Revenue soars for online tour company

FareHarbor, a Honolulu-based online tour and activity booking company, said it has booked more than 1 million tours so far in 2015, with more than $150 million in revenue generated for its clients, tour and activity operators.

The 2-year-old company said it processed more than $100 million in credit card transactions between January and August, an increase of nearly 733 percent over the same period a year ago.

FareHarbor started in 2013 with five employees in Honolulu and 25 tour-operator clients. It did $4 million in bookings that year. The company now has 90 employees and its service is used by 1,200 companies in 50 states and seven countries, the company said in a news release.

Lawrence Hester, CEO of FareHarbor, founded the company with his brother Zachary Hester. They have added offices in San Francisco, Denver, Minneapolis and Boston.

Health care workers honored for service

The Healthcare Association of Hawaii honored five workers nominated by patients at its annual Awards & Scholarship Gala on Oct. 3. The winners were selected based on care they provided that made a significant difference to their patients.

The 2015 Hawaii Healthcare Heroes are:

» Kathy Krammer, a registered nurse and speech pathologist who co-founded and facilitates the Head and Neck Cancer Support Group at the Queen’s Medical Center.

» Grace Porras, a licensed practical nurse at Maunalani Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

» Jim Stremick, a physical therapist at Prime Care Services Hawaii Inc.

» Dr. Warren Tamamoto, chief of pulmonology at Kaiser Permanente Hawaii.

» Dr. Juliette Zelada, a surgeon at Wilcox Memorial Hospital.

“What the awards really recognize are people who make a true difference and who care for our most vulnerable loved ones, whether they help transport our seniors with patience and care, or perform life-saving surgery,” George Greene, association president and CEO, said in a statement.

Student firms seek capital at Shark Tank

Junior Achievement of Hawaii will present its second annual JA Mano Shark Tank today in the Maunakea Ballroom at the Hawaii Prince Hotel.

Six Junior Achievement student companies will pitch business plans to four judges to generate startup capital.

The student companies are a part of the JA Company Program implemented at Farrington and Kaiser high schools to teach the fundamentals of business and entrepreneurship.

The program takes students through the process of starting a business, and as a part of the curriculum the students must capitalize their startups through the Mano Shark Tank pitch event.

American Savings Bank presents the Shark Tank, with registration at 5 p.m. and the program starting at 5:30 p.m. Following the presentations, JA and the bank will host an ice cream social for the students to interact with the business community and attendees.

The Shark Tank is open to the public and costs $10 for entry. Payment and registration can be done online at: bit.ly/1NqvSc6 or at the door.

YouTube debuts $10 video-music plan

LOS ANGELES » YouTube unveiled Wednesday a new $10-a-month subscription plan in the U.S. called Red that combines ad-free videos, new original series, movies from top YouTubers like PewDiePie, and on-demand unlimited streaming music.

Red builds on Google’s existing music streaming service by providing ad-free access to YouTube programming, along with features such as the ability to download videos to mobile devices and to have music playing in the background while using other mobile apps.

American Express earnings fall 16 percent

NEW YORK » American Express reported a 16 percent drop in profits from a year earlier, missing analysts’ estimates, as the credit card company was hurt by higher expenses and remains under pressure from the strong U.S. dollar.

The company also cut its full-year forecast.

AmEx said Wednesday that it had net income attributable to common shareholders of $1.23 billion, down from $1.466 billion in the same period a year earlier. On a per-share basis, the company earned $1.24 per share compared with $1.40 a share a year earlier.

Cutter Ford raises money for breast cancer

The “Wahine in Pink” campaign by Cutter Ford began Sunday to raise funds for the breast program at Kapiolani Medical Center for Women & Children.

To mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the dealership will donate $5 to the program for every image shared publicly on its Facebook page that has the hashtag #WahineInPink.

To participate, Facebook users are asked to visit and “like” the Cutter Ford Mitsubishi Facebook page, then “share” the campaign image to their page, setting the post for public viewing.

Posts must include the #WahineInPink hashtag.

Original content, whether photos or videos, also may be shared directly to the Cutter Ford Mitsubishi Facebook page with the hashtag #WahineInPink and tagging @CutterFordMitsubishi.

The campaign ends Oct. 31.

Volkswagen offers deals to prop up U.S. sales

Volkswagen AG, trying to woo U.S. consumers amid its diesel emissions cheating scandal, is offering new-vehicle discounts that by one measure are almost twice the industry average.

Current owners of VW-brand vehicles can get interest-free loans along with rebates of up to $2,000, as well as low-cost leases. During the first week of this month, the brand’s average discount to the sticker price was 11.1 percent, compared with the industry’s 6.2 percent, according to TrueCar, a website that tracks car pricing.

VW is offering three-year leases on the brand’s top seller, the Jetta compact, for $139 a month with a $2,199 down payment, according to the company’s U.S. website.

Toyota recalling 6.5M cars over window switch

TOKYO » Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it is recalling 6.5 million vehicles worldwide for a defective power window switch that can overheat, melt and lead to fires.

One injury in the U.S., a burn on a person’s hand, has been reported. Toyota has also received 11 reports of cases in which the switch or part of the car door burned — seven in North America, two in Japan and two in other areas.

The recall includes 2.7 million vehicles in North America, 1.2 million in Europe and 600,000 in Japan. In the U.S., 2 million vehicles are affected, covering 10 models with model years ranging from 2006 to 2011. The defect was caused when grease was improperly sprayed on during the manufacturing of electrical contact modules. Debris or moisture can enter the module, and that can lead to a short circuit, Toyota said.

The following cars in the U.S. are covered by the recall: the 2007 and 2009 Camry; the 2009-2011 Corolla, Matrix, Sequoia, Tundra and Scion xB; the 2006-2011 RAV4; the 2008-2011 Highlander; the 2006-2010 Yaris and the 2009-2010 Scion xD. Toyota said it recalled some 2007-2009 vehicles previously for a similar problem.

On The Move

» Green Home Solutions Hawaii has named Howard Oliver general manager. He began his career as a field manager for GHS Hawaii in 2014.

» Before that Oliver served as a junior technical writer at AECOM in California as well as assistant principal mechanician at the University of California, Berkeley.

— Dr. Thomas Steidler has joined the pathology department at Moanalua Medical Center. He completed his residency and served as chief resident at Penrose-St. Francis Health Services in Colorado Springs, Colo. Steidler also is an assistant clinical professor at the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine.

— Dr. Megan Wright has joined the family medicine department at Maui Lani Medical Center. She completed her residency at Trident/Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C.

Ship Ahoy!

Thursday’s ship arrivals and departures: