My company has launched a wellness program, which leaves me with mixed feelings. I appreciate that the company cares about my health and I love the yoga class at lunchtime on Wednesdays, but there are also two other yoga classes,…
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…
Interest rates are going up. What can I do to keep my cost of borrowing affordable? Interest rates have been low for so long that many borrowers take them for granted. Savvy business owners, however, are closely watching interest rates…
Savvy business experts offer advice to emerging designers on going global Talk about a left-brain, right-brain challenge. Local fashion entrepreneurs need to be innovative and continually create new looks that attract people’s attention. But, if their skills end there, they…
Innovators and investors from around the world are gathering in Honolulu this January for the second annual East Meets West Conference. “Local entrepreneurs will be able to learn from technology companies that have conquered global markets,” says Chenoa Farnsworth, managing…
When Lawrence and Zachary Hester were booking activities for a family vacation in Hawaii, they noticed it wasn’t always a smooth process – so they took it on themselves to make a change. Their solution is FareHarbor, an online booking…
It is difficult to become a better leader when you don’t know precisely what changes to make. But some people are so afraid of constructive feedback they don’t ask for it. Or, their negative response to feedback may cause others…
How do I prevent competitors from poaching my employees? You can’t control what your competitors do, but you have a lot of control over whether your employees want to stay or go. A perfect storm of low unemployment, geographic isolation,…
Aaron Okubo says organizations like Legacy of Life Hawaii saved his life. “Indirectly, I feel I’ve benefited from their efforts to encourage others to donate their organs and tissues for transplant,” reflects the 61-year-old senior program development manager at MC&A…
With consumers seeking healthier options, small producers like Molokai Livestock Cooperative are enjoying a spike in popularity. “We have seen an increase in consumer demand over the years,” says GM Jack Spruance, 62. “But marketing is not our biggest challenge, …
Tuesday, 11:34 am Pearlridge Center Photo by Josiah Patterson Stephanie Lake stores the elements to her larger-than-life holiday displays in this room at Pearlridge Center. Awaiting her creative touch are 16 plastic Christmas…
This new monthly column looks at innovative programs elsewhere and asks: Might this work in Hawaii? In our first column, we explore the city of San Francisco’s mission to bring low-income students onto the college track and hear how one…
When it comes to bikini shopping, there’s a vital statistical difference between the buying habits of locals and those of Island visitors. It all comes down to cheeks – the okole, that is – and just how much a lady…
Name: Stephanie Lake Job: Creative Designer Responsibilities: For Stephanie Lake, the Christmas season stretches year-round. “I live in glitter,” says Lake, whose company, Platform, installs holiday displays at many of Oahu’s largest shopping centers. At other times of the year,…
The BOSS Survey is conducted twice a year for Hawaii Business by QMark Research. We ask about 400 business leaders, mostly company owners and CEOs, a host of questions: How is your company doing on revenue, staffing and profit? Will…
Henk Rogers, Hawaii Business' CEO of the year, does not follow conventions - he ignores or breaks them. Henk Rogers is an unusual choice for Hawaii Business magazine’s CEO of the Year. Past CEOs of the Year have led some…
YES! A Memoir of Modern Hawaii By Walter Dods Jr., with Gerry Keir and Jerry Burris Walter Dods Jr. was born in Honolulu just before Pearl Harbor, the first of seven children in a close-knit family that struggled to pay…
What bosses and employees should know about holiday gifts, parties and bonuses.
Tuesday, 10:52 AM The Salvation Army 322 Sumner St., Iwilei Mabel Kihamahana cuts and sews fabric to refurbish donated furniture at The Salvation Army in Honolulu. Each cushion takes her about 20 minutes to reupholster. Kihamahana’s 40th anniversary with…
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…
As a physical therapist and the co-owner of Ohana Pacific Rehabilitation Services in Kailua, Kevin Lockette has always been interested in people’s movement issues. He started one of the first fitness…
Is it ever appropriate to go to your boss’s boss to complain about your boss? Yes, no and maybe. Yes, if you have witnessed discrimination, sexual harassment, fraud, kickbacks, gross negligence, substance abuse or anything that would create a really…
Think your commute is tough? Next time you’re sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic for an hour, spare a thought for Brad Smith. The founder of Kahala Capital Advisers, a private investment firm, and Kahala Aviation travels regularly to his offices in…
Hawaii’s oldest continuously operated companies and nonprofits include many familiar names and a few lesser-known ones. Here are 11 enduring ranches, churches, schools and other organizations, each with a history that stretches back at least 165 years. Mokuaikaua Church Mokuaikaua…