Voice of Business Podcast by the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii

On this special edition of the Voice of Business Podcast presented by ALTRES focused on Education and Workforce Development, Jo McGarry interviews Kyle Madriaga, Treasury Investment Officer at First Hawaiian Bank, and Lord Ryan Lizardo, Director, Work-Based Learning  (WBL) at the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii.  Madriaga and Lizardo discuss how providing real world work-based learning experiences for...

On this special edition of the Voice of Business Podcast presented by ALTRES focused on Education and Workforce Development, Jo McGarry interviews Eddie Ontai, President of DataHouse Consulting, Inc., and Keala Peters, Executive Vice President, Education and Workforce Development at the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii. Ontai and Peters discuss the exciting IT Sector Partnership collaborative that is br...

On this special edition of the Voice of Business Podcast presented by ALTRES focused on Education and Workforce Development, Jo McGarry interviews Julie Morikawa, President, ClimbHi, and Bernard Nunies, Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer with Island Holdings. ClimbHi Bridge is an online platform that empowers Hawaii’s youth to find their career paths and at the same time address busi...

On this special edition of the Voice of Business Podcast presented by ALTRES focused on Education and Workforce Development, Jo McGarry interviews Scott Miyaki, Recruiting Manager at American Savings Bank, and Katie Kaahanui, Program Manager at the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, to learn more about Hawaii's current workforce climate and recruitment and retention tips for employers. Hawaii is Hir...

On this episode of the Voice of Business Podcast presented by ALTRES, Kelly Knox, West Coast Outreach Lead, Community Outreach for Southwest Airlines, shares their secrets to success, and it is not rocket science, which can be replicated at your organization, regardless of your industry.  Southwest is the “Company with Heart,” and they take pride in connecting with communities on causes that they...

Award winning leader, Joy Barua, President & Chief Operating Office at Finance Insurance, Ltd. joins the Voice of Business podcast powered by ALTRES.   Don’t let his outgoing personality fool you, his heart for the community is his true secret to success. Learn how Joy finds meaning in all that he does and in every role from healthcare and community leadership to finance. His authenticity for...

Paul Kosasa has lived through many crises, from 9/11 to the global pandemic, and through it all, he draws his strength from the memory of his parents who were interned in camps during World War II.  “Crisis is a learning opportunity. What can we learn from this?” On this episode of the Voice of Business podcast presented by Altres, Kosasa joins us to talk about how he started at the bottom and wor...

At Coastal Windows, you are family. Customers, employees and everyone in between are treated like ohana at Coastal Windows.  On this episode of the Voice of Business presented by Altres, Bob Barrett, President and Co-Owner of Coastal Windows, discusses climate change, manufacturing in Hawaii, staffing shortages and secrets to success of his small family-owned business. “We have to do things right,...

Connecting people with aloha is so much more than a tagline, it is their core value. On this episode of the Voice of Business presented by Altres, Peter Ingram, President & CEO of Hawaiian Airlines, shares his professional journey, having to ground airplanes during the early weeks of the pandemic, and how their award-winning corporate culture and values has been able to help the organization t...

On this episode, Ben Ancheta, President of Inkinen, and Jo McGarry discuss tips on how businesses of all sizes can help recruit and retain top talent, stop the brain drain, and find people who can make a high impact on their organizations. Tune in to hear how you can apply their strategies to address your workforce shortages.  Ben is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools and Carleton College, and has b...

On this episode, Stacey Katakura, Founder & President of Accumulus, and Jo McGarry discuss cost savings tips and solutions through tax reductions this tax season, managing your gross profit margins and inventory, and transitioning to an outsourced cloud-based accounting services.  Stacey Katakura founded Accumulus in 2017. She is a licensed CPA in Hawaii and California and is a graduate of Kai...

On this episode, Caroline Carl, Interim Executive Director of Hawai'i Energy, and Jo McGarry discuss how Hawai'i Energy is helping our state meet its clean energy goals before 2045. Despite current circumstances of inflation, rising fuel costs and the coal plant closure, Carl shares that there are many practical tips and solutions to increase cost savings and energy efficiencies for hous...

