As founder and publisher of Pacific Business News, George Mason built one of the most successful publications of its type, pioneering a weekly publication here that offered frank editorial views about business.

Mason died Monday at The Queen's Medical Center after succumbing to pneumonia at age 84. He was one of Hawai'i's better known business advocates in the past five decades.

"I don't think there has been another person who was a business person who was more involved in the business community than my father," said Mason's son, Glenn.

"His whole orientation was to the business community."

Before stepping down as Pacific Business News publisher in 1992, Mason helped build the newspaper into an institution within the state's business community, his editorials often striking a chord with readers. The publication at one time had more circulation in the state than the Wall Street Journal and Business Week combined, and dozens of journalists received their training at the paper, going on to work at daily newspapers and television stations here as well as larger outfits such as the Los Angeles Times.

Among the people who worked for Mason include Gov. Linda Lingle when she was a freelance journalist, author Jerry Hopkins and real estate executive Jay Shidler, who wrote a column.

"Most of what I know about business, I learned from George Mason," said Bruce Voss, a partner in the law firm of Bays Deaver Lung Rose Holma, who worked at Pacific Business News as a reporter in the early 1980s.

"He was the ultimate no-nonsense business manager. He emphasized two things, controlling costs and delivering a first-class, quality product. That's something that every business should learn and follow."

NEW YORK NATIVE

Mason was born in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1924 and landed in Hawai'i in 1947 to take a job at a radio station. Hard work paid off as he progressed through a variety of jobs, eventually becoming director of the Economic Planning and Coordination Authority for the Territory of Hawai'i in 1955. After statehood, he became the first director of the state's Department of Economic Development.

As such, he had a role in getting Laurance Rockefeller to develop the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, telling the story later of how he was flying with Rockefeller over the Big Island coastline when the financier pointed out a beach where he wanted to build the resort.

In 1963, Mason helped found Crossroads Press Inc., which for many years produced Pacific Business News and other trade publications. Mason's son Glenn said his father often toiled 80 hours a week as he struggled to turn the corner on profitability.

Steve Lent was a young ad salesman who took a pay cut to go work with Mason.

"I was just very impressed with the guy all the way through," said Lent, who was Pacific Business News' first advertising manager and became publisher when Mason retired as publisher and editor in 1992. Mason had sold the paper to the American City Business Journals chain in 1984, which today is part of Advance Publications Inc., a privately held media company affiliated with the Newhouse family.

"He was the businessman's businessman. In selling advertising for PBN I would also sell George Mason. The business community felt it was their paper because George expressed their views so well."

DATA LURED READERS

Under Mason's guidance, Pacific Business News picked up readers by publishing public data that no one else had — bankruptcies, lawsuits, tax liens, new business incorporations — and which businesses valued to keep track of competitors.

The paper also became known for publishing pictures of attractive women in swimsuits on its front page, a practice that came to an end in the mid-1970s.

Mason was also known to be frugal, turning off lights in offices that were empty and requiring anyone needing a pen or other office supplies to sign for them with the company receptionist.

"It wasn't so much that he was cheap, he just had an attention to detail that carried over into every facet of running the business," Voss said.

At the same time Mason felt strongly about donating to charities, making contributions even when the paper was struggling, Lent said.

Mason also served on the boards of many nonprofit groups and willingly gave of his time to make speeches.

Current Pacific Business News Publisher Larry Fuller said Mason was a classic entrepreneur who spotted a need and took a risk.

"In this case it was quality business journalism that was not being met," Fuller said.

Mason remarried after his first wife died in 1984. He is survived by Dorothy "Dot" Read; sons, Glenn and Doug; daughter, Cathy; Read's children, Gregory Read and Bonnie Smith; and three grandchildren.

Services are pending.