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IN HAWAII

Canadian firm buys beachfront

Amfac Hawaii LLC has sold 40 acres of West Maui beachfront land to Canada-based resort and timeshare giant Intrawest Corp. Intrawest also has taken an option on an additional 27 acres in the area, near the Amfac-developed Kaanapali Resort.

Confirming the sale yesterday, Tamara Edwards, president of the Amfac Land Co. subsidiary, declined to disclose the sale price. Intrawest officials could not be reached for comment.

Vancouver-based Intrawest owns 10 mountain resorts in Canada and the United States, a golf resort in Florida and timeshare operations that include a Kauai property.

Early last year, the company bought the company that owns the Big Island Country Club in North Kona, picking up 425 acres of land that includes a golf course and entitlements for 106 home sites.

Spending by Oahu visitors grows

Spending by Japanese tourists who stayed only on Oahu has risen this year, despite the downturn in arrivals, according to data released for the first time by the state.

Japanese tourists who visited just Oahu spent an average $235.70 daily in the first half of the year, up 7.6 percent from $219 daily in the first half of 2002. U.S. West visitors spent $132 per day on Oahu, up 4.2 percent from $126.70 last year.

U.S. East visitors spent $135.10 each day, 5.3 percent less than last year, in line with a 4.6 percent drop in those who visited only Oahu.

Most visitors to Oahu spent more in the first half of 2003 compared with the same period last year.

"It wasn't surprising," said Eugene Tian, tourism research branch manager for the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. "Oahu is the place to do shopping. Different visitors will demand different types of services."

The state data does not include visitors who went to multiple islands, and represents about 65 percent of visitors to Oahu. The state plans to conduct a survey including all types of visitors starting next year.

Get military housing work

The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and the Building Industry Association of Hawaii are hosting a forum Tuesday for those interested in business opportunities related to the federal military housing privatization initiative planned for Oahu.

Prime contractor for the project Actus Lend Lease has said it is willing to contract with local firms on the project where possible.

Topics at the forum, which will take place at the Ward Warehouse, Kakaako Room, from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., include understanding the requirements of the bid package; pre-qualification; general, special and technical provisions; completeness of the price and plans.

For more information, contact Brenda Watson at 545-4300, ext. 317, or bwatson@cochawaii.org; or Tracy Jefferson at 847-4666, ext. 201, or council@bia-hawaii.com.

Local tech startup changes name

Honolulu wireless technology startup Landmark Networks Inc. has changed its name to Firetide Inc.

The company, founded in 2001, closed a $3.2 million funding round in June.

U.S., Japan keep an eye on online

The U.S. Better Business Bureau and the Japan Information Processing Development Corp. have joined forces to provide a reciprocal online privacy seal for businesses in the United States or Japan.

The Better Business Bureau will accept complaints filed by Japanese consumers against American business and likewise the Electronic Commerce Protection Council of Japan will accept complaints filed by American consumers against Japanese businesses.

Attractions Web site sells $500,000 in June

The 180-member Activities & Attractions Association of Hawaii said its online activity booking engine, www.HawaiiFun.org, has grown and sold more than $500,000 in reservations in June.

The site is a secure portal for its members to accept online reservations and collect electronic payments before visitors arrive in the islands.

Businesses can pay a monthly fee to use the service. The organization has a similar site for locals only, www.Kamaaina.org, which lets residents seek activity discounts of up to 50 percent, after they provide written proof of their resident status.

The association, created last year in the merger of the Hawaii Attractions Association and the Activity Owners Association of Hawaii, said activities comprise a $1.5 billion industry in the state.

In other news ...

>> ImClone Systems Inc. said yesterday it refiled an application with federal regulators to market Erbitux, the cancer drug at the center of insider trading scandal.

>> Target Corp. reported a 4 percent increase in second-quarter profits as the addition of new Target stores and growth in its credit-card operation offset revenue declines at the company's Marshal Field's and Mervyn's stores.

>> Germany's economy, Europe's biggest, shrank slightly in the second quarter, according to government figures released yesterday that confirmed the country was in a shallow recession even as its leaders forecast a second-half turnaround.

>> Brokerage firms SG Cowen Securities Corp. and Lehman Brothers Inc. that employed a stockbroker who bilked clients out of millions of dollars agreed to pay a combined $7.5 million in penalties and review clients' requests for lost investment profits.

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[ HAWAII INC. ]

New jobs

>> Referentia Systems Inc. has hired James Hocker as vice president. The company is a provider of e-Learning, advanced computing and systems engineering solutions. He previously served as vice president of Regent Systems Inc., an Ohio-based information technology company.

>> Dr. Stephen Sussman has been appointed to Maui Medical Group's otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) department. He previously ran his own practice in San Francisco and taught at the University of California, San Francisco. He has been board-certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology since 1996. 

>> Turtle Bay Resort has hired Sumithra Balraj as public relations manager. Her background in public relations includes working with international hotels and resorts in Malaysia.

>> Tardus Financial Services of Honolulu has hired Riley Palafox as a member services representative and Rochelle Ouchi as executive assistant to the chief executive officer. Palafox is responsible for assisting new clients with planning. He has more than 20 years of experience in the banking industry, most recently with Bank of Hawaii. Ouchi has more than 20 years of managerial experience.

Promotions

>> Rodney Ito has been promoted to general manager of the Waikoloa Beach Marriott on the Kohala Coast of the Big Island. The property is owned and managed by Outrigger Enterprises Inc. and operated under the Marriott brand. Ito has been assistant general manager at the property for three years. He replaces Robin Graff who moved to Honolulu to pursue other interests.