Raiders to fly Hawaiian Air again

The Oakland Raiders again will fly to away games aboard chartered Hawaiian Airlines aircraft this season, the 11th consecutive year the team has done so.

"Hawaiian does an exceptional job of taking care of our coaches, players and staff," said Marc Badain, a Raiders executive, in a statement.

Hawaiian will fly the team to two preseason games this month and seven regular-season road games from September through January. In-flight menus change with each flight and often reflect the regional cuisine of the team’s destination. At the team’s request, Hawaii products including Hawaiian Iced Tea and Passion-Orange-Guava juice are available on the flights.

7-Eleven Hawaii settles EEOC case

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said 7-Eleven Hawaii will pay $10,000 to a settle a case in which the convenience store was accused of improperly disclosing an employee’s confidential medical information.

The EEOC filed the suit in 2007 on behalf of Robert Galam, a former sales associate at the 7-Eleven store in Haleiwa. The suit alleged that 7-Eleven Hawaii furnished information regarding Galam’s heart condition to a prospective employer, Turtle Bay Resort. The disclosure, which the EEOC said was in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act, caused Turtle Bay to rescind the job offer, according to a news release from the agency yesterday.

In addition to the monetary relief, 7-Eleven agreed to annual training of its human resources personnel and managers, according to the release. For two years, 7-Eleven also will be required to report annually to the EEOC regarding the company’s policies and proposed training system.

Washington Post sells Newsweek

NEW YORK » Sidney Harman, the 91-year-old founder of audio equipment maker Harman International Industries, has agreed to buy Newsweek, ending a nearly half-century chapter for the magazine as part of The Washington Post Co.

Newsweek has been struggling to find a profitable niche amid poor economic conditions and a flood of online competition. Declines in circulation and advertising led to a nearly $30 million loss in 2009, and Newsweek expects to lose money again this year.

Harman has pledged to keep most of the magazine’s staff, currently at about 350. He also said he doesn’t envision any radical overhaul of the magazine, which was redesigned last year with a greater focus on long-form reporting and analysis to compete more directly with titles such as The New Yorker and The Economist.

China’s Geely finalizes Volvo deal

BEIJING » Geely Holding Group completed its acquisition of Ford Motor Co.’s Volvo unit yesterday in a $1.5 billion deal that gives the small but ambitious Chinese automaker a global brand and huge management challenges.

The legendary Swedish automaker is China’s biggest foreign auto acquisition and an unusually large deal for a private Chinese company.

Industry analysts say 13-year-old Geely, barely known abroad, will face a struggle in integrating the two corporate cultures and turning around Volvo Cars, a perennial money-loser in a country with strong labor unions.

On the Move

The American Marketing Association Hawaii Chapter has announced its volunteer board of directors for a one-year term: Keith DeMello, president; Jeremy Althof, president elect; Frank Haas, former president; Tonya Flores, secretary; Gordon Tom, treasurer; John Medlock and Jaclyn Hawse, programming co-chairs; Amy Hennessey, membership; Scott Rasak, communications; Mark Martinez, volunteers; Tyler Kruse, collegiate relations; and Tammy Chang, at-large.

Nalyne "Nai’a" Ah Sam has joined the downtown office of Coldwell Banker Commercial Pacific Properties as a leasing and sales associate. She currently owns and operates a personal/business assistant service and has a variety of professional experience that ranges from working at the Legislature, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Office of the Chancellor and KCAA Preschools of Hawaii.

Inpatient hospice set for Hilo

Hospice of Hilo plans to build its first neighbor island inpatient hospice facility later this year on the Big Island.

The facility will help patients unable to stay at home or who do not have family-member caregivers.

The build-out is estimated to cost $10 million, with support from the County of Hawaii and American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Developers are seeking additional funding for construction of the project, measuring 14,140 square feet.