HAWAII

Former isle sugar executive dies

Robert Harrison Hughes, who held executive positions at Hawaiian Commercial and Sugar Co. and C. Brewer & Co., died Oct. 2 at his home in Honolulu. He was 91.

Puunene, Maui-born Hughes also formerly served as the president of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association. He is survived by his wife, Judith Hughes of Honolulu; son Robert Lawrence Hughes of Reno, Nevada; daughters Linton Alice Breen and Carole Nadine Trefts of Spokane, Wash.; as well as two step-daughters, seven grandchildren and a great-granddaughter.

Kihei Plaza renovations near end

MW Group Ltd. said yesterday it has completed a $250,000 renovation to the Kihei Plaza commercial property space and plans an additional $285,000 investment this fall.

Last month, a 6-foot-by-10-foot mosaic was installed. Phase one of the building was completed in late 2007, and included ceramic tile floors, lobby and hallways. The exterior of the 33,002-square-foot building was repainted, and the 83-space parking lot was also repaved.

Before the end of this year, MW will start a nearly $300,000 air conditioning upgrade to the building.

Honolulu business price triples

The median asking price for a Honolulu business jumped 197.7 percent in the third quarter, according to data released yesterday by BizBuySell.com.

The Web site, which lists businesses for sale, said the median asking price rose to $446,500 from $150,000 in the year-ago quarter. These businesses reported median revenue of $852,433 and median cash flow of $150,556. The data is based on 28 Honolulu businesses listed on the site.

BRIEF CASE

PROBE OVER: Advanced Micro Devices Inc., the chipmaker struggling to take on Intel Corp., said yesterday that the U.S. Justice Department closed its investigation of pricing and marketing practices at its graphics-processor unit.

PROPOSAL TRASHED: Waste Management Inc., the nation's largest garbage hauler, is withdrawing its $6.73 billion proposal to acquire smaller rival Republic Services, saying the move wouldn't be prudent given current financial market turmoil. 

[ Taking Notice ]

Promotions / New hires

» Suntech Hawaii has hired Kevin Washington as controller. His 15 years of accounting experience include controller for Akamai Homes, Hardware Hawaii and Ingersoll Rand, and a financial analyst at Ford Motor Co. He also teaches accounting courses at Kapiolani Community College.

» Sub-Zero/Wolf vice president of sales Kurt Hargens has returned to Hawaii from Calif. to concentrate on developing local accounts. He is a 12 year veteran of Riggs Distributing, an exclusive distributor of Sub-Zero/Wolf appliances in Northern California, Western Nevada and Hawaii. He has also served as an assistant hotel manager at Kahala Mandarin for six years.

Board Elections

» The American Payroll Association Hawaii chapter has elected its officers for 2008-2009: Jason Daley, president; Leila Kagawa, vice president; Shari Fujisaki, secretary; and Vicki Walden, treasurer.

» The Maui Hotel & Lodging Association has elected its board of directors for 2008-2009: Officers are Chip Bahouth, chairman; Gregg Nelson, vice chair; Sharon Suzuki, treasurer; and Carol Reimann, secretary. Directors include Nane Aluli, Craig Anderson, Matt Bailey, Nancy Chaplick, Mike Jokovich, Chris Luedi, Jim Shefte, Murray Towill and Mike White.