Among the faculty and administrators I spoke with, there is a strong consensus that UH Hilo deserves to be recognized as an innovative research and educational center in its own right. “We’re a small but comprehensive university,” says Matthew Platz,…
It’s true,” says David Striph, senior VP for the Howard Hughes Corp. and the man occupying a corner office with two walls of windows framed by the iconic concrete arches of Honolulu’s IBM Building. “I sit here every day and…
How do Hawaii’s emerging leaders develop the skills they need to run the state’s top companies, nonprofits and government agencies? They have a lot of options. Here are six of the most important leadership-training programs in Hawaii and a quick…
The App Mobile Emergency Response and Command Interface, aptly called MERCI, is an app developed by Oceanit Laboratories Inc. that streamlines the documentation of disasters to speed recovery and relief. All on one device, MERCI allows people to record the…
This tunnel-boring machine, with a 13-foot diameter, will cut its way through basalt rock to create a 3.1-mile tunnel that will bring sewage from the Kaneohe pre-treatment plant to the Kailua treatment plant. The estimated cost of the project is…
It was not your idea to vie for this job; the UH Board of Regents asked you to apply. Given the troubles facing the UH, what made you accept the challenge? This is the only grownup job I’ve ever had.…
Mericris Neyra knew she wanted to be a nurse back when she was at Farrington High School, so she enrolled in nursing at UH Manoa. But as she neared graduation in December 2014, the 22-year-old faced a saturated nursing-job market…
By sixth grade, Cedric Gates' future already looked bleak: Severe childhood obesity had pushed his weight over 200 pounds. A year later things got worse: His mother collapsed at work and died from heart disease. By the time he was…
Teresa Bill goes to work every day at UH’s Bridge to Hope program knowing that she makes a difference in people’s lives. Bridge to Hope began 15 years ago to help welfare recipients, victims of domestic violence and struggling single…
YouthBuild offers a second chance to young people who dropped out of school or face other serious challenges. The Honolulu city-run program provides hands-on training in painting, carpentry, plumbing, electrical and other real-world skills, while students work toward a high…
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 required that colleges provide services and help students with disabilities. Eighteen years later, partly because of a series of lawsuits, Congress radically enlarged the definition. In the past, disabilities primarily included blindness, deafness…
The Boys and Girls Club has changed the lives of young people in Hawaii for 40 years. This year alone, it has 2,000 members between the ages of 7 and 17 at its 14 club sites, says Tim Motts, president…
Final look Friday, 12:52 p.m. Hawaii Camera, Kaimuki Photo by Aaron Yoshino Josh Strickland, founder and CEO of Hawaii Camera, inspects one before renting it out. Since opening its doors in 2009, the…
Question: Is there an easy way to protect my company’s intellectual property? Answer: Protecting your IP is simple if you follow a few basic steps. If you have already started your company, consider the types of intellectual property you have…
If you coach a local sports team that needs uniforms or run a business that uses logo wear, you probably know about Kenjo Inc. in Kalihi. For 28 years, Sidney Lynch has been the quiet, steady force behind Hawaii’s second-oldest…
Profiles of five great local companies that you should know about.
For 17 years , Derek Kobayashi has dedicated so much of his spare time to free legal aid that it’s earned him the nickname “Mr. Pro Bono.” “Since about 1998, I’ve always tried to maintain at least one active pro…
Feral chickens are a growing pest problem in Hawaii, partly because they have no natural predators. “The most common problem is roosters crowing,” says Michael Botha, president of Sandwich Isle Pest Solutions. “And the other part of it is they’re…
For many years, Vassilis Syrmos didn’t spend much time thinking about business. An electrical engineer with a Ph.D. from Georgia Tech and a new career in academia, he was happy to focus on pure research. “When you’re a young assistant…
Private and public schools discover many benefits to their sustainability programs, including financial, educational, motivational and recruiting returns. For companies, the path to sustainability often starts with a volunteer task force (a “green team”) and some small initiatives with quick financial…
After all the hullabaloo, the hearings, legislation, planning, permits and protests, the concept of an urban, gentrified Kakaako is now an urban reality in progress. Cranes fill the skyline from one end of Kakaako to the other, with at least…
Here are the 24 local entrepreneurs, companies and champions honored for the 2015 Small Business Administration Awards.
Patrick Oki says he was assigned to his first fraud investigation in the mid-1990s, just a few years after graduating from UH-Manoa and joining an accounting firm. “We had to go to our client’s site on a Saturday and we…
Since the ukulele arrived in the Islands late in the 19th century, it has been a symbol of Hawaii and the aloha spirit. That aloha is shared widely and generously by ukulele makers, performers and teachers, both locally and around…