Mountain View
Pacific Business News
How this solar company achieves ‘organic’ growth
As the president and CEO of solar company Independent Energy Hawaii, Desta Rudolph said one of his main day-to-day responsibilities is to “make sure that the team is pointed in the right direction and focused on the right things.”<\p> And for Rudolph, that means keeping the customer’s best interest top-of-mind through open communication and quality installations. It was those values, he said, that drove him and his father, James Rudolph, to launch Independent Energy in 2020.<\p>
DVAC's Monique Ibarra on staffing
Monique Ibarra began working for human service organizations more than 20 years ago. <\p> Nearly one year ago, she moved from Maui to Oahu to take on the role of CEO at Domestic Violence Action Center, succeeding co-founder Nanci Kreidman, who retired in June 2023. <\p>
CBRE arranges financing for West Oahu hotel
CBRE has secured construction financing and joint venture equity for a $135 million, 240-room dual-branded Hyatt Place and Hyatt House Hotel in West Oahu, it was announced Thursday.<\p> According to a Sept. 5 announcement from the commercial real estate firm, Bruce Francis, Bob Ybarra, Shaun Moothart, Doug Birrell, Nick Santangelo, Amber Coleman and Jim Korinek with CBRE's Capital Markets Debt and Structured Finance team secured the financing on behalf of Alakai Development, a Hawaii-based real estate developer.<\p>
Colleges, degrees with the highest earning potential
Attending college has become unaffordable for many but some degrees or attendance at certain higher-education institutions may still offer significant earning potential.<\p> A new study by compensation firm Payscale Inc. crunched the numbers on 3.1 million degree-holding workers to find out which schools, majors and degree programs offered both the best starting salaries and best potential salaries 10 years after graduation. <\p>
How productivity concerns are tied to workplace culture
Employer concerns about workers faking productivity in the hybrid and remote-work era may be overblown. <\p> That's one of the takeaways from a recent survey by employee-reward software company Workhuman, which found 67% of respondents denied faking activity during their workday.<\p>
How employers are using their leverage on pay, benefits
Editor’s Note: Welcome to The Playbook Edition, a look at stories, trends and changes that could affect your business. Want more stories like this in your inbox? Sign up for The Playbook newsletter. <\p> As hiring has cooled, organizations have found themselves back in control of the job market. With that leverage, companies are leaning on potential employees when it comes to salary negotiations. <\p>
Estate sale to benefit nonprofit
An estate sale organized by Hawaii Sports Foundation President Donna Scaff, wife of the late Jack Scaff, who founded the Honolulu Marathon, will conclude Thursday, Sept. 5.<\p> The online auction presented by Caring Transitions of Honolulu can be found here. <\p>
Wages and workloads among top concerns in recent hotel strike
More than 5,000 hotel workers on Oahu and Kauai took to the streets for a three-day strike starting Sunday, to voice their concerns over what they said are unfair wages and workloads. <\p> According to a Sept. 1 announcement by Unite Here Local 5, the labor union that represents the workers, it was the largest strike of Hawaii hotel workers since 1990.<\p>
Chinatown bar pivots to special events, pop-ups
The Lei Stand, a cocktail lounge in Chinatown, has closed for regular service and pivoted to opening for special events and hosting off-site pop-ups, owner Ryan Kalei Tsuji told Pacific Business News. <\p> The last day of regular operations was June 29, according to its website. Multiple power outages in June caused the business to undergo a nearly six-digit loss due to damage to equipment, lost inventory and the cancelation of two "pretty major" events that had been booked in that window of time, said Kalei Tsuji.<\p>
Veteran Hawaii banker now a CPB executive
Coming in with nearly 40 years in the financial services industry, Ralph Mesick has joined Central Pacific Bank as its senior executive vice president and chief risk officer, according to an announcement by CPB on Sept. 3.<\p> At CPB, Mesick will be responsible for overseeing "key risk functions and be a member of the bank’s executive committee," said the announcement.<\p>
Maui nonprofit appoints next leader
Local attorney Jason Economou is Maui United Way's new president and CEO, the organization announced Wednesday. <\p> “Jason’s steadfast commitment to improving the lives of people across Maui County makes him a wonderful asset to the organization,” said Interim Director Lisa Grove in a statement. “He understands and is aligned with our mission and is clearly ‘united to do more good.'”<\p>
