As a vice-chair at Aloha United Way, I’ve had a front seat to many exciting changes this year. Most significant has been the energy and direction put into the organization by its new president, Kim Gennaula. Among the changes in…
“Joe Volcano” saw an opportunity in the ban on smoking in workplaces and restaurants, so he quit his job selling ad space on tourist maps two years ago to launch Volcano E-cigs. The company says it is one of the…
Michael Kennebeck was recruited to play Santa Claus by an Ala Moana Center staffer who recognized that his personality and bushy beard made him a natural for the part. That was 18 years ago and Kennebeck has been playing the…
Bruce Johnson CEO, Fresh Island Fish Co. and Uncle’s Fish Market and Grill Johnson always loved fishing, but, as a young entrepreneur, he worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. Today, he owns a wholesale fish company and a seafood…
The state says it now cashes excise tax payments much faster than it did a year earlier. In 2010, tens of thousands of GET checks from local businesses would remain uncashed by the government for a month or longer, but…
Name: Ruby Alvarez Job: Hawaii executive manager, Batesville Logistics Years of experience: 23 Duties: Batesville operates the only casket-manufacturer’s outlet in Hawaii, so demand for its caskets, cremation containers and urns is high, Alvarez says. “Some customers might want a…
While leading friends down 18,500-foot Mount Elbrus in Russia several years ago, Djuan Rivers slipped from a snowy ledge and plunged 300 feet down a steep embankment. He stopped his fall by stabbing his ice axe into the snow, avoiding…
Hawaii Island Gourmet is doing its part to improve the taste reputation of the often-maligned breadfruit. From September through the holiday season, when breadfruit trees on Hawaii Island are bearing fruit, the company produces seven-ounce packages of ulu chips. Though…
There’s nothing more impressive than ordering the most expensive item on the menu at a posh restaurant – and doing it without bungling the name of the dish. Chef Mavro restaurant in Moiliili makes the pronunciation easy with its Trio…
Need a unique Hawaii Christmas ornament, such as a grass-skirt wearing Santa surfing? Then visit Santa’s Pen, a local company that specializes in personalized keepsakes. Family ornaments that include everyone’s names and celebrate an occasion are popular, says Karen Sotomura,…
Shawna Emery and Danni Fry startedD&S Fry Plumbing in April and already have so many jobs they each work nearly 80 hours a week. Here, the two women share their early triumphs and obstacles. What are you doing to build your…
Q. I often find myself face to face with prospective clients, but it feels tacky to introduce myself and start talking to them about my business services or to ask them about their needs. How can I get over this…
Just about everyone has a family recipe or talk-of-the-town potluck dish they think is ono enough to be a grocery-store bestseller. These are our six steps to take your product from concept to consumer. Most of our guides are entrepreneurs…
8:15 Am, Tuesday United states Post Office, Kailua Photographer: Rae Huo >> Customer Service Supervisor Greg Gittens, foreground, instructs the daily group stretching, a routine begun by the USPS across Hawaii in 2005 to reduce repetitive strain injuries. The…
Kuyper was born and raised on Oahu, but, like many ambitious Hawaii youth, he was drawn by college and career to the mainland. Thirty years later, after working for blue-chip companies like the Boston Consulting Group, Wellington Management and Morgan…
Poll of 400 local business leaders goes inside the local economy and forecasts what’s ahead LOWLIGHT: Confidence for next year continues to erode. Highlight: Special survey of tourism leaders. PERFORMANCE INDEX Index consolidates the changes in revenue, profit and staffing for 400 local companies…
“Past is prologue.” – William Shakespeare Darrell Hamamura punches his code into a keypad, pulls open the door to the vault and steps back into the past. As the land information systems manager for Kamehameha Schools, he tracks the endowment’s…
The annual session of the Hawaii state Legislature is when issues are debated, compromises are forged, new laws are created – and legislators ask for your money. An analysis by Hawaii Business magazineshows that during the 2011 state Legislature, 14 of the 25…