Economics and Business, Living in Hawaii

Project-Based Learning: Initiative to Reality

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From Harvard-developed MBA coursework to a new book deal, Harm-Jan Steenhuis, Ph.D., works to make the HPU College of Business a center of project-based learning

By Sara Ecclesine

Hawaii Pacific University MBA Program Chair Harm-Jan Steenhuis, Ph.D., thinks a lot about competitiveness. “What makes a region competitive? How do you evaluate clusters of economic activity, and find opportunities for growth?” Steenhuis studied these questions during his diverse professional career, whether looking at aviation technology transfer in Romania, or creating an export plan for an Indian transformer manufacturer. While at universities in the U.S. and the Netherlands, Steenhuis became convinced that his job as an instructor is to teach students to analyze competitiveness and find opportunities by learning critical thinking skills. And the path to fostering critical thinking is project-based learning.

Steenhuis joined HPU in the summer of 2015, drawn in part to the university’s highly international faculty and student body, which provides an ideal atmosphere for international business research. Even more compelling for Steenhuis was HPU’s culture of project-based learning, a central component of the College of Business (COB) strategic plan. In 2012, Jeffrey and Laura Alberts-Boromisa funded a Project Learning Initiative and Academic Improvement Fund at HPU’s COB. Jeffrey Boromisa, also serving as Executive in Residence, sought to increase the competitiveness of the COB through the establishment of an applied learning process, where student-teams serve as consulting groups to local businesses. The Project Learning Initiative has spawned events as unique as Hawai’i’s first International Women’s Hackathon.

After his arrival at HPU, Steenhuis immediately began developing project-based learning opportunities that increase the rigor of the COB. The first will be a new graduate course in International Competitiveness and Strategy, based on materials developed by the Harvard Business School. HPU is one of only a handful of universities in the U.S. authorized to teach this graduate course. The course is 50% case-based course work supported by materials and best-practice teaching techniques developed by Harvard. The other 50% will be project-based, with students analyzing local industry clusters and learning to think critically about the determinants of competitiveness, with the goal of improving the prosperity of the people of Hawai’i. “A cluster of economic activity doesn’t tell us the complete story,” explained Steenhuis. “Is it producing patents? Are the patents relevant economic drivers? How does it compare to a different region? Does it increase quality of life?”

Steenhuis is so enthusiastic about project-based learning that he’s writing the book on it, with co-authors Larry Rowland and Brian Kulik. Inspired by The Case Study Handbook, written by William Ellet and published by the Harvard Business Press, Steenhuis and his collaborators are writing a student guide to topics such as how to approach a project and how to interact in groups, aimed at students used to textbook and lecture-style teaching. “Education is not just theories and memorizing terms. You need that business literacy, but it’s not our end goal,” asserts Steenhuis. “With project-based learning, you’re going to get students who can think critically and be profession ready, global leaders; who can make a difference in community before they’ve even left school. And to me, that’s what’s exciting.”

This story originally appeared in the HPU 2016 President’s Report.

Economics and Business, Travel, Uncategorized

New Trends in Family Travel

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Society Changes, Human Needs Stay the Same

As members of a rapidly changing, increasingly global society, we feel the pressure to work more and to stay constantly plugged into our devices, our email, and social media. Our tastes are increasingly sophisticated and cosmopolitan, but our basic needs as humans for meaning and connection remain unaltered. Out of the push of society and the pull of intimacy, new trends are emerging that allow individuals and families to create personal moments, bond with their loved ones and create lasting memories, even in the midst of an intense business trip, and despite the pressure of a competitive, jaded, Instagram-fueled leisure culture. One such trend is the rise of “bleisure” travel, travel that melds business and leisure. The other is multigenerational aspirational adventure travel, the family vacation guaranteed to get the attention of even the most jaded tween, and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Connected Workers, Disconnected Families

According to research by Project Time Off, workers in the United States are using a historically low number of vacation days, fewer than at any time in the last 40 years. (Project Time Off is a non-profit organization with the mission to increase the use of vacation time, supported by a broad coalition across the travel and retail spectrum including the National Retail Federation.) On average, if you live in the United States you’ll take only 16 vacation days in 2015, almost a week less vacation compared to an average of 20 days in 2000. Project Time Off is concerned with documenting and defining the effects of this drop in vacation time, not just for individual workers, but for the health of their children and families. In The Work Martyr’s Children: How Kids Are Harmed by America’s Lost Week, Project Time Off asserts that today’s generation of children are missing out on vacation traditions and quality time with their parents. Dr. Lotte Bailyn, study contributor and professor emerita at the MIT Sloan School of Management, notes that the study found that most kids (61%) want to spend quality time with parents during vacation. While just 19% of kids say they are in a very good mood during their everyday life, this number jumps to 60% when parents take time off work to hang out with them. “Their moods are different and it takes a while to get them out of their shells,” Bailyn explained. “In a strange way, particularly with younger children, the best relationships come when there’s enough quantity time to drive quality interactions.” Although family time is important to children, nearly a quarter of working parents reported that it had been more than a year since their last family vacation. The work pressures that keep parents at the office are the same ones that keep other American workers from using their vacation time, fears that they will “come back to a mountain of work” (29%) because “no one else can do the job” (20%) topping the list.

The Rise of Bleisure Travel

At the same time that families and individuals are suffering the effects of taking fewer vacation days, business travel has been on the increase and is expected to continue to rise through the end of 2015 and 2016. The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), an international business travel and meetings organization, projects that both individual and group business trips in the U.S. will increase by approximately 2% a year in 2015 and 2016, while international business trips are expected to increase by 5% in 2015 and 7% in 2016. According to Michael W. McCormick, GBTA executive director, “thanks to a healthier domestic economy and a stronger U.S. dollar, companies are putting more travelers on the road not only because they can afford to, but because they continue to see a strong return on their business travel investment.”

Squeezed by more pressure at the office and more time on the road, how are workers fighting back? With bleisure travel, defined as a trip that includes both a business and leisure component. According to two recent studies, business travelers are increasingly staying over the weekend, bringing their family, and leaving the hotel room to work in parks and coffee shops. This year BridgeStreet Global Hospitality released THE BLEISURE REPORT 2014, based on a survey of 640 international guests. And Hotwire.com® also published their third American Travel Behavior Survey, both of which documented a strong bleisure travel trend.

