Hawