Solar installations top isle home projects
Solar installation is the top home improvement project in Hawaii, according to Porth.com, an online home network for homeowners and home professionals.
Porth.com, which compiled the top home improvement projects in each state, found that residential construction was the most popular nationwide with 29 percent of states having that as their No. 1 project. Residential construction indicates new home construction, additions and renovation projects, where a multitude of permits are filed.
Roofs and roofing projects, such as roof replacement and servicing, occupied 12 percent of the states while mechanical and ventilation projects — such as heating, cooling, and air conditioning and furnace installation — showed up for 10 percent of the states.
No other state besides Hawaii had solar as its top home improvement project.
McDonald’s to test all-day breakfast
NEW YORK » A McMuffin for dinner? It might happen, as McDonald’s plans to test an all-day breakfast at some locations in the San Diego area starting next month.
The company said in a statement that the test is in response to customers who have said they’d like to eat breakfast food outside the typical morning hours it is served. The world’s largest restaurant chain said the test will include a partial menu and feature some of McDonald’s breakfast sandwiches and hash browns. The company didn’t say which sandwiches would make the cut.
Century-old N.Y. matzo factory to go high tech
NEW YORK » The last Passover matzos have rolled out of a century-old bakery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side — a neighborhood that’s been dubbed the "Jewish Plymouth Rock."
The Streit’s factory is the oldest in the nation still churning out the unleavened flatbread that’s essential for Jewish holidays. About 2.5 million pounds of matzos were baked for April’s Passover holiday and distributed worldwide.
Streit’s is planning to shut down its 90-year-old ovens by year’s end and move to a 21st-century computerized plant somewhere in the New York area. The contract has yet to be signed.
Consumer spending up 0.1% in February
WASHINGTON » U.S. consumers spent just slightly more in February even though their income rose by a healthy amount. But economists hope bigger paychecks will give spending a bigger boost in the coming months.
Consumer spending edged up 0.1 percent following declines of 0.2 percent in both January and December, the Commerce Department reported Monday. The result reflected a 0.4 percent increase in nondurable goods such as food and energy coupled with a 0.1 percent fall in durable goods such as automobiles.
Business economists boost U.S. outlook
A business economics group has boosted its outlook for U.S. economic improvement this year and next, particularly for job growth.
The March report from the National Association for Business Economics forecasts more hiring, a lower unemployment rate, a lower inflation rate and more growth in consumer spending in 2015, compared with the group’s forecast in December.
The report, released early Monday, also predicts more investment by businesses in both equipment and intellectual property, as well as modest growth in stock prices.
ON THE MOVE
ALTRES Staffing has promoted senior personnel manager Kapealani Comstock to branch manager of its Hilo office. Her responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, reference checking, payroll, recruiting and coaching. Prior to joining ALTRES, Comstock served as office manager of Terminix and facility manager at Shipman Self Storage.
Wealth Strategy Partners has announced that Marko Mijuskovic is the first financial advisor in the state to earn the Preeminent CExPtm Designation for Exit Planning. The certification demonstrates that he is now qualified to provide comprehensive, professionally executed exit planning services to Hawaii’s business owners. Mijuskovic is the co-founder and partner of Wealth Strategy Partners, which was founded in Hawaii in 2007.
Locations has announced that experienced agent Sally B. Mejia will be joining the firm. She was previously working at Home Hawaii and began her career in real estate in 2006 at Zip Realty in Seattle, where she was named a top producer as well as recognized by Seattle Magazine as a "Five Star Award Winner recognized and voted best in client satisfaction."
