Talk Story: Peter Ho
Even after six years at the helm of the state’s second largest bank, Ho is still a relatively young CEO, at age 50. However, he points out: “There are a lot of miles on the odometer.” We talk to him…
Leadership
Talk Story: Wes Reber Porter
Photo by David Croxford Before being hired by Damien this year, Porter was a law professor and ran the highly regarded Litigation Center at Golden Gate University School of Law. Prior to that, he spent a decade as a…
The Evolution of the CIO
As part of Hawaii Business’ C-Suite conference series, we brought together three of Hawaii’s leading CIOs. Todd Nacapuy, chief innovation officer for the state, first talks about driving change and accommodating all kinds of users. Then, Sheh Bertram of Bank…
Talk Story: Michael Gold, President and CEO of HMSA
For the past four years, Gold has led HMSA through a dramatic transformation in the healthcare industry. We ask him about the insurance company’s plans to fundamentally change how it pays physicians. Q: HMSA is about to embark on a…
The Resilient Leader
EVERY SUCCESSFUL LEADER has a story about how his or her response to challenges, setbacks or failures helped set them on the path to success. In fact, there are many points in a successful career in which that person’s response…
Budding Industry
Sixteen years ago, Hawaii legalized medical marijuana but never made it easy for qualified patients to obtain it. That’s about to change: Eight companies are preparing to open stores statewide that will sell state-tested and regulated medical marijuana for roughly…
Drones Unleashed
Tucked inside Battery Bill’s store on Dillingham Boulevard is another store that looks like an oversize walk-in closet, but is, in fact, the epicenter of one of the state’s fastest growing industries. Drone Services Hawaii LLC, open for less than two…
Leading Authentically
Here is an abbreviated version of the closing session from the 2015 Leadership Conference discussing authentic leadership. Before the discussion began, the audience was asked to vote via their phones on the most important characteristics needed for authentic leadership. There…
Hawaii: Who We Are
Our Sources Reliable data collection on a big scale takes time. The most recent statistics available for this report are primarily from 2014, sometimes earlier or from 2015. Our information came from many sources; here are abbreviations and acronyms we…
Talk Story: John Y. Gotanda
After nearly three decades as a lawyer and law professor on the Mainland, the former dean of the Villanova University law school comes home to lead HPU. We talk to John Gotanda about what it takes to be a university president,…
Local Girl to Lead Saks
When the doors open at Saks Fifth Avenue Hawaii on August 25 at the redesigned International Market Place, it will be a homecoming for vice president and general manager Shelley Tadaki Cramer. Cramer was born and raised in Honolulu, then…
Still Rolling Along after 105 Years
"Riding bikes is fun, and going to Eki’s makes me feel like a kid again!” raves Gene Christmas (yes, that’s his real last name). The 59-year-old quality assurance inspector at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard has bought more than 20 bicycles…
Leadership Roundtable: Merging Visions
The Participants: Peter Ho, 51 Chairman, President and CEO, Bank of Hawaii. Melialani James, 38 President, Hawaii Venture Capital Association, and Head of New Ventures, Sultan Ventures. John Komeiji, 62 Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel, Hawaiian Telcom. Colbert Matsumoto,…
Daughters Rule
While his daughters were growing up, Eddie Flores remembers being careful to keep the family business looking peppy and upbeat in their eyes. No long days of toil in the kitchen, just fun trips to trade shows. No schlepping dishes,…
Mark Dunkerley of Hawaiian Airlines
Since taking the helm in 2005, just as Hawaiian Airlines was coming out of bankruptcy, Dunkerley has presided over a period of unprecedented growth. With new routes to Japan, Korea, China, Australia and New Zealand, the airline has spent billions…
Middle School Miracles
A groundbreaking program – based on solid data about student performance – is leading to remarkable changes in middle-school students around the state. Let’s start with three students at Waimea Middle Public Conversion Charter School. One eighth grade boy was…
Hawaii Business Environmental Report: Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes have already caused a dengue fever outbreak in Hawaii. Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases may be close behind. Here’s what scientists are doing and what you should do. For most of Kepa Police’s life, mosquitoes were minor annoyances, simply…
Ask the Expert: Raising Employee Engagement
Q: My employees usually just go through the motions on the job. Do you have any Hawaii-specific advice to getting them more engaged in their work? A: Organizations worldwide are desperately trying to achieve “engagement.” Why? Because companies where…
Vance Roley: Dean, Shidler College of Business
Roley has been dean at Manoa’s business college since 2005 and, this year, he was named Salesperson of the Year by the Honolulu chapter of Sales and Marketing Executives. Hawaii Business publisher Bobby Senaha asks about the importance of sales,…
From the Publisher: Unfortunately, the Boss Is Not Always a Leader
The year was 1994: I had just graduated from college and began looking for my first “real” job. I was fortunate to have been introduced to an executive at a Los Angeles media company and he lined up an interview…
Hawaii Business Environmental Report: Pesticides
Critics say use of the chemicals by seed companies endangers the health of Hawaii’s people, but the companies insist they are using pesticides safely and following federal regulations. A recent report suggests a way forward on the issue. Malia Chun…
Back to the Hill
Hawaii companies will return to Washington in June to show that the Aloha State's economy is more than just tourism and the military If you want to make a splash, sometimes you have to cross the ocean. The challenges faced…
Hawaii Business Environmental Report: Fuel Leaks
Two years ago, 27,000 gallons of jet fuel leaked from the military’s giant Red Hill underground storage tanks. The Navy more fully explains what went wrong then and answers the question: Will further or bigger leaks happen and contaminate a…
Retain Your Older Workers
Q: Two-thirds of my staff are Baby Boomers and that terrifies me, because the last time one retired, I couldn’t find a replacement half as good. How do I keep these folks from leaving? A: Every industry is dealing with…