American Savings Bank 2010 Native Hawaiian Business of the Year

Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement and American Savings Bank

"Natural Stone LLC, dba Bella Pietra and Geobunga has won the American Savings Bank’s 2010 Native Hawaiian Business of the Year Award, which honors a successful business that promotes native Hawaiian values. ..."

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PBN announces 2010 Business Leadership Hawaii award winners | Pacific Business News

Pacific Business News

"...Natural Stone LLC, doing business as Bella Pietra and Geobunga, took home the Best in Business II award. The company, whose products include pottery, architecture stones and outdoor sculptures, has built a reputation for integrity, customer service, and giving back to the community..."

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Ask SmallBiz: Successful Women

http://www.hawaiibusiness.com

Q. How can a woman small-business owner succeed in the male-dominated construction industry?

A. Women leaders face unique challenges in the workplace, no matter what industry we are in. Yet, as women, we bring abundant talents to the table and can do extremely well in any industry, even those that have long been dominated by men. To be successful in this industry, you must know and plan for your obstacles and opportunities, and...

Bella Pietra holds contest for stone makeover

http://www.staradvertiser.com

Bella Pietra is accepting entries in its "Make My Room Bella" design challenge. Oahu homeowners are invited to submit up to three pictures with explanations (up to 300 words) of why their kitchen, bathroom, entryway or lanai deserves a total stone makeover.

The grand-prize winner will receive $1,500 worth of stone and a design consultation. Submit entries by Oct. 15 to www.bellapietra.com. A panel of Hawaii design experts will review the entries and choose the grand-prize winner by Dec. 1.

Call 587-7779.

Layla Dedrick - Young Business Leader

http://www.pbshawaii.org

Leslie Wilcox talks story with Layla Dedrick, Pacific Business News' 2009 Young Business Leader of the Year. Layla is C.E.O. of Bella Pietra, a natural stone company, and she runs her business on values that are part of her Hawaiian heritage: Kuleana (responsibility), Malama (caring for), and Kupono (doing the right thing in the right place). She talks with Leslie about her journey from her childhood in Waianae, to attending Kamehameha Schools, to teaching special needs children, to running a highly successful business with her husband.

Natural Stone Flooring: Selection and Maintenance

BMH December 2009 – January 2010

"The Romans built the Colosseum with it, the Indians build the Taj Mahal with it, and Americans built the Lincoln Monument with it. I’m talking about natural stone, humankind’s first and still highly prized building material. Marble, granite, slate, limestone, quartzite and basalt — just to name a few — continue to signify beauty, durability and versatility in today’s commercial buildings. From the renovation of an old favorite, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, to a stunning new high rise in the Honolulu skyline, the Pinnacle, natural stone complements many of Hawaii’s beautiful buildings."

NATURAL STONE HELPS CREATE NEAR-THE-SHORE EXPERIENCE AT THE NEW KAPALUA SPA

Press Release

"We wanted to convey the physical environment of living near the shoreline in Hawaii,” said Jonathan Staub, Senior Designer at Philpotts & Associates. “So, the stone was the connection point for our design concept, ‘near the shore.’ The coral and basalt color pallets and the glass tiles pulled the overall concept together, helping to ensure that anywhere you went within the spa you were surrounding by Hawaii’s waters." ...

Long Story Short with Leslie Wilcox

PBS Hawaii

Leslie Wilcox talks story with Layla Dedrick, Pacific Business News' 2009 Young Business Leader of the Year. Layla is C.E.O. of Bella Pietra, a natural stone company, and she runs her business on values that are part of her Hawaiian heritage: Kuleana (responsibility), Malama (caring for), and Kupono (doing the right thing in the right place). She talks with Leslie about her journey from her childhood in Waianae, to attending Kamehameha Schools, to teaching special needs children, to running a highly successful business with her husband. View More »

Pavers made of imported lava rock are an eco-friendly alternative to concrete pours for driveways

Apr 19, 2010 - StarBulletin

Hawaii has lava in abundance. It is our foundation. But Hawaii's lava rock is also mostly dense basalt, extremely hard and heavy. The costs in milling a lava brick are in the labor, not in the material itself.

Which is why Geobunga, the "hardscapes and accents" outdoor store on Nimitz Highway -- next to Bella Pietra -- has imported lava rock for sale. Not just lava rock, but lava rock that has been cut into slabs and pavers and tumbled garden stones. "We get it in Asia somewhere, and shipped here, and it's cheaper than we can get it locally," said Jared Kitaura, Geobunga salesman, warehouser and designer. That translates into savings for Hawaii home-tinkerers who want a lava-rock look. View More »

The Contemporary Museum's Contemporary Cafe gets new look

March 16, 2010 - Honolulu Advetiser

Visitors to The Contemporary Museum's Contemporary Cafe can now enjoy lunch on its new outdoor patio, thanks to a donation from Bella Pietra, a Honolulu-based natural stone company. The 800-square feet of Gold White Quartzite, a thick, random flagstone, extends the outdoor space and allows for larger parties to dine in the tranquil garden setting.

"Prior to this donation, we had very limited outdoor seating. With the new flagstone extension, we can now accommodate larger parties," said Allison Wong, The Contemporary Museum's Executive Director. "A greater number of Cafe patrons can now dine while enjoying the fresh air or taking in a demonstration of an artist painting one of our murals on the Cafe exterior walls." View More »