The Numbers behind the Trend

According to BridgeStreet Global, bleisure travel is on the rise. The majority, 60% of travelers, report that they are more likely to take bleisure trips today than they were five years ago. The same number (60%) have already taken bleisure trips, adding an average of two vacation days per business trip. Among bleisure travelers, more than half (54%) bring along their family or significant other. Younger travelers (age 25-34) are the strongest adopters, with 93% expecting to take a bleisure trip in the next five years.

Hotwire.com® reported similar results. Roughly half of American business travelers have added leisure time to a business trip, with 56% of younger travelers 18 to 34 and 37% of 35 to 44-year-olds reporting bleisure trips. Henrik Kjellberg, president of Hotwire®, is an advocate of bleisure travel. “You might have to travel for business, but it doesn’t mean you have to let much-deserved leisure trips fall by the wayside. Popular domestic business hubs like Atlanta see a ton of foot traffic during convention season. However, once the corporate groups leave – typically on Thursdays – hoteliers drop their prices for the weekend to try and fill rooms with leisure travelers. As such, you can spend a couple of extra days away to explore or relax in one of these great cities while taking advantage of affordable hotel deals.” Industry veteran Bobby Williams, founder of BOCONI bags and leather, can relate. “I definitely live in bleisure travel-mode with my family…non-stop all the time!”

Equipping the Bleisure Traveler

Retailers can respond to the bleisure trend by tailoring their sales and marketing message to this new reality, rather than drawing a strict line between work and leisure travel, and by stocking products that encourage flexibility and exploration, such as structured backpacks or convertible briefcase/backpack combos. According to BridgeStreet Global, even if they don’t extend their trip 82% of business travelers take time out to explore the city they’re visiting. The right bag can encourage micro-adventures: jumping on a shuttle to see a city during a layover, or taking a hike through a sculpture garden. When talking about bags for business travel, bringing up the idea of bleisure travel to your customer can change the tone of the conversation from the contemplation of impending drudgery to the possibility of wonder and fun.

One game changer, according to both travel icon Rick Steves and the travel blog One Bag, is to steer able-bodied travelers away from rolling bags, which can easily lose a third of interior volume and add a third in weight due to the addition of wheels, retractable handles, and attendant hardware. Doug Dyment from One Bag asserts, “few places worth visiting are conducive to rolling a bag behind you; even modern city sidewalks have curbs, cracks, congestion, and clutter (often of the unpleasant organic variety).” And Rick Steves points out, “I really appreciate the mobility and practicality of having both hands free while en route – I can eat a sandwich or buy a bus ticket and hop on board without breaking my stride.”

But bleisure travel isn’t just about squeezing a micro-adventure in between meetings, it’s about adding on a weekend to explore the city, or bringing the kids along on your work trip. Even seasoned road warriors will need to learn new packing tricks, as their small work carry-on bag will need to fit more and do more. This is where retailers can be game changers, by providing packing seminars and educating their clients about the use of cubes and other organizational features. Steves is a strong proponent of packing cubes, “packing cubes are a worthwhile supplement to any bag purchase. They help compress your clothes, keep them organized, and allow you to easily access your bag’s contents without risking spilling all of them out on the airport or train-station floor.”

The TLS Professional Weekender, developed by eBags in response to the input of business travelers, is chock full of features perfect for bleisure travel. In the office, the TLS Weekender can be carried briefcase-style, with or without a shoulder strap. Because no one wants their socks (or kids’ toys!) to go tumbling onto the meeting room floor when they’re digging for their laptop or charger, clothes are in a completely separate compartment than the laptop and organizer areas. The clothing compartment is shaped to be used with the eBags packing cubes for additional compression, organization, and carrying capacity. While sightseeing between meetings, the bag can be worn as a backpack with sternum straps and a padded, ventilated Airmesh back panel. In the airport, the laptop section is TSA-checkpoint friendly. Although everyone loves basic black, the new heathered graphite colorway is also a great choice. It will pop on your sales floor while still reading as a neutral.

New this winter, BOCONI is introducing the Tyler Tumbled Campus Pack, a polished, stylish backpack that’s ideal for bleisure travel. It looks good enough for the boardroom, in Milano grained leather finished with antiqued nickel hardware. But it’s also comfortable and capacious enough to extend your trip over the weekend and explore a new city.

For customers who appreciate a sporty aesthetic, the TPro® Bold™ 2.0 carry-on backpack from Travelpro is a great choice.

Because the demographic with the largest percentage of adopters is the under-34 set, a roomy, durable and on-trend bag like the HEX Sonic backpack should be part of your store’s bleisure merchandising plan. The Sonic features laptop and organizer pockets for office-access, and two completely separate gear/clothing pockets. It comes in a variety of neutral-but-not-boring fabrications. The most adventure-friendly bag in the HEX collection is the HEX Roark Revival Mule Backpack with a 30-liter carrying capacity and enough comfort features for a weekend in the mountains. The sophisticated PV-coated cotton fabrication keeps you from looking like a backpacking college student, and the separate laptop compartment allows for easy access to your computer without exposing the office to your hiking boots.

Multigenerational Aspirational Adventure

The last decade has seen the rise of “grandtravel,” where time-poor parents are left at home with their busy careers, and grandparents and kids vacation together. In the Instagram age, this trend is combining with adventure travel (bucket-list trips like summiting Everest or an African safari) into the aspirational adventure family vacation. Multi-generational families, not necessarily including parents, but often funded by and including grandma, are looking for more exotic experiences than the beach or the nearest national park. The Travel Channel calls these social-mediagenic family trips one of the top five travel trends this year. “Families are foregoing the family vacations of the past, where quality time was spent parked at the beach, and instead are looking for transformative experiences that the whole family can share.” But going to the Galápagos Islands in a family group with members that are between eight and 80 means shopping for a tour with a lot of support and comfort, dovetailing neatly with the trend of “glamping.” This is good news for retailers, since exotic, aspirational family vacations require support, advice, and specialized travel equipment from savvy retailers. Expect sales of products like soft-sided luggage that can be loaded onto a camel, smart children’s products, bug- and-sun resistant clothing in every size, and lots of opportunities for packing seminars.

