United 787s back in air
United Airlines resumed flying its 787 on Monday, with both the airline and Boeing hoping to put the plane’s four-month grounding behind them. The flight from Houston to Chicago was the kind of flight airlines are hoping for: uneventful. Smoldering batteries on two 787s owned by other airlines prompted authorities to ground the planes in January.
Hawaii spots rank high on TripAdvisor list
Honolulu, Lahaina and Kailua-Kona have again ranked among the top 25 U.S. destinations, as chosen by TripAdvisor travelers.
The TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Destinations awards ranked Honolulu at No. 9, Lahaina at No. 18 and Kailua-Kona at No. 22.
Honolulu slipped four notches from last year’s No. 5 ranking, while Lahaina and Kailua-Kona both ratcheted up three spots from last year.
New York City, the top-ranked U.S. city, also ranked No. 2 behind Paris on the list of the world’s top destinations. Other U.S. cities on the list were San Francisco at No. 7, down two from last year.
The list was compiled from millions of site users, officials said. Rankings can be viewed at TripAdvisor.com.
Fun Factory returns to Windward Oahu
Fun Factory will move into the 6,580-square-foot Ko’olau Pets space in Windward Mall in Kaneohe later this summer, mall officials have announced.
The gaming center will succeed Tilt, a competing business and longtime Windward Mall tenant.
The family-run entertainment centers were established in 1977, beginning with the Pearlridge Center location.
The Fun Factory Inc. website lists seven locations on Oahu, two on Maui, two on Kauai, one on Hawaii island and six more in California, Georgia, South Carolina and Louisiana.
Fun Factory previously had a Windward Oahu location in the Enchanted Lake Shopping Center in Kailua.
Ko’olau Pets, a charter tenant at Windward Mall, will move to a new space in the mall.
Maui Land regains NYSE listing compliance
Maui Land & Pineapple Co. said Monday the company is back in compliance with New York Stock Exchange listing standards after boosting its market capitalization.
The NYSE issued a warning to MLP last October after the company’s average market capitalization had fallen below $50 million over a 30-day period. The exchange gave MLP officials 180 days to file a business plan and return the company to compliance with NYSE listing standards.
The NYSE’s decision to return MLP to full compliance was based on its "consistent positive performance with respect to its business plan and the NYSE’s capital standards over the past two quarters," according to a news release from the company.
As of Monday, MLP’s average market capitalization over a 30-day period was $81 million, according to the news release.
The company’s shares closed down 11 cents at $4.69 on Monday. That’s up from $2.62 on Oct. 26 when the NYSE announced that MLP was out of compliance.
Oceanic to move as Sears closes its doors
Oceanic Time Warner Cable company’s customer service center at Sears Ala Moana will be relocated to Ward Gateway Center effective June 3. Sears is closing on June 2.
The new Oceanic Sales & Service Center will be at 940 Auahi St. at its intersection with Ward Avenue.
The office will be on the second floor of the building housing Wahoo’s Fish Taco and Starbucks.
It will be open for bill paying and other customer services from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Chaminade business students win event
Chaminade University Business students took first place in the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education case-study competition focusing on business ethics.
The Chaminade contingent at the Orlando, Fla., event comprised two teams of accounting majors. The first-place team included graduate student Justin Tuiasosopo and seniors Ayessa Ardiente, Rachael Rickard and Tami Konishi.
Also competing was a team that included senior Querida Dydasco and juniors Bernardo Equila, Caitlyn Miyamoto and Rhys Murphy. Chaminade business professors Richard Kido and Wayne Tanna, coached the groups, and communication professor Carolyn Kuriyama also advised.
On the Move
Central Pacific Bank has promoted Fernando Lopez to vice president/portfolio manager of corporate banking. He has been with the bank since 2003.
Waianae High School junior Courtney Anne Aboy and her team received the "Best of Show" award at the "2013 HMSA Teen Video Awards." The top winners did a 28-second public service announcement about domestic violence called "Love Bag," which also took first place in the "Teen Safety Category" as well as earned $2,000 in prize money for Waianae High School. Besides Aboy, team members were students Kekoa Kaluhiokalani, Sheavon Ferreira-Delima and Kelcy Spencer and teacher John Allen III. About 70 students as well as 24 teachers from 33 public and independent middle and high schools also won awards in different categories.
Anthology Marketing Group has hired the following for its advertising division, Laird Christianson:
>> Darin Takakawa as a senior media planner and buyer. She has more than 20 years of experience in advertising.
>> Karlie Saiki as an assistant account executive. She previously worked at another Honolulu advertising agency.
