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Business Briefs

Reported by Star-Bulletin staff & wire

Tuesday, October 3, 2000

One hundred years Young

By Dennis Oda, Star-Bulletin
Michele Azuma Lee, Young Brothers Ltd.'s director of
operations systems and processes, gives a shave ice to
truck driver T.J. Smith yesterday as part of the company's
100-year anniversary celebration. Sodas, shave ice and
hot dogs were given out to any of the customers or truckers
picking up items at Piers 39/40 at Honolulu Harbor. Young
Brothers was formed in 1900 when Herbert, William and
Jack Young arrived in Honolulu to start a "bumboat"
business, delivering supplies to ships anchored offshore.
Thirteen years later, the company was expanded to
provide ocean towing, rescue service and barge
transportation between the islands. Hawaiian Tug
& Barge was created as a sister company many
years later to separate harbor operations and charter
activities from Young Brothers' interisland
freight operations.

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Old Navy to set sail at Ala Moana Center

Old Navy Clothing Co. will open a 32,636-square-foot retail store Oct. 16 in the former Woolworth location on the ground floor of Ala Moana Center. The national clothing retailer, which has more than 500 outlets, opened a 25,000-square-foot store Aug. 1 at Waikele and earlier opened outlets in the Maui Marketplace and in the Pearl Highlands Center on Oahu.

Hawaii again atop list for retail sales

Hawaii led the nation last month in the growth of retail sales, with a 5 percent gain over September 1999, according to a monthly survey that tracks purchases made by check. The national growth rate last month was 3.7 percent. Hawaii has been No. 1 in year-over-year sales growth since last Thanksgiving, except for June and August. In those two months Hawaii was in second place, according to check-acceptance firm TeleCheck Services Inc. TeleCheck says about one-third of all purchases are paid for by check.

Makaha Golf Club to remain open

Makaha Golf Club will stay open, and 54 of the 64 employees have been retained, including manager Norman Katayama, according to a spokesman for the new owners, Milwaukee-based Towne Realty Inc.

In addition to Katayama, the club has retained former Hawaii Prince Golf Club pro Tommy Hines as the new club pro and kept on all of the golf course maintenance workers, said Chris Lau, president of Towne Development of Hawaii Inc., whose parent firm took over the 350-acre complex yesterday from ANA Hotels Inc. Lau said yesterday that his company is not yet ready to disclose plans for the former Sheraton Makaha, the 196-room low-rise hotel that was part of the deal and has been shut since 1995.

In other news . . .

CHICAGO -- Delta Air Lines Inc. and other major U.S. airlines are sticking with a business-fare increase of as much as $30 each way for U.S. flights, in a reaction to strong demand and rising jet-fuel prices. The increase was started Thursday by Delta.