The Numbers behind the Trend

How big is multi-generational travel? Rainer Jenss, president and founder of the Family Travel Association, asserts that their research shows that 33 to 40% of the $270 billion leisure travel business is multigenerational. According to a recent national survey conducted by Preferred Hotel Group and marketing company MMGY Global, there are four key aspects to the multi-generational adventure trend. Grandparents (35%) are paying for the trip, more so than the parents (25%), but 40% of both grandparents and parents say the grandchildren are active in vacation planning. Lindsey Ueberroth, president and CEO of Preferred, explains, “(millennials) are doing a lot of online research. What happens is the grandparents come in and want to pay, and millennials come in with the research…to create a unique experience.” Global travel is particularly popular, because multigenerational vacationers “want a deeper cultural experience,” Ueberroth explains. Family Vacation Critic, TripAdvisor’s family travel site, is also touting “experiential travel” as a key family travel trend, noting that Disney is jumping on the bandwagon, with offerings such as a cooking class in Ecuador through Adventure Disney.

Destination Transformation

Because time for family togetherness is scarce and precious, families are setting high standards for their trips. CNN recently published a story titled “10 Places that can Change your Child’s Life.” (No pressure, vacation planners!) Where is adventure travel taking these families-on-the-go? Alaskan cruises combine luxury, separate programs for all ages, and shared experiences in nature. Luxe lodges in South America entice families to visit bucket list destinations like Patagonia, while providing well-organized horseback riding, photo safari, fishing, kayaking, and hiking excursions. Huffington Post author (and CEO of Chill Expeditions) Crawford Hill touts “Ecuador and the Galapagos, Costa Rica and Andalusian Spain, which offer great opportunities for relaxation and countless possibilities for experiential learning as a family. This kind of educational travel adventure is far more enduring than simply traveling to an all-inclusive resort together – and obviously it offers a more authentic and engaging opportunity.” Jenss notes that children love animals, making Alaska, Central and South America and Africa great destinations, and that children as young as 10 years old can get certified to scuba dive.

Equipment and Preparation

For the multi-generational family adventure, equipment and preparation are key. Adventure travel means backpacks and soft-sided duffles in durable fabrics and understated colorways, making Travelpro’s National Geographic™ duffles perfect for the adults, while animal-themed child-sized carry-ons like the ones in the National Geographic™ Collection by Travelpro help get kids excited for the trip. Tuck a tube of critters from Safari Ltd. into the kids’ carry-on to play with on the plane, and help them get in the spirit of adventure. TrendyKid also makes animal character carry-ons, as well as bags with more sophisticated graphics for tweens.

Lightweight packing is even more important for adventure travel than bleisure trips. Peter Cobb, co-founder of eBags.com, takes note: “inspired by YouTube and travel blogs, there is an explosion in the number of people deciding to take trips off the beaten path. They want to experience nature, history, culture, and food in exotic locations once thought to be out of reach. They are finding that lightweight travel backpacks with packing cube organizers can make all the difference in managing their belongings throughout the trip.” The eBags TLS Mother Lode Weekender and Weekender Junior (for smaller-framed travelers) fits the bill with ease, offering many of the same organizational features found in the eBags TLS Professional Weekender, but in additional size and color choices. The BOCONI Bryant LTE Ruck Sack, in Heather brown canvas with antiqued mahogany pull-up leather, and finished with a durable waterproof coating, makes an elegant set for adventure travel when combined with the Bryant Safari Bag in antiqued mahogany pull-up leather, also with a waterproof finish.

But it’s not just about bags. Look for travel goods manufacturers who carry products that can help keep traveling families safe, healthy and comfortable. Your customers will appreciate Goodwipes, the extra-large-size cooling towelettes, great for camping, safaris, and hiking in warm climates. Emergency ponchos and mini LED flashlights are a no-brainer. And check out Go Travel’s Mosquito Cot Net, a lightweight mosquito net ideal for cots, cribs, and strollers, which protects against bites and stings. Go Travel also makes a kid’s door stop, which prevents doors from locking accidentally and protects little fingers from heavy hotel doors. And don’t forget Airtushi, Oakthrift’s inflatable travel highchair.

Defining the Problem, Finding the Solution

In this connected world, human ingenuity is allowing us to find ways to relax, to unplug, and to bond with nature and with each other. The new travel trends of bleisure travel and the multigenerational aspirational family vacation are born out of the challenges of modern life, and require more planning and travel knowledge than the road trips and weekends at grandma’s house enjoyed by previous generations. But with advice and equipment from a great travel retailer, families can enjoy the same potential for bonding and fun during their leisure travel time, even if their circumstances and surroundings look very different from 40 years ago.

This story originally appeared in the Winter 2015 issue of Travel Goods Showcase

Economics and Business, Travel

Get Ready, Get Chipped, and Go!

Travel Goods Retailers Prepare for the New Credit Deadline
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Visa and MasterCard have set October 1, 2015 as the deadline for retailers across the U.S. to switch from the classic swipe-stripe credit card reader to an EMV system that reads chip-cards. The carrot is that the entire country will change over to the more fraud resistant chip system, bringing the U.S. into technological alignment with the credit cards used by the rest of the world. The stick is that retailers who don’t make the switch will be responsible for fraudulent charges. The migration to chip-card readers is part of a larger period of disruption in the world of consumer credit. With new technologies such as Apple Pay, Square, and GoPayment entering the market, retailers have more choices than ever before, but are also deeply dissatisfied with high fees and distrustful of banks and credit card companies.

We talk to some savvy retailers to bring you the information you need to make sure you’re ready for October 1, and informed about the new world of consumer credit technologies.

Why EMV?

EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa, the founding members of EMVCo, the group which establishes and regulates credit card chip technology. Unlike the magnetic stripe cards that are the norm in the U.S., EMV cards contain a chip (microprocessor) that validates the credit card during every interaction with the payment device, and uses encryption to secure the data. During a sales transaction, EMV is more secure than magnetic striped cards because of its technology, as well as how it’s physically handled. Sophisticated authentication protocols make it difficult to use skimmed card information, and the act of inserting the card into the device by the customer, rather than swiping the card by the retailer, means the card never leaves the customer’s possession.

Most of the world migrated to EMV around 2005, primarily to combat credit card fraud. As the rest of the world became more secure, with a typical drop in fraud of over 50% per country, credit card thieves have increasingly targeted the U.S. and its millions of vulnerable magnetic-stripe cards. While the need to switch is urgent, the task is herculean. With the October 1 deadline looming, there is a still a massive amount of work to be done to complete the transition to chip. The National Retail Federation (NRF) estimates that at the beginning of this year only about 8% of U.S. consumers had chip-enabled credit cards. Banks are expected to work to substantially increase those numbers, with industry projections putting the percentage of chip cards at between 50% and 60% by the end of this year.

