Business Briefs
Star-Bulletin staff
and wire services
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HAWAII
Lex Brodie's offers gas discount
Both of
Lex Brodie's Fast Gas locations will be giving a 25 cents-per-gallon discount Sunday in honor of the Perry & Price radio show's 25th anniversary.
The promotion will be from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at both 701 Queen St. in Honolulu and 94-169 Farrington Highway in Waipahu. The discount will be honored only in the designated cash-only lanes. Credit-card payments still will be accepted in the regular-price lanes.
Chevron introduces credit card
Chevron is offering a
Visa credit card with a promotion through Sept. 30. Customers approved for the card in this period will receive 30 cents a gallon in fuel credits for 60 days upon activation. After that, customers will then receive 10 cents each gallon in fuel credits on purchases at any Chevron gas station.
Isle buyout to boost dry cleaner
U.S. Dry Cleaning Corp., the nation's first publicly traded dry cleaner, said yesterday its recent acquisition of Caesars Cleaners in Hawaii will help boost quarterly revenue growth.
The dry cleaner said in a letter to shareholders that it will have revenue growth for the quarter ending June 30 in the triple digits over last year. The company will report results on or before Aug. 14.
The firm owns Hawaii's Young Laundry & Drycleaning.
Report: Isle pay budgets steady
Hawaii's average salary budget increase is expected to remain at 2008 levels, the 35th Annual WorldatWork Salary Budget Survey released yesterday shows.
Isle salary budgets will increase by 3.8 percent again through 2009, the study says. Nationally, the actual increase in salary budgets was 3.9 percent in 2008, and is projected to rise by another 3.9 percent in 2009 across all employee categories, regions and industries, according to the survey.
Data was collected in April, with a 3 percent margin of error.
Child care provider launches site
Happy Kids Maui, a child care and nanny service that also has sister agencies in Kauai and Arizona, has launched a Web site:
http://happykidsmaui.com.
The company said yesterday it will be franchising and opening new locations across the country.
Kyo-ya beach plans move forward
Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts plans to move forward with plans to restore the eroded Gray's Beach fronting the Sheraton Waikiki.
Despite opposition by Save Our Surf, Kyo-ya is proposing the construction of three T-headed rock groins perpendicular to the shoreline, which it says have been used successfully in similar shoreline areas to stabilize beaches and retain sand fill.
Sand for the project will be dredged offshore from the nearby Halekulani Channel.
Gray's Beach, a popular destination in the early 1900s, eroded away by the 1970s, leaving only a sliver of sand today.
The proposed restoration will add 75 feet of beach width outward from the existing seawall along the 500-foot shoreline fronting the Sheraton Waikiki. It is expected to comfortably accommodate 500 people.
Kyo-yo will move forward on an environmental impact statement, and is inviting the public to provide input.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIRROR, MIRROR: Ford Motor Co. said yesterday it will introduce its new blind-spot mirror, above, this fall on the 2009 Ford Edge crossover.
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NATION
Freddie Mac loses $821 million
NEW YORK » Freddie Mac yesterday posted a second-quarter loss that was more than three times larger than Wall Street expected as a huge number of borrowers with good credit fell behind on their exotic and risky mortgages. Freddie lost $821 million, or $1.63 a share, for the quarter that ended June 30, compared with a profit of $729 million, or 96 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Revenue fell to $1.69 billion from $2.34 billion.
Freddie's financial losses were concentrated in California, Florida, Nevada, and Arizona.
COURTESY OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Chelsea Group Chief Executive George Benda received the Governor's Innovation Award from Gov. Linda Lingle.
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Board elections
» The Hawaii Tourism Authority board has elected
Sharon Weiner as vice chair. She previously served on the board from 2002-2006 and is vice president of global communications and government relations for DFS Group Limited.
The following administrative committee assignments have also been announced: Kelvin Bloom, chair; Weiner, vice chair; and Douglas Chang, member. The budget and audit standing committee is Vernon Char, chair; Leon Yoshida, vice chair; and members Douglas Chang, Michael Kobayashi, Marsha Wienert and Stephen Yamashiro. The Marketing Standing Committee is Weiner, chair; John Toner, vice chair; and members Patricia Ewing, Kyoko Kimura, Michael Kobayashi, Marsha Wienert, Ronald Yamakawa and Leon Yoshida.
» The Gift Foundation of Hawaii has elected its officers and board of directors for 2008: Officers are Kenwei Chong, president; Sean Clark, secretary; and Jeffrey Dinsmore, treasurer. Directors are Jeff Arce, John Bower, Jon Bryan, Greg Dickhens, Dawn Dunbar, Stephanie Gambetta, Dean Hirata, Michelle Ho, Peter Ho, B.J. Kobayashi, Erik Ludwick, Brad Nicolai, Jason Nishikawa, Alana Pakkala, Lacey Pfeffer, Marc Tilker and Molly Watanabe.
» The Better Business Bureau of Hawaii has elected its board of directors and members for 2008-2009: Wayne Kirihara, chairman; Hoyt Zia, 1st vice chair; Susan Ing, 2nd vice chair; Phil Sammer, secretary; and Thomas Dixon, treasurer. Members are Dave Erdman, Jody Mukaigawa, Kathy Inkinen, Ed Shinoda and Chuck Steilen.
Awards/certifications
» The National Society of Professional Engineers has honored
Sopogy with the New Product of the Year Award for its MicroCSP Solar Collector "SopoNova 4.0." The award recognizes the research and development of companies that provide products to stimulate the growth of our country.
» The State of Hawaii has honored Chelsea Group with the Governor's Innovation Award for the firm's use of virtual technology in helping commercial building owners cut energy costs and meeting Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.
BUSINESS PULSE