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HAWAII
DCCA division wins award for Web site

The state's online service Hawaii Business Express has been named a runner up in the annual awards presented by the International Association of Commercial Administrators.

The service, provided the state Business Registration Division, was the runner up for the association's 2005 Merit Award in the "Government to Business, Technology" category.

Mark Recktenwald, director of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs said last week he was pleased that Hawaii is receiving national and international recognition for the department's online services.

In 2004, the service won the award outright from the association, which, according to its Web site, "is a group of professionals within government who are dedicated to working together to make the systems that we administer more user friendly and accessible to the user community we serve."

For more about Hawaii Business Express, visit http://pahoehoe.ehawaii.gov/BizEx.

NATION
Execs concerned about retirements

The aging of America holds an important consequence for U.S. business -- the retirement loss of a lot of experienced talent.

More than half of 150 executives surveyed on the topic, 55 percent, said they're very or somewhat concerned about key employees retiring in the next five to 10 years. Most also said their companies are taking steps to compensate for the loss of these people. The survey was sponsored by Robert Half International Inc., a Menlo Park, Calif.-based staffing service for accounting, finance and IT professionals.

Among the popular initiatives, 59 percent have begun or enhanced succession-planning programs and 45 percent are boosting employee recruitment and retention efforts. More than a third, 35 percent are turning to mentoring programs and a quarter are asking retirees or future retirees to consider working as consultants or trainers.

Mom is the key to business success

Is your business one a mother could love? A new book argues that it really ought to be. It notes about 75 percent of America's 108 million adult women have children and control well over half the buying decisions in the U.S. economy.

"The Mom Factor: What Really Drives Where We Shop, Eat, and Play," by California consultant Nora Lee, was published last month by the Urban Land Institute. It offers stores, restaurants and other family venues a checklist to lure and please mothers:

» Value. Cheap is not always a good deal. Moms want reasonable prices, decent quality and good selection."
» Efficiency. Time is money, hence the appearance of Starbucks in banks and stamps sold from ATMs.
» Customer service. Snooty waiters who dread children won't get much in the way of tips or repeat business, but a waiter who brings a toddler crackers or an older child crayons will be rewarded.