New EMV Policy: What’s it Mean to Me?

Switching to EMV can be a simple process, or become more difficult and time consuming based on the size and complexity of the retailer’s POS system. “We did make an early transition to the chip technology in our store,” explained David Stoller, owner of Suitcases & More in Scottsdale, AZ, “but we have not done anything with those SquareApples  or that GoQuick. We are pretty simple folk here.” Guy Paquette, director of corporate operations for Bagot Leather Goods, Luggage Plus in Kingston, Ontario, also found that for a business of his size, the change was easy. “Retailers should have no fear, because this should be a seamless conversion.” As Paquette recalls, “I use Chase, like many folks in the U.S.. I called them, they sent a technician that afternoon, and he plugged in my new machine.”

Larger retailers with customized POS systems may have the additional burden of certifying that their credit card processing systems meet EMVCo standards. However, for the vast majority of retailers, your payment processor has already taken care of EMV certification.

EMV on the Sales Floor

The switch to EMV will require some training, both of staff and of your customers. In order to run a card with a new EMV machine, first visually identify whether the card is a chip card. If it’s a stripe card, the EMV machines available to U.S. retailers also allow traditional swipe-authorization. If it’s a chip card, the customer will insert it into a slot in the bottom, front of the card reader, which points towards the customer, and leave it in the machine. The customer will follow the terminal prompts, and then complete the transaction either with a signature, or by entering a Personal Identification Number (PIN code), less common in the U.S..

According to QuickBooks.com, during the Canadian EMV migration a frequent problem was that many customers absent-mindedly left their credit cards in the machine at the end of the transaction (as many of us have done in older-style ATM machines). This is likely to be a problem during the transition to chip cards, since the busy holiday season comes right after deployment of the new EMV machines. U.S. retailers will need to take steps to remind harried and distracted holiday shoppers to withdraw their cards at the end of the transaction, either through signage or even humorous employee t-shirts.

Managing Fraud Risk

While credit card companies have made it clear that EMV machines are not a requirement, they have also stated that the October 1 deadline represents a liability shift from the credit card company to the retailer in cases of fraud. No one wants to be the source of a security breach affecting their customers, both from a public relations and a liability standpoint, so beyond the EMV requirement it’s important that the first goal of your payment and point of sale (POS) system is to protect your customers’ data.

Since switching to EMV in 2008, Canada saw a 40% reduction in fraud, according to QuickBooks.com. It’s unclear if the reduction in fraud in Canada is the result of adoption of EMV technology, or the concurrent change in Canadian laws protecting consumer privacy and security. “I’m a technology guy, so we got the new payment systems as they came out, just to give them a try,” explained Paquette. “Doing business in Canada, our primary concern is compliance with our government’s strict privacy laws. We first got a chip enabled credit card reader 10 or 12 years ago, and then invested in tap and pay technology [also called near field communication (NFC)] about six years ago. A year after that, in response to the Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), an amendment to the Privacy Act, we got rid of our tap and pay machine.” Fraud concerns and complying with PIPEDA also drove Paquette to restructure his POS system. “We separated our credit/debit system completely from our POS system to prevent any data breaches that would result in our customers’ credit card information being stolen.” Sam Hirsh, owner of Tripquipment in Falmouth, ME, believes Paquette’s security measures are important for U.S. retailers. “How do you protect yourself? By doing the most common sense things possible. We will never save credit card information,” stated Hirsh. The experience of Canadian retailers is of interest to U.S. retailers, who are frequently encouraged to adopt more and more integrated systems, which save credit card info, sales history and other consumer data, while also having the ability to push personalized promos out to customer’s smart phones. The promotional value of these integrated systems must be weighed against their possible vulnerability to hackers and credit card fraud.

As was the case during global adoption of EMV, fraud will most likely migrate to the least secure sales channel. Retailers without EMV card-reading technology may find themselves targets in the future. However, there is no reason to panic if you don’t currently have an EMV card reader. You have to take an actual EMV card (still not common) after October 1 that turns out to be fraudulent in order to create a liability situation. But do contact your card processor to create a plan to get yourself an EMV compliant machine as soon as possible.

Where is the Bottleneck?

Although news outlets have characterized the slow U.S. adoption of chip-card readers as symptomatic of unsophisticated U.S. retailers, the real problem lies elsewhere. Technology vendors and credit card processors are racing to get their services certified as being compliant, at the same time that larger retailers, health care companies, banks, airlines, and other credit card-dependent businesses are also trying to get certified. Chuck Weisbart from It’s…In The Bag! in Palm Desert, CA, echoed a common frustration: “Our processing company is waiting until the first of October. Our banks are the ‘financial gestapo.’ We would have had the chip readers years ago, but it was our banks that didn’t want to have to spend the moolah.” Hirsh is also experiencing vendor-related delay. “Our POS company sent us a note saying the chip-card readers were coming but not available yet. Meanwhile we’re getting offers every day from other processing providers offering chip machines and asking us to switch. But we like our POS system so we’re going to wait for them.”

Credit Card Controversy

In the rest of the world, EMV card readers require a PIN, rather than the signature cards that most U.S. banks will issue. The Mallory Duncan, senior vice president and general counsel of the NRF believes this is unfair. “Banks are adding a chip that makes the card hard to counterfeit but refusing to add the PIN that would ensure user legitimacy. Retailers are being required to cover the $25 to $30 billion cost of the new equipment. Why are they making us buy equipment that can do both, but refusing to do what they do in Europe and set up a system that does both?” Duncan asks.

Weisbart also has a beef with the length of time that it’s taken banks to issue chip cards in the U.S..

“You can tell the real traveler from the novice, as the real traveler has experienced refusal of their unchipped cards overseas. What is baffling is that a lot of our customers have called the big boys in banking, such as Bank of America, Chase, and Wells Fargo, and asked for a chipped card as they are going out of the country, and have been told that they cannot get them, and the consumer accepts that answer. Wait till the chipped card comes in the mail automatically in the next couple of months to hit the October deadline, and then see how much all these consumers trust their big boy banks.”

