Sports Authority targets Windward Mall
Sports Authority will be moving into the former Borders site at Windward Mall prior to the holiday season.
The 26,657-square-foot site in Kaneohe will mark the seventh Hawaii location for the sporting goods and apparel retailer, which also plans to open a Hilo store this summer.
"Sports Authority is a great fit for Windward Mall and complements our current retail mix," said Alex Kirley, marketing manager at Windward Mall. "Windward residents are extremely active and athletic, and now they will have an even wider selection of athletic apparel and sports equipment close to home."
Windward Mall said Sports Authority will make announcements regarding hiring and grand-opening events in the near future.
Dish Network to close 500 Blockbusters
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. >> Dish Network Corp. said in an annual filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it plans to close more than 500 Blockbuster stores this year.
Dish acquired the Blockbuster video store chain in April. The closures would leave Blockbuster with about 1,000 retail stores. The Thursday filing doesn’t say which stores will be shut down.
However, Dish spokesman Marc Lumpkin told The Denver Post that stores that will close aren’t performing well and are primarily unprofitable. He said about 150 Blockbuster stores sell the company’s satellite television services, but that number will grow.
Brewbaker to speak at economic summit
Paul Brewbaker, principal of TZ Economics, and speakers from the Federal Reserve, FBI, ING Direct and the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs will discuss the topics of trade, fraud and international economics at a March 15 International Economics Summit in Honolulu.
The other speakers are Steven Fisher, regional program manager, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco; Tung Chan, Hawaii commissioner of securities for the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Tom Simon, special agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation; and Kai Ohashi, ING Direct sales representative.
The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union, Diamond Head Community Room. Lunch will be provided. The cost for the summit is $10. To reserve a seat, contact Hue Le at huele@hcee.org by March 9. More information about the summit can be found at www.hcee.org.
Math educational software office to open
A South Korean-based provider of online mathematics education content is partnering with the Asian Development Bank and a local nonprofit organization to open an office in Honolulu. MPDA, headquartered in Seoul, will use its new office to distribute the company’s math study program to students in Hawaii and across the Pacific region, according to a news release from MPDA. The company develops standardized test-prep programs to help international students improve their math scores.
MPDA will share space with the nonprofit Pacific International Center for High Technology Research at the Pacific Guardian Tower in downtown Honolulu. PICHTR officials have signed a support services contract with MPDA and ADB.
HECO publishes Ilocano, Cantonese guides
Hawaiian Electric Co. has published its residential energy conservation guides in Ilocano and Cantonese to better serve the Filipino and Chinese communities.
The publications, "Power to Save" and "101 Ways to Save," are free at the company’s two customer service locations on Oahu, 820 Ward Ave. and 900 Richards St. Call 543-7511 to have a copy mailed; copies can also be downloaded at www.heco.com.
"We know there are large populations in our communities who speak and read only their native language," said Kaiulani de Silva, director of education and consumer affairs at HECO. "These educational tools were developed to address their needs and provide useful energy conservation and efficiency information that will help them save energy, manage their electricity use and reduce electric bills."
"Power to Save" is a 16-page resource guide featuring energy- and money-saving tips, an energy chart of common household appliances and the cost to run them, an appliance buying guide and an overview of how to read and understand an electric bill. "101 Ways to Save" offers tips to save energy on home cooling, water heating, lighting and common household appliances including refrigerators, dishwashers, clothes washers, dryers, range/ovens and electronics.
New-home sales dip after 4 straight gains
WASHINGTON » Sales of new homes dipped in January, but the final quarter of 2011 was stronger than first estimated.
The Commerce Department said Friday that new-home sales fell 0.9 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 321,000 homes. That followed four straight months of gains in which home sales rose 10 percent.
The gains came after the government upwardly revised figures for October, November and December.
ON THE MOVE
Professional Bail Agents of the United States elected Beth Chapman, co-star of A&E’s “Dog the Bounty Hunter” and co-owner of Da Kine Bail Bonds, as senior vice president of PBUS at its annual winter conference in Las Vegas on Feb. 22. Chapman is the only woman from Hawaii to hold such a title in the PBUS organization, which represents more than 15,000 bail agents nationwide. Beth and Duane Chapman also won an award at the conference for their dedication, commitment and leadership to PBUS and their profession.
Lanihau Properties has appointed Britt Craven vice president of properties as well as vice president of Palani Ranch Co., an affiliate of Lanihau Properties which operates a cattle ranch in mauka Kona. As a licensed real estate broker, Craven has more than 20 years of commercial real estate experience and was previously a senior associate and broker in charge of CB Richard Ellis Hawaii island offices.