TheBuzz
TheBuzz
Windward Oahu employees of McKenna Motor Cars got envelopes and marching orders yesterday; McKenna employees in Kona get them today. Early bonus for
McKenna employeesThe envelopes contained, not walking papers, but cash bonuses ranging from $50 to $5,000, depending upon an employee's position and length of service.
From President Mike McKenna's mouth came the order to "go out and spend it right away."
The company had its annual on-site Christmas luncheon and bonus distribution early this year to get the money into the economy.
McKenna "fills each envelope himself and hand-addresses it to each employee," according to business manager Rose Rufo.
"It's our little way of helping," McKenna said, "and it's a good amount, $55,000 -- we hope that will infuse something into the community." McKenna hired a Kailua business to cater the party for his Windward employees.
Normally the party would be staged and bonuses handed out the day before Christmas, but "I'd been reading in the paper about the different groups doing things to stimulate the economy and I thought 'what can I do?'"
"This came to me," McKenna said, "and I came back in the next morning, called my people together to ask them what they thought, and they said 'it's a great idea.'"
HPU pageant connection
Hawaii Pacific University President Chatt Wright was seen and heard by an estimated 2 billion people over the weekend during the international broadcast of the Miss World Pageant.Viewers also saw, courtesy of HPU, scenic shots of Hawaii in far-flung countries including Germany, China, England, Holland, Sweden and South Africa, where the pageant was staged.
In a video prepared for the telecast, Wright congratulated the winner of the pageant's first-ever scholarship; Miss Costa Rica, 20-year-old Piarella Peralta won four years' worth of tuition at HPU valued at more than $40,000.
She is expected to join the international HPU student body with the next Fall term.
This is also the first time Hawaii had its own contestant -- HPU student Radasha Hoohuli -- who participated alongside Miss USA in the pageant.
While officials are anxiously waiting for their videotape copy of the show, it will be Webcast today on the London-based pageant's Web site at www.missworld.org.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin.
Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached
at: eengle@starbulletin.com