[Hawaii Inc.]

New jobs

>> William Cheng is president of Restaurant Row's new Meritage Restaurant. The eateries executive team also includes General Manager Laurent Chouari and Executive Chef Mariano Lalica. Lalica most recently served as executive chef at Don Ho's Island Grill. Chouari will be responsible for daily operations, financial management, marketing, personnel and quality control.

>> Keith K.T. Ching has been named senior vice president of Coldwell Banker Commercial Pacific Properties. He will be responsible for commercial property management operations and business development. Ching has more than 28 years of real estate and property management experience, most recently as president of the residential management group of Chaney Brooks & Co. Coldwell Banker Commercial Pacific Properties acts is a leasing agent and property management company.

>> Marriot's Ko Olina Beach Club names two new project directors: Mark Donnelly for marketing and Gregg Grigitis for sales. Donnelly will be responsible for advertising, generating customers, managing broker relationships and agreements, direct mail campaigns, lead generation and cost. Grigitis will direct all sales activities for the resort.

>> Stryker Weiner & Yokota Public Relations Inc. has promoted Kris Tanahara to account supervisor and hired Kyle Chock as senior account executive in the corporate and public affairs division. Tanahara previously served as the senior account executive for the corporate and public affairs division. She will now manage and oversee the division. As the senior account executive for the division, Chock services accounts including AIG Hawaii Insurance Co., Hawaii Dental Service and North West CruiseShip Association. His responsibilities include event planning, crisis communications, issues management and media relations. Chock was most recently senior advisor for the office of Council Chairman Jon Yoshi-mura and the executive director for the Saint Louis Education Foundation.

>> State Farm insurance has named three new agents: Shawn Nakano on Ward Avenue, Dean Nomura in Kapalama and Sam Thomsen in Mililani Town Center. They will sell a variety of insurance and financial products, including those of State Farm Bank.

Promotions

>> Grant Thornton LLP has named Roy Morihara managing partner for Hawaii. He has been with the international firm's Honolulu office for more than 35 years. Prior to his new appointment, he was partner in charge of its assurance department. Morihara will continue to serve clients and provide leadership and staff development. He will focus on company growth in Honolulu. Grant Thornton provides accounting, audit, tax and management consulting services to businesses through 51 U.S. offices.

>> First Hawaiian Bank has appointed the following officers at Bishop Street Capital Management: Matthew M. Walton to senior vice president and director of fixed income, Jennifer C.M. Carias to vice president and portfolio manager and Elizabeth Dale Clark to assistant vice president and analyst. Bishop Street is First Hawaiian's money-management subsidiary.

>> Todd Williams has been promoted to reservations supervisor at Atlantis Adventures. He will manage a staff of eight and oversee all reservation functions related to day-to-day operations, such as ensuring quality control with customer relations and maximizing efficiency in the handling of ticketing and special requests. He joined the Atlantis accounting department in May 1998.

On the board

>> Marlene DeCosta has been named state director for Hawaii by the International Council of Shopping Centers, Western Division. DeCosta is managing director of asset services for CB Richard Ellis Hawaii. Other local officers are James Stanney, senior manager of KPMG, Government Relations Committee chairman; Darryll Goodman, vice president of operations for Hawaiian Asset Management & Investment Corp., state operations chairman; Robert Taylor, president and chief executive officer of Maui Divers Jewelry, state retail chairman; and Anne Murata, Guest Informant group publisher for Hawaii, public relations and community service chairman. The council, the trade association of the shopping center industry, has 40,000 members in 77 countries.

>> Ron Watanabe was elected to the International Society of Hospitality Consultants' board of directors for a three-year term. He specializes in consulting for the hotel brokerage and hospitality industry and has been a member of the society since 1991. ISHC is a professional society of 200 members from six continents.

Recognition

>> David Arita, owner of American Carpet One of Honolulu, won the grand prize of a two-year lease for a 2003 Volkswagen Bug with his print ad campaign in Carpet One's national advertising competition.

>> First Hawaiian Bank Audit Division Assistant Vice President James S. L. Yee was honored by the Experience Works Prime Time Awards Program as this year's outstanding older worker from Hawaii. Experience Works provides training and employment services for older workers and annually honors the contribution of working seniors.

>> Three visitor industry executives representing Hawaii are featured on this year's list of the nation's "Most Powerful Women" by Travel Agent magazine: Marsha Wienert, executive director of the Maui Visitors Bureau; Sue Kanoho, executive director of Kauai Visitors Bureau; and Brigid McDonnell, director of North America travel trade marketing for the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. Honorees were nominated in each of nine categories by Travel Agent's editors and reporters and by companies representing each industry segment.