Pacific Business News articles from October 1992

Pacific Business News archives from October 1992

Marathon heads for world record. (Honolulu marathon)
October 26, 1992... Honolulu businesses will run for the money, perhaps $100 million, generated by what will likely become the largest marathon in the world. The 20th annual Honolulu Marathon is expected to attract more than 25,000 participants Dec. 13. "It...

Waterfront Row sells at loss. (Retail complex)
October 26, 1992... Watumull Properties Corp. bought Waterfront Row for $5.6 million, 56 percent less than what the Kailua-Kona development fetched last year. Former owner Leo Properties Inc. acquired the 5-year-old Alii Drive retail complex in March 1991 for...

Ward privatizes street parking. (Victoria Ward Ltd.)
October 26, 1992... Victoria Ward Ltd. on Nov. 1 will privatize parking -- and charge $50 per space per month -- on three of its Kakaako streets. The company, which owns a vast tract of Kakaako land, wants to reserve spaces on Ahui, Kamani and Pohukaina streets...

State scouts sites. (Hawaii; site for new convention center)
October 26, 1992... The state is on a shopping spree to pick a new site for a convention center. The Waikiki Convention Center Authority is expected to pare down a list of 35 to 40 statewide sites as part of a report due at the state Legislature by the first of...

Court date set for gym case. (International Fitness Center)
October 26, 1992... The state is posed to flex its legal muscles in court with owners of the former International Fitness Center. A trial in Circuit Court is set to start Sept. 6, 1993, against California businessmen Leroy L. Carver Jr., Leroy L. Carver III, and...

Extension spares Aloha Tower deal. (Extension on waterfront redevelopment agreement signing)
October 26, 1992... Aloha Tower Associates last week asked for and received another extension from the state on signing an agreement to redevelop the waterfront near Aloha Tower. The newest deadline for signing the formal development agreement is Dec. 15....

Oceanit Laboratories: Riding a high-tech wave. (Oceanit Laboratories Inc.) (Profile) (Company Profile)
October 26, 1992... The focus of Oceanit Laboratories Inc. today is not what its founder originally expected, but, nevertheless, the 7-year-old company has established its niche in Hawaii. Oceanit, pronounced ocean-it, is derived from a Greek word meaning...

Captain Irwin: flying Hawaii's airwaves. (Irwin Malzman, traffic reporter)
October 26, 1992... "Captain Irwin" Malzman is something of a seasoned flying ace at piloting his Hughes 300 helicopter, cruising at 70 mph above Honolulu and making traffic reports for radio stations. "I tell everybody what's happening with traffic," Malzman...

Hawaii's foreign-trade zone is clearinghouse for small business.
October 26, 1992... With new international trade agreements on the books, more businesses are likely to import from first-time sources. Such businesses importing merchandise from foreign countries for the first time should consider checking into the safety and...

H-3 highway heads into homestretch.
October 26, 1992... The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel is brightening for Oahu's long-planned H-3 highway project. Recent state Department of Transportation figures indicate the 16.1-mile project is about 47 percent complete. Three one-mile sections...

Matson Intermodal launched to fill cross-county cargo gap. (Matson Intermodal System Inc.) (Company Profile)
October 26, 1992... In May 1986, when the shipping firm United States Lines announced it would discontinue its ocean transportation service from East Coast ports to Hawaii, Matson Navigation Co. decided to go after this business segment in a big way. As part of...

Oahu railway line could take commuters back to the future. (Oahu Railway and Land Co.)
October 26, 1992... When the term "train" is mentioned today with regard to transportation in Honolulu, what comes to mind most often is the city's defunct plan to combat traffic with a nearly 16-mile, $2 billion fixed-rail system. But at the turn of the...

Isle firms multiply despite recession. (companies doing business in Hawaii)
October 19, 1992... The number of companies registered to do business in Hawaii is increasing by about 2,000 a year, despite the persistent recession. Business dissolutions -- voluntary and involuntary -- in fact declined in fiscal 1992 compared with the...

Kahi Mohala needs therapy. (Kahi Mohala Hospital on the verge of closing)
October 19, 1992... Kahi Mohala Hospital could be forced to shut its doors within weeks if the Ewa Beach psychiatric facility is not sold. Current owner Brown Schools of Hawaii Inc. is a subsidiary of Texas-based Healthcare International Inc., which on July 20...

