Doug Johnstone Hawaiʻi President The Howard Hughes Corp. Doug Johnstone joined Ward Village before the property had a name. “When I joined, we were starting to get our arms around the development opportunities that it presented,” he says. “And obviously…
Summer Kaiawe Attorney and Partner, Watanabe Ing "I view an attorney as someone who can solve problems and help people and companies to find solutions,” says Summer Kaiawe. “It’s a rewarding career.” Jonathan Lai is managing partner at Watanabe Ing,…
Khara Jabola-Carolus Executive Director, Hawaiʻi State Commission on the Status of Women Khara Jabola-Carolus is a fierce advocate for women and girls. As leader of the State Commission on the Status of Women, she has helped pass legislation to prohibit…
Rachel James Attorney, Hawaiʻi Public Utilities Commission Rachel James didn't always want to be a lawyer. But in 2015, with a master’s degree in global leadership and sustainable development and a one-year position in U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s Hawai‘i office,…
Danya Hakeem Director of Innovation, Agriculture & Circular Economy Elemental Excelerator Danya Hakeem takes a unique approach to her work: She’s always looking for ways to build bridges. Whether through documentary filmmaking, policy, legislation, community organizing or impact investing, Hakeem…
Josie Howard Executive Director, We Are Oceania During surges of COVID-19 in the Islands last year, Jocelyn "Josie" Howard and another We Are Oceania staff member took food, masks, dignity bags and other personal necessities to more than 100 Pacific…
Makena Coffman Director of UH Mānoa's Institute for Sustainability and Resilience Makena Coffman has become a go-to person on local environmental issues: everything from climate change and sea level rise to electric vehicles and emission standards. She is director of…
Ruth Erickson Executive VP of E-Commerce and Marketing Operations, Bank of Hawaii Bank of Hawaii President Peter Ho knew the bank needed someone with digital media expertise to connect with customers. So the bank launched a nationwide search by a…
Neill Char Executive VP - Commercial Banking Group First Hawaiian Bank As a 28-year-old bank branch manager, Neill Char had an epiphany. “In my first leadership role, I found my purpose in life and that is to help people realize…
Jamie Cheng Director of Commercial Operations American Savings Bank When congress passed the Paycheck Protection Program in March 2020, Jamie Cheng’s team of a dozen commercial bankers at American Savings Bank was ready. Working in shifts, they and the bank’s…
Welcome to the Black Book: a look at the personal and professional journeys of Hawai‘i’s top business executives, nonprofit decision-makers and community leaders.
The annual overview shows local philanthropy remained strong in 2019 – an important foundation for local charities considering the difficult challenges they face this year.
Ranking Hawai‘i’s Biggest Companies and Nonprofits Highlights from the Top 250: Big Changes in Energy, Health Care and Tech Ever wanted a time machine so you could go back in time? We’ve built one, and we call it the Top…
SmallBiz Week features profiles of local companies and business leaders who won Hawaiʻi awards this year from the Small Business Administration, plus four new members of the Hawaiʻi Small Business Hall of Fame.
Profiles of nine great local companies that you should know about.
Meet the newly inducted members of the Hawaiʻi Small Business Hall of Fame.
Companies are constantly innovating in the modern world. Ironically, though, the guiding principles that make a Best Place to Work are timeless.
Dana Takushi Senior EVP and Manager of the Consumer Banking Group Bank of Hawaii Age 50 Dana Takushi always steps up to a challenge. “She started with the bank in our commercial area, but as I’ve experienced challenges throughout the…
Julie Yamamoto General Operations Manager, Hui Car Share Age 39 It may seem surprising for a car dealership to venture into ride-sharing, but for Julie Yamamoto, Hui Car Share seemed like a natural fit for the Servco brand. She says…
Nathan Peters Director of IT Field Operations Par Pacific Holdings Age 40 Nathan Peters came to Hawai‘i in 2003 to visit a friend. He never intended to stay. “Not really knowing anything about Hawai‘i, it was very cool coming to…
Mike B. Pietsch President and COO, Title Guaranty Age 41 Mike Pietsch grew up in the family real estate business and never considered any other career. He held summer jobs at the company while in high school and joined it…
Melissa Miyashiro Managing Director of Strategy and Policy Blue Planet Foundation Age 38 Before Melissa Miyashiro joined Blue Planet Foundation in 2014, she says her life and career were on a “fairly traditional track.” After graduating from law school, she…
Cayenne Pe‘a Principal and co-founder, Alaka‘i Development Age 37 West O‘ahu native Cayenne Pe‘a recalls waking at 5:30 a.m. so she could catch the school bus to Kamehameha Kapālama. “I remember when we first moved out to Makakilo, there were…
Lina Le Enterprise Director of Human Resources Y. Hata & Co. Ltd. Age 29 "My parents are boat people from Vietnam,” says Lina Le simply. After escaping that country following the war, her parents took three years to reach the…