Salvation Army seeking space for donated gifts

The Salvation Army is preparing for the Christmas holiday season by hunting for donated warehouse space.

About 6,000 square feet of space will be needed as a sorting and distribution location for gifts donated to its Angel Tree program from Nov. 22 through Dec. 31.

“Last year, Aloha United Way was able to generously assist us in providing space in their office complex,” said Maj. John Chamness, divisional leader for The Salvation Army, Hawaiian & Pacific Islands Division, in a statement.

In previous years the organization used space at its Kauluwela Corps community center on Vineyard Boulevard.

“However, our Family Services Office feeding program, church activities and other programs have grown and that space is no longer available,” Chamness said.

The Salvation Army hopes for space near downtown Honolulu that is near a bus stop to allow for easier access by Angel Tree recipients, many of them families and seniors in need.

The space must be secured no later than Oct. 31 and will be considered a gift-in-kind for tax deduction purposes.

New vendors coming to annual festival

More than 50 exhibitors at the upcoming Made in Hawaii Festival are either first-time vendors or are returning after an absence.

They will be among more than 400 exhibitors at the annual showcase of Hawaii-made products at the Neal S. Blaisdell Exhibition Hall and Arena, as well as in the Pikake Room.

The 21-year-old event is produced annually by the Hawaii Food Industry Association as a way to familiarize Hawaii residents and visitors with products that are locally grown or have at least 51 percent of their value added in the islands.

The three-day festival spans the Statehood Day weekend, from Aug. 21-23. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Aug. 21-22 and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 23.

Admission is $5, but is free for children 6 and younger. Sponsor First Hawaiian Bank will offer a limited number of $1-off coupons at its Oahu branches beginning in mid-August.

Rehab center to pay $45K for OT violations

Maui Behavioral Health Resources must pay 19 employees more than $35,000 in back wages and damages, and was fined nearly $10,000 for noncompliance with federal overtime standards.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Honolulu Wage and Hour office found that Maui Behavioral Health paid overtime based on the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, rather than the employees’ actual rate of pay, which is required by law.

“Employers cannot undermine the integrity of … overtime pay requirements by artificially lowering workers’ rates for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek,” said Terence Trotter, director of the Wage and Hour District Office in Honolulu, in a statement.

Aloha House Inc., which does business as Maui Behavioral Health Resources in Makawao, agreed to pay its 19 workers $17,556 in back wages, and an identical amount in damages, as well as a fine of $9,900.

Real estate delegates to meet in Honolulu

More than 100 international delegates from a dozen Pacific Rim nations will meet in Honolulu in September for the Asia Pacific Real Estate Congress.

FIABCI-USA, the International Real Estate Congress, will discuss key issues for the real estate profession, such as focusing new development around active transportation hubs.

Panel discussions will center on sustainable and profitable urban planning as well as environmentally conscious resort development.

A transit-oriented development summit as part of the gathering is being presented by Pacific Resource Partners.

The meeting will be at Hilton Hawaiian Village from Sept. 10-12 and will include dinner galas and award presentations.

On The Move

» Hawaiian Airlines has announced the appointment of Eric Chen to director of international pricing and revenue management. Chen previously worked more than eight years for United Airlines where he worked in the company’s pricing, inventory, revenue management teams as well as recently served as a senior manager for Atlantic pricing joint venture.

» Super Lawyers has named Porter McGuire Kiakona & Chow partner Bryson R. Chow as the 2015 Hawaii Rising Star. He works for PMKC as a co-managing partner and helps to lead the firm’s litigation section. Chow’s practice area includes: foreclosure law, commercial litigation, construction litigation, contract litigation, real estate litigation and community association law.

» U.S. News and World Report has named Queen’s Medical Center as “Best Hospital in Hawaii for 2015-16.” This is the fifth year that U.S. News & World Report has named Queen’s as the best hospital in Hawaii. The rankings, which has recognized the Queen’s as “high-performing,” includes areas in cancer, diabetes, nephrology, urology, ear, nose and throat, geriatrics, endorinology, gastroenterology, GI surgery, neurology, neurosurgery and pulmonology.

Ship Ahoy!

Today’s ship arrivals and departures: