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[ FAST FACTS HAWAII ]

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[ HAWAII INC. ]

NEW JOBS

>> Finance Insurance has hired seven new agents: Doug De La Fontaine, Ben Guillermo, Tsutomu "Tuts" Oi, Jitsuo "Jits" Okamoto, Scott Ozaki, Ron Paredes and Dominic Siu.

>> Helber Hastert & Fee, Planners Inc., has hired Robyn Sweesy as a senior planner. She will be responsible for residential and commercial design, site analysis and planning and historic landscape design projects for both public- and private-sector projects.

>> Hilton Hawaiian Village has appointed Cheryl Hoffman assistant director of revenue management. She will be responsible for developing and analyzing short- and long-term forecasts, analyzing trends in inventories and rates including occupancy, goals and product. She has over 16 years of experience in the hospitality field.

>> Communications Pacific hires five staff members for the company advertising department. Greg Cabanting has been hired as media marketing director. He previously served six years Anheuser Busch Sales' marketing director. Fabian Toribio has been hired as production director. He previously served as production manager at other local advertising agencies. Merriam Fontanilla has been hired as a graphic artist. She previously served as a graphic designer at Nick Kaars Associates. Kevin Ulep has been hired as a graphic artist. He previously owned and operated his own graphic design practice. Fitha Dahana has been hired as a media assistant/assistant account executive. She previously served as special events and development coordinator at Junior Achievement of Hawaii.

>> Hilton Hawaiian Village has appointed Kirk Matsumoto and Craig Strimel to key positions within its food and beverage department. Matsumoto has been appointed assistant banquet manager. He will be responsible for providing support and guidance with the company's many banquet functions. Strimel has been appointed to assistant beverage manager. He will be responsible for assisting in the beverage selections for the company's many food and beverage outlets.

>> Hokua has hired Duane A. Komine as general manager. He has 20 years of experience in residential management.

>> ESRI has appointed Craig Clouet Honolulu office account manager/technical marketing representative. He will be responsible for supporting clients in Hawaii and the Pacific. He previously worked as Kamehameha Schools' GIS manager.

>> Maui Land & Pineapple Co. has hired Gerard "Gerry" Watts as Maui Pineapple Co. operations and processing vice president. He will be responsible for day-to-day operations of farm, processing and fresh fruit packing units. He previously served as southern operations president of the Coastal Berry Co.

>> The Ala Moana Hotel has appointed Cynthia Goya catering sales manager. She will be responsible for developing meetings and banquets business for the hotel with a focus on local business, conventions, conferences and associations. She previously worked for Koolau Catering Partners.

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HAWAII

Y. Hata selling restaurant equipment business

Wholesale distributor Y. Hata & Co. is selling the restaurant equipment portion of Mid City Restaurant Supply back to former Mid City owner Robert Vavul for an undisclosed price. The deal is expected to close June 20.

"Y. Hata will continue in the restaurant supply business and will focus on the supply product line," said Terry Johnson, director of human resources. Six employees will be terminated from Y. Hata and may join Mid City.

Vavul's business, to be named Mid City Restaurant Equipment, will involve big appliances, such as ranges and refrigerators, Johnson said.

Y. Hata bought Mid City from Vavul and moved it to 285 Sand Island Access Road four years ago.

NATION

GM to cut 25,000 production jobs

WILMINGTON, Del. >> General Motors Corp. plans to close plants and eliminate 25,000 manufacturing jobs in the United States by 2008 in an attempt to restore profitability at the world's largest automaker, its chairman said yesterday as he fended off calls for his resignation.

Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner told shareholders at GM's 97th annual meeting in Delaware that the capacity and job cuts should generate annual savings of roughly $2.5 billion. About one out of six jobs in the United States will be eliminated.

The United Auto Workers union responded that GM's ability to make the cuts will depend on worker attrition rates and its contract negotiations with the union. GM's UAW contract expires in 2007.

United ditching Denver baggage

DENVER >> United Airlines is abandoning the automated baggage-handling system at Denver International Airport that became notorious for losing or tearing apart luggage.

After more than a decade of trouble with the equipment, the airline said yesterday it will switch to a cheaper, more conventional manual system by the end of the year.

United will still have to pay $60 million a year under its lease contract for the automated system with the city, United spokesman Jeff Green said. The contract will last for approximately 25 years.

"It has never worked exactly how it was intended to do," Green said. "We are looking at all areas where we can cut back on costs in our operations in every airport where we operate."

Judge OKs nurse staffing ratios

A Sacramento County Superior Court judge sided yesterday with nurses in their long-running feud with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, issuing a final ruling supporting lower nurse-to-patient staffing ratios.

The Schwarzenegger administration said it will appeal.

Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Judy Holzer Hersher said the administration erred when it issued an emergency order last November trying to delay a first-in-the-nation law requiring hospitals to provide more nurses.