Reported by Star-Bulletin staff & wire
HAWAII
Hilton director lauded over retail
Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa executive Peter Schall yesterday received the 2004 Hookela Award for Exemplary Service to the retail industry for his work in steering development of the resort's diverse retail offerings. Schall, who is the resort's managing director as well as the senior vice president of Hilton Hotels Corp.'s Hawaii Region, received the award from the Retail Merchants of Hawaii at the group's annual conference.
The organization noted that Schall has overseen the $100 million renovation of the resort, which now has more than 100,000 square feet of retail space.
The association also singled out the following individuals and businesses for excellence in 2004:
» Retailer: Steven Ai and Carol Ai May, City Mill Co.
» Retail employee: Alan Yoshioka, Harry's Music Store
» Resort retail business: Bob's Maui Dive Shop Inc.
» Neighborhood retail business, Island Triathlon & Bike Inc.
» Retail Business (Oahu): City Mill Co.
» Retail Business (Big Island): Parker Ranch Store
» Retail Business (Maui): Lanai Hardware and Lumber Inc.
» Retail Business (Kauai): Lotus Gallery
» Manufacturer (Traditional): Sig Zane Designs
» Manufacturer (Contemporary): Kaanohi Fashions
» Manufacturer (Unique): Leighton Lam Designs
» Shopping Center,:Don Reaser, Whaler's Village
WORLD
Thousands sign up for space flights
LONDON » "Star Trek" star William Shatner and former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro are among thousands who want to fly on Virgin's proposed commercial space flights, company chief Richard Branson said today.Branson said more than 7,000 people had registered their willingness to pay the $210,000 fare for the service, which promises to send passengers 110 kilometers above the Earth.
Branson told Britain's Press Association news agency there had been "tremendous take-up" of the idea since he announced it last month.
"We are extremely pleased because it just means in a sense that the gamble we took seems to have paid off," he said, speaking to the agency from California's Mojave desert.