Settlement may loosen NAR's 'stranglehold' on real estate industry
Jason Haber is on a mission to reduce the number of real estate agents in the United States.<\p> Haber, a real estate agent who co-founded the American Real Estate Association last year, proposes boosting licensing standards across the country for agents and finding ways to up their skills and professionalism, to help consumers handle what is often the most important transaction in their life. <\p>
Lawsuit against RealPage may have 'far reaching' implications
Late last month, the U.S. Department of Justice and several state attorneys general sued RealPage Inc., claiming the pricing algorithm used in its software violates federal antitrust laws.<\p> The Richardson, Texas-based real estate software company in response said it believed the claims brought by DOJ were "devoid of merit," adding that the company "intend[s] to vigorously defend ourselves against these accusations."<\p>
Senior care service provider receives $1.2 million grant
Palolo Chinese Home has received a $1,244,925 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Older Adults Home Modification Grant Program.<\p> According to an Aug. 30 announcement from HUD, the grant will allow PCH to provide "vital home modifications for eligible seniors across Hawaii, ensuring that they can age safely and comfortably in their own homes."<\p>
New restaurant opens on Front Street
A new restaurant, Coco Deck Lahaina, Kitchen + Bar, which is under the umbrella of Hana Hou Hospitality, will open on Front Street in Lahaina on Wednesday, according to representatives of the company. <\p> The 2,500-square-foot Coco Deck Lahaina, Kitchen + Bar, which has ocean views and 125 seats, replaces Duckine, which was also a restaurant of Hana Hou Hospitality. Located at 1312 Front St., it is in one of six restaurant spaces behind Lahaina Cannery Mall that was spared in the wildfires on Aug. 8, 2023. <\p>
Heavy equipment dealer launches rental division
Bacon Universal, a heavy equipment dealer with locations across the Islands, has launched Bacon Rentals, a dedicated rental division.<\p> "The introduction of Bacon Rentals marks a significant expansion of Bacon Universal’s rental services, while continuing to provide exceptional sales, parts and service support," a Sept. 3 announcement from the company read.<\p>
Festival generated record-breaking sales for local businesses
Businesses at this year's Made in Hawaii Festival brought in record-breaking sales, with revenue from the event reaching about $10 million, the Hawaii Food Industry Association announced over the weekend. It marks a notable increase from last year's recorded $2 million.<\p> The 30th annual Made in Hawaii Festival took place from Aug. 23 to Aug. 25 at the Hawaii Convention Center. It was the largest event in the history of the festival, with about 70,000 attendees and more than 700 vendor booths, as previously reported by Pacific Business News.<\p>
Honolulu names new chief resilience officer
Ben Sullivan has been named executive director and chief resilience officer for the City and County of Honolulu's Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency, it was announced Tuesday.<\p> Sullivan stepped into the role Sept. 3, filling a vacancy left by former CCSR Executive Director Matthew Gonser, who is relocating from the Islands for family reasons, an announcement from the city noted.<\p>
Honolulu eatery allowed to reopen after being closed by DOH
Honolulu restaurant Thai Taste has been approved to reopen after it was shut down with a red placard from the Hawaii Department of Health's Food Safety Branch on Aug. 29, due to a lack of working hand-washing stations, according to government representatives.<\p> Located at 801 Kaheka St. as one of the eateries in front of Don Quijote, Thai Taste serves a variety of Thai dishes. The eatery is operated by Wu T. Inc.<\p>
Former USA Today editor tapped to lead Civil Beat's newsroom
Honolulu Civil Beat has named Amy Pyle as its new executive editor-in-chief, the nonprofit online newsroom announced on Tuesday. Pyle succeeds Patti Epler, who has served as editor and general manager for 12 years. <\p> According to the announcement, Epler will remain on staff as the Ideas editor, overseeing Civil Beat’s government accountability, transparency and community engagement.<\p>
Pacific Business News
4K+
Posts
638K+
Views
Hawaii's source for local business news, breaking news alerts, newsletters, business intelligence and local business networking. An American City Business Journals publication.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.