Cautious Lowe’s net up

NEW YORK » People bought more air conditioners and grills at Lowe’s Cos. in early summer, boosting second-quarter net income 10 percent, but overall spending was hurt by hot weather and the weak economy. The No. 2 home improvement retailer also cut its yearly revenue guidance as worries grow about a stalling economy. Net income rose to $832 million from $759 million a year earlier. Revenue grew 4 percent to $14.36 billion.

Remodeling expo attendance off 2.5%

The Building Industry Association of Hawaii’s sixth annual remodeling expo, held Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Hawai’i Convention Center, drew 8,297 people, down 2.5 percent from the 8,507 attendees last year, the BIA said.

"People who came to the expo this year were very focused on value, saving money and sticking to the specific products and services within their renovation budgets," said Karen Nakamura, BIA-Hawaii chief executive officer. "The top categories of interest were kitchens and bathrooms, followed by solar, windows and green products that save people money with the available federal and state tax credits."

Nakamura said the market for remodeling homes is large since about 80 percent of Oahu homes are more than 50 years old.

JAL traffic up slightly during break

Japan Airlines said passenger traffic on its flights to Hawaii rose 1 percent during a recent 10-day "summer vacation" period. The increase was in contrast to declines the carrier experienced on most of its other international routes.

JAL Group, which filed for bankruptcy in January, said it flew 46,414 passengers to Hawaii from Aug. 6 to 15. JAL also reported an increase in passengers on its Oceania routes, the airline’s smallest market, with a total of 9,304 passengers flown during the 10-day period.

The carrier reported steep declines on its seven other international routes, with total passenger traffic falling by 11.9 percent. JAL said planes on its Hawaii flights were 95.2 percent full, the highest load factor of any of its international routes.

Y. Hata adding solar to warehouse

Hawaii’s biggest food wholesaler, Y. Hata & Co., said it will install a 600-kilowatt photovoltaic solar power generation system on the roof of its Sand Island warehouse that will save the company $200,000 a year in electricity costs.

Sunetric was hired to design and install the $2.5 million system, which will produce an average of 2,636 kilowatt-hours of electricity each day, allowing Y. Hata & Co. to offset 22 percent of its current electrical usage. Installation is scheduled to begin this October.

On the Move

RevoluSun has hired David Bruce as project developer. He has 20 years of construction experience, including as a general contractor specializing in custom home building.

Family Support Services of West Hawaii has changed its name to Family Support Hawaii. The organization gives support to families and communities by providing counseling, home visits, support programs, community development activities and economic projects.

The University of Hawaii Alumni Association board of directors new president is Douglas H. Inouye. He is a corporate counsel for Queen’s Health Systems. Other new officers include Patrick Oki, first vice president; Ken Hayashida, second vice president; Randal Ikeda, secretary; Darrell Yamagata, treasurer; and Mitchell Ka’aiali’i, immediate past president.

Makena Beach & Golf Resort has announced Rey Baysa as its new executive chef. He has 30 years experience in the restaurant industry, including executive chef of Tommy Bahama’s Restaurant & Bar in Wailea and banquet chef at Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa on Oahu and the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua on Maui.