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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
It’s cold day when
Sub-Zero comes to townSub-zero and Wolf kitchen appliances are big sellers in Hawaii and those sales may increase when the company's first isle showroom opens in the first quarter of next year.
The high-end refrigerators, freezers, cooking equipment and barbecue grills will be housed in a $5 million building under construction at the corner of Piikoi and King streets.
Price tags on the appliances are not for the faint of heart. Refrigerators start at $5,000, for instance. The gas grills go for around $3,000. The product lines and a 56-page product guide are there for the drooling at www.subzero.com. Each product is hand-built and tested and the company touts the best possible warranty, according to Bob Riggs, president of Westye Group/West Inc., the western region distribution arm of Sub-Zero and Wolf.
Hill Construction Inc. is the building contractor, but much of its work has not been visible.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
A Sub-Zero and Wolf kitchen appliances showroom is going up at the corner of King andPiikoi streets.
President Brett Hill's company was contracted to find the property, assemble the consultants to create the design team, create the budget and then build the project, he said.
Two parcels of land were purchased and the 4,500-square-foot building is being constructed on the consolidated 10,800-square-foot lot.
The job has others in the industry green with envy.
"All the contractors are asking 'how did you score that one?'," said Hill.
It's all about relationships, as everybody knows.
Brett Hill Inc., Hill's company that works on larger construction projects, is also involved with the Hokua high-rise project adjacent to Nauru Tower.
"We were fortunate enough to sell Hokua Tower Sub-Zero and Wolf, so we're looking forward to every homeowner that lives in that project, to show them the new showroom," said Riggs.
The appliances are also favorites of developers such as Maryl Group Inc., Castle & Cooke Hawaii and other local developers, he said.
The company has mainland retail showrooms, but Riggs said, "I would say this would be one of the finest because we've got a wonderful local architect, Ben Woo (Benjamin Woo Architects LLC), and Brett is building it."
Riggs' office is also in charge of points beyond Hawaii, including Guam, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan.
The Honolulu showroom will be the company's gateway to Asia and will be used to host both international and local building industry professionals for meetings.
"We would like to have wine seminars where we can bring in a wine sommelier to speak about wines and how our wine systems operate and keep the wines at the proper temperature," Riggs said.
"We've always had to bring them into San Francisco or Los Angeles. Now we will be able to bring them and their customers in to Honolulu, entertain them in Honolulu and let them spend their money in Honolulu and we think this will be a really wonderful base," he said.
Riggs sees the company bringing representatives of kitchen studios and other clients in to Honolulu at the rate of 50 or 60 a quarter.
Some of that entertainment will be served up via two exhibition kitchens going into the site.
"A number of celebrity chefs have agreed to hold cooking demonstrations," said Riggs. He named Alan Wong and Roy Yamaguchi when pressed.
The appliance company knows how to throw a party, Hill said, and expects quite the bash for the grand opening.
No new hires are anticipated for the showroom as Branch Manager Kent Tobara will lead his sales staff from Sub-Zero Distributors' warehouse in Aiea to the new place, Riggs said. The company has about 20 service technicians statewide in addition to the eight employees in Aiea.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
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
