Ask SmallBiz: Mediation Clause
Q: As I read through the fine print of our new office lease, I noticed it stipulated that mediation would be used in case of a dispute. Should I agree to this? A. I think you should. In fact, this stipulation will…
Hawaii Business Magazine - August 2011
Variety of Tenants at Barbers Point
Since it opened in January, Podium Raceway has been packed every weekend with screaming kids and screeching tires. The presence and popularity of the indoor electric-go-kart track signals a new plan for Barbers Point, at least for the short term. Until recently,…
Mobile Entrepreneurs Meet Clients at the Coffice
It's Monday morning and Melissa Chang has gathered her laptop and smartphone, and is on her way to her "coffice," a comfortable setting likeBlue Hawaii Lifestyle, Burgers on the Edge or Good to Grill. There she can settle down with coffee, free Wi-Fi and her…
Sir Lancelot and Me
Judy Boyle Chun took her first horseback-riding lesson at the age of 6 and her love of horses has lasted ever since. “You’re two athletes partnering to achieve a result,” says the CEO of Hawaii-Western Management Group, an insurance agency/broker…
UH Medical Degree
What it's Worth? $256,928 Kamaaina Rate: $127,808 Nonresidents pay $64,232 a year for four years of medical training at the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine – not including living expenses. Local students pay half that. The…
Sweet Success is Ono and Pono
One taste of paletas was all it took to convince Joe Welch to adapt the frozen Mexican treats to Hawaiian tastes. Joshua Lanthier-Welch thought his brother was a little lolo until he tasted them for himself and then was so…
Team Building, Seal Style
Corporate team-building activities usually involve bowling or “catch-me-while-I-fall-backwards” exercises, but what about training like the team that took out Osama bin Laden? For five hours, Navy SEAL Experience drives teams of eight or more to do pushups, sit-ups, log lifting,…
Growing Tilapia and Vegetables with Aquaponics
Clyde Tamaru, an aquaculture specialist atUH Manoa's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, is on a mission: putting marginal land to good agricultural use with aquaponics. Along the way, Tamaru helps enhance the reputation oftilapia, a fish that many…
Aloha Air Cargo’s New Arrival
10:30 am Monday Aloha Air Cargo Hangar, Honolulu International Airport Photo: Olivier Koning >> Captain Grant Arakawa, the fleet manager, and pilot Jeni Shibata familiarize themselves with Aloha Air Cargo’s latest plane, a Saab 340A turbo-prop named Ke Kela, meaning “excellence.”…
Editor's Note: APEC Enhances Hawaii’s Reputation
When political leaders and multinational CEOs arrive for the APEC Conference in November, Hawaii will have its big chance to show half of the world that we are more than just a pretty face. It's our best shot at proving Hawaii is…
Talk Story with Percy Higashi, Roberts Hawaii
At the president of the state's oldest and largest tour and transportation company, Percy Higashi oversees 1,400 employees and 900 vehicles on four islands, the world's largest Polynesian catamaran, and theMagic of Polynesia show. Before joining Roberts last year, he had…
Hawaii’s Most Profitable Companies
For 28 years, Hawaii Business has been publishing a list of Hawaii’s Top 250 organizations based on gross revenues, because we think that’s the most effective way to measure a company’s size. However, there have always been critics in the…
Hanapepe Gets Heart Transplant
Hanapepe was one of Kauai’s most vibrant communities until hard times fell. Competition from a new shopping center in Lihue and hurricanes in 1982 and 1992 closed businesses and wounded Kauai’s “biggest little town.” But Hanapepe is definitely on the…
My Job: Treating Dolphins and Seals Can be Rewarding and Heartbreaking
Name: Gregg Levine, DVM Job: Marine-mammal veterinarian at Dolphin Quest facilities on Oahu and the Big Island, contract veterinarian for the National Marine Fisheries, and small-animal veterinarian and acupuncturist. Years of experience: 12 Toughest part: No matter what kind of…
Keeping the Goats Happy and Healthy
It’s kidding season and the number of goats behind the Lava Rocks Puna Goat Cheese label has grown to 43. Some are bucks, kids or mamas out of commission while caring for newborns, so the number of milking goats is…
Faye Kurren President/CEO of Hawaii Dental Service
Kurren isn’t a typical business executive. She’s not a natural risk taker, has never thought of herself as ambitious, and credits others for recognizing her abilities and challenging her to accept greater responsibilities, which eventually gave her the confidence to…
Military Money By the Numbers
“How Much Does Military Spending Add to Hawaii’s Economy?” is the name of a study by the Rand National Defense Research Institute. Here are numbers from the report, including some that received little media attention when it was released in…
Internationally Recognized Customer Service
Every business claims it puts its customers first, but what elevates some companies above the others? One crucial factor is the ability to adapt and improve customer service with changing circumstances. Lex Brodie’s Tire Co. is the first winner of…
How Hawaiian Telcom, Hilo Hattie and Central Pacific Bank Rebounded from the Brink
It's much the same with businesses. When they're thriving, their income statements all look alike – tidy family portraits of profits and tranquility. It's when companies fail that all their neuroses and idiosyncrasies come into view. That's when you discover…
Don Horner: First Hawaiian Bank CEO, Board of Education Chairman, Single Father
Donald Horner has a saying:"When life hands you challenges, you have two choices - you can be…