Beef gets rarer. (Kahua Meat Co. Ltd. to close its Kahua Beef division)
October 19, 1992... As slaughterhouse slims This holiday season will mark the end of another beef processing operation that has operated on Oahu for nearly 30 years. Kahua Meat Co. Ltd. on Dec. 31 will close its Kahua Beef division, which is operated from a...

Cleanup to start on superblock. (Keeaumoku Partners to clean up site of proposed Keeaumoku high-density, mixed-used industrial park)
October 19, 1992... Plans include burnout The site of the proposed Keeaumoku superblock is slated for soil and groundwater cleanup, a process that could include thermal destruction, a low-temperature burning of tainted soil. Bioremediation will be the first...

HIV spa planned. (Wall Street Financial Corp. planning to build spa for people with human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)
October 19, 1992... Honolulu-based Wall Street Financial Corp. plans to open a resort in Arizona for people infected with HIV and AIDS, according to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company agreed to buy a 21-acre, 133-suite...

HDS Medical gets financial cure.
October 19, 1992... A "target examination" conducted this summer found HDS Medical is making steady progress in complying with recommendations made by the state Insurance Commission. HDS Medical, the health-care arm of Hawaii Dental Service, is "on track," said...

A family business, built from within. (Wyland Galleries Hawaii) (Company Profile)
October 19, 1992... Wyland Galleries Where to hang art: a small step for consumers; a giant leap for gallery operators. Location, for them, is one of the most critical business decisions. William Wyland, owner of Wyland Galleries Hawaii, this month opens his...

Bankoh canvasses Mapunapuna. (new branch of Bank of Hawaii in Mapunapuna, Hawaii)
October 19, 1992... More than 100 Bank of Hawaii officers canvassed Mapunapuna earlier this month to drum up business for the bank's area branch that opens today, Oct. 19. During a four-hour outing Oct. 8, bank officers visited approximately 1,200 businesses....

Hawaiian Tel completes shakeup. (corporate restructuring at GTE Hawaiian Telephone Company Inc.)
October 19, 1992... Three GTE Hawaiian Tel managers remain in limbo as the company completes its planned corporate restructuring. Their jobs were eliminated, and the managers have not been assigned to new positions, yet they remain on the company payroll. They...

Tax shortfall prompts bond issue. (Hawaii)_
October 19, 1992... The state plans to offer $90 million in general obligation bonds next year to make up for a lack of general excise tax revenues. The revenue generated by the sale of the bonds will go to the Educational Facilities Improvement special fund....

Land use snags Pawaa superblock. (proposed condominium construction in Pawaa, Hawaii)
October 19, 1992... A year ago, the Pawaa superblock was a pie-in-the-sky plan of the city and state, combining housing, office and commercial space in one neat package. Now that $375 million pie is still on the kitchen table, waiting to be filled with changes...

HECO expansion stalled by land prices. (Hawaiian Electric Co. Inc.)
October 19, 1992... In West Oahu Rolling electrical blackouts could become more common on Oahu if an additional transmission corridor is not built from West Oahu to Waiau, according to Hawaiian Electric Co. Inc. HECO president Harwood "Dan" Williamson said an...

Metro wins aquarium job. (Metro Builders Inc. awarded contract with Waikiki Aquarium)
October 19, 1992... Metro Builders Inc. was awarded the $2.2 million Waikiki Aquarium contract to upgrade the visitor attraction both inside and out. Frank Watanabe, president of the Honolulu company, said the outside seal tank and indoor shark tank will be...

Higa wins Isle Domino's franchise. (Higa Industries Hawaii Inc. inks contract with Domino's Pizza Inc.)
October 19, 1992... In wake of fast-food success in Japan Pizza, pineapple and sushi are coming together here as a Japan-based company has taken over exclusive franchise rights to Domino's Pizza in Hawaii. Domino's Pizza International last week inked a...

PRI firms to merge, buy barge. (Pacific Resources Inc. subsidiaries Gasco Inc. and Enerco Inc.)
October 19, 1992... Two Pacific Resources Inc. subsidiaries are planning to merge so that they can buy a second barge for Neighbor Island propane gas shipments. The second barge, the 630,000-gallon, Louisiana-based City of Tampa will need extensive retrofitting....

Rental car roadblock set on Maui. (rent-a-car companies set Haleakala Crater Road off limits to drivers to prevent accidents)
October 19, 1992... Rental car agencies are hoping to get their customers on the road again to Haleakala Crater, Maui's House of the Sun. Alamo Rent A Car and Tropical USA Rent A Car Systems Inc. made Haleakala Crater Road off limits to its vehicles in August....

Rescue station planned. (firefighting vehicles station to be constructed at Kahului Airport)
October 19, 1992... At Kahului Airport The response capabilities of Kahului Airport's aircraft rescue firefighting staff are set to be enhanced with the construction of a $2.5 million station. Work will begin this fall on the new station, which will replace...

Airport parking lot debuts. (Kahului Airport in Honolulu, Hawaii)
October 19, 1992... Although a 500-space parking lot at Honolulu International Airport will close next month due to airport construction, motorists there will not be left idling. In fact, nine more stalls will be available at the airport than there have been in...

Inner-city empty lots languish: 'fields of dreams' lie fallow as players fret over financing. (Honolulu, Hawaii)
October 12, 1992... Weeds are about the only things likely to sprout soon on 33.4 acres of prime Honolulu land assessed at $409 million. The recession has stalled four of seven projects planned along the King Street/Kapiolani Boulevard corridor and environmental...

Aloha Tower project set to start. (Aloha Tower Associates' proposed waterfront redevelopment project)
October 12, 1992... Aloha Tower Associates plans to move ahead with redevelopment of the Honolulu waterfront by starting next month the process for selecting a general contractor. The partnership, which was picked by the state to redevelop the waterfront from...

SBA comes to aid of Kauai business. (Small Business Administration; Kauai, Hawaii)
October 12, 1992... The U.S. Small Business Administration has assisted 819 businesses devastated by Hurricane Iniki and made $13.5 million in Disaster Assistance Loans. SBA administrator Pat Saiki visited Kauai and Oahu recently to assess damage caused by the...

777 Kapiolani re-emerges. (Kapiolani Condominium Associates' proposed condominium tower)
October 12, 1992... Plans have been resurrected for a 2.5-acre parcel on Kapiolani Boulevard, one of seven lying unused in the central corridor of Honolulu. A 400-foot condominium tower is planned to replace buildings that have been vacant for nearly two years....

Maruko creditors face claims deadline.
October 12, 1992... Maruko Inc.'s bankruptcy proceedings are moving forward as creditors of the Japan-based company with extensive Hawaii real estate holdings must file claims by Nov. 2. Maruko, a firm that bought more than 350 Waikiki condominium units in the...

Bank bailout saves face. (EastWest Bank N.A.)
October 12, 1992... First Hawaiian Bank bailed out failed EastWest Bank more for public relations purposes than for financial reasons, First Hawaiian officials said. First Hawaiian acquired certain loans and insured deposits from EastWest after it was declared...

Greater than the sum of its parts. (Media Five Ltd.) (Company Profile)
October 12, 1992... The two remaining founders of Media Five Ltd., Evan Cruthers and Melvyn Y.K. Choy, fit snugly with their partners like fingers in a glove. At the same time, the five principals of Media Five each also can stand alone to function...

Taxes late on prime parcels. (real property taxes)
October 12, 1992... Two landowners are delinquent in paying combined real property taxes of $514,035 on unused land lying fallow in Honolulu's east-west corridor. Five other owners are current on their tax bills on nearby land where development has been stalled...

'Hawaii Calls' back on the airwaves. (radio program)
October 12, 1992... A Hawaiian music program that aired between 1935 and 1975 and promoted Hawaii was revived last week, mixing business with pleasure for the local visitor industry. Hawaii Calls is being carried on 45 radio stations nationally and...

First Hawaiian opens processing center. (First Hawaiian Bank)
October 12, 1992... First Hawaiian Bank recently opened its $50 million Kamehameha Industrial Center near Honolulu International Airport to house its centralized processing operations. Six hundred bank employees are in the process of moving into the four-story,...

Currency crisis bodes well for Isle tourism. (Hawaii) (Industry Overview)
October 12, 1992... The current currency crisis could discourage trips abroad by American tourists and make Hawaii's shores more attractive to them. Americans may delay visiting Europe because the U.S. dollar does not buy as much foreign currency as it used to,...

Kmart ready for kickoff. (opens first store in Hawaii)
October 12, 1992... Kmart Corp. is set to shake up the local retail scene when it enters the Hawaii marketplace next week after a decade of preparation and planning. "I'm predicting this will be one of the best openings we've ever had," said Tom Watkins, senior...

