The temporary Street Grindz Kewalo operation officially will be replaced when Makers & Tasters Kewalo marks its grand opening Aug. 28.
Makers & Tasters’ debut will coincide with the monthly Eat the Street event at 1011 Ala Moana Blvd., at the corner with Ward Avenue.
To prepare for the Makers & Tasters opening, the current Street Grindz operation will close Monday.
WCIT Architecture “transformed our vision into reality,” Poni Askew, owner and CEO of Street Grindz, said in a statement. “They really understood what we wanted to accomplish and led us through the design process seamlessly.”
The venue’s features will include green spaces, a wooden deck, ample seating and nearby free parking, organizers say.
For the debut Eat the Street event, more than 70 vendors will offer food items reflecting the top four themes from past events: chocolate, bacon, spicy and garlic.
Makers & Tasters Kewalo officially opens Aug. 29, with hours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and again from 5 to 10 p.m., with a rotating group of as many as 15 vendors per shift.
Honolulu ranks low for retiree desirability
Seattle and 57 other cities are better choices than Honolulu for retirees who want to be healthy and live affordably, according to a new survey.
Seattle topped the list of the 60 largest U.S. markets studied by the Bankers Life Center for a Secure Retirement.
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.; Denver; Portland, Ore.; and Hartford, Conn., followed Seattle in the top five, while Honolulu is 58th among the 60 markets ranked, followed by New York and Los Angeles at the bottom.
The study, titled “America’s Best Cities for a Healthy (and More Affordable) Retirement,” ranked what the Bankers Life Center says are all factors of health and affordability for middle-income retirees, including health care, a market’s economy and affordability, social aspects, general wellness, activities, the local environment, transportation dynamics and crime rates.
Researchers statistically weighted each category to reflect needs of the retired population.
The low ranking for Honolulu in this study is in stark contrast to the Gallup-Healthways study released earlier this year naming Hawaii the best state for well-being for older Americans.
However, yet another study earlier this year by personal finance site Bankrate.com put Hawaii in 44th place on a list of the best states for retirement.
MECO seeks power from 2 solar projects
Maui Electric Co., sister company to Hawaiian Electric Co., said Monday it proposed to buy electricity from two large solar projects on Maui.
The contracts were filed Monday with the state Public Utilities Commission.
If the contracts are approved by the PUC, South Maui Renewable Resources, a Maui-based developer, would build a 2.87-megawatt photovoltaic project near the Maui Research & Technology Park in Kihei, and Kuia Solar would build a 2.87-megawatt PV project in Lahaina near Lahainaluna School.
MECO said the projects would offer up to 5.7 megawatts of solar power to its grid priced at 11.06 cents per kilowatt-hour. MECO said the savings would pass directly to Maui customers.
“Maui County is already a leader in solar energy and we continue to integrate more residential rooftop photovoltaic to our electrical grid. There are over 8,000 rooftop PV systems in the county, with close to 2,000 of those systems installed last year alone,” said Sharon Suzuki, Maui Electric president. “These two new projects have technical controls to ensure reliable interconnection, bring the benefits to all our customers and still leave room for more rooftop solar on Maui’s grid. More than 30 percent of the electricity used in Maui County now comes from renewable sources, and these projects take us even further.”
Berkshire buying Precision Castparts
OMAHA, Neb. >> Warren Buffett’s biggest acquisition yet — a $32.36 billion buyout of Precision Castparts — will further change the complexion of Berkshire Hathaway and increase the conglomerate’s reliance on industrial companies.
The deal announced Monday to acquire the aerospace and industrial company adds to a string of manufacturing acquisitions Berkshire completed in recent years outside of the insurance industry, which fueled its growth.
The Omaha-based conglomerate already owned an eclectic mix of more than 80 subsidiaries.
ON THE MOVE
‘Ike, formerly known as DataHouse Holdings Corp., has announced Edmond Lee as its chief operating officer. He was previously chief operations and chief financial officer at Harris & Bruno International.
Central Pacific Bank has announced the following:
>> Lars Larson has been promoted to vice president and senior manager of retail and small business credit delivery. He has seven years of experience in credit administration and was previously a vice president and retail credit manager.
>> Sheri Braunthal has been appointed to vice president and human resources service center manager. She has more than 20 years of experience in human resources, community services and employee benefits, including previously serving as a senior manager of benefits.
RevoluSun has promoted David Gorman to director of sales. He returned to RevoluSun earlier this year after working at SunPower Corp. Gorman previously led the operations and sales teams for RevoluSun Smart Home’s growing suite of curated home improvement products, which is designed to create an efficient living experience for RevoluSun customers.