Swipe Fee Furor

Credit card processing fees are a continual source of merchant frustration. The biggest question travel goods retailers have about new credit is whether new technology and new options will disrupt the market enough that processing fees go down. The answer, at least so far, seems to be no. NRF estimates that current transaction costs run between 2% and 4%, although it can be difficult to track batch fees, statement fees, maintenance fees, data security compliance fees, monthly minimums and customer service fees on top of the non-negotiable interchange fees. Credit card fees are now the third or fourth largest expense for retailers, after rent and payroll. New technologies, such as PayPal Here and Square charge between 1.7% and 2.75%; on the lower end of the 2% to 4% fee range but likely not low enough to shake up the industry.

Outside the U.S. it’s possible to find tighter government regulation of interchange fees, leading to more money in retailers’ pockets. As an example, in 2003 the Reserve Bank of Australia cut credit card interchange fees in half. Organizations such as NRF and businesses like Walmart have been going after the credit card companies in the courts, although so far their efforts have not been fruitful. On Jan 20th of this year, the Supreme Court rejected a NRF challenge to debit card swipe fee rules. Duncan, speaking for a disappointed NRF, stated that the Supreme Court ruling “means retailers will keep paying billions of dollars more than they should, and that fee-hungry banks will continue to rake in unearned profits that ultimately come out of consumers’ pockets.” Duncan called for continued work lobbying for lower swipe fees: “Countries all over the world are significantly reducing interchange fees because they know these fees are a sweetheart deal for big banks and an unfair burden for merchants and consumers.” Whether we ultimately choose smart wallets, tap and pay, swipe or chip, that is legislation we can all support.

Pick Your Features and Make Your Move

Many businesses will opt to swap their non-EMV terminal for an EMV-compatible one, to keep it simple and keep their costs down. One wise upgrade would be to make sure your new EMV terminal is both signature and PIN capable. Although most U.S. consumers will initially receive chip and signature cards now, chip and PIN cards are coming in the future. And if you have significant number of international customers, you’ll need that PIN capability. It could make the difference between closing a large sale, or not.

This may also be the time to upgrade your current system to one with inventory or customer loyalty tracking, although that adds a level of potential security risk. You could opt for a machine that also takes mobile or contactless payment, such as Apple Pay, by using NFC. Contactless EMV payments allow customers to tap their card against the terminal (as with a mobile wallet) which can significantly speed up transactions. If you have very busy periods, this could make a big difference to the length of the line at the cash register and the overall transaction experience for your customer. Ricki Subel, Marketing Manager for central U.S. chain Landmark Luggage, states that “we have integrated Apple Pay at one of the stores. We are interested in modernizing our operating systems in general, as well as being ahead of the curve to suit the needs of our customers and comply with consumer trends. There have been some technical issues on the behalf of both the system hardware and the user fluidity, but we are working through those in an effort to be able to bring Apple Pay to all stores who are very willing and excited to try it.”

Bottom line? We’re in the VHS and Betamax era of new credit and we don’t know who is going to come out on top. The name of Chase’s new terminal, Future Proof, sums up the uncertainty of current payment practices. It accepts swipe-type debit and credit cards, works for both PIN and signature inserted chip cards, and accepts both mobile wallet payments and contactless chip-card transactions. When making decisions about new credit, think about your customer demographic, make your best prediction of what payment technology will gain popularity in your region, and try to keep your contracts and systems flexible to respond to change.

This story originally appeared in the fall 2015 issue of Travel Goods Showcase
Economics and Business, Living in Hawaii, Science

Global Opportunities in Environmental Education

2015 HPU Teacher of the Year Regina Ostergaard-Klem, Ph.D., brings the community into the classroom, and the classroom into the community

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Hawai‘i Pacific University Associate Professor of Environmental Science Regina Ostergaard-Klem, Ph.D., began her academic career in industrial engineering, a non-traditional path for an environmental scientist. “Studying engineering instilled a pragmatic approach to problem-solving,” Ostergaard-Klem shared, “and provided me with an analytic framework to evaluate problems with a lot of variables and multiple objectives.” After receiving her Ph.D. in Systems Analysis and Economics for Public Decision Making from The Johns Hopkins University, she worked at the United States Agency for International Development before coming to HPU in 2008. “I think that my diverse professional experiences, from database development to international policy analysis, give me a rich collection of real-world anecdotes that help me illustrate sustainable development in the classroom,” said Ostergaard-Klem.

Ostergaard-Klem is thrilled to add to her collection of hands-on experiences during a CIEE International Faculty Development seminar in China this summer. “Rarely does a class period go by without some reference to China, whether related to carbon offsetting, rare earth elements or eco-cities in China,” said Ostergaard-Klem. China’s decisions have tremendous implications for domestic and international sustainability. “Real-life examples gained from traveling through China, directly incorporated into my curriculum, will have an even greater impact on my students.”

Ostergaard-Klem is also preparing her students for the World Conservation Congress (WCC), to be held in Honolulu in 2016. “This is the Olympics of conservation, a gathering of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the oldest and largest international environmental organization. The WCC happens every four years, and it’s never been hosted in the U.S. before,” said Ostergaard-Klem. “We’re expecting between eight and 10 thousand participants.” The IUCN has traditionally been centered on species conservation. However, the organization has become increasingly concerned with balancing ecosystems and community impacts, making this a great moment to present Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) research, Ostergaard-Klem’s primary focus, to conservation professionals. (GPI, a supplement to GDP, adjusts for negative and positive effects of economic activity.) HPU and the University of Hawai‘i are collaborating to provide Conservation Campus programs, affiliate events providing training and teaching experiences for WCC participants and students from around the world. “My primary goal is to make sure the conference provides tremendous opportunities for enrichment and professional networking for HPU students,” said Ostergaard-Klem. “This is also an opportunity for local leaders from the business and environmental community in Hawaii to engage and share best-practices with their counterparts from all over the world.” Given that the conference will be held on an island, “I hope WCC is an opportunity to further support island partnerships such as that with the President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and HPU alumnus Christopher Loeak (BA ’79).”

This story originally appeared in the summer 2015 issue of HPU Today.

Economics and Business, Living in Hawaii, Science

Creating a Sustainable Future

Regina Ostergaard-Klem, Ph.D., provides global leadership in environmental science through community-based research

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Hawai‘i is known for rich research opportunities in volcanology, marine biology and astronomy. The 2015 Hawai‘i Pacific University Teacher of the Year Regina Ostergaard-Klem, Ph.D., is on a mission to add environmental science and sustainability to that honor roll. Because of Hawai‘i’s unique combination of diverse ecosystems, an economy dependent upon those resources, and cultural connections to nature, HPU students can do globally relevant sustainability research without ever leaving the islands. “Business and the environment have a symbiotic relationship that is critical to quality of life in Hawai‘i,” noted Ostergaard-Klem, an Associate Professor of Environmental Science. “There is no more interesting place on earth to study sustainability.”

Ostergaard-Klem’s primary research focus is the customization of the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) to the unique needs of Hawai‘i. GPI was developed two decades ago as a supplement to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GPI and GDP start at the same point, but GPI is then adjusted for negative and positive effects of economic activity, such as saltwater intrusion in a well, or the value of grandparents watching their grandchildren. GPI expresses these economic pluses and minuses as a dollar value, in order to aid policy planners in modeling trade-offs. Business leaders will recognize GPI as the macro expression of a movement also taking place at the micro level that includes Corporate Sustainability Plans, B-Corporations and the Global Reporting Initiative. “The low hanging fruit for companies is the reduction of waste, which is good for the environment by eliminating externalities and good for business by saving money,” said Ostergaard-Klem. “GPI is a way to track how well our whole economy is doing at reducing externalities.”

Ostergaard-Klem, her University of Hawai‘i collaborator Kirsten L.L. Oleson, Ph.D., and their army of graduate and undergraduate students produce a GPI for Hawai‘i, showcased in the State of Hawaii Environmental Council annual reports. Ostergaard-Klem explained the process: “GPI reporting is driven by data collated across different agencies and organizations that do not necessarily talk to one another. The GPI framework can be a model for other initiatives like Aloha + Challenge and its Sustainability Dashboard project. Our students gain real-world experience collaborating with community organizations to develop locally important deliverables, a key part of Ostergaard-Klem’s teaching philosophy. “It’s not that I’m parenting the students, but I think about my courses within the context of the student’s career development, rather than simply as an opportunity to teach the subject matter on the syllabus,” said Ostergaard-Klem. “I try to give them real-world skills.”

Research in Hawai‘i has the potential to lead the development of globally relevant protocols for localizing GPI. The original GPI formula includes items that are unimportant in Hawai‘i, such as human-made air pollution, while undervaluing others, such as sea-level rise from climate change. Ostergaard-Klem has shared her work on the localization of GPI with local organizations like the Hawai‘i Chapter of the American Planning Association and the Hawaii Economic Association and will present to the United States Society for Ecological Economics In October. These sessions help policy makers, planners, and economists realize the limits of GDP, while providing them with GPI as a more comprehensive alternative. Ostergaard-Klem has found that “planners and policy makers are often trying to piece together information on policy impacts, so our GPI reporting is very useful for them.”

This article originally appeared in the summer 2015 issue of HPU Today.

Living in Hawaii, Paddleboard and SUP, Travel

Duke’s OceanFest Celebrates the Legacy of the Duke

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While writing the cover stories for the July-August issue of Hawaii Sport Magazine, I found myself compulsively reading every scrap of biographical material I could find on Duke Kahanamoku. I had known that Duke was a legendary athlete, and while that is true, his enduring legacy is as a branding visionary who single-highhandedly created both surfing as a modern, international sport; and constructed the image of Hawaii that is now pictured by the outside world, in the process building Hawaii’s tourism industry.

Check out my bio of Duke and story on Duke’s OceanFest (below) and see if you agree.

Living in Hawaii, Paddleboard and SUP, Travel

Duke Kahanamoku: The Legacy Lives in You

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Reflections on a 125-year Tradition

Who taught you to surf? Who was your swim coach? And looking back in time, who was their coach, forming a chain of tradition connecting generations of teachers and students, back to the ancient kapuna of old Hawai’i?

Duke Paoa Kahanamoku has been called the father of modern day surfing, the fastest swimmer of his generation, the greatest waterman that ever lived, and the ultimate beachboy. He’s a 4-time Olympian in swimming and water polo, breaking world records and winning five medals, three of them gold. He introduced surfing and surfboard construction to Australia and Southern California, creating what are now the centers of the sport outside Hawai’i. The Duke was one of the first surfers to use a paddle on a surfboard (leading to the development of SUP) established the surfboard as an essential lifeguarding tool, was part of the beachboy crew that invented beach volleyball, and was considered the one of the best steersmen of his day at the iconic Outrigger Canoe Club.

Off the beach Kahanamoku held the titles of the Hawai’i Ambassador of Aloha, and the Sheriff of Honolulu. Known as the Big Kahuna in Hollywood, Kahanamoku taught movie stars to surf, popularized the aloha shirt and the ukulele, and introduced and the term beachboy to Southern California, single-handedly creating the surfing culture portrayed by Hollywood today. As biographer Grady Timmons explains, Kahanamoku is the person who introduced Hawai’i to the world. “At that time,” Timmons writes, “Hawai’i was the last outpost of the United States. It was the most isolated spot on earth, farther away from any place than any other place in the world. And then along came Duke, shoring up that distance with a single, powerful swimming stroke, emerging onto the world stage as if he had just stepped off his surfboard.”

But beneath it all, Kahanamoku was the child of a Hawaiian family that spent every spare moment in the water, a family that believed they came from the ocean. Kahanamoku learned to swim in the traditional way, thrown into the waves from a canoe. “It was swim or else,” Kahanamoku later recalled. “That’s the way the old Hawaiians did it.” Kahanamoku and his siblings attended Waikiki Elementary School, jumping into the ocean the minute school let out. “All we did was water, water, water,” his brother Louis explained. Brother Sargent remembered, “Mother used to tell her children, ‘Go out as far as you want. Never be afraid in the water.’”

Kahanamoku stepped into the global spotlight in 1911, when he shattered the 100-yard freestyle world record by 4.6 seconds during the first sanctioned Hawaiian Amateur Athletic Union swimming and diving championships in Honolulu Harbor. Kahanamoku later hypothesized, “our water is so full of life, it’s the fastest water in the world. That’s all there is to it.” When his world-record swim initially inspired disbelief outside Hawai’i, Kahanamoku’s friends and fellow beachboys raised the money for him to travel to the mainland to give exhibition swims and attend the 1912 Olympic Trials, where he easily qualified for the team, breaking the 200-meter world record in the process.

