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Anchor leaves
top-rated KHON

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KHON 2 weekend anchor Ramsay Wharton is out-a-there, after her recent return from maternity leave. Her effective-immediately resignation was accepted Wednesday, according to News Director Dan Dennison.

Anchor Jai Cunningham handled weekend anchoring duties during Wharton's leave, and "for now we're going to go with a solo anchor as we begin the search for a weekend co-anchor," Dennison said. "We may be having some folks fill in the seat on a trial basis."

With November sweeps not far off, Dennison said, "It's hard this time of year ... to recruit and interview," because current employers want staff to work through the ratings period.

He expects to have the weekend co-anchor position filled permanently by year's end.

Storage stuffs

MW Group Ltd. expects to announce an in-town self-storage development next week, after starting construction this week on its new, 115,000-square-foot storage facility on Kamehameha Highway near Kaahumanu Street.

Hawaii Self Storage -- Pearl City is to open in the summer at four stories with 1,250 units ranging from 16 to 300 square feet and a business center with a conference room, phone and fax lines, a copy machine and Internet-enabled computer, as well as data ports for laptops. Use of the business center is free for customers of any size locker, according to principal Mike Wood.

It is modeled after MW-built and operated Hawaii Self Storage -- Salt Lake, formerly known as Salt Lake Self Storage.

Noting that many neighborhood associations do not allow boat storage by residents, MW will offer boat storage in Salt Lake, "and we plan on having separate, covered boat storage at Pearl City."

MW Group also owns and manages Pioneer Plaza Self Storage; Kihei Kalama Self Storage in the similarly named shopping center and Lahaina Self Storage, in Anchor Square Shopping Center.

Buzzbits

Happy 20th anniversary to French Gourmet, a Hawaii company proud of its flakiness. It produces artisinal frozen breads and pastries for the food service industry here, on the mainland and in Asia. French Gourmet President Patrick Novak has announced that former Love's Bakery head Mickey Coffman will replace him as president next year while Novak will segue into the role of chief executive to oversee expansion plans. ... Kona's Kailua Candy Co. is marking 27 years in business with a move to bigger digs. Increased local retail, mail order and e-commerce demand for its candies, cookies and other edibles necessitated the move to nearly 6,000 square feet on Kauhola Street in the new Kaloko Light Industrial Complex.

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