Economists optimistic
NEW YORK >> The National Association for Business Economics said Monday that forecasters have raised their expectations for employment, new home construction and business spending this year. But they held on to their average prediction that America’s gross domestic product, or GDP, will grow at a rate of 2.4 percent.
American Savings opens financial center
American Savings Bank will mark the grand opening today of its new Financial Services Center at Kahala Mall.
The center at 1215 Hunakai St. will be the bank’s first Financial Services Center and provide one-stop shopping for customers interested in home loans, insurance, investments and business banking. The center also will offer safe deposit boxes. It will not be a transactions center that provides deposits and withdrawals.
American Savings already has a branch across the street at the mall where it conducts transactions.
Maui Lani homes set to go on sale
A new increment of homes will be available for sale next week at the master-planned Maui Lani community on the Valley Isle. The Schuler division of D.R. Horton announced Monday it will begin selling 60 single-family homes in a neighborhood it has dubbed New Traditions starting on March 10. Prices will start in the high $300,000s.
Maui Lani is a project on 1,012 acres in Central Maui anchored by a golf course and being built out with about 3,600 homes by various developers.
Island Air to temporarily lease 33-seater
Island Air has reached an agreement with Peninsula Airways to lease a 33-seat Saab 340B aircraft with PenAir pilots to help bolster the Hawaii-based carrier’s interisland service for the next year. Island Air will supply the flight attendants.
The Saab 340B will be added to Island Air’s Dash-8 fleet to supplement the airline for about 12 months so that the flight schedule can be maintained until Island Air takes delivery of three ATR 72-212 aircraft it leased by the end of this year.
Island Air flights operated by PenAir will be identified on Island Air’s posted timetable, online booking system, boarding passes and bag tags.
PBS Hawaii show gets national award
"Hiki No," the nation’s first statewide student news network and television show, founded by PBS Hawaii, has won the 2012 EDGE Award from the Association of Public Television Stations at its annual Public Media Summit in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes a public TV station that uses digital and educational technology and groundbreaking partnerships to deliver innovative services to its communities.
PBS Hawaii President and CEO Leslie Wilcox and Robert Pennybacker, vice president of creative services and "Hiki No" executive producer, accepted the award at an event Monday morning.
Hiki No means "can do" in Hawaiian — and the PBS Hawaii show, featuring stories told by students in their own words, airs Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Episodes are archived on the PBS Hawaii website at www.pbshawaii.org/hikino/index.php.
New surf school’s up in Waikiki
Champion longboard surfer Kai Sallas has opened Pro Surf School Hawaii in conjunction with the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.
Sallas is the son of Junior Sallas, one of the original Waikiki Beach Boys. The school is located in the hotel lobby. In addition to regular surf lessons, the school also offers stand-up paddling lessons and surf tours.
The hotel is offering a surf school and vacation package that includes equipment and accessories needed for learning the Hawaii-born water sport. A minimum three-night stay is required for the package.
Contractors to renovate HUGS headquarters
Construction charity organization AGC Charities Inc. plans to renovate the facility of a Honolulu-based charity group that supports families with seriously ill children as part of its annual Operation Opening Doors event in March.
Contractors will donate their time, expertise and money to make a series of improvements to the headquarters of HUGS: Help, Understanding & Group Support for Hawaii’s seriously ill children and their families. Tom Brown, chairman of AGC Charities, said contractors from Hawaii and around the country will gather on March 10 to make improvements to the charity’s facility, a converted home.
Honolulu-based Ralph S. Inouye Co. Ltd. is volunteering as lead contractor. Jayar Construction, a Honolulu-based site-work contractor, donated all the equipment, material and labor to take care of dangerous boulders in the grassed play area and regrade it to provide more green space for the children. Ameron Hawaii donated 20 tons of sand to refill the sandbox. Other local contractors and suppliers have offered their support and manpower. For more information, go to agccharities.org/operation-opening-doors/current-efforts.
On the Move
Royal State Insurance has hired:
>> Kristen Oshiro as customer service representative. Her experience includes working in social media, supporting marketing and event promotions.
>> Shelly Scanlan as customer service representative. She was in customer service and telemarketing sales at Bank of Hawaii and First Hawaiian Bank.
Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties has announced that Ruth H. Kam has joined the company’s Leeward office. She has more than 33 years of real estate experience and was a Realtor associate at Properties Unlimited for 27 years.
