A Step-by-Step Guide September, 2016 So, you want to build a high rise. Maybe you’ve got a couple hundred million dollars burning a hole in your pocket and an acre or two of vacant land in Kakaako, and you’re wondering: How can I get in on the action? Right now, a half-dozen high rises are…
Category: Hawaii Business
The oldest business magazine west of the Mississippi.
Trump’s Effect on Hawaii
The state’s congressional delegation lays out five risks, two opportunities and five strategies for Hawaii in the Trump era. April, 2017 Interviewed for this story are the four members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation, all Democrats: Sen. Mazie Hirono Sen. Brian Schatz Rep. Colleen Hanabusa Rep. Tulsi Gabbard FIVE RISKS 1 OBAMACARE (The repeal of Obamacare…
Twins: First Hawaiian and Bank of Hawaii Share More Differences Than Similarities
Consider banks: In 2010 and 2011, Hawaii’s two largest financial institutions, First Hawaiian Bank and Bank of Hawaii, were also the state’s most profitable companies.
Can Hawaii Feed Itself?
Richard Ha and I climb into the cab of his big pickup and drive up the mountain. I’ve come to Hamakua Springs, Ha’s 600-acre farm in Pepeekeo on the Big Island, to help see the future of Hawaii agriculture. Ha is a resourceful and outspoken farmer, and I want to hear his views on the…
The Next Wonder Drug
For centuries, people around the world knew that chewing on the bark of certain willow trees could ease the pain of a toothache or a migraine. By the mid-19th century, scientists in France and Germany had isolated the chemical, salicylic acid, responsible for willow bark’s analgesic and anti-inflammatory qualities, but it proved too harsh on…
Toxic Waste in Paradise
BY DENNIS HOLLIER Photo: iStock Thirty years after it shut down, the old Gasco site in Iwilei is still a vacant lot. For generations, it converted heavy petroleum into synthetic gas and light oils. Now, its storage tanks, thermal cracker unit and pipelines are long gone and, in their place, is a field of…
Hawaii Timeshare Controversy
BY DENNIS HOLLIER Photo: Courtesy of the Grand Waikikian at Hilton Hawaiian Village It seems like a contradiction: The traditional hotel business in Hawaii is shrinking even while the hospitality industry recovers from the recession, more visitors arrive and they pay more per room than last year. The relative decline of stand-alone hotels is…
Companies Love to Hate the PUC
BY DENNIS HOLLIER The mood was tense in the packed Senate hearing room in December, as angry Neighbor Island businessmen, farmers and representatives from community organizations testified before the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection against the Public Utilities Commission. The immediate cause for the rancor was an interim decision by the PUC in September…
Hawaii Employee Retirement System: Underfunded by $7 Billion
BY DENNIS HOLLIER The state got just what it was expecting in its Christmas stocking. Unfortunately, it was another lump of coal – more bad news about the state of Hawaii Employee Retirement System, which covers both state and county employees. In its five-year report, the actuary firm of Gabriel Roeder Smith & Company claims…
Marketing Hawaii to the World
BY DENNIS HOLLIER The Hawaii Tourism Authority’s VP for Brand Management, David Uchiyama, is a numbers man. Under his leadership, the state’s international marketing strategy has been increasingly driven by good data. Photo: Irwin Wong Tokyo, Japan — High on the stage of the Hawaii booth, overlooking the hubbub of Japan’s biggest travel fair,…