Gov. David Ige has appointed Leo Asuncion, a planning program administrator for the state’s Office of Planning, to the Public Utilities Commission.
Asuncion served as director and interim director of the Office of Planning from 2015 to 2018. Prior to that he was a senior regulatory analyst and senior integrated resource planning analyst at Hawaiian Electric Co.
Asuncion replaces Randy Iwase, who retired at the end of last year. Other commissioners include PUC Chairman James Griffin and Jennifer Potter.
“Leo’s wealth of knowledge and experience will be an asset to the Public Utilities Commission. I have the utmost confidence that he will serve the State of Hawaii well,” Ige said in a press release.
Asuncion’s appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.
Payless, as expected, files for bankruptcy
NEW YORK >> Payless ShoeSource has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and is shuttering its remaining stores in North America.
The filing Monday came a day after the shoe chain began holding going-out-of-business sales at its North American stores.
The company, based in Topeka, Kan., updated the number of stores it is closing to 2,500, up from the 2,100 it cited Friday when it confirmed it was planning to liquidate its business. It reiterated that stores will remain open until at least the end of March and that the majority will remain open until May.
The chain has eight Hawaii stores, with one each in Hilo and Kahului and six Oahu locations: Ala Moana Plaza, Kamehameha Shopping Center, Pearlridge Center, Windward Mall, Pearl Highlands Center and Waipahu Town Center.
The liquidation doesn’t affect its franchise operations or its Latin American stores, which remain open for business as usual, it said.
The debt-burdened chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection a first time in April 2017, closing hundreds of stores as part of its reorganization.
ON THE MOVE
Edward Jones, a Fortune 500 company whose main office is in St. Louis, has announced that Andrew Lang will take care of the firm’s local office at 6700 Kalanianaole Highway, Suite 104, in Hawaii Kai. Lang has 23 years of financial services experience, including having previously worked for Central Pacific Bank and American Savings Bank.
MacDonald Rudy O’Neill & Yamauchi has announced that Olan Leimomi Fisher is its new associate attorney. Fisher previously served as an environmental compliance specialist for the third phase of the Honolulu rail transit project.
IQ 360 has announced that Lyssa Fujie has joined the company’s senior management team as an account director. She will manage and execute strategic communications and marketing campaigns for a variety of iQ 360’s clients. Fujie previously managed consumer digital initiatives as well as multichannel marketing campaigns for Hawaii Medical Service Association.
