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LINING UP FOR JOBS

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Job seekers gathered around the Norwegian Cruise Line table yesterday at Job Quest at the Neal Blaisdell Center. Nearly 5,000 people attended the one-day fair that featured recruiters from 81 local businesses, mainland organizations, military branches and government agencies. Norwegian was one of the companies that hired employees on the spot.

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Top shareholder ups mac nut stake

Farhad Fred Ebrahimi, president and chief executive officer of Denver-based Quark Inc., has increased his family's stake in ML Macadamia Orchards LP to 10.7 percent.

Ebrahimi, the Big Island company's largest shareholder, now owns 803,400 shares of the company's 7.5 million outstanding shares, according to a filing made yesterday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Ebrahimi, who has been gradually increasing his holdings over the past several years, bought 1,000 shares Thursday and 500 shares Friday, both purchases at the price of $3.54, and then purchased 13,100 shares Monday at prices varying from $3.51 to $3.54. His purchases Monday occurred following the company's announcement after Friday's market close that it was cutting its quarterly dividend 40 percent to 3 cents from 5 cents a unit.

ML Macadamia, which owns or leases more than 4,100 acres of orchards on the Big Island, now offers a dividend yield of about 3.4 percent. Prior to the reduction, its dividend yield was 5.5 percent.

Ebrahimi's company, Quark, makes the desktop publishing software QuarkXPress.

Hawaiian seeks proof of claims date

Hawaiian Airlines filed a motion yesterday with U.S. Bankruptcy Court asking that a hearing be scheduled for Nov. 3 to set a bar date for creditors to file proofs of claim with the company.

The filing asked the judge to schedule a date no more than 60 days after the Nov. 3 hearing, which means the deadline would be no later than Jan. 3, 2004.

In another development, Hawaiian trustee Joshua Gotbaum has asked the court to approve out-of-pocket expenses of $23,661.65 for the period starting July 3, which was the day he was hired, through Aug. 31. The expenses include such items as airfare, lodging and food.

Additionally, parent company Hawaiian Holdings, taking advantage of a motion that didn't require U.S. Bankruptcy Court Robert Faris' approval, had its motion granted yesterday by the bankruptcy court clerk directing Gotbaum to produce documents that are currently being provided to the unsecured creditors' committee.

Some of those files include all documents and pleadings which have been filed under seal, related to various stipulations and agreements, and all weekly financial and operating reports.

The airline has until Oct. 20 to seek a protective order to prevent the documents from being turned over.

Those records, however, don't include the restructured lease agreements that Hawaiian Holdings is currently trying to obtain. A hearing was set for Bankruptcy Court this morning over that matter.

YWCA seeks leader nominations

The YWCA of Oahu is seeking nominations for its LeaderLuncheon Awards program, which honors individual women for personal, community and professional achievement, as well as organizations that have helped pave the way for those achievements.

The deadline for nominations is Oct. 31 and the awards luncheon, a key YWCA fund-raiser, is scheduled for May 7. Nomination forms are available at the YWCA at 1040 Richards St., Honolulu, or its Web site, www.ywcaoahu.org.

UAW says it could lose 50,000 jobs at Big Three

DETROIT >> The United Auto Workers could lose up to 50,000 jobs at Detroit's Big Three automakers and two major suppliers over the next four years, but analysts say the union is likely to make up some of the losses by organizing nonunion suppliers.

Analysts also note that the bulk of job losses will occur through attrition and early retirement, not from layoffs at plants that will be closed or sold as part of tentative labor pacts reached last week between the UAW and General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group and suppliers Delphi Corp. and Visteon Corp.

Most workers at plants targeted for sale or closure are expected to find jobs elsewhere in their companies. Ratification votes on the four-year contracts are likely in the next week. The union currently represents about 300,000 workers.

Tyco 'looters' can argue auditors knew, judge says

NEW YORK >> Former Tyco International executives Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz will be allowed to argue that millions they are accused of stealing were actually loans and bonuses approved by the company's board and disclosed to its outside auditors.

Prosecutors tried to block a defense argument that there was no criminal intent by Kozlowski and Swartz because the transfer of funds had been approved by the right people, but State Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus rejected the motion in a ruling yesterday.

"Given that the prosecution is saying that the defendants took or received money, the defendants are entitled to show that the circumstances under which they got the money was not criminal," Obus said.

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[Hawaii Inc.]

New jobs

>> Vernon Wong, an American Express financial adviser, has joined the firm's Platinum Financial Services advisers group for his financial planning skills, quality of advice and client service, experience and success in serving the affluent market, and his professional designations. He specializes in personal financial planning for retirement, taxes, investments and education.

>> Terry Peacock has joined the Kahala Nui retirement community sales team as its marketing director. She will be responsible for managing the senior living counselors and the Kaimuki sales office; overseeing apartment reservations; and keeping the Kahala Senior Living Community board of directors updated on the progress of the apartments' construction. She was previously in sales and marketing at Kaiser Permanente.

Recognition

>> Harriet Kaimimoku-Wong has been chosen as 2003-2004 Best Temporary Associate for Westaff-Honolulu. She is a Hickam Air Force Base General Services Administration special orders clerk. Westaff provides temporary and direct hire employees for administration, call centers and light industry.

>> T-Mobile Hawaii's Roger Izuka was presented with a letter of commendation by Gov. Linda Lingle for his outstanding achievement in sales and marketing at the company's 26th annual Distinguished Sales & Marketing Awards luncheon. He has been with the company since it was launched in Hawaii as VoiceStream Wireless.