Hawaii Business Magazine - August 2010

Teddy’s Bigger Burgers Keeps Growing

Teddy’s Bigger Burgers does well in a good economy and better in a bad one, says co-CEO Ted Tsakiris. That’s one reason Teddy’s opened its fourth restaurant on Oahu in May, at 2424 S. Beretania St., near University Avenue. In…

Advice From the Top

What is the most important thing you’ve learned about yourself during your career?  It sounds cliché and it’s easier said than done, but the most effective way of leading is to trust being yourself instead of what you think other…

Creating the Blue Economy

A conference in Honolulu next month aims to collect and discuss innovative ideas from around the world that help protect the environment and improve quality of life, while also creating jobs and wealth. The World Congress on Zero Emission Initiatives:…

Honolulu International Airport by the Numbers

4# HNL’s runways – two pairs of parallel runways that are among the nation’s longest. 60# Percentage share of statewide airline passengers. 25# Rank among the busiest airports in the U.S. 16# Millions of passengers who traveled through HNL in 2009.   Source: State…

No Landline? They Still Want Your Opinion

Local research companies, which rely heavily on telephone surveys, are adjusting their calling strategies to reach the many young people who use cell phones and have no landline at home. During the last half of 2009, 24.5 percent of households…

The Price of Global Exposure: Up to $20 million for Security

Invite 21 heads of state or other leaders to a party in your hometown and you have a security challenge that could cost up to $20 million. That’s what faces local law-enforcement officials at the massive Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)…

Talk Story with Robert Harrison

In November 2009, Robert Harrison was promoted from chief risk officer to president and COO of First Hawaiian Bank, the same positions, it’s worth noting, held by former CEOs John Bellinger and Walter Dods, and current CEO Don Horner. Harrison…

North Shore Poke

A signature sauce and five-generation recipe keep people coming back for shoyu poke from Kahuku Superette on Oahu’s North Shore. “I call it ‘mother’s love sauce’ and, once you try it, you’re addicted for life,” says manager Diane Primacio. Market…

Whats it Worth?

Primo Beer is back, but to aficionados of the blue-collar brew, the new version isn’t the real stuff. The real Primo — not all that good, really — is spiked by memories of backyard luau, garage talk-story sessions and pau…

Creating Family Traditions

When we were kids, my folks liked to load us all in the old green Buick and head off for an adventure. Maybe it would be a drive-in movie, us in PJs snuggled in the back seat under warm blankets.…

My Favorite Things

Robert Hiam is president and CEO of HMSA, which provides healthcare insurance to about half of Hawaii’s 1.3 million residents. Gadget Hiam is on his new Apple iPad every day checking the latest news and financial information from Bloomberg.com. He can…

In Search of Pastrami

Honolulu delicatessens are better known for serving musubi than sandwiches, but sometimes you just need a piled-high pastrami sandwich, location be damned. For obvious reasons, Giovanni Pastrami fills the need. I sampled the Pastrami Reuben sandwich, the restaurant’s most popular…

5 Steps to Planning an Event

Successful events are a critical way of interacting with customers. Philip Richardson, CEO of Current Affairs, one of Hawaii’s most prestigious event-planning companies, offers advice on getting the most from your events. 1. Define your objectives “You’ve got to have…

Ask SmallBiz: Retirement Planning

Q. I own a small business. How do I go about planning for my retirement and for my (few) employees? A: If you are a Hawaii small-business owner, you have a lot to think about: sales, expenses, marketing, cash flow, competition.…

Growing by Going Global

Conquering the world was not part of the original plans for many Hawaii businesses that have succeeded in global markets. For some, it was a years-long process of gradual growth and careful planning, while others found their way quickly with…

Parting Shot - Dining Al Fresco

9 a.m., Tuesday Honolulu Zoo > About 550,000 people come to the Honolulu Zoo every year to check out 221 species of animals, including these crocodile-like gharials being fed by Jamieson Martinez. Gharials, a critically endangered species native to the…

Editor's Note: Magazines flourish amid ‘Death of Print’

Magazines occupy a privileged position in the emerging media landscape. Nationally, newspaper readership has declined by close to 9 percent over the past five years, while magazine readership has increased by 4 percent. Surprisingly, one of the strongest increases is…

Letters to the Editor: Feedback

Eye-opener on state investments Just wanted to commend you on your article about the state of Hawaii investments (May). It was quite the eye-opener and, as I’m currently working on creating an investment policy for a local nonprofit, you couldn’t…

How to Revitalize Hawaii’s Economy

Participants in this discussion: Kirk Belsby, VP of the endowment for Kamehameha Schools Kyle Chock, executive director of Pacific Resource Partnership Keiki-Pua Dancil, president and CEO of the Hawaii Science and Technology Council State Sen. Carol Fukunaga, Democrat, representing McCully to…

Transformers

As revenues fall and old ways fail, a Hawaiian Electric team tries to turn a power behemoth into a clean-energy matrix. “You can’t run an operational company like this without leadership that’s experienced in operational issues,” says Robbie Alm, executive…

Succeeding in Good Times and Bad

Business consultants tell you opportunities exist whether the economy is shooting skyward or tumbling down. Well-positioned firms can always exploit changes in the business cycle and gain ground on competitors. “A lot of companies do look at a downturn as…