Elisia Flores joins the Voice of Business podcast to share what it is like being a female CEO and Vice Chair of Hawaii's favorite plate lunch restaurant and the daughter to the L&L founder and entrepreneur, Eddie Flores.  As a second-generation business owner, even Elisia was tempted to not return to Hawaii and contribute to the "brain drain" after moving to the mainland for col...

Senator Glenn Wakai joins the Voice of Business podcast to share how his career in journalism led him to politics.  After spending over 11 years reporting the news, he was inspired to take action and make a significant difference for our great state. In this meet your politician interview, Senator Wakai shares his common sense, bold economic diversity and recovery solutions for a post-pandemic env...

On this episode, Diane Peters-Nguyen, Regional CEO of American Red Cross Pacific Islands Region, shares that while the pandemic canceled a lot of things, it did not cancel emergencies or disasters and, therefore, it did not cancel the Red Cross. From Hurricane Douglas in the fall of 2020 to the floods of 2021 to the Tonga disaster in 2022, the Red Cross Pacific Islands Region is working hard to su...

On this episode, Sherry Menor-McNamara and Jo McGarry discuss how to boost businesses and the economy in 2022.  In her tenure as President & CEO of the Chamber, Sherry Menor-McNamara shares with podcast host, Jo McGarry, how these past two years have been the most challenging for business owners due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic. Tune in to hear how businesses can effect change, rally...

On this episode, hear from fashion designer and small business owner Allison Izu on her journey of being a small entrepreneur and petite fashion designer in the big fashion industry. Allison is an inspiration to many as she bravely took on the fashion industry to design clothing for the average-sized women. Learn how she pushed through the “no’s” and shifted to get the “yeses” for a great reminder...

On this episode learn how the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra pivoted during the pandemic to create a renewed sense of community, doubled their donor base and is bringing more awareness to art education for our youth. Dave Moss, Executive Director for the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, joins the Voice of Business podcast to discuss his passion for music, organizational growth and the community. As the “Voic...

On this episode, Susan Furuta shares how her team of 75 inspires hope to thousands of local families by providing guidance, household goods and opportunities for empowerment and connection.  Susan Furuta is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Helping Hands Hawaii. Born and raised in the historic Ewa plantation, Susan is a graduate of James Campbell High School and holds a bachelor’s deg...

How does one know the signs of Alzheimer's disease in a loved one? With more than three million cases per year in the US, it's important to understand the signs at an early stage. LJ Duena, Executive Director for the Alzheimer's Association, joins us to talk about the signs, treatments that are available, and how Alzheimer's Association can provide necessary resources to help n...

During challenging times (like during the COVID-19 pandemic), skillful leadership became even more critical. What are the qualities and habits that a great leader must possess to move a company forward? On today's episode, we sat down with Josh Ellis, Director of Digital Programs for The Initiatives Group, to break down how habits work, and how you as a leader, can develop them to improve you...

Happiness U's mission is to teach that which was not taught in a traditional classroom about how to live a heart-centered life. With the pandemic, Alice's teachings of mindfulness has been even more important and relevant for the mental wellbeing of working individuals.  On today's episode, we are joined by nationally award-winning author and life expert, Alice Inoue.  She is Hawaii...

Chocolea's mission is "Bringing Peace to our world, one chocolate at a time." In 2021 when Hawaii locked down due to COVID, owner Erin Kanno Uehara felt helpless that she couldn't deliver on her mission. That's when she started writing to, who she now calls her "chocolate friends," and even ended up publishing a book about her experience as a local business owner...

Unite Hawaii is a coordinated care network of health and social service providers working together to address social factors affecting people’s well-being and improve health in our communities. Based in Mililani, HI, Carol Hayashida is a Community Engagement Manager at Unite Us with a diverse background in healthcare sales and social service. Her passion lies in connecting partners together to see...

Are you currently facing staffing challenges? Have you considered outsourcing positions? Join us for this episode as we  welcome Tim Mobley, who currently serves as the President of Connext Global Solutions. Tim graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY where he studied economics and mechanical engineering. He earned the Distinguished Cadet award during each of his four y...