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No. 8 U.S. Bancorp banks on Safeway

U.S. Bancorp, the eighth-biggest U.S. bank by assets, will open 163 branches in Safeway Inc. and Vons stores in the next two years to increase the bank's presence in California and Arizona.

The new outlets will boost U.S. Bancorp's in-store branch network by one-third to 446, the bank said. Most of the branches will be in Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The remainder will be in Phoenix and Tucson, Ariz.

U.S. Bancorp Chief Executive Jerry Grundhofer is opening branches in California as rivals including Bank of America Corp., the state's biggest bank by deposits, are adding consumer offices to add accounts and sell more services including credit cards, mortgages and personal loans.

Grundhofer has been building the bank's branch network by purchasing offices from competitors. In November, it bought 57 branches from Bay View Capital Corp. for $429 million in cash to gain a presence in San Francisco. In September 2001 it bought 20 branches from Bank of Hawaii Corp. to help it expand in Southern California.

Pleasant Holidays offers fall special

Pleasant Holidays is giving a break to military and government employees with a 10 percent discount for fall vacation packages to Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean through Dec. 11, the travel company said.

The company is selling a reduced six-day package to Hawaii from Los Angeles or San Francisco for $418 per person, including airfare and hotel. The packages are available from all major U.S. gateway cities. They can only be booked through www.govarm.com.

[ HAWAII INC. ]

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New Jobs

>> Broadband iTV has hired Milton Diaz as chief technology officer. He has more than 20 years of experience in software, hardware and product development, 10 of which spent in the development of video-on-demand and interactive television.

>> Tim Dietrich has been hired as director of instruction at Ko Olina Golf Club. He will help oversee all of the club's daily teaching programs as well as develop, introduce and manage the Ko Olina Golf Academy debuting this fall. Dietrich has more than 20 years of experience as a resort manager specializing in sports academy operation.

On the Board

>> Martin Arinaga was elected President of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, Honolulu chapter. He is senior vice president of Chinen & Arinaga Financial Group Inc. Other officers include President-Elect Miles Moriyama, Transamerica Insurance and Investment Group; Vice-President Clayton Hill, Prudential Financial Services; Secretary Carolyn Fujioka, State Farm Insurance; Treasurer Clayton Agena, Clayton Agena & Associates; and National Committeeman Shirley C. Wong, Principal Life. NAIFA represents more than 70,000 insurance and financial advisors nationwide.

>> The Hawaii Food Industry Association has elected Gary Yoshioka, Pepsi Bottling Group general manager, as chair. Other new officers are Vice Chair George Szigeti, Better Brands president; Secretary/Treasurer Joe Detro, Foodland Supermarket Ltd. sales and marketing vice president; Immediate Past Chair Ray Sabanal, The Pint Size Corp. sales operations manager; President Richard Botti; and Executive Director Ed Thompson.