Kahanamoku’s Olympic career spanned the two decades from 1912 to 1932, when he won a final bronze for water polo at the age of 42. The Duke’s most memorable Olympic moment may have come during his first Olympics in 1912 in Stockholm. Also attending that year was the unstoppable Native American athlete Jim Thorpe. The two were keenly aware of their corresponding status as indigenous Americans and the best athletes in the world. Kahanamoku recalled that he asked Thorpe, “’Jimmy, I’ve seen you run, jump, throw things and carry the ball. You do everything, so why don’t you swim too?’ Jimmy just grinned at me with that big grin he had for everyone, and said, ‘Duke, I saved that for you to take care of. I saved that for you.'”

Kahanamoku was recognized as kumu o he’e nalu, one who has mastered the art of riding the waves, the ancient name for the kahuna priests who were the original surfing champions. So it’s fitting that Kahanamoku’s outreach to the world included a spiritual component, teaching the principal of aloha both in his travels and at home. In his own word, Kahanamoku described the importance of aloha: “aloha is the key word to the universal spirit of real hospitality, which makes Hawai’i renowned as the world’s center of understanding and fellowship.” In 1960 Kahanamoku was officially appointed to the position that he’d unofficially filled his entire life, the Hawai’i Ambassador of Aloha. When public figures, from John F. Kennedy to Shirley Temple, disembarked onto Hawaiian soil they headed straight for Kahanamoku. Kahanamoku disciple and legendary waterman Alika Willis explains the mission he received from Duke, “teaching people the aloha part of Duke Kahanamoku, not the waterman part. Aloha: being kind to one another, being graceful to our visitors is what Duke Kahanamoku was. Our visitors are very important to us and our economy, so that’s very important. And Kahanamoku would be more happy that we are gracious and aloha ambassadors more so than watermen and women.”

As Kahanamoku traveled the world giving swimming exhibitions and spreading the aloha spirit, he also taught surfing and board-shaping, creating the future surfing capitals of the world. During swimming exhibitions in 1912, Kahanamoku brought surfing to the Atlantic coast of the United States. In Australia between 1914 and 1915, Kahanamoku not only broke his 100-meter world record, he taught Australians how to surf. “Duke literally pushed that great sea-oriented country into surfing,” writes chronicler of surfing Leonard Lueras. Having no board in Australia, Kahanamoku made one, bringing the art of board-shaping to Australia. Kahanamoku’s board was eight feet six inches long, concave for stability in the rough Australian surf, and is still lovingly preserved in private collection. Kahanamoku continued his world tour in subsequent decades, popularizing surfing in New Zealand in 1915, beginning the California surf and swim craze in California between 1913 and 1929 (the Hollywood years), and forever changing lifeguarding with his heroic 1925 surfboard-rescue of eight drowning fishermen whose boat had overturned in rough water off Corona del Mar, California.

Kahanamoku’s legacy today is expressed in the work of the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation (ODKF), which promotes Kahanamoku’s spirit of aloha and supports Hawai’i athletes and organizations throughout Hawai’i. Since its inception in 1986, the ODKF has gifted more than $2.2 million dollars to scholar athletes and non-profit organizations in Hawai‘i. This year alone it awarded a total of $178,250 for 29 grants and 40 scholarships to student athletes from 34 different high schools across six Hawaiian Islands. Without community support, Kahanamoku could not have traveled the world to compete, to promote the state of Hawai’i and to bring Hawaiian sports to the world. The ODKF is working to send the next Duke Kahanamoku out into the world to achieve, to teach, and to spread Kahanamoku’s message of aloha.

This article originally appeared in the July-August issue of Hawaii Sport Magazine.

 

Living in Hawaii, Paddleboard and SUP, Travel

Duke’s OceanFest: Do it for Duke

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In 1999, “Do it for Duke!” was the rallying cry of the Duke Kahanamoku postage stamp campaign. “Everyone was talking about honoring Duke, about honoring what he accomplished and what he stood for,” recalls Duke’s OceanFest event director Brent Imonen. “So it really started with the stamp (dedicated in 2002), which was the genesis of Duke’s OceanFest.” Best known as the Hawai’i Ambassador of Aloha or the father of modern day surfing (including stand up paddleboard), Kahanamoku taught Australians and Californians how to surf, launching the global popularity of the sport. Kahanamoku was the best swimmer of his generation, breaking records and winning five Olympic medals at four Olympics. Legendary waterwoman Candice Appleby shared, “I’m excited to attend Duke’s OceanFest celebrating Duke Kahanamoku and everything he’s done for surfing. To celebrate his birthday I participate in as many events as I can.”

Thirteen years after its grassroots beginnings, Duke’s OceanFest has grown to a 9-day event coinciding with Kahanamoku’s 125th birthday and honoring his influence as a beachboy and waterman (see “Duke Kahanamoku: the Legacy Lives in You” in this issue). “Duke was not in the business of being a beachboy,” explained world champion surfer Fred Hemmings. “But in the larger sense of the word — of a man who lived and loved the ocean lifestyle — Duke was, as far as I’m concerned, the ultimate beachboy.” From August 22 to 30, Duke’s OceanFest is presenting a packed schedule of the events dearest to The Duke: longboard surfing, paddleboard racing, swimming, tandem surfing, surf polo, and beach volleyball. There’s a lei-draping ceremony, a luau, movie night, and plenty of time for kicking back and talking story. If you’re not sure where to start, the Duke’s Waikiki Ocean Mile Swim is Saturday August 29, and stand up paddleboard events the weekend of August 22 would make a great first paddleboard race. Don’t forget tickets for the KINE Great Hawaiian Legends Luau, keiki surf and volleyball competitions, and fun free events like the Waikiki Nights movie and music programs. At the time of printing there were still spaces available for the team-fundraising Hawaiian Airlines Legends Surf Classic, an unforgettable opportunity to get a group of friends together and surf with a legend while raising money for the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation and its scholarship fund.

While watermen and women all over the world owe a debt of gratitude to Kahanamoku, if you live in Hawai’i, you can undoubtedly trace a direct line from yourself to The Duke. You’ve been coached or mentored by someone who learned from Kahanamoku or from one of his disciples. Waikiki beach culture means playing hard, in the ocean in every sport you can, from sunrise to sunset, just as Kahanamoku did. On Monday, August 24, make the Duke Paoa Kahanamoku’s Sunrise Birthday Lei Draping your time to honor the Duke and the beachside life that he loved. As the conch blows, use that chicken-skin moment to rededicate yourself to the ocean. As Kahanamoku’s brother Louis remembered, “My family believes we come from the ocean. And that’s where we’re going back.” Go back to our beautiful Pacific Ocean at Duke’s OceanFest. www.Dukesoceanfest.com.

