Steve Petranik has been an editor and reporter for almost four decades and now is the editor of Hawaii Business. Before joining the magazine in 2009, he spent 18 years as an editor at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and five years at the Honolulu Advertiser. He’s reported from six countries on three continents and his stories have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times.
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? The decision for our firm to begin working from home was made March 12 and went into effect the next day. I’m so encouraged by our team’s commitment to help stop…
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? HealthPersonas is an all in one encompassing platform to support members to better health. We use patented science and technology combined with expert coaching to improve the way our members feel,…
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? We immediately sprung to action when we noticed the overwhelming support in the community for small businesses, and many people wanting to order takeout to help local restaurants stay in business.…
Hawaii’s small businesses and nonprofits received $2.1 billion during the first round of federal Payroll Protection Program loans – the 10th highest rate among the 50 states in per capita money received. Hawaii Business Magazine Editor Steve Petranik interviews via…
Hawaii’s small businesses and nonprofits received $2.1 billion during the first round of federal Payroll Protection Program loans – the 10th highest rate among the 50 states in per capita money received. Hawaii Business Magazine Editor Steve Petranik interviews via…
Virtual Interview: Donavan Kealoha, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Purple Mai‘a How has your organization been able to continue its core mission(s)? Our mission is to inspire and educate the next generation of culturally grounded, community-serving tech makers and problem solvers.…
Virtual Interview: Randy Wong, President, Hawaii Youth Symphony How has your organization been able to continue its core mission(s)? Although we have had to suspend our in-person activities, our mission – to develop students to their fullest potential, through orchestral…
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? Sagely is an engagement platform focused on improving the lives of older adults, their families and the senior living care staff who serve them. While we have been delivering our solution…
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? We are a financial technology startup with a mission to positively transform how people and businesses engage in local economies. Before the COVID-19 outbreak hit, building the tools to achieve that…
A commencement speech is a huge responsibility. The celebration part of the speech is easy. You congratulate the perseverance and hard work that earned graduates a vital piece of paper, whether it is a high school diploma or a college…
What has been your organization’s latest pivot or innovation? BNI (Business Network International) Hawaii is a professional networking organization that has met in person for the past 30 plus years. In Hawai‘i we have 28 chapters and 550 members who…
Virtual interview with: Marjie Carroll, Head of School, Montessori Community School What changes did you make to finish this school year, and have you made plans for summer school? Since March 30, teachers at Montessori Community School (MCS) have been…
Virtual Interview with Cara Short, Executive Director, AccesSurf What has been your organization’s latest pivot or innovation? AccesSurf is about a lot more than accessible beach and adaptive water sports programs for people with disabilities. Over the years, AccesSurf has…
Virtual Interview: Miki Tomita, Founder & CEO, Education Incubator How has your organization been able to continue its core mission(s)? Our core mission is to empower young people to create change now, to contribute to a better world as part…
How are you coping with the COVID-19 crisis? As an essential business, we have remained operational. We have adapted to the changing environment in ways that help protect the health of our employees, customers and the community, but also allow…
Virtual Interview: Jud R. Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer, Maui Behavioral Health Resources How has your organization been able to continue its core mission(s)? Maui Behavioral Health Resources is an umbrella organization for three nonprofit agencies: Maui Youth & Family Services,…
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? Due to social distancing, Modtech has focused on providing our clients with solutions surrounding virtual collaboration tools, including video conferencing systems, teleconference rooms and telework systems. These tools allow our clients…
Virtual Interview on COVID-19: Kathryn Raethel, President; Ryan Ashlock, Chief Operating Officer; Derek Dickard, Director, Outpatient Clinics; and Jesse Siebel, Director, Mission and Spiritual Care, Adventist Health Castle What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? Ashlock: In this…
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? Like many local businesses, we had to plan for and implement in a very short period a substantial restructuring of the way the firm conducts its daily business, including several innovative…
