Big Island Well Represented in Hawaii’s “Fastest 50”

The Big Island will be well-represented when 50 of the fastest-growing small businesses across the state will be honored next month at a luncheon on Oahu  as the “Fastest 50” in Hawaii.

A dozen Big Island businesses will be recognized at the event, which will be held at the Halekulani on August 9^th from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Compiled by percentage of business growth from 2009 to 2011, the “Fastest 50” list was released on July 6^th. The exact ranking of each company will be revealed at the luncheon, which is sponsored by First Hawaiian Bank, Kaiser Permanente, and Oceanic Time Warner Cable, and hosted by Pacific Business News.

The range of Big Island businesses being recognized for their growth is diverse, from Akamai Pest Solutions, based in Pahoa, to Tropical Dreams Ice Cream, based in Waimea. It’s interesting to note that even with the real estate market in a free-fall in recent years, two Big Island real estate companies will be recognized for their growth: Hawaii Life Real Estate Brokers, with an office in Puako, and Aloha Coast Realty, with offices in Hilo and Pahoa.

Given the daunting economic climate, it’s remarkable that so many businesses have been able to grow. Even more notable is that some, like Hawaii Life Real Estate Brokers and Ke Ola magazine, are relatively new—both businesses are little more than three years old.

Barbara Garcia, publisher of Ke Ola magazine, noted that the publication had a whopping 279% growth between 2009 and 2011. Garcia says, “We’re very proud to have earned this status. It would not have been possible without the support of Hawaii Island businesses, who understood our vision from the beginning and have supported us since we began publishing at the end of 2008.”

Chuck Lipps Jr. of Lipps & Son noted that their general contractor business sales have more than doubled every year since 2007. Lipps & Son, which started in Ohio in 1981 before expanding to Kona five years ago, was also recently awarded the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce 2012 Pualu Award for Environmental Awareness. They received the Pualu award for their work refurbishing the King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel after the March 2011 tsunami.

The Big Island companies that made the 2012 “Fastest 50” list are as follows (in alphabetical order):

Akamai Pest Solutions, Pahoa

Aloha Coast Realty, Hilo and Pahoa

Fleming & Associates, Hilo

Hawaii Life Real Estate Brokers, Puako

Hula Moon Boutique, Waimea

K&G Architects, Waimea

Ke Ola magazine, Kona

Kona Mountain Coffee, Kona

Lipps & Son, Kona

ProVision Solar, Hilo

Sleep Center Hawaii, Hilo and Kona (also on Oahu)

Tropical Dreams Ice Cream, Waimea

Deadline to register for the luncheon is Aug. 6. Individual tickets are $85. For more information, contact Rosanna J. Costales at (808) 955-8074 or email [email protected].