The Life in Business
Life in Business: Big Island Coffee Roasters
Brandon Damitz and Kelleigh Stewart have combined their expertise in biological and culinary sciences and organic farming to create a business that offers the finest local products to the public along with support for other coffee growers in commercial roasting, packaging and processing. “In 2011 we re-named our coffee farm, mill and roastery Big Island [...]
Life in Business: Hawai‘i Biological Dentistry
Dr. Randy Ressler may be the most musical dentist in town! “Music has always been a big part of my life,” says the owner of Hawai‘i Biological Dentistry in Kailua-Kona. He’s been performing since he was 10 and he helped pay his way through college and dental school in Iowa by playing in various [...]
Life in Business: Water Works
Verne Wood, founder of WaterWorks, is a pioneer in the business of water catchment services and products on an island where many homes are independent of the County water system and rely on collecting rainwater. The company began more than 20 years ago as a trucking company in Puna, hauling water to homes with water [...]
Life in Business: Island Edges Beads
Sharon Turner retired from being a high school theatre teacher in Arizona. Looking for something different and creative, she took a few classes in jewelry making. A native of Phoenix, the single mom of two boys taught there for 26 years. In the early ‘80s she took a two-year leave of absence, taught speech for [...]
Life in Business: Kadota Liquor
Ryan Kadota, third-generation owner of Kadota Liquor and K’s Drive In, grew up in the family business. “Both Kadota Liquors and K’s Drive In were started in 1964 by my grandparents, Thomas and Kazue Kadota. They were affectionately known as Mr. and Mrs. ‘K’ to most of the community. I personally grew up in Kadota [...]
Life in Business: Aaronʻs Blue Kalo
Selling poi was not as easy as Aaron Sugino thought. So, with the poi that wasn’t selling, he started putting it in his mom’s (Aunty Bea’s) cookie recipe. And that’s how he started making the “macpoichip” cookies… and that is how a business called Aaron’s Blue Kalo got started. Even though Aaron had earned his [...]
Life in Business: Aloha Kona Kids
Winonna Tina Cerezo was pregnant with their fifth child when Aloha Kona Kids was born. The oldest of three siblings that today share in the store’s ownership, she and her husband, Eric, (a Hawai‘i County Police Officer who passed away five years ago) wanted the best for their baby boy,, Winonna says. “So we decided [...]
Life in Business: Concrete Technology of Hawai‘i
The mission of Concrete Technology of Hawai‘i is “to transform all boring and plain concrete into a beautiful long lasting and durable solutions for all of our customers. To cover all of Hawai‘i one slab at a time.” So says the owner of the residential and commercial repair, restoration, and concrete resurfacing business, Gerald (Jerry) [...]
Jet Vacation
The slogan, “Helping you create those magical memories,” explains the philosophy of Jet Vacation travel agency. Owner Linda Nagai says she followed her father’s dream of having a customer-service-based travel agency located on family property in Kona. Linda, who was born and raised in Kona, was co-owner of a travel agency on O‘ahu when she [...]
Village Toy Shop
Janet Louise, owner of Village Toy Shop, comes from a family of entrepreneurs. Her grandparents ran retail, tailoring and lodging enterprises and her parents owned an Italian restaurant, Giovanni’s Pizza, in Fullerton, CA. Growing up with these role models inspired her desire to be self-employed. “Part of the reason I moved to East Hawai‘i in [...]
The Life in Art
A Master Chinese Brush Painter
…Shirley Pu Wills Practices the Art of Imagination and Chi …By Fern Gavelek … It’s both what you see and what you don’t see that create the magic in Chinese brush painting. “The thing about Chinese brush painting is you imagine what’s not there,” says Shirley Pu Wills of Captain Cook. “A painting of koi [...]
Gille Legacy: The Man Who...
…By Cynthia Sweeney… Gille Legacy does not have the distractions that the rest of us do. Unable to use his body since birth, he is not confined to it and lives largely—both figuratively and literally—in his imagination. And the peace of that place comes through him and onto the canvas as a tangible connection between [...]The Life in Music
Konabob and the Unique Kona...
…By Shirley Stoffer… Bob Stoffer, known as “Konabob” to many people in Hawai’i and around the world, had loved Hawai’i and Hawaiian music for a long time before moving to the island. He listened to Hawaiian music at his bakery in the mountains of Colorado, with a picture of Gabby Pahinui and a map of [...]
A Passionate Kanaka Maoli:...
A Passionate Kanaka Maoli*: Keoki Kahumoku (*Native of this land) —Inspiring the Next Generation with ‘Ukulele, Guitar and Life Skills …By Shirley Stoffer… Keoki Kahumoku is a passionate guy. His beautiful musical talent comes naturally, genetically, from a family that’s well-known in Hawaiian music. But it’s almost secondary...
Gary Washburn: Jazzing Up a...
Gary Washburn: Jazzing Up a High School Band —Heʻs Taken Honoka‘aʻs Music Program to the Top …By Catherine Tarleton… It’s a bright, windy afternoon in Honoka’a for the Peace Day Festival, and the Honoka‘a High School Jazz Band is rocking the field with some big, belted-out blues by a diminutive female vocalist. The kids...The Life in Spirit
Ke Ao
… Na Kumu Keala Ching… Ua hāmama ka ‘īpuka o ke ao – The door of heaven is opened Ke ao (i) ‘ike ‘ia o ke ālaula – As seen, the clouds of the morning light Lālau ho’i ke aloha o nēia ola – Love of this life is placed and carried E ola ka [...]
Ku‘u One Hanau e
Ku‘u One Hānau ē — Na Kumu Keala Ching… Eia ku’u one hānau ē – Here is my place of birth E ku’u ‘āina Kaulana ē – A famous place to me Eia ho’i ke aloha pau’ole ē – Present indeed is unconditional love Aloha ku’u one hānau ē – Love for my place of [...]