This article originally appeared in the July-August issue of Hawaii Sport Magazine.

Bike Racing, Living in Hawaii, Mountainbike, Travel, Triathlon

Long Road to the Big Island

Cando

Looking Back on a Career in the Pro Peloton, and Forward to Big Island Bike Tours

It’s Saturday morning on a summer day in 1989, and Alex “Cando” Candelario has poured a mixing-bowl full of cereal after morning swim practice. ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” is on, the announcer screaming hoarsely from the TV set. Slurping cereal, Cando watches the riders on the screen. The leader of the tour, Laurent Fignon, falls to the ground covering his face, as Greg Lemond crosses the finish line of the final time trial. Lemond has beaten Fignon and won the ’89 Tour de France by eight seconds, seconds he gained by using the controversial, unproven aerobar. (New equipment in 1989) “Drama, technology, heroic effort, sporting success; those elements were branded into my brain,” Cando recalls. “That’s the moment I fell in love with the bicycle.”

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Years later Cando would race and train in Europe. “It’s funny,” Cando recalls, “Belgians in particular would stop me just to talk about Lemond and the ‘89 Tour. On a long ride I could usually get a coffee out of it.” While Cando would never compete in Le Tour, he did spend fourteen years making a living racing bicycles, traveling to races not only in Europe, but also China, New Zealand, Malaysia, Africa, and more. From his start as a U.S. criterium specialist, Candelario evolved into a savvy team captain, whom Jonas Carney called “the best lead out guy in North America.” Cando’s ability to think tactically in the heat of racing became crucially important when race radios were banned in 2010. “Without direct communication with the riders in a hectic finale, you need a confident leader on the road, and he was a perfect guy for that,” said Carney. Not coincidentally, in 2011 Cando delivered arguably his greatest stage race performances at the Tour of Korea, winning a stage and finishing second in the GC, seconds out of the yellow jersey. “I’m known as a surfing fanatic by my teammates,” Cando admitted. “I think it helps me stay calm and focused in the moment.”

Along the way Hawai’i became his home. For the past nine years, Cando has trained in Hawai’i in the off-season in order to take advantage of the warm weather, incredibly diverse terrain, and the occasional wave. “My wife Hannah and her entire family are from Hawai’i. Now that we have two young sons the pressure is on,” Cando joked. “We can’t take them away from all their aunties and uncles.”

The Final Season

Cando retired from racing last fall. Family and Hawai’i were calling, and it’s rare for a rider to continue racing into their forties. “It was a great final season. Probably my best World Tour memory from that year was racing Stage 5 at the Tour of Utah with my teammates on Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies.” In the final miles, BMC Racing set up their red and black lead out train at the front of the pack, ready to propel 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans across the line for a stage win. Instead Cando attacked the entire BMC Racing team, opened a gap, and towed teammate Eric Young into the perfect place for the stage win.

“In a bike race, things need to go exactly right to pull off a win against World Tour teams,” Cando reminisced. “It was special because it was a full team effort — those moments in the sport are rare. It felt great to contribute to such a big win in my final season.”

From the Peloton to Parker Ranch

With retirement comes new dreams. During off-season training over the last nine years, Cando estimates that he’s ridden every road possible on the Big Island, maximizing training while enjoying the unique culture and natural beauty of Hawai’i. During these epic Hawaiian-style rides he began daydreaming about showing other people Hawai’i from the saddle. First it was just his pro cyclist teammates who would fly over to ride with him in informal camps. But this winter Cando began putting on road and mountain bike camps for mainland and local athletes. It’s no secret that riding on the Big Island is difficult because much of the land is privately held.  Cando’s family connections have allowed him to secure exclusive access to the Waipio Valley Rim Trail, Pololu Valley, and Parker Ranch. “We’re the only bike tour company allowed to operate there,” Cando explains, “it’s like having a backstage pass to the best rock (and dirt) show in Hawai’i.”

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As you would expect, mainland riders are opting for weeklong training camps with pro-level support: follow vehicles, daily bike tune-ups, and soigneur-level attention to details like rain bags and bottle hand-ups. Hawai’i locals are also encouraged to attend, and there’s a kama’aina discount.

But Big Island Bike Tours is also all about Kama’aina Mini-Camps. “We’re here for locals to do 2-3 day Mini Camps, put in some big miles, get pampered with lots of tech support, and enjoy riding new trails and new roads away from all the cars.” Right now Big Island Bike Tours is scheduling Kama’aina Mini Camps in July and August, after climbing season and before the Maui Gran Fondo, Dick Evans and the Honolulu Century. “We can help riders put in a big block of cycling miles, for either cycling or triathlon,” Cando explained. “We can go as mellow as you want, all coffee-breaks, selfie-stops and sunsets on the beach. Or if you’re a real sicko we have some ridiculous routes developed, like our Deux Volcanoes 148 mile, 21,350 feet of elevation gain point-to-point ride.” Pro-level support at the Kama’aina Mini-Camps means that once you get off the airplane, everything is taken care of. Big Island Bike Tours picks you up, puts your bike together, and provides nutrition, sag, and technical support.

The Next Big Thing

What’s coming in the future? “We’re developing a Kama’aina Speed Camp, to work on sprinting, lead outs and tactics,” Cando enthused. “It should be super fun, with lots of drills and mock-races.” Cando will also be assisting pro road Team SmartStop in the position of Assistant Director Sportif. “It will be a great way to keep my hand in and stay relevant.” Cando will travel to the Amgen Tour of California as well as hopefully the Tour of Utah, the USA Pro Challenge and Tour of Alberta. “So you know if I tell you to do something I’m telling the same thing to (pro sprinters) Shane Kline and Jure Kocjan,” joked Cando. “I want to give each rider the ‘pro experience,’ the level of support I received when I raced professionally, so they can maximize their potential as an athlete, or just thoroughly enjoy their on-bike vacation.”

For more information, email aloha@bigislandbiketours.com or visit www.bigislandbiketours.com

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This article originally appeared in the May issue of Hawaii Sport Magazine.