Hawaiian teams with JTB on Sendai charters

Hawaiian Airlines is flying the first of four nonstop charter flights today between Sendai, Japan, and Hono lulu in collaboration with the Japan Travel Bureau. The airline said today’s flight on its 262-seat Boeing 767 is booked to 95 percent capacity. Other flights will leave Sendai on Thursday, July 31 and Aug. 5.

"We are so pleased to be working with JTB to bring travelers to Hawaii from a region that was so completely devastated only 16 months ago," Hawaiian President and CEO Mark Dunkerley said Friday.

The Sendai region was at the center of destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011.

Finance Factors charity breakfast nets $7,734

Finance Factors raised $7,734 for two local nonprofit organizations Friday at its 17th annual Charity Breakfast.

The nonprofits, Abilities Unlimited and Waikiki Health Center, care for the health and well-being of Hawaii’s disadvantaged and disabled.

Finance Factors employees prepared more than 1,200 local-style breakfasts consisting of Kukui Brand Portuguese sausage, scrambled eggs and rice.

The annual tradition drew hundreds of people to the Finance Factors Center on Bishop Street, and 78 Finance Factors employees pitched in to set up for the event, cook meals and serve plates to the hungry crowd.

"The Finance Factors Charity Breakfast is especially meaningful in our 60th anniversary year as we reflect on the principles of our six founders who were dedicated to serving the community," said Steve Teruya, president of Finance Factors. "The Charity Breakfast is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the community we have lived and worked in for decades."

Finance Factors’ Charity Breakfast has raised more than $80,000 for various charities over the last 17 years. Each year, Finance Factors selects a grassroots nonprofit organization as the beneficiary of the Charity Breakfast.

IPO market heats up after Facebook freeze

NEW YORK » Investors showed their appetite for freshly public technology stocks on Friday, but a decidedly old-school company — Fender Instruments — bowed out of its planned initial public offering, citing market conditions.

Analysts were quick to isolate the guitar maker as a solo act, out of tune with the broader IPO market. The rest of the bunch did well, after all. The stock of security software company Palo Alto Networks popped 27 percent in its market debut. The stock of Kayak, the travel-booking website jumped 28 percent.

So much for the "Facebook freeze." There are eight IPOs scheduled for next week. There’s a security software maker from the Netherlands, a high-end steakhouse from Texas and a natural-food grocery store chain from Lakewood, Colo., among others. The diversity of companies taking the plunge, along with their sheer number during the usually slow summer season, shows that the market for initial public offerings is in the midst of a rebound after a lull that followed Facebook’s mid-May debut.

GE earnings drop 16%; reaffirms outlook

NEW YORK » General Electric’s shift back to its manufacturing roots is paying off.

The conglomerate founded by light bulb inventor Thomas Edison has pumped billions of dollars into new energy-related businesses during the past few years while selling its stake in NBC, commercial real estate and other businesses. The move has softened the blow from the recession, and it expects double-digit earnings growth this year.

GE said Friday that net income fell 16 percent in the second quarter, mainly due to lingering charges from financing companies that were sold off several years ago. Its energy infrastructure business, meanwhile, reported double-digit growth in the period, and profits surged for its transportation business. The company’s quarterly results topped Wall Street expectations. The industrial and financial giant posted net income of $3.11 billion, or 29 cents a share, in the April-June period. That compares with $3.69 billion, or 35 cents a share, a year earlier.

June unemployment rates rose in 27 states

WASHINGTON » Unemployment rates rose in 27 states last month, the most in almost a year and a reflection of weaker hiring nationwide.

The Labor Department said Friday that unemployment rates fell in 11 states and Washington, D.C. — the fewest since August. Rates were unchanged in 12 states.

Nationwide, employers added only 80,000 jobs last month, the third straight month of weak job growth. The national unemployment rate stayed at 8.2 percent.

Heineken bids $4.1B to up Tiger beer stake

SINGAPORE » Heineken said Friday it is offering $4.1 billion to buy out its partner in the Singapore-based maker of Tiger beer, attempting to neutralize a Thai tycoon’s competing bid for influence over the brand as the Dutch brewer expands in emerging markets.

Heineken said it has made a proposal to the board of Fraser & Neave Ltd., which shares ownership of the Tiger beer brewer Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd. with Heineken, to pay 50 Singapore dollars ($40) a share for F&N’s nearly 40 percent stake. The offer is worth S$5.1 billion ($4.1 billion) and would give Heineken about an 82 percent stake in APB. If the offer is accepted, Heineken would spend a further S$2.4 billion to buy out the minority APB shareholders.

Starbucks expanding Evolution juice stores

NEW YORK » Starbucks Corp. already conquered the coffee market. Now it wants to mix it up with fresh juices.

The Seattle-based company said Friday it will open three more Evolution Fresh Inc. juice stores, in addition to the one it opened earlier this year. Starbucks is also expanding distribution of ready-to-drink bottles of Evolution juice in supermarkets and other stores to capitalize on the rapidly growing market for premium juices.

ON THE MOVE

Hawaii National Bank has promoted: » Corey Fukaya to loan officer in the mortgage department. His experience includes serving as a loan assistant in the corporate banking department.

» Judy Calisterio to customer service manager. She has 30 years of experience with the bank.
» Lisa Kekahuna to customer service manager. She has more than 30 years of experience with the bank.

Certified Hawaii, an Associa company, has announced Stacey Tokairin as chief operating officer. She joined the company in 1999.

Retail executive and consultant Richard Hunter has been elected as a new member of the Hawaii Pacific University Board of Trustees. He is the former president of DFS Group Ltd.
Star-Advertiser staff and news services