Tesoro vents, burns gases at refinery

Tesoro said its refinery in Campbell Industrial Park vented and burned 1,200 pounds of sulfur dioxide Monday because of an unexpected shutdown of the plant’s sulfur recovery unit.

The unit was shut down for 20 minutes and the event had no impact on the operations at the plant, which has a refining capacity of 93,500 barrels a day, Tesoro said.

"Per design, excess hydrocarbons were vented and burned off in the refinery’s flare," according to an email from the company.

The event was reported to the National Response Center because the toxic sulfur dioxide released was in excess of reportable limits, the company said.

U.S. refineries must notify the response center if they release hazardous substances in excess of reportable quantities, according to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, commonly known as Superfund.

Pahoa shopping center sold for $7.6M

A pair of investors from Honolulu has bought a roughly 6-year-old neighborhood retail center in Pahoa on the Big Island.

Walker Apartments LLC, led by Suzy Kruppa and Christine Grundy, paid $7.6 million for Pahoa Marketplace Shopping Center. The seller was Pahoa Marketplace LLC, headed by Marjorie and Stephen Chase, who developed the property from 2004 to 2006. The broker was Joseph Leonardo.

Leonardo said the Chases wanted to retire and that Kruppa and Grundy bought the 45,563-square-foot center anchored by Malama Market Grocery as a long-term investment.

Bernanke sees risks in job creation

WASHINGTON » Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said yesterday that the Fed can’t take additional steps to try to ease high unemployment without escalating inflation.

If inflation were to accelerate, the Fed would have to raise interest rates to slow borrowing and spending and blunt price increases. Hiring might then slow.

Speaking at a news conference, Bernanke sketched a picture of an economy growing steadily but still weighed down by a prolonged period of unemployment, now at 8.8 percent. He acknowledged the pain that is causing, noting that around 45 percent of the unemployed have been without a job for six months or longer.

Starbucks net income up 20 percent

portland, ore. » Starbucks Corp. reported a strong second quarter but warned investors that rising costs for fuel and dairy are a bigger problem than it anticipated for the year.

The coffee giant said its net income jumped 20 percent to $261.6 million, or 34 cents a share. That’s up from $217.3 million, or 28 cents a share, from the year-ago quarter. Revenue rose nearly 10 percent to $2.79 billion, as it took over its consumer products business and more customers visited its stores. The results met analysts’ profit expectations and beat their $2.73 billion revenue estimate.

J&J to buy medical device maker

GENEVA » Health giant Johnson & Johnson said yesterday it will buy U.S.-Swiss medical device maker Synthes Inc. for $21.3 billion, greatly increasing its share of the market for surgical trauma equipment and orthopedic implants.

Johnson & Johnson said it will pay 159 Swiss francs for each Synthes share, comprising $2 billion in cash and the rest in stock.

The price represents a premium of 8.5 percent on Synthes’ closing share price Tuesday.

Students to compete in auto skills

Three teams of high school automotive technology students will face off in the 2011 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition at 10 a.m. May 7 at Leeward Community College.

The students from Aiea, Lahainaluna and Maui will repair “deliberately bugged” 2011 Ford vehicles and the winning team will go to the National Auto Skills Championship in June.

The teams are:

>> Aiea: Edmund Okada, instructor; Christian Moser and Mansfield Silva, students.

>> Lahainaluna: Dennis Sasai, instructor; Mark Oipindo and Austin Takemoto, students.

>> Maui: Shannon Rowe, instructor; Jimbo Paraanada and Marc Paguirigan, students.

Auto Lunch Bunch to feature Fiats

The noon Tuesday gathering of the Auto Lunch Bunch at the Waikiki Yacht Club will have an Italian theme with new and vintage Fiat 500s on display; speakers Rudy Agular and Danny Weston from Cutter Fiat; and a video from Concorso Italiano featuring Fiat, Lamborghini, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Ferrari.

Call 225-2965 for more information. 

ON THE MOVE

Alexander & Baldwin has promoted Wendy M. Ludwig to vice president from director of its tax department. Before joining the company, Ludwig was vice president of tax at Allianz of America Corp and assistant vice president of federal income tax at Dean, Witter, Reynolds Inc.

The Board of Water Supply has announced the appointment of Westley K.C. Chun to its board of directors. He is director and chief engineer of the city Department of Facility Maintenance. Chun has more than 30 years of experience planning and designing water and wastewater systems, including as client service and senior project manager for CH2M Hill as well as civil engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in northern Afghanistan.

American Savings Bank was named “Best Place to Work in Hawaii” by Hawaii Business magazine for the second year in a row. Recognized in the “Large Companies” category, the bank is known for its employee programs and policies, including LifeBalance and ASB’s personal wellness program, which provides employees with free fitness and nutrition classes, annual health assessments, financial seminars and stress management.

Seeking interns

Haleakala National Park invites college-age students from Hawaii to apply for a new internship June 6 to Aug. 19. Participants will get experience in natural and cultural resources management and other areas. The deadline to apply is tomorrow. Go to https://kupuhawaii.wufoo.com/forms/2011-member-app-kupu- hycc-cap-haleakala.