Virtual Interview: Robin Kumabe, Executive Director, Touch A Heart How has your organization been able to continue its core mission(s)? Our mission is to transform the lives of those facing barriers to employment by providing vocational training in a healing…
Virtual Interview: Dr. Lynn Babington, President, Chaminade University What changes did you make to finish this school year, and have you made plans for summer school? Chaminade University made a number of significant adjustments to the final five weeks of…
Virtual Interview: Maenette K.P. Ah Nee-Benham, Chancellor, University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu What changes did you make to finish this school year, and have you made plans for summer school? All 10 campuses in the University of Hawaiʻi System went fully…
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? With the increase of pressure on tenants and landlords caused by the pandemic and the moratorium on evictions, I have turned to helping manage relationships between landlords and tenants and supplying…
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? In April, PrimeLending implemented a new Loan Origination System, Blue Sage, an industry-leading platform that enables our loan officers to deliver homeowners a seamless, secure and superior mortgage experience. With Blue…
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? As our clients plan for the eventual return of their workforce, we’re developing strategies to make sure employees feel safe and confident in their environment. Many open office layouts no longer…
Virtual Interview: Rev. Anke Flohr, Executive Director, Pacific Health Ministry How has your organization been able to continue its core mission(s)? While medical workers are on the frontlines every day treating the physical needs that people have during the pandemic,…
Virtual Interview Susan Furuta, President & CEO, Helping Hands Hawai‘i How has your organization been able to continue its core mission(s)? All of our programs are still operating and accessible by phone or email but have adapted to the changing…
What is the state government doing to support local businesses during this crisis? As soon as I ordered the stay-at-home social distancing mandates to protect the health and safety of our community, Hawai‘i’s businesses had to make drastic and immediate…
Virtual Interview: Heather Nakakura, Director, West Hawaii Explorations Academy What changes did you make to finish this school year, and have you made plans for summer school? I’m very proud of the way our staff pulled together as a team…
Virtual Interview: Dr. Kyle Atabay, Principal, and Brother Brian M. Walsh, President, Damien Memorial School What changes did you make to finish this school year, and have you made plans for summer school? Atabay: Our third quarter ended on March…
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? Since a statewide shelter-in-place order was issued for California in mid-March, and Hawai‘i shortly thereafter, our office workforce has gone virtual, equipped with the resources needed to work remotely at full…
Are you considering changing the Island Olive Oil Co. business model? We had to make several changes to our business model quickly so we could continue to operate. We lost our entire wholesale unit when the restaurants closed, and our…
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? Out of concern for flattening the curve, and before we were required to do so, Still & Moving Center shut its doors, cancelling 75 classes a week. That was Tuesday evening,…
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? The drastic reduction of passenger flights into the islands and tourism on the islands has significantly changed the supply and demand for both freight movement and aircraft maintenance. Our team has…
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? We had to pivot from business as usual to comprehending what this economic “stop and hold” means to our clients and the community. Strategic communications planning, as well as crisis management,…
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? Throughout this unprecedented time, we have been committed to proactive and proportional responses. At the outset, we made open, honest and frequent communication a cornerstone of our response. We ensure that…
What has been your company’s latest pivot or innovation? Carbon Lighthouse is an Energy Savings-as-a-Service company that delivers profitable climate solutions for commercial real estate portfolios. Our patented AI platform CLUES, built in-house and used by Carbon Lighthouse engineers, analyzes…
Part I of a three-part series of timely workplace advice articles from the Hawaii Employers Council Workplace safety should always be on employers’ minds, and with COVID-19 continuing to spread, it’s even more important to be proactive and vigilant about…
Virtual Interview: Lani Go-Keala, Executive Director and Kahealani Rivera, M.D., Board President, American Heart Association Hawai‘i Division How has your organization been able to continue its core mission(s)? Rivera: The mission of American Heart Association Hawai‘i Division remains vital especially…
Virtual Interview: Lee Higa-Okamoto, Executive Director, Friends of the Waikīkī Aquarium How has your organization been able to continue its core mission? The Friends of the Waikīkī Aquarium (FOWA) has continued to support the Aquarium’s mission to inspire and promote understanding, appreciation…
