Parting Shot: Working Above Those Who Rest
Monday, 6:08 PM Oahu Cemetery, Nuuanu photo by Aaron K. Yoshino Danny Villarin is one of seven caretakers who maintain the grounds and buildings at Oahu Cemetery. There are no more interments at the…
Hawaii Business Magazine - October 2015
5 Steps to Career Success on the Neighbor Islands
MANY PEOPLE CAN'T imagine leaving the intimate communities and beautiful aina of their favorite Neighbor Island, even though that may limit their career opportunities. Executive and personal coach Sydney Wiecking offers ways to reduce those limitations and turn your home into…
Not as Easy as (Pumpkin) Pie
IF CARVING PUMPKINS during Halloween season is too conventional for you, Island Divers Hawaii offers the chance to do it underwater, which is as challenging as you would guess. “You go down there with high hopes that you’re going to…
What's It Worth: Haunted Attractions
REAL BUSINESS NIGHTMARES are truly scary, but a Halloween nightmare can be a fun way for a business to reward customers and employees. That’s one reason companies hire Kevin Okada to stage private parties, events and attractions. “Everybody likes to…
The Art of Creating Tofu
Mao-Chi Tzeng approaches tofu-making as an art. “It’s like chefs preparing dishes,” explains the 66-year-old co-owner of Mrs. Cheng’s Soybean Products in Kalihi. “Same materials, same ingredients, but different chefs come out with different dishes. “I like fine art and…
Good Neighbors with Christine Hanakawa: Empowering Youth Through 4-H
CHRISTINE HANAKAWA ENJOYS working with families and young people as a program coordinator for Parents and Children Together, but she also brings her caring spirit as a volunteer co-leader for two 4-H clubs: “Green Whales” and “Friendship Magic.” The youth…
Talk Story with Catherine Ngo: President and CEO, Central Pacific Financial Corporation
Ngo is one of only two women in the state heading a publically traded company. She shares career insights and discusses her vision for Central Pacific Bank. You were COO and became CEO on July 1. What was your first…
Working with a Bully
EXECUTIVE COACH KIM PAYTON recalls being asked to help with a case of workplace bullying. Just one problem: Who was bullying whom? “This guy is a mid-level manager,” Payton says. “He’s new to the organization, so he doesn’t understand a…
Ask The Expert: Should I Upgrade to Windows 10 or Wait?
QUESTION: Now that Windows 10 is out, I’m wondering: Should I upgrade or wait? Our company is small and doesn’t have a lot of resources or IT expertise. ANSWER: Since its release in July, there have been tens of millions of…
Winemaker’s Skills Are Always Growing
Every workday is different for Brett Miller (center right wearing a black shirt), though each day usually includes at least some time in the MauiWine vineyard in Kula, on the slope of Haleakala. Start: While majoring in biology and…
Got a Complex Problem? Map It Before Trying to Solve It
Overlaid on this picture is part of the Early Childhood Action Strategy systems map. TO TRANSFORM A system as complex as energy in Hawaii, dynamic thinking is needed, Dawn Lippert says. Systems maps and systems thinking help guide that dynamic thinking.…
The Careerist: Opening Up to Criticism
QUESTION: I feel like I take criticism badly. How can I learn to listen without getting offended or taking it so personally? ANSWER: A negative reaction to criticism – even when it’s mild or constructive – can get pretty severe,…
Out-Of-The-Way
JEANA IWALANI NALUAI calls her business a getaway from the masses. Hoomana Spa is on Piiholo Road near the Makawao Forest Reserve, an hour by car from Kaanapali and Lahaina and 40 minutes from Kihei and Wailua – the places where…
Business Samurai
IN HER NEW BOOK, “Why Smart Men Do the Same Dumb Things: A Warrior’s Manual for Change,” Rosalie K. Tatsuguchi explores the idea that an inflexible “samurai attitude” holds back men – and many women – from a rich life and traps…
Women Helping Women
The leaders of Lean In Circles from across the world met in Palo Alto, California, to discuss ways to better guide their groups. ONE GROUP CALLS calls itself the Crunch Brunch and these techies meet every other week in Kaka’ako…
L&L Brings Hawaii to the World
BEFORE BECOMING A global franchise operation, L&L began in the 1950s as a modest business called L&L Dairy, owned by father and son Robert Lee and Robert Lee Jr. That restaurant, now called L&L Drive-Inn, still stands at 1711 Liliha St.…
Much More Than The Local Toyota Dealer
SERVCO PACIFIC HAS been growing for nearly a century and its holdings today cover cars, tires, insurance, appliances and a private equity firm, and they stretch from Australia to the U.S. mainland. Plus Servco now controls Fender, the company that makes…
8 Ways to Get More Women Into S.T.E.M.
Phuong-Thao Nguyen’s work at Hawaiian Telcom will affect everyone in the state. It’s important to maintain the passion that first drew you to STEM, says Phuong-Thao Nguyen of Hawaiian Telcom. “Passion is your sense of curiosity,…
Rebirth of the Aloha Shirt
Designers across Hawaii and around the world are reinventing the aloha shirt with both new and retro styles, for business and pau hana AFTER A PERIOD when many fashion-conscious young men in Hawaii looked askance at the aloha shirt, it…
Who Should Own Hawaiian Electric?
There must be blood in the water. Until last year, when Hawaiian Electric Industries announced its intent to merge with Florida energy giant NextEra, the company seemed like a permanent fixture of the local economy. Only a few zealous renewable-energy…
Turning Points
Nicole Velasco: Struggling While Starting Out It was 2008, the depth of the Great Recession, and Nicole Velasco had just graduated from Princeton University. She quickly found that even an Ivy…