Hawaiian Cement finishes at factory

Hawaiian Cement is putting the finishing touches on a four-year transformation of operations into a cement importer and distributor from a cement maker.

Earlier this week, the company informed the state of its plans to lay off the last eight workers at its old cement factory at Campbell Industrial Park. Hawaiian Cement recently finished construction of its new $21 million cement import terminal at Barbers Point.

Last year, Hawaiian Cement imported 320,000 metric tons of cement, sand and other materials from countries including China, Thailand and Australia. That's a 9.6 percent increase from the 292,000 tons it imported in 1999.

The company plans to sell the entire cement factory at Campbell, as well as the nearly 30 acres of industrial land that it owns underneath the facility. It may raze the factory.

In 1997, Hawaiian cement's North Dakota parent company bought the 50 percent ownership in the company that it didn't already own and announced plans to close the 200-employee cement factory. The company now has a total of 182 employees at the new facility and its operations on Maui, said Earl McCaskill, president and chief executive of Hawaiian Cement.

Around the height of Hawaii's construction boom in the early 1980s, the company had as many as 300 employees.

Judge resets hearing to open Campbell Estate case

A state judge today rescheduled a hearing on a request by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and KITV-4 to open up legal proceedings involving the Estate of James Campbell.

Probate Judge Colleen Hirai reset today's hearing to May 18 at the request of lawyers for the $2 billion trust and its former law firm, Ashford & Wriston.

The estate and Ashford & Wriston have been involved in a multimillion dollar legal dispute and both sides requested the additional time to work out a settlement.

The Star-Bulletin and KITV petitioned probate court in March to unseal a December 2000 order by then-Probate Judge Kevin Chang, who found that the estate's trustees mishandled its suit against Ashford & Wriston.

The news organizations argued that the legal proceedings involved matters of widespread public interest.

But the trust has argued that the Star-Bulletin and KITV have no standing to take part in the proceedings.

The postponement today is the second granted by Hirai. Hirai previously scheduled a March 16 hearing on the news organization's petition but rescheduled that hearing to this morning at the request of the trust's attorney, Ed Case.

[TAKING NOTICE]

PROMOTIONS

>> David J.W. Chang has been named senior vice president and manager of the Retail Banking Group of Central Pacific Bank. He will oversee all aspects of consumer banking. Chang was formerly senior vice president and manager of CPB's financial technologies division. He joined the bank in 1996 after 13 years at Bank of Hawaii.

NEW JOBS

>> Carl "Nahua" Maunakea has been named director of risk management and insurance for Outrigger Enterprises Inc. He was formerly vice president of the Technical Services Unit at AON Risk Services Inc. Maunakea has more than 19 years of experience in the insurance business.

>> Brent Senrud has joined Kona Auto Center as a sales associate. He most recently spent two years at Hawaii Motors as a sales consultant.

>> Adam "Aka" Wedemeyer has been named associate in the Industrial Properties division of CB Richard Ellis Hawaii Inc. Wedemeyer joins CB Richard Ellis from Colliers Monroe Friedlander Inc.