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Business Briefs
Star-Bulletin staff
and wire services
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FAST FACTS HAWAII
McDonald's Palolo gets overhaul
McDonald's Restaurants of Hawaii has temporarily shut down its Palolo location on Waialae Avenue to completely rebuild the restaurant, the company announced yesterday.
McDonald's of Palolo at 3254 Waialae Ave. closed yesterday and is expected to reopen this summer. The company wouldn't disclose how much it is investing in renovations.
The new restaurant will be equipped to serve specialty beverages, a company spokeswoman said.
The company said 65 workers will be reassigned to other restaurants on Oahu. It has 85 restaurants and more than 4,000 employees in Hawaii, Guam, and Saipan.
NEW HIRES/PROMOTIONS
» King & Neel has promoted
Maria Minkel to vice president from assistant vice president/bond manager. She joined the company in 1999 as bond manager and has also held positions in Marsh & McLennan Companies and Aon Risk Services. Her 25 year career in surety bonding began as an administrative assistant for Seaboard Surety Co. in Honolulu. She is also an active member of the National Association of Surety Bond Producers and the Construction Financial Managers Association Honolulu chapter.
» Energy Industries has hired Matthew Thomas as an energy project developer. He will help in the development and management of renewable energy projects in Hawaii. He previously served as project manager at Suntech Hawaii and has extensive experience in renewable energy systems and construction management.
» Pacific Office Properties Trust has named James M. Kasim as chief financial officer. His previous jobs include executive vice president and chief financial officer of BentleyForbes and a senior manager with Ernst & Young. His experience in real estate finance and accounting include public securities offerings, SEC regulations, and real estate acquisitions and operations.
» HomeStreet Bank has announced Shawn Shigematsu and Ann Taylor as new loan officers at the Honolulu Lending Center.
BOARD ELECTIONS
» The Honolulu Board of Realtors has elected its officers and board of directors for 2008: Officers are
Dana Chandler, president;
Sandra "Sam" Bangerter, president-elect;
Joyce Nakamura, secretary; and
Berton Hamamoto, immediate past president. Directors are
Brian Benton,
Scott Fujiwara,
M. Russell Goode Jr.,
Abe Lee,
Allison Lum,
Nancy Metcalf,
Liz Moore,
Russell Nishimoto and
Wendell M.Y. Wong. HBR regional directors are
Riley Hakoda, Central regional director;
M. Jane Studenberg, East Oahu regional director;
Terry Lovvorn, Leeward regional director; and
Mary Beddow, Windward and North Shore regional director.
» The Native Hawaiian Economic Alliance has elected Robin Puanani Danner as board president. She replaces founding director Li Garcia Ballard, who is retiring from her post after five years. Danner has served on the advisory board since 2003 and will lead the organization for a three-year term. NHEA is a non-profit organization of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement that focuses on improving the capacity of small business in Hawaii.
AWARDS/CERTIFICATIONS
» HDR project manager
has been elected as a fellow in the American Society of Civil Engineers. The fellowship recognizes legally registered professional engineers or land surveyors who have made significant technical or professional contributions and have demonstrated notable engineering achievement for at least 10 years following their induction as an ASCE member. Lau has been active in ASCE for 16 years, serving as president of the Hawaii section with experience in site development, water and wastewater infrastructure design, and regulatory compliance studies.
BUSINESS PULSE
