HPU names new dean of business college

Hawaii Pacific University has appointed a former San Jose State University official as dean of its College of Business Administration.

Deborah Crown was the Lucas Endowed Professor of Strategic Leadership and associate dean of SJSU’s Lucas Graduate School of Business, HPU officials said Tuesday. Before that, she was a professor in the College of Business and the Voinovich School for Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University.

Crown has a doctorate in organizational behavior and human resource management from the University of Colorado, and has taught in China, India, Hungary and the United Kingdom, HPU officials said.

"Dr. Crown brings to HPU an impressive range of skills and experiences that are an excellent match for our programs and for our state," said Dr. John Kearns, vice president of academic affairs.

HPU has more than 8,500 students.

Aloha Petroleum unveils new prototype

Aloha Petroleum Ltd., the largest retail gasoline marketer in the state, has unveiled the first "ground-up" version of a new prototype design for its convenience store-fuel sites that highlights the chain’s local roots.

Designed by CBX, a branding and retail design consultancy, the 3,000-square-foot store and adjoining gas islands with five pumps opened in mid-June on Waialae Avenue. Aloha’s former convenience store and fuel islands on the site were demolished to make way for the new structures. The new facility represents the full scope of CBX’s design assignment for Aloha, which included the store’s interior design, exterior architectural design, logo, fuel islands and canopy.

Gold shoots past record $1,800 an ounce

The price of gold topped $1,800 an ounce for the first time, as concern about Europe’s debt problems intensified Wednesday.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy cut short a vacation and pledged to slash France’s huge debts on fears that the country may lose its AAA credit rating. Although rating agencies reaffirmed France’s top-notch rating, the downgrade of U.S. debt by Standard & Poor’s last week fueled worries that France could be next to lose the coveted and rare rating if it contributes to further bailouts of eurozone countries.

Some investors view gold as a safer bet. Its value, unlike that of a currency, such as the U.S. dollar, doesn’t hinge on whether countries can make their bond payments, or on the vigor of their economies.

December gold contracts backed off their highs, and closed up about $41 at $1,784 an ounce after reaching a record $1,801 an ounce earlier in the day on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Gold prices have shot past a series of milestones over the past two years. Gold was trading at about $900 in the summer of 2008, before the financial crisis unfolded that year. It first passed $1,600 in late May.

Job openings up in June, but levels are low

WASHINGTON » Employers posted more job openings in June and layoffs fell, a sign that hiring could improve a bit in the coming months.

The number of available jobs rose to 3.1 million, up from 3 million in May, the Labor Department said Wednesday. It was the highest total since March.

Still, 14 million Americans remain unemployed. The weak economy is not generating enough jobs to rapidly reduce that figure. And the total number of job openings is far below healthy levels seen before the recession.

For those who are out of work, there is heavy competition for each available position. Roughly 4.5 unemployed people, on average, were competing for each job in June. That’s down only slightly from 4.6 in May. In a healthy economy, the ratio is about 2 to 1.

Even if all the positions were filled, there would still be about 11 million unemployed people. That compares to the 7.7 million who were out of work when the recession began.

There were more jobs available in retail, at hotels and restaurants, and for professionals, a broad category that includes accountants, engineers and temporary help. Postings fell in construction, education and health care.

ON THE MOVE

Hunt Development Group has hired Alan Ong as senior vice president and chief operating officer of its Hawaii Division. He was previously a consultant to the company for six years and worked with Hawaii Division on many major projects.

Kahuku Medical Center has appointed Stephany Nihipali Vaioleti as administrator. She has more than 12 years of hospital experience, including an assistant administrator for KMC as well as director of social services for Kahuku Hospital.

Royal State Insurance has promoted Myles Kiyabu to vice president and chief operating officer for Royal State National Insurance Co. Ltd. Kiyabu has 23 years of experience in the field of insurance, including as an analyst at the State of Hawaii Insurance Division.