Toyo site ripe for building. (Oahu Educational Employees' Federal Credit Union's proposed office building)
October 12, 1992... A slowdown in the local real estate market, which has trickled down and dropped construction prices, is welcomed by firms eyeing expansion. The Oahu Educational Employees' Federal Credit Union, for example, is anxious to build a new facility...

'Carjacking' alarm fills need. (International Security Systems Inc.'s auto alarm systems)
October 12, 1992... International Security Systems Inc. is marketing auto alarm systems that company officials believe are the first ever designed to thwart the violent crime of carjacking. The products were rushed into production to meet the increasing threat...

Thrift banks on PR campaign. (public relations)
October 12, 1992... Public response to Bank of America-Hawaii's new public relations campaign remains dubious, according to chief executive officer Gerald M. Czarnecki. The institution's Aug. 1 buyout of Honfed Bank presented potential for a great public...

Architect sues Dole over airport terminal. (John Carl Warnecke and Associates; Dole Food Company Inc.)
October 12, 1992... Plans to develop a new passenger terminal for Lanai Airport have become snarled in a legal dispute. A San Francisco-based architecture firm hired in 1990 to design the terminal filed a lawsuit in federal court last month, alleging, among...

HAL sees good times ahead.
October 12, 1992... Hawaiian Airlines' move last week to improve its financial footing will boost the carrier's reputation and increase its market share, company officials said. HAL Inc., the airline's holding company, announced agreements that will allow it to...

Group 70 wins Pacific rim contracts. (Group 70 International)
October 12, 1992... The Honolulu-based design firm of Group 70 International has been selected as the planner and architect for three major resort projects in the Pacific Basin. The 21-year-old firm has been involved in foreign projects for about 15 years,...

Parent firm takes over Pacific Resources helm. (Broken Hill Proprietary Company Ltd.)
October 12, 1992... Honolulu-based Pacific Resources Inc. is about to go under the command of an Australian executive operating from a Houston office. Mainland management is taking over the helm of PRI due to the recent consolidation of the fuel company into the...

Aloha Tower project touts retail tenant commitments. (Aloha Tower Associates)
October 12, 1992... Retail tenants have signed letters of intent to lease a quarter of the space in the 200,000-square-foot Aloha Tower Marketplace. Helene "Sam" Shenkus, marketing director for project developer Aloha Tower Associates, declined to name any of...

Tiffany set to open at Ala Moana. (Tiffany and Co.; Ala Moana Center)(includes related article)
October 12, 1992... Tiffany & Co. is working around the clock in order to open a full-service store next month in Ala Moana Center's ritzy Palm Boulevard. The New York-based jeweler has leased a 4,600-square-foot upstair corner space in the upscale district of...

Land dispute threatens plantation's designation. (Ewa Plantation as a National Historical Landmark)
October 5, 1992... Disputes over title to land could delay Ewa Plantation being declared a National Historical Landmark. If resolved by the end of the year, the historic community could be formally considered for such status as early as next summer. Jim...

Kauai permits stalled. (building permits)
October 5, 1992... No building permits are yet being issued for the rebuilding of resorts and other structures on Kauai that sustained major damage from Hurricane Iniki, according to the County of Kauai building department. The county is overwhelmed by the...

Race needs big blocks. (1993 100-mile Hawaiian Super Gran Prix)
October 5, 1992... Next year's 100-mile Hawaiian Super Gran Prix at Aloha Stadium won't be a mere ride around the block for the event organizer. Hawaiian Super Gran Prix Inc. has hired the Honolulu firm of Dura/Constructors Inc. to build 1,600 concrete half-ton...

Nathan's nears Hawaii. (Nathan's Famous Inc.)
October 5, 1992... Nathan's Famous Inc. is bringing its world-renowned hot dogs to Honolulu but not until mid-November. Delays in the process of opening a new franchise have slowed Theodore Jung's plans to open Hawaii's first Nathan's, which was supposed to...

Credit union buys Toyo site. (The Oahu Educational Employeees' Federal Credit Union)
October 5, 1992... The former Toyo Theater site on College Walk was sold last week for $10.5 million to The Oahu Educational Employees' Federal Credit Union. The credit union plans to build a larger administrative office building on the two-acre lot on the Ewa...

