Reported by Star-Bulletin staff & wire
Sunday, April 8, 2001
[WINNERS & LOSERS]
[WINNERS]
Developer Schuler Homes is building for the future by nailing together a $234 million acquisition of Western Pacific Housing. The combined company is one of the top 15 homebuilders in the country, with operations throughout the western U.S. and right here at home.Massage therapists: Those who rub or poke at island residents (professionally, of course) get the official sanction from the state's largest health insurer, HMSA. The association will offer company health plans that include coverage for chiropractic, acupuncture and massage therapy. Which reminds us, we've got this little twinge ...
Aloha Airlines recently reported completing its flights on time 79.5 percent of the time, second-best in the nation. Even that is a bit pokey for Aloha, which often is the most punctual airline in the country. It gives a new definition to operating on island time.
[LOSERS]
The Hawaii Tourism Authority continues to get battered, despite a successful 2000. Facing a legislative call to do away with it or pilfer its funds, the authority has also twice lowered its projections for visitor growth this year. Of course, two years in a row with record visitor numbers doesn't seem like such bad performance.
[WEEK AHEAD]
Tomorrow>> Tokyo: 34th International General Meeting of the Pacific Basin Economic Council.
Tuesday
>> Tokyo: 34th International General Meeting of the Pacific Basin Economic Council.
>> New York: Mitsubishi Bank-Schroder Wertheim releases weekly retail chain-store sales index.
>> LJR Redbook Research service releases its weekly survey of total sales at more than 20 department, discount and chain stores in the United States.
Wednesday
>> Pa'i Awards Banquet, recognizing the best design and editorial work in Hawai'i's print media, with 29 award categories. Presented by Hawaii Publishers Association at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
>> Washington: U.S. Labor Department releases its import and export prices for March.
>> Mortgage Bankers Association of America releases its weekly report on mortgage applications.
Thursday
>> Most major U.S. retailers release March same store-sales.
>> Washington: U.S. Labor Department releases March producer-price index.
>> U.S. Commerce Department reports March retail sales.
Friday
>> U.S. stock markets closed for Good Friday.
>> Washington: U.S. Commerce Department reports February business inventories.
>> Federal Reserve releases its weekly report on commercial and industrial loans at U.S. commercial banks.
Company earnings expected this week
>> General Electric Co.
>> MBNA Corp.
>> Safeway Inc.
>> SunTrust Banks Inc.
>> Redback Networks Inc.
>> Yahoo! Inc.
>> Dow Jones & Co. Inc.
>> Pier 1 Imports Inc.
[TAKING NOTICE]
NEW JOBS
>> Nick Smallwood has been named president of Courier Corp. of Hawaii. He will oversee all day-to-day activities for the company. Smallwood has spent more than 20 years in the courier business.>> Herman W.H. Lee, Glenn T. Melchinger and Fred I. Waki have joined Alston Hunt Floyd & Ing as attorneys. Marilyn Chung Ushijima has returned as an of counsel attorney for the firm. Lee practices corporate, business and real estate law as well as general litigation for AHFI. He previously worked as a law clerk for Chief Judge James S. Burns at the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals. Melchinger practices commercial and general litigation. Chung Ushijima practices real estate, business and corporate law. Waki handles family, insurance and immigration law as well as collections and commercial litigation.
>> H. Douglas Cross has been named corporate sales manager at Tanaka of Tokyo Restaurants Ltd. Cross is responsible for creating an overall marketing plan as well as improving operations and standardizing administrative and operational procedures.
PROMOTIONS
>> Rodahl Leong-Lyons has been named director of sales at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Resort and Spa. She will be responsible for the North American sales staff. Leong-Lyons began her career at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki in 1991 as a front desk clerk.>> John Young has been named director of sales for Marc Resorts Hawaii. He will be responsible for Marc's sales efforts with American and international travel wholesalers. Young joined Marc Resorts as a resort manager at the Royal Kahana Resort in Lahaina, Maui. He was previously the director of sales for the Maui Visitors Bureau.
RECOGNITION
>> Rebecca Cole has been voted top employee of the year for 2000 by her peers at Queen's Medical Center. Cole, a 20-year veteran nurse at Queen's, was the first nurse in the state of Hawaii to earn the Clinical Nurse IV classification in 1988. She has been a certified emergency room nurse since 1979. She is involved in a project to develop a course for new emergency room nurses.>> Robert Webb has been named winner of Beltone Electronics Corp.'s Regional Excellence Award. The award honors individuals who consistently provide a high level of patient care within their area of responsibility. Webb joined Beltone in 1995 with an office in Honolulu and has since opened offices in Aiea and on Maui.