrange a sit-down interview with Honolulu Police Chief Susan Ballard, but she did email answers to these four questions from contributing writer Gina Gelber. Q: What advice do you have for women who want to be leaders?…
He's the VP and Division Manager, Swinerton Builders Fifteen years after bringing Swinerton to Hawaii, Ehara offers a nuanced take on the construction industry: Bigger isn’t necessarily better; boom markets have their own challenges; and if you build it, they…
Taking bold steps with a can-do, collaborative attitude is at the heart of Stollar’s mindset, resulting in a transformative payment model for doctors and innovative ways to connect with young consumers. The goal: reining in health care costs and fostering…
The talent management and outsourcing veteran speaks candidly on how local companies excel – and fall short – at recruiting, retaining and inspiring workers. Q: Why is recruiting such a headache? Guss: Businesses are doing what you think should be…
The top executives at Hawaii’s five boards of Realtors provide insights into the local industry Hawaii Business asked the top executives at Hawaii’s five boards of Realtors to join in a far-ranging discussion about residential real estate in the Islands.…
Ide, who took the helm of the museum in January, wants to get the word out on what many researchers and other people-in-the-know believe: Bishop Museum is a world-class institution on par with more famous museums. She is itching to…
Christina Kishimoto, who took the DOE’s helm in August, believes the most important outcome for Hawaii’s 185,000 public school students is that they’re able to turn their passions into concrete ways forward. She talks about her main goals, assessing students,…
Par Hawaii, No. 5 on Hawaii Business’ 2017 list of the Top 250 companies, hopes to steer its core expertise – refining, storing and delivering fuel – into Hawaii’s renewable energy future. Oil and its products will remain the company’s…
There were dozens of volunteers on this December morning at Kahauiki Village, an 11.3-acre development that will eventually provide long-term housing to 153 homeless families on Oahu. Though there was excitement in the air, it was surprisingly quiet for a…
Cottrell views Iolani as a crucible in which the 154-year-old school’s values meld with a modern curriculum and cutting-edge facilities to nurture students who are well prepared for the economy of the future. Q: Your goal is to build a…
Andrew Robbins began a job in September that puts him into a hot spotlight, but he says he took the position because the rail project will change people’s lives for the better. The career transit man says his only agenda…
Hawaii State FCU is on a roll: It celebrated its 80th anniversary this year with a record of $820 million-plus in loans and 99,000 members. But Rosen cannot afford to let his guard down in a finance industry dealing with…
The luckiest man in Hawaii? Despite the natural ups and downs in life, Micah Kane says he reminds himself every day of how fortunate he is. Kane took over this year from Kelvin Taketa as CEO of Hawaii Community Foundation. In…
Gladys Quinto Marrone’s successes did not happen haphazardly. The proud daughter of Filipino immigrants says strategic planning and perseverance are responsible for her successes, whether on BIA’s legislative efforts to keep construction costs down or in her own career. Q:…
As head of Hawaiian Dredging since 2014, Majkut reveres the history of the state’s oldest full-service general contractor. The company has helped to shape the way Hawaii lives since 1902 through its involvement in big projects, including the Ala Wai…
Higashi explains how the 48-year-old company stays relevant amid unprecedented disruption in the real estate industry. He also weighs in on Hawaii’s paltry housing supply, offshore home buyers and whether the new presidency will impact Hawaii’s market. Q: How does…
Two years after taking the helm at AUW, Adams’ top priorities are greater transparency, enhanced metrics, and deeper relationships with the state and other nonprofits. Q: The traditional separation between businesses and nonprofits has been changing. A: There has been…
September and October are big months for parents with children in preschool. That’s when many embark on one of Hawaii’s most nerve-racking academic processes: applying to kindergarten. I am a graduate of the public school system in New York and…
LIKE MOST PEOPLE, I think about money often. Not about what I can buy with it – though occasionally daydreaming about a shopping trip to Tokyo never hurt anybody. No, my preoccupation is with how money works and how it…
Martin uses a baseball analogy to warn educators everywhere: If a pitcher makes the same pitch to every batter all the time, he will eventually lose. Martin’s goal is to disrupt archaic methods so educators can nurture students to navigate…
The nonprofit spends about $37 million a year to help Hawaii’s poorest people. Many of its services solve immediate needs, like hunger, but the Salvation Army is setting its sight on a new long-term initiative to stem poverty at its…
Ngo is one of only two women in the state heading a publically traded company. She shares career insights and discusses her vision for Central Pacific Bank. You were COO and became CEO on July 1. What was your first…
Barber had been Hawaiian Telcom’s COO since 2013. He was promoted this June when former CEO Eric Yeaman left for First Hawaiian Bank. Your career began more than three decades ago as a phone company lineworker in California. What was…
Hawaii Business launched the list of Hawaii’s Most Profitable Companies in 2011 to add another dimension to the Top 250 list. We use the “top line” of gross sales to rank our Top 250. But the top line won’t stay…
It was not your idea to vie for this job; the UH Board of Regents asked you to apply. Given the troubles facing the UH, what made you accept the challenge? This is the only grownup job I’ve ever had.…
President of FCH Enterprises, owner of Zippy’s restaurants Brothers Francis and Charlie Higa made a wise choice in 1966, when they opened a drive-in restaurant called Zippy’s on South King Street instead of a car wash, and launched one of…
CEO, Girl Scouts of Hawaii Girl Scouting runs through Shari Chang’s veins. Her grandmother and mother were both scouts. While growing up, she was a scout in four different states and a foreign country. Her two daughters, who grew up…
It was business as usual as the restaurant’s small staff prepared for the lunchtime crowd. The kitchen was scrubbed, the floor immaculate, and the equipment and fresh ingredients ready. Just the same as every day since the restaurant’s opening seven…
Twenty years into a high-powered career as a hospital executive, Murray got tapped for the opportunity of a lifetime: Overseeing the $70 million opening of The Queen’s Medical Center’s 17-acre campus in Ewa Beach, on the site of the former Hawaii Medical…
For many people around the world, Hawaii is paradise. They have a vision of pristine beaches, glorious sunsets and friendly people. In other words, heaven on earth. But when it comes to commerce, the vision of Hawaii from the outside…
Find out who led the way in 14 categories, and how two organizations attract and keep employees despite serious challenges.
While the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and ali‘i trusts collect land rents from 18 hotels, some Hawaiian groups are aiming for ownership.
