Five of this year’s Pacific Business News Fastest 50 small businesses in Hawai’i are based on Kaua’i. They included Best Places Hawaii, Classic Aloha Vacations Inc., Paradise Services Corp., Marois LLC doing business as Grinds Cafe, and Hawaii Movie Tours
Five of this year’s Pacific Business News Fastest 50 small businesses in Hawai’i are based on Kaua’i.
They included Best Places Hawaii, Classic Aloha Vacations Inc., Paradise Services Corp., Marois LLC doing business as Grinds Cafe, and Hawaii Movie Tours Inc.
Best Places Hawaii, a destination marketing system to the visitor industry via the Internet, was twelfth on the list. The business grew more than 163 percent between 2000 and 2001, with revenue of $444,551. The entirely Web-based business, which is a division of H & S Publishing, does this through the Hawaii State Vacation Planner, an easily navigated and detailed online directory.
Topping the Fastest 50 this year is a Maul lighting and home-furnishings business that grew more than 600 percent between 2000 and 2001, generating more than $1.7 million in revenue. The Kahului business, whose corporate name is Ano Lani Inc., will soon expand to the Kona side of the Big Island.
The PBN Fastest 50 roster, based on actual growth percentages vetted by Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
Although four of five Hawai’i residents live on O’ahu, the winners included, in addition to the five from Kaua’i, nine Maui businesses and six from the Big Island. Half of the Fastest 50 have been on the list before and five got awards for the third time.
“What strikes me about this year’s winners is that they succeeded in a difficult economy,” said Larry Fuller, publisher of Pacific Business News.
Noting that businesses become ineligible for the list after attaining annual revenue of $5 million, he said a lot of last year’s winners had “graduated.” Each of the 50 winners received a sculpted blown-glass hula dancer figurine on lava rock, created by Marian Fieldson of Kurtistown on the Big Island.
