The state Energy Office said Thursday that Hawaii will host California-based GreenBiz Group’s annual VERGE event series in 2016 and 2017.

The VERGE Hawaii: Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit will be held June 21-23 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki.

At Verge events, experts work to identify and advance next-generation practices for sustainable energy. Verge Hawaii program tracks will include Grid 2.0, Next-Gen Buildings, Circular Economy, Connected Transportation, Intelligent Supply Chains, Food & Ag Tech, and Sustainable Water Systems.

“Verge Hawaii gives Hawaii a unique opportunity to leverage its role as an energy innovation leader and international test bed,” said Luis Salaveria, director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. “We are excited about the opportunity to bring together some of the brightest minds in the clean energy and sustainability movements.”

Hawaii’s 100 percent renewable energy portfolio standard creates the perfect environment for the event, said Eric Faurot, CEO of GreenBiz Group. “Hawaii represents the transformational change we’d all like to see and be a part of,” he said.

Maui hospital decision due next month

Hospital and state administrators expect to select either Kaiser Permanente Hawaii or Hawaii Pacific Health as a partner for Maui County’s three public hospitals by the end of September.

The partnership hopes to deliver higher-quality health care on the island, Gov. David Ige said Tuesday during a public forum at Maui Waena Intermediate School, The Maui News reported.

“For those of us in Hawaii, we are so fortunate that we definitely are ahead of the nation in terms of our commitment in believing that quality health care really should be provided to each and every citizen,” Ige said.

Ige, who has been tasked with leading negotiations for the transition, signed a bill into law in June that clears the way for a possible takeover of Maui County hospitals by a private partner.

Kaiser and Hawaii Pacific are the only two companies that have expressed interest in partnering with the Maui region of Hawaii Health Systems Corp.

The quasi-public entity includes Maui Memorial Medical Center and Kula and Lanai Community hospitals in Maui County as well as other neighbor island and rural Oahu public health facilities.

The potential partners have until Aug. 24 to submit their proposals, which will be reviewed by Hawaii Health Systems’ Maui Region Board and the Ige administration. A contract could be signed as soon as early next year.

But a potential roadblock could be looming.

The union representing workers at Maui Memorial Medical Center filed a federal lawsuit last week to block the state from privatizing the three Maui County hospitals. The U.S. District Court complaint filed by United Public Workers against Ige seeks to stop the implementation of House Bill 1075, which allows a private entity to manage and operate the three hospitals. The complaint by the UPW, representing 11,000 public employees, contends that the legislation violates a clause in the U.S. Constitution that prevents the government from repealing its contracts.

On The Move

» Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties has announced Catherine Jacobs-Venier as the firm’s marketing coordinator. She was previously a graphic designer at Wayne State University in Detroit.

» Bank of Hawaii has announced Sheh Bertram as the bank’s new senior executive vice president and chief information officer, as of Sept. 14. Prior to BOH, she served as a chief technology officer at Zions Bancorporation since 2011. Bertram’s experience includes working in a variety of technology positions for Liberty Mutual Insurance, Hughes Aircraft, First Security Bank and Xerox Corp.

Ship Ahoy!

Today’s ship arrivals and departures: