• Then & Now: Pu‘ukohola

    By Robert Oaks Pu‘ukoholā Heiau, on the northwest coast of Hawai‘i Island, played a critical role in the unification of the island chain by King Kamehameha I in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Indeed, of all the national…

  • Life in Business: One Gallery

    One Gallery is the merger of three artists into one business partnership. Amy Markham and Deborah Beaver started the gallery in January of 2011. Arthur Johnsen became a partner in March of 2012, relocating his entire gallery to merge with…

  • Life in Business: Pacific Biologic Co.

    When Cyndy Dyal moved to Kona more than 22 years ago, she was drawn to the island’s clean air, beautiful forests and sparkling views. Over the years the vog (smog created by volcanic emissions) created by Kīlauea Volcano continued to…

  • Life in Business: `Ohia Fields Farm

    When Jeff and Miliana Johnson started talking seriously about getting married and starting a family, the two discovered they both had dreams of farming. “We wanted to farm in a place where it would make a difference, where farming would…

  • Life in Business: `Imiloa Astronomy Center

    The mission of ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai‘i—located next to the campus of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo—is “to honor Maunakea [sic*] by sharing astronomy and the Hawaiian culture to inspire exploration.”  The Center’s interactive exhibits: 3D full dome…

  • Life in Business: Island Spirit

    Ken and Christine Bevis, both healing practitioners, had worked in many different places, both in Hawai‘i and internationally. They wanted to take the quality of service they could provide to the next level and decided to open their own business…

  • Life in Business: Great American Self Storage

    Jana and Mack Powell, resident managers of Great American Self Storage in Kailua-Kona, found a service business that almost everyone can use. Who doesn’t need a place to put extra “stuff?” Businesses with excess inventory; restaurants needing space for decoration,…

  • 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,…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • The 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…

  • The 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…

  • The Life in Business: 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…

  • The Life in Business: 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…

  • The Life in Business: Ali‘i Woodtailors

    Tom Sorensen and Paul Endresen are the owners of Ali‘i Woodtailors custom woodworking shop in South Kona. The two master woodworkers became partners and opened their first business in Washington state in1984. The two men moved to Hawai‘i in 2005…

  • The Life in Business: Akamai Pest Solutions

    Roger Meints started his own business, Akamai Pest Solutions, in 2003 in Waikoloa, after leaving a large, national termite company. He started with termite inspections, then in 2006 decided to expand into dry wood termite treatments, using a green and…

  • The Life in Business: Okolemaluna Tiki Lounge

    Brice and Lisa Ginardi, owners of Okolemaluna Tiki Lounge, always enjoyed making classic-recipe cocktails at home when entertaining friends, using fine ingredients and cocktail components. “We always make our own cocktail components (such as juices, syrups), and we use the…

  • The Life in Business: Keauhou Veterinary Hospital

    Dr. Jacob Head and wife Jolene bought the existing veterinary practice, Keauhou Veterinary Hospital, in 2007 with the goal of making it into a very progressive hospital, says Jolene Head. “We are the only AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) accredited…

  • Ranch to Rodeo: Hawai‘iʻs Paniolo Culture

    By Ashley Welton Folks from around the world associate Hawai’i with sun, sandy beaches and surfing, but they are often unaware of the importance, impact, and prevalence of ranching on the islands. Paniolo culture, and the families that have grown…