Presented with uncommon design constraints, Critchfield Pacific Inc. came up with a unique air-conditioning system for the new Hale Pawaa Professional Services Building. Critchfield says the system could be used on other high rises. The Problem Hale Pawaa’s developer didn’t…
HB: What makes a good leader? I think you lead people but you manage affairs and situations. To be a good leader, you have to be a good people person. You need to understand others and have empathy. You need…
For $25 you can own a piece of art that is both beautiful and functional. Aaron Lau, CEO of Simply Wood Studios and Lau Lau Woodworks, started handcrafting pens out of koa, abalone and other exotic materials in 2002 after…
Looking for a great holiday gift? If so, Big Island Candies has put a spin on its world-famous diagonally dipped macadamia-nut shortbread cookies by dunking them in a rich white cream coating with matcha (finely milled green tea). “Green is…
Attorney Jay Fidell hasn’t met a gadget he didn’t love and wanted to learn. When the first Apple computers came out about 30 years ago, he learned to program and has been programming ever since. It was an easy leap…
Warren Haruki has seen his share of companies in transition. The current CEO of both Grove Farm and Maui Land & Pineapple, Haruki was also at the helm of Verizon Hawaii as it morphed into Hawaiian Telcom. Here, he gives…
Who would have thought that a company started in the middle of a recession could succeed so quickly? Hawaii Human Resources, or HiHR, has been growing steadily since its start in early 2009. A provider of human resource needs ranging…
The Hawaii Community Foundation is the best big charity in Hawaii and the Contemporary Museum is the worst, according to Charity Navigator, a national organization that rates more than 5,000 charities across the country. The ratings are based on a…
Hagadone, a company synonymous with printing in Hawaii, is now offering its clients a broader marketing reach plus a carbon-offset program. Its new H1 division offers e-solutions like development for mobile phone and computer tablet apps, website refinement, and an…
Location-based advertising is creating a lot of buzz, but how do restaurants, stores and other small businesses get on board without breaking the bank? Conversely, how do creators get paid for mobile apps that can cost thousands or even hundreds…
From the first time he saw the iPad, Shacked Software founder and amateur photographer Chad Podoski knew it was the ideal way to consume photos. So, when he and his partner, Dustin Bachrach, decided to create an iPad app to…
Sitting at a computer for eight hours or more can lead to bad posture, eye strain, fatigue and mindless eating. Avoid these risks with tips and simple desk exercises from Balance Core Fitness personal trainer Eric Yamashita. Set a timer…
Q.We have great employees, but everyone seems to operate from a different agenda. How can we create a team approach? A. Employees are willing to collaborate when they have the necessary tools and work environment to support and reward teamwork. Managers…
If the shoe fits, the saying goes, buy it in every color. And if the shoe-business model doesn’t fit right away, Teri Edmonds will find a way to make it work. In 2001, Edmonds opened her shop, If The Shoe…
Manny Miles and Cheryse Sana were nominated for an award for “Employees that support farm owners and contribute to farm excellence” at this year’s Hawaii Agriculture Conference. Both are in their 20’s and co-managers at an organic farm in the…
6:32 a.m. Thursday Basement of Gemini Observatory, Mauna Kea summit, Hawaii Island Photo Courtesy of Gemini Observatory >>Technicians from Hawaii and Chile combine forces about every four years to resurface this 24-ton, 27-foot mirror from the Gemini North telescope. Hawaii…
If I promised you an extra hour of productive work time or leisure every day without cutting back on sleep and family time, would you take it? By the way, this productivity boost would also reduce your stress, save you…
Appointed board will help schools I attended the symposium sponsored by the Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs and Hawaii Business magazine on the topic of appointed vs. elected school board (Sept. 30, Waikiki Prince Hotel). As I listened to both…
The hotel owner waited patiently to chat with Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle in the steel-and-glass enclosed lobby of the Kai Wah Plaza International Hotel in Kunming, China. When they met, Chau Lai Kai thanked Lingle for staying at her property…
When geothermal steam was first harnessed to generate electricity on the Big Island almost three decades ago, the project left many residents with a bitter taste. The technology was substandard, the community wasn’t consulted and environmental protestors became fixtures outside…
“When I look back on it,” says John D., the former executive director of a small but prominent nonprofit in Honolulu, “the board of directors just really didn’t understand what their role was.” He pauses for a moment, his face…
Hawaii’s people and businesses are as generous as ever, despite the economic slump. But how local people and businesses give is rapidly changing and that transformation has some nonprofit leaders heartened, while others are worried. Optimists welcome the decay of…
Hawaiian electric industries has maintained the remarkable record of paying dividends to shareholders for more than 100 years. But, lately, there’s something else that people may find remarkable. For the past three-and-a-half years, HEI has paid more in dividends than…
There’s no denying it’s been a brutal three years for Central Pacific Bank and its parent company, Central Pacific Financial Corp. The bank’s aspiration of grabbing more market share with its 2004 merger with City Bank has all but disappeared.…