Mitch D'Olier to head up Kaneohe Ranch

A week after closing the sale of Victoria Ward Ltd. to the owner of Ala Moana Center, Ward Chief Executive Mitch D'Olier is announcing plans to become president and chief executive of Kaneohe Ranch Co. and the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation.

D'Olier will oversee the management and development of the Castle family trust's real estate holdings, which includes nearly half of Kailua's business district. He replaces Randolph Moore, who retired a year ago to become a teacher.

"I plan to work closely with residents and businesses ... as we make plans for Kaneohe Ranch's assets," D'Olier said.

Moore said: "Mitch was easily our first choice."

Surgical Devices wins business plan contest

The winners have been chosen among 26 entrants in a business plan competition that encourages health care-related entrepreneurial ventures in Hawaii.

Five awards were given to winners of Island Innovations 2002 yesterday. The first-place winner was Surgical Devices of Hawaii, which presented a plan for a modified catheter that decreases potential strokes related to heart surgery. The prize included a $10,000 check and a $7,500 credit with Hawaii Health Care Business Incubator.

The primary sponsor of the competition included HMSA subsidiary Hawaii Health Care Business Incubator.

Advertiser, unions agree to extension of contract

The Honolulu Advertiser and its unionized employees have signed a contract extension stretching the terms of the current labor agreement beyond its original June 9 expiration.

Negotiators for the Advertiser had set a May 31 deadline for completion of contract talks for some 700 unionized employees, but "they backed off on that," said Wayne Cahill, administrative officer for the Hawaii Newspaper Guild.

Several issues remain unresolved but the union declined to provide details. Advertiser officials did not return calls.

"What (the company) did was solidify the evergreen clause by signing an extension to the contract that will keep the contract in force while we're negotiating it," Cahill said. "It's an ongoing extension which either party can cancel with 30 days' notice."

Cahill does not expect the two sides to meet again before late June or early July, he said, to accommodate vacations and summer travel plans.