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Marketing execs honor Keith Vieira

Starwood Hawaii executive Keith Vieira, who has overseen the hotel management company's expansion, has been named 2003 Sales Person of the Year by the nonprofit Sales and Marketing Executives of Honolulu.

Vieira, senior vice president and director of operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., Hawaii and French Polynesia, will be honored at a luncheon March 10 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel. Past recipients include University of Hawaii President Evan Dobelle, financier Chinn Ho, U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye and Outrigger executive Richard Kelley. For more information call Roberta Cullen at 537-1158 or visit www.smehonolulu.com.

Big Isle bureau names winners

Japan Airlines, tour wholesaler JalPak International Hawaii Inc. and Kohala tour guide company Flumin Da Ditch won this year's Big Island Trendsetter Awards from the Big Island Visitors Bureau.

JAL was recognized for its direct flights to Kona, while Flumin Da Ditch was cited for its unique tours and JalPak was noted for its work on a hula seminar.

The bureau also gave Aikane Awards to Uncle George Naope, a founder of the Merrie Monarch Festival; entertainer Bunny Brown; and Fred Duerr, general manager of the Kona Village Resort. The Aikane Awards recognize exceptional demonstration of the aloha spirit and contribution to the Big Island's future.

Market watchers like Hawaii's newest eatery

It seems the food isn't the only thing that's tasty about the Cheesesteak Factory, which opened its largest restaurant in Honolulu Dec. 10.

After a tough year the Cheesecake Factory is looking more appetizing to investors, according to a recent report in The Motley Fool Investing Strategies; making a list of five tasty stocks to watch in 2004.

Trading at 30 times next year's earnings with enough expansion room to keep growing at a healthy clip, the stock's gains in 2004 should at least match the company's 25 percent projected earnings growth, according to The Motley Fool.

Cheesecake Factory shares were down 50 cents yesterday at $42.30. They are up 17 percent this year.