Total recall

» About 155,000 Philips Senseo One-Cup Coffeemakers, made in China and Poland and distributed by Philips Consumer Lifestyle of Stamford, Conn., because an electrical fault and calcium buildup from water can cause an obstruction in the coffee maker. As a result, the boiler can burst, which poses a burn hazard to consumers. No incidents or injuries have been reported in the United States. The company has received 17 reports of incidents in Europe

SBA to honor its 35 Hawaii winners at Friday luncheon

The U.S. Small Business Administration, Hawaii District, will honor the 35 winners of its annual Small Business Awards on Friday at the Hilton Hawaiian Village's Tapa Ballroom.

The Winners' Circle expo, in conjunction with the luncheon, will feature a flight simulator display by honoree Valerie Parker, president and chief executive officer of the Parker Group, a defense contractor on Kauai. The company also will be giving away an XBox 360.

Winners include Vaughn Vasconcellos, president and CEO of technology company Akimeka LLC, as Hawaii's 2009 Small Business Person of the Year; entertainer Raiatea Helm as Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Maui County; and former Star-Bulletin reporter Kristen Consillio as 2009 Small Business Journalist for the City & County of Honolulu.

Hosted by the Hawaii Women's Business Center, the event will be from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. For reserved $45 tickets, call 526-1001. The cost rises to $65 tomorrow.

Convention is attracting delegates like a magnet

Increased attendance is expected at the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine conference at the Hawai'i Convention Center.

The organization initially projected attendance by 4,500 members at its ongoing convention but now expects 5,000 attendees, due to Hawaii's location.

The numbers are larger than when the group met here in 2002, when 3,498 attended, according to the Hawai'i Convention Center.

“;We are seeing a larger than normal turnout internationally, and we think it's because of Hawaii's draw and because of its location in the world,”; said Roberta Kravitz, executive director of the group, in a statement. “;Right now we are seeing that 54 percent of our attendees are from North America while 46 percent are from other countries.”;

The society is an international, nonprofit scientific organization that promotes communication, research, development and applications in the field of magnetic resonance in medicine, biology and related areas.

Lagareta joins board of worldwide PR organization

Kitty Lagareta, chairwoman and CEO of Communications-Pacific Inc., has joined the 12-member global executive committee of IPREX, a worldwide corporation of 63 public relations firms.

She will lead IPREX's partner development initiative, responsible for recruitment and retention, and will attend her first committee meeting in May in New York City.

“;Since we invited Communications Pacific to join IPREX two years ago, it has been a very active partner firm in our organization, and Kitty and her CommPac colleagues have contributed a great deal of strategic thinking to our initiatives,”; said Jim Walsh, IPREX Worldwide president.

Lagareta said she is “;honored to serve with the leaders of some of the world's finest public relations firms.”;

The IPREX member firms have 85 offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific with annual combined revenue of $117 million.