Island bankruptcies soar. (Hawaii)
October 5, 1992... The number of Hawaii bankruptcies filed in the first nine months of 1992 are on the verge of surpassing previous 12-month records. This week, the number of Hawaii bankruptcies likely will reach a historic annual high -- with 13 weeks left for...

A true taste of Thailand. (Siam Orchid Thai Restaurant, Kona St., Hawaii) (Company Profile)
October 5, 1992... Progress -- as far as Honolulu restaurateur Krissada Vilassakdanond is concerned -- has not always been good for business. Vilassakdanond, owner of Siam Orchid Thai Restaurant, lost his first outlet to the planned Keeaumoku Street superblock...

Fashion exec lauds retail display. (Liberty House, fashion retail store)
October 5, 1992... Liberty House made a fashion impression last week that reached the Big Apple and beyond. The Hawaii-based retailer caught the attention of a New York fashion executive when it debuted a line of menswear by designer Donna Karan. Tom Cohan,...

Antarctic architecture is model for Isles.
October 5, 1992... Ferraro Choi And Associates Ltd., a Honolulu-based architectural firm, is using Antarctica, in effect, as a "test station" for projects in Hawaii. The firm recently signed a contract for an undisclosed amount with the National Science...

Oahu building firms join Kauai relief effort. (Roofing Supply Inc.; MC Builders Inc.)
October 5, 1992... Two Oahu-based building companies have opened Kauai offices to help rebuild the Garden Isle. Roofing Supply Inc., Oahu's largest roofing supply company, began operating from a trailer near Nawiliwili Harbor on Oct. 1, said president and...

Moana features financial display. (Sheraton Moana Surfrider, Honolulu, Hawaii)
October 5, 1992... The story of the first stock issued in Hawaii is offered for everyone to see at the Moana Hotel in Waikiki. The restored hotel gives its visitors a chance -- with constantly evolving historic displays -- to visit the Hawaii of yesteryear....

Ewa Plantation gets new lease on life. (sugar cane plantation)
October 5, 1992... As City starts restoration The $72 million Ewa Plantation Revitalization Project has started to take root now that the City & County of Honolulu has taken possession of the land. The city obtained 585 acres of the plantation from The...

Visitor magazines shut down operations on Garden Island. (Kauai, Hawaii)
October 5, 1992... In wake of Iniki The absence of visitors on Kauai for the next few months has prompted the major visitor publications to temporarily suspend their Kauai operations. Kauai Drive Guide, Kauai Beach Press, Spotlight Kauai and This Week Kauai...

Mililani center expansion begins. (Milalini Town Center, Oahu, Hawaii)
October 5, 1992... With Woolworth store The $7 million second phase of Mililani Town Center is off to a running start as construction of a new F.W. Woolworth Co. store recently got under way. The Woolworth store will be the 11th on Oahu and 15th statewide...

Sea-Land anchors at Pier 51. (Sea-Land Service Inc.)
October 5, 1992... Sea-Land Service Inc. solidified its Hawaii presence last month by consolidating local operations at a $2 million headquarters building adjacent to the company's Pier 51A container yard. Jack L. Sutherland, vice president of the shipper's...

Inter-island Air files Chapter 11. (Iter-Island Air Inc.)
October 5, 1992... Inter-Island Air Inc., a Maui-based air cargo company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Honolulu late last month. The seven-year-old airline, which is currently not operating, listed debts of $2 million and assets of $1.25...

Kauai rental car agencies regroup. (Kauai, Hawaii)
October 5, 1992... Facing vanished market Rental car agencies have started to scale back the number of cars on Kauai in response to Hurricane Iniki. "Kauai is still going to be Kauai, but we have to be realistic," said Ken Telford, executive vice president...

Streamlining the bureaucratic maze. (Business Action Center)
October 5, 1992... Business Action Center The number of small-business owners using Honolulu's Business Action Center is "steadily increasing," manager Milton Kwock said. "It's not because of advertising, but through word-of-mouth," he said. Since its...

Security Diamond closes Kauai stores. (Security Diamond Co. Ltd./Conrad Jewelers; Kauai, Hawaii)
October 5, 1992... At hurricane-damaged hotels Security Diamond Co. Ltd./Conrad Jewelers has closed two stores that operated in Kauai hotels. Security Diamond president Jack Bouchakian said damage to the Westin Kauai at Kalapaki Beach and the Stouffer...