Hawaii Business Magazine - October 2016

Admin Staff - Sean Bova

The Cost of Dying

There are many ways to memorialize the dead, but one constant is that a little forethought and communication - before you go - can save your family a lot of money and grief after you're gone. A few times a…

Wrangling the C-Arm

It takes muscle and skill to move some of the high-tech imaging equipment in preparation for surgery – and to get it out afterward. As a radiology technologist at The Queen’s Medical Center, Amy Davis helps reposition this C-arm x-ray…

Workplace Wellness Is Good for You, and for the Bottom Line

When Warren Buffett sees trends, people pay attention. Such was the case in the early 1990s, says David Hunnicutt, when Buffett and other Nebraska-based CEOs decided that workplace wellness deserved a closer look. They founded the Wellness Council of America…

Ask the Expert: Flextime

Q: I know flextime is a powerful way to attract and retain working mothers, but how do I create a program that works for our company? A: For our firm, flextime is just one part of a healthy work environment.…

When 2 + 2 Don’t Make 4

Dyslexia is a neurobiological and genetic learning disability related to language. Students with dyslexia often struggle with oral and written language, according to the Hawaii Branch of the International Dyslexia Association. “It’s a hidden disability,” explains Margaret Higa, 53, who…

Bring Back Our Beach!

Oahu, Kauai and Maui are outlined by nearly 170 miles of sandy beaches, but about 70 percent of them are slowly shrinking from erosion, storms and a rising sea, according to a USGS report. Hawaii has the technology and expertise…

5 Steps to Surviving as a Working Mom

Keri Shepherd is a branch manager for Prospect Mortgage in Honolulu, a wife and the mother of two: one in college and the other a high school senior. Here are five ways that she balances all her responsibilities and stays…

The Careerist: Should I Jump Into the Gig Economy?

Q: I’ve got a steady job making decent money, but it’s 40 hours/week in a cubicle. Some of my buddies are skipping the “office grind” for freelance work or are jumping on with Uber and Lyft. They’ve got flexibility and…

Wong's Drapery Shoppe

The drapery shop is on Beretania Street, across the street from where the original store opened in 1947. Mel Wong has been working for his family’s drapery business since he was in high school in 1969. “I was working at…

Shangri La: Hawaii's House of Treasures

At First, It doesn’t look like much. I’ve just parked in the driveway of Shangri La, which was once the home of Doris Duke, and I’m wondering where the house is. I see a small, plain, white windowless building nearby,…

Tough Job But Some Woman's Got to Do It

TRANSPLANT SURGEON Dr. Linda Wong ➥Wong, Hawaii’s only woman transplant surgeon and a specialist in liver transplants, does her work in the Transplant Center at The Queen’s Medical Center. She performs all the liver transplants – about 12 to 18…

Fighting the Good Fight

For 7 years, Yancy Medeiros has been a pro MMA fighter. NAME: Yancy Medeiros AGE: 28 JOB: Professional mixed martial arts fighter, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) START: Medeiros was born and raised in Makaha, and graduated from Waianae High School.…

From the Editor: Aloha Dennis

If you read Hawaii Business regularly, you know Dennis Hollier writes engaging stories about complex subjects, such as energy, construction, leadership and farming. He does the opposite of dumbing down; what should I call it, “understanding up”? In his articles,…

Wahine Getting It Done

Hands-on parenthood is a more than full-time job. So are most leadership positions. Combining the two, especially for women, is often seen as what The New York Times recently called a “head-on collision between motherhood and work.” But what if…