Storm in East has little hit on isle tourism
The major East Coast storm responsible for thousands of flight cancellations so far has dumped only a small amount of inconvenience on Hawaii’s visitor industry.
On Monday the flakes began falling on the East Coast, which is bracing for blizzard conditions.
However, Hawaii’s airline passengers experienced only one flight delay and one flight cancellation, said Derek Inoshita, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.
"United Airlines Flight 14 going back to Newark was canceled," Inoshita said. "The bulk of our flights come from the West Coast, so we haven’t experienced many impacts. We will continue monitoring the situation tomorrow."
According to FlightAware, a flight tracking service, some 7,310 flights were canceled through Wednesday. More cancellations could follow as conditions worsen.
NextEra utility to build 3 solar plants
The Juno Beach, Fla.-based electric utility owned by NextEra Energy Inc., the company looking to purchase Hawaiian Electric Industries, announced it will build three large-scale solar power plants.
Florida Power & Light Co. said Monday it will build the three solar plants totaling 225 megawatts by the end of 2016.
The large-scale solar project will add to the 110 megawatts of solar power that currently makes up just 0.2 percent of the utility’s energy mix. The large-scale solar projects are equivalent to roughly 45,000 typical residential rooftop systems, said Eric Silagy, president and chief executive officer of Florida Power & Light.
"As the economics of solar power improve in the years ahead, we believe we will be able to harness more and more sunshine cost-effectively, alongside essential, high-efficiency, clean natural gas generation and zero-emissions nuclear power, to continue powering our customers and the state’s growing economy with affordable clean energy," Silagy said.
More than 10 times the size of Hawaiian Electric Co., Florida Power & Light serves 4.7 million customers.
Remodeling show attendance drops 13%
Attendance at the Building Industry Association of Hawaii’s three-day Home Building & Remodeling Show at the Neal Blaisdell Exhibition Hall this past weekend was 23,208, down 13 percent from the record-breaking 2014 attendance of 26,658, the association said Monday.
"The most popular exhibitors featured contractors, solar, windows, flooring, cabinets, roofing, prefabricated homes and landscaping," the BIA said in a news release.
Industry trumpets milk via social media
NEW YORK » As Americans continue turning away from milk, an industry group is pushing back at its critics with a social media campaign trumpeting the benefits of milk.
The association says it needs to act because attitudes about milk are deteriorating more rapidly, with vegan groups, nondairy competitors and other perceived enemies getting louder online.
On Tuesday the "Get Real" social media campaign will be announced at a dairy industry gathering in Boca Raton, Fla., in conjunction with the National Dairy Council and Dairy Management Inc., which represent dairy farmers.
Sling TV is OK but not enough to cut cord
NEW YORK » Satellite TV provider Dish Network made a splash this month when it unveiled an online alternative with fewer channels and a lower price tag than its regular service. The Sling TV option is aimed at people who have dropped their cable or satellite packages or never had either.
Based on a few days of viewing, Sling TV comes across as a good stopgap for those who don’t already pay for cable or satellite — but it’s not compelling enough for most people to cut the cord. And that’s the point: Dish wants to win over the pay-TV holdouts without cutting into its existing customer base.
On Tuesday, Sling TV will start opening the service to those who had requested invites. A full launch is expected in about two weeks.
Toyota to change pay structure in Japan
TOKYO » Toyota Motor Corp. plans to change its seniority-based pay structure for workers in Japan, erasing salary gaps between age groups, the company’s human resources chief said.
The carmaker will consider introducing performance pay for younger employees and wants to tie compensation more closely to talent rather than rank and tenure, Tatsuro Ueda said in Tokyo at an event hosted by Keidanren, the nation’s biggest business lobby. He said Toyota also aims to revise its pay structure to better support child-raising.
Toyota’s plan is aimed at attracting younger workers, the Nikkei newspaper reported. The company expects the share of its employees who are 50 and older to rise to 30 percent by 2035 from 20 percent now, the Nikkei reported.
ON THE MOVE
VOLCANO Fine Electronic Cigarettes has announced a new hire and an internal promotion:
» Brandon Church has joined the company as its new human resources manager. He was previously a human resources manager at Aloha Contract Services.
» Scott Rasak has been promoted to vice president of sales and marketing from director of marketing. He directs the company’s sales strategy and marketing efforts, and develops and executes marketing budgets. He also coordinates and plans public affairs and communication efforts.
Central Pacific Bank has promoted Miyuki Almario to vice president and Waikiki branch manager from assistant vice president and Ward branch manager. She has been with the bank since 2005 and has more than 15 years of banking and customer service experience.
Honolulu HomeLoans has announced that Shanna Uyeda has joined the team as a loan officer. She will specialize in residential mortgage loan origination and refinancing. Uyeda previously worked at Hawaii State Federal Credit Union and Savio Realty.
