Hawaii second in U.S. for outdoor dining

Twenty Hawaii eateries offering outdoor dining have made the OpenTable.com 2013 Diners’ Choice list of the Top 100 Outdoor Dining Restaurants in the United States.

California bested Hawaii with 42 restaurants on the list, nearly half those selected by OpenTable users, while Florida followed Hawaii with 16 restaurants. No other state got double-digit entries for its restaurants.

Among the islands, Hawaii island and Maui are tied with seven restaurants each on the list, while Oahu and Kauai also are tied with three restaurants apiece.

The Big Island restaurants are the Beach Tree Bar and Lounge and ‘Ulu Ocean Grill and Sushi Lounge at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai; Blue Dragon Restaurant in Kawaihae; Brown’s Beach House at the Fairmont Orchid; Island Lava Java Bistro on Alii Drive in Kailua-Kona; Kamuela Provision Co. at the Hilton Waikoloa Village; and Sam Choy’s Kai Lanai in Kailua-Kona.

Maui’s winners, according to OpenTable.com users, are Capische at Hotel Wailea; Duke’s Beach House Maui at Honua Kai Resort and Spa in Lahaina; Ferraro’s Bar e Ristorante at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea; Gannon’s in Wailea-Makena; Hula Grill Kaanapali in Lahaina; Japengo at the Hyatt Regency Maui Resort & Spa; and Pacific’O on Front Street in Lahaina.

Kauai’s top outdoor-dining restaurants are Gaylord’s Restaurant at Kilohana Plantation in Lihue; Oasis on the Beach at Waipouli Beach Resort in Kapaa; and Plantation Gardens Restaurant & Bar at the Kiahuna Plantation resort in Koloa.

Oahu’s OpenTable outdoor listees are a mix of old and new including Hau Tree Lanai at the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel; Ola at Turtle Bay Resort; and Plumeria Beach House at the Kahala Hotel & Resort.

Contest offers free use of farmland, cash

Hawaii residents with great farm business plans could win cash and free use of land from Kamehameha Schools for five years as part of a competition the trust has organized with Ke Ali‘i Pauahi Foundation.

Kamehameha Schools is offering to lease six farmland parcels on Oahu, Molokai and Hawaii island to winners who will receive up to five years’ use of the land without rent plus an undisclosed amount of cash through the contest dubbed Mahi‘ai (farmer) Match-up. After five years, winners may continue to lease the land for a longer term at normal agricultural lease rates if agreed-upon goals in a business plan are reached.

"The Mahi‘ai Match-up agricultural business plan contest will provide a fun, competitive venue for talented farmers and entrepreneurs to compete for access to, and leasehold interest in, some of Kamehameha Schools’ most valuable agricultural lands," said Thomas Ka‘eo Duarte, the trust’s director of strategic initiatives in West Hawaii.

Two available parcels are on Oahu: a 6-acre site on the North Shore and about 1 acre in Waiawa. On Hawaii island there are three parcels: 91 acres in Punaluu, about 6 acres in Kealia and about 10 acres in Pahoehoe. One 44-acre site on Molokai is also part of the contest.

Entries are due July 1. Finalists will be selected Aug. 1, at which time they will have three months to develop their comprehensive plans. Winners will be announced in February. For information, go to pauahi.org/mahiaimatchup.

JPMorgan’s CEO survives shareholder vote

TAMPA, Fla. » Jamie Dimon, the CEO and chairman of JPMorgan Chase, easily survived a vote Tuesday that would have called on him to give up his role as chairman of the nation’s largest bank. But shareholders sent a message that the bank needs better oversight by giving only narrow approval to three of the bank’s board members.

It was a mixed verdict in a closely watched test of corporate governance at U.S. companies. Dimon emerged in a stronger position after the proposal to split his roles won just 32 percent of the shareholder vote, less than the 40 percent a similar proposal got last year.

But the limited support for the three directors came as a rebuke of the bank following a surprise $6 billion trading loss JPMorgan had suffered last year. Prominent shareholder advisory firms had urged JPMorgan shareholders to withhold their support for those directors, who served on the bank’s risk policy committee at the time of the loss.

Dimon has been widely praised for his astute stewardship of the bank through the 2008 financial crisis, though his reputation has been tarnished since the trading loss.

Housing recovery boosts Home Depot’s earnings 18%

NEW YORK >> Home Depot Inc.’s first-quarter net income rose 18 percent, thanks to the ongoing housing recovery, despite a chilly and wet spring.

Its quarterly results topped Wall Street expectations, and the world’s biggest home improvement chain boosted its full-year earnings and revenue forecasts Tuesday. Shares rose $1.95, or 2.5 percent, to a 52-week high of $78.71.

Home Depot, which operates 2,257 stores, and other retailers are enjoying easing pressure as the housing market slowly improves.

For the three months that ended May 5, Home Depot Inc. earned $1.23 billion, or 83 cents a share.

That’s up from $1.04 billion, or 68 cents a share, a year earlier. Analysts predicted earnings of 76 cents a share. Revenue rose 7 percent to $19.12 billion from $17.81 billion. Wall Street expected $18.62 billion.

ON THE MOVE

RevoluSun has promoted Evan Wong to project manager for its Oahu division from backer-board installer. Prior to joining the company, Wong owned and operated a handyman business servicing Realtors and property managers.

Xerox Hawaii has named Justin Wamsley to marketing representative. His responsibilities include providing clients with solutions to manage their documents, allowing customers to focus on their core business.