Before the young business leaders from Hawaii started their intensive three-day journey to Japan, they did not get an ordinary pep talk or briefing. Instead, Glenn Furuya, founder of Leadership Works, talked to them about “Leading from the Heart.” To…
How We Create the List Welcome to Hawaii Business magazine’s Top 100 Realtors for 2013. This is the only objective ranking of Realtors in the state. The information was compiled using the Multiple Listing Service databases from the Honolulu Board…
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GREG YAMAMOTO Startup Weekend Honolulu condenses entrepreneurship into a fast-paced weekend of networking, programming, design and business development. Red Bull is optional. Four weeks after being laid off, 27-year-old Bryan Butteling stands before a crowd of entrepreneurs, software developers, designers…
How We Create the List Welcome to Hawaii Business magazine’s Top 100 Realtors for 2012. This is the only objective ranking of Realtors in the state. The information was compiled using the Multiple Listing Service databases from the Honolulu Board of Realtors, the Realtors…
Eric Tessem founded Construction Associates Inc. in the Pacific Northwest and led it for 22 years before joining Ledcor Construction in 2003. He now heads the Honolulu office of dck. YOU STARTED YOUR OWN BUSINESS, CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATES. WHAT’S THE MOST…
Hawaii Business magazine’s mission is to cover big issues affecting our Islands’ economy and businesses in a way that is useful and accessible to readers. Although our main vehicle is a print magazine, we understand the importance of reaching and…
Donna Vuchinich President & CEO, University of Hawaii Foundation After 25 years’ experience in public-university fundraising, Vuchinich was named president and CEO of the University of Hawaii Foundation in 2004 and spearheaded its Centennial Campaign, raising $336 million in 2009.…
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,…
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…
After nearly three years of construction, Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa, opened in September at Ko Olina. In an exclusive interview with Hawaii Business at the resort, Disney’s chief executive talks about Aulani’s role in the global conglomerate, about planning…
Mary Flood has been in the real estate business for more than 30 years, and is a past president of the Building Industry Association of Hawaii and the Honolulu Board of Realtors. Originally from the small town of Eden, Wis.,…
Darrin Yakabu-Muramoto and Joie Yuen like their pork rinds, but wanted more than just plain or spicy flavors. They also didn’t like the Mainland varieties, which grew stale by the time they arrived in the Islands, so the two started…
Years ago, Dave Flintstone worked as a scuba instructor in the Caribbean where “I gathered an appreciation for rum.” He also did his homework and learned how to make sugar cane-based spirits from local distilleries, planning that, one day, he…
Last year, Jessie Salvador wanted to open his own business, a doughnut shop specializing in cake doughnuts. His employer didn’t want to see him go, so it opened a retail doughnut shop, Regal Bakery, and put Salvador in charge. The…
After earning degrees at Harvard, California Berkeley and Cornell, and working at insurance firm MBIA in New York, Hilo-born Ally Park never thought she would take over the family business. However, “My parents needed a succession plan and they had…
Twenty years after the founding of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, celebrity chefs Alan Wong and Roy Yamaguchi are helping organize a major food festival to benefit farmers and the next generation of chefs. They aren’t just selling food but food-system values, and farmers are the stars…
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,…
“These coins have little to no financial value,” says Denny Watts, “but they have a lot of value because each one of them represents someone that I’ve met, the units that they ran or something unique. All have been an…
A few years after Chee and his partners launched Locations in 1969, they quietly computerized the local MLS listings – giving Locations a big edge over the competition and helping turn it into one of the top real estate firms…
Tal Ziv lives a double life and feels he serves a noble cause in each one. He works fulltime at Sopogy, helping develop micro-concentrated solar-power technology for a renewable energy future. And several times a year, he wears the uniform…
Michele Saito, president of Farmers Insurance Hawaii, Inc., already enjoyed arts and crafts when she came upon the obscure art of eggery two decades ago. How obscure is it? There isn’t even a Wikipedia page on it. Enthusiasts turn egg…
Hot sauce isn’t a common condiment for pizza, but it works when it’s from Broke Da Face Sauces. Used at the V Lounge Kiawe Fire Pizza in Honolulu, it gives a flavorful, spicy kick that does more than just “broke…
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…
Need a comfortable, upscale place in Honolulu to meet and impress clients that doesn’t just serve lattes? Try the Plaza Club, renovated this year and located downtown on the 21st floor of Pioneer Plaza. Furnishings that had been around since…
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…
Spouses of active-duty military men and women are eligible for up to $6,000 in workforce training — but don’t hesitate to apply, as the money may not last long. In 2009, the Defense Department started the Military Spouse Career Advancement…
You’re on your way to Honolulu International Airport and you just remembered your flight doesn’t serve a meal. You’re a penny-pincher (and right now, who isn’t?) and you don’t want to pay high airport prices. Lucky for you, there are…
I’ve always wondered how a place can charge much less for plate lunches than its competitors. Yum Yum Thai, a downtown hole-in-the-wall, either has an incredibly low overhead or is doing something I don’t want to know about. Prices start…
When people find out that I’m the managing editor at Hawaii Business, they often ask, “How do you come up with stories for your magazine?” So this month, I’ve taken over the Editor’s Note to explain how each story evolves,…
Bettina Mehnert, COO of Architects Hawaii Ltd., is a well-traveled adrenaline junkie. She surfs, snowboards and runs trails, but also reads and spends time with her adopted daughter, Anna, a pet duck and a pit bull. Photography A third-generation architect, Mehnert says…
Francis Oda, chairman of Group 70 International, has been heading his architectural firm for more than 30 years. He’s been recognized with more than 37 design awards, nationally and internationally. In this interview, he offers advice to those starting out…
The buzz about “sustainability” and “buying local” has not only helped sales of Hawaii-grown papayas, bananas and other produce, but also spurred sales of locally raised and grass-fed beef. Kulana Foods, a slaughterhouse and processor in Hilo, processes only locally…
As chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Jay Rasulo oversees myriad facets of the Disney empire, including its world-renowned theme parks, resorts, timeshares and cruise lines. In an exclusive interview with Hawaii Business, he talks about Hawaii, the differences…
Credit-card processing is a ubiquitous and major expense for businesses. Most of the cost is upfront, according to Matt Sakauye, senior consultant at credit-card processing firm Gravity Payments. Once things are running, he says, “credit-card processors are pretty automated. But…
“Maui is an excellent place to start a new business,” says Vaughn Vasconcellos, president and CEO of Akimeka LLC, headquartered in Kihei’s Maui Research and Technology Park. Its high-tech neighbors include local companies Oceanit and Trex, and large federal contractors…
Sex Discrimination Sex discrimination has been the first or second most common basis for employment discrimination complaints filed with the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission for the past seven years. At the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Honolulu office, 34 percent…
Kevin Roberts is president and CEO of Castle Medical Center, the only faith-based hospital in the state. During his downtime, he enjoys activities that, in a sense, bring him closer to God. Music Roberts has been playing acoustic guitar for…
$159,195 What Is It 2009 Audi R8 Coupe Quattro Why So Special This German-manufactured, mid-engine coupe boasts an 8-cylinder engine that produces 420 horsepower and can run 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds. Drivers can shift gears using a joystick…
Some say real estate professionals might be more important than ever Less than 20 years ago, prospective homebuyers could look at newspapers and drive around to find yard signs. However, most would call a Realtor because they alone had access…
Find out who led the way in 14 categories, and how two organizations attract and keep employees despite serious challenges.
Each of the garments made at Kealopiko’s screen-printing workshop are one-of-a-kind and tell a story.
