Horizon ups fuel fee, matches Matson

Horizon Lines Inc. said yesterday it will raise its fuel surcharge on June 12 for shipments between Hawaii and the mainland by 4 percentage points to 47.5 percent, matching rival Matson Navigation Co.’s increase for the same period.

The state’s second-largest ocean shipper’s fuel surcharge currently is 43.5 percent. The carrier has typically matched Matson, the state’s largest ocean shipper, when it raises or decreases the surcharge with the fluctuations in oil prices.

Matson announced last week that it would boost the fee to 47.5 percent, the highest since Matson first imposed the surcharge in 1999. The increase follows 8.5 percentage- point rises in March and May.

U.S., Japan to work on energy project

Energy partners from the United States and Japan will collaborate on a multimillion-dollar smart grid demonstration project on Maui. The project is aimed at improving integration of various renewable energy resources, such as solar and wind power, and preparing the electric system for widespread adoption of electric vehicles.

The organizations partnering on the project include the U.S. Department of Energy; the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism; the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute at the University of Hawaii; Hawaiian Electric Co.; Maui Electric Co.; and Japan-based New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), an entity under the government of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

NEDO recently selected six Japanese companies that will work with the U.S. project partners to develop and install smart grid technologies on Maui. NEDO will provide approximately $37 million to support the project. The companies selected by NEDO are Hitachi Ltd., Hewlett-Packard Japan Ltd., Mizuho Corporate Bank Ltd., Sharp Corp., JFE Engineering Corp. and Cyber Defense Institute Inc.

Lids Locker Room opens at Pearlridge

Lids Locker Room has opened a 2,500-square-foot store at Pearlridge Center Downtown, on the second level between Pretzelmaker and Champs Sports.

Lids Locker Room, selling licensed sports apparel, memorabilia and other merchandise, is a sister-concept of the already familiar Lids ball-cap stores around the state, as well as the Hat Shack store in the International Marketplace in Waikiki. Many of the stores offer custom embroidery.

Parent company Hat World Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., is a unit of Tennessee-based Genesco Inc., which has several retail divisions with more than 1,200 stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada.

Visitor charity walk set for Saturday

The 33rd annual Visitor Industry Charity Walk will be held Saturday at Ala Moana Beach Park.

The six-mile walk, sponsored by the Hawaii Hotel & Lodging Association, will begin at 6:45 a.m. at McCoy Pavilion. There will be 16 visitor industry checkpoints serving food and drinks along the walk route, which will wind from Ala Moana to Waikiki and back. Some of the checkpoints will feature entertainment, too. After the walk, Ike Pono and Hawaiian Slice will perform at 9:30 a.m. near the finish line in Ala Moana Beach Park.

The industry walk, which is open to residents and visitors, is the state’s biggest single-day fundraiser. Last year’s event drew more than 9,000 walkers raised more than $964,500 for more than 200 local charities.

For more information, visit www.charitywalkhawaii.org or call 923-0407.

ON THE MOVE

Outrigger Enterprises Group has promoted Milton Lafitaga to senior sales manager for the sports/groups sales from product manager for Embassy Suites-Waikiki Beach Walk, an Outrigger-managed hotel. Lafitaga has more than 12 years of experience in the hotel industry.

TD Food Group has promoted the following: 

>> Rachel Ayers to restaurant general manager at Pizza Hut Keaau from assistant restaurant general manager. Ayers has been with the company for seven years.

>> Genicar Alambat to restaurant general manager at Taco Bell Kihei from assistant restaurant general manager. Alambat has been with TD Food Group for the past six years.

The Hawaii Meth Project received $2,500 from the Traditional Taekwondo Center of Honolulu. The donation will support the project’s effort to reduce Meth or “ice” use among Hawaii’s teens and young adults.

Hawaii National Bank named Thomas Slover as vice president and director of deposit operations. He has 20 years of experience in the financial services industry.

Vistage International is launching its first advisory board peer group for local business owners and chief executive officers in Hawaii next Thursday. Vistage has selected and trained Nina Cherry to be the first chairwoman in Hawaii. Her responsibilities will include facilitating the peer advisory group meetings and coaching the members privately.