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POSTED: Friday, December 05, 2008

Dole Cannery to get IMAX theatre

Dole Cannery Stadium 18 will get an IMAX theatre in the first quarter of next year, Regal Entertainment Group said yesterday.

The company is scheduled to install IMAX digital projection systems at nine locations in seven states.

 

Aloha Tower management shuffled

PM Realty Group LP will replace MMI Realty Services Inc. as the management company for Aloha Tower Marketplace as of Jan. 1, leaving an undetermined number of employees looking for work in a distressed economy.

Officials at PM Realty could not be reached yesterday. The company also manages Alii Place and the City Financial Tower downtown, among other properties.

The economy is not the reason for the change, according to outgoing Marketing Manager Melissa Chang.

Details of how many employees may be absorbed by MMI's other properties are still in process, she said. MMI also manages Kahala Mall Center and Pearlridge Shopping Center among others.

“;We have enjoyed our 10-year tenure here,”; Chang said.

 

Hawaiian Telcom ratings lowered

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said yesterday it has lowered the issue ratings on Hawaiian Telcom Communication Inc.'s senior secured credit facilities, consisting of a $90 million revolving credit facility and $860 million ($485 million outstanding) term loan C, to “;D”; from “;CC.”; The downgrade follows the Monday filing by the company for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

 

Hawaii housing aid awarded

The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. will be awarded $398,470 to provide foreclosure mitigation counseling and legal services to Hawaii families facing the threat of foreclosure. Organizations that will receive this funding include the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, Hawaiian Community Assets, the Hawaii HomeOwnership Center, Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Hawaii and Hale Mahaolu.

 

Waikiki Beach Walk wins award

Waikiki Beach Walk has won a design award in the International Council of Shopping Centers 32nd-annual international design and development awards competition. Winners were announced Wednesday at a ceremony in Phoenix.

The council recognizes the shopping center industry's most cutting-edge and creative responses to market trends, as well as outstanding examples of design and development. This year, there were 63 entries representing 25 countries.

The $585-million Waikiki project won its award in the innovative design and construction of a new project and renovation category. Winners will be eligible for the global “;Best-of-the-Best”; award, given during a ceremony held in May.

 

Nurses Association names director

The Hawaii Nurses Association, a professional and labor organization, has named Patt Gibbs as the union's executive director. The union represents 4,000 registered nurses and health care providers in Hawaii. Gibbs assumed the position Monday.

Since 1989, Gibbs maintained a civil legal practice in California and Texas, representing several labor unions, providing legal services in areas such as collective bargaining, union organizing, mediation and arbitration. She was also the founding president and chief officer of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, representing American Airlines flight attendants.

 

Awards / Certificates

» Smart Meetings Magazine has honored The Kahala Hotel & Resort with a Platinum Choice Award to be featured in the December issue of the magazine. The award recognizes the top 100 meetings facilities in the Western Region based on overall guest service and enjoyment, selected by three months of voting and deliberation by the magazine's readers and editors with input from industry experts.

 

Board Elections

» The Consular Corps of Hawaii has elected its officers for 2009: Toshio Kunikata, dean; Gaylord G. Tom, immediate past dean; Patricia Lee, vice dean; Nina Fasi, secretary; Annie Kaneshiro, treasurer; Kusuma Cooray, auditor; and Niklaus R. Schweizer, historian.