Outrigger hospitality still a family business

Business news involving big companies today trend toward acquisitions and mergers, hostile takeovers and brutal consolidation.

So it rang a bit quaint when the formidable Outrigger hotels and hospitality chain announced recently that Richard R. Kelley, after almost 25 years as chairman, was handing the reins to his son, Charles "Chuck" Kelley. The senior Kelley, now chairman emeritus, had himself inherited the Hawaii company from his mom and pop, Roy and Estelle, which they started more than 60 years ago.

The all-in-the-family aspect is further solidified with David Carey III, Richard Kelley’s son-in-law and Charles’ brother-in-law, continuing as Outrigger’s president and chief executive. Conversations around the expanded family dinner table must be fascinating.

How about another 90-day homeless plan?

Nothing like a deadline to make sure an assignment gets turned in.

So it was good to see that the state announcing a 90-day initiative aimed at homelessness problem has produced measurable results. The Abercrombie administration has toted up 445 homeless people moving off streets and out of emergency shelters in that time. Honolulu’s homelessness shortcomings probably will remain on display at some level when the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit convenes here in a few months, but this is at least a start.

And since making government accountable to a deadline seems to have worked in the short term, why not build on that success? Say, with another report due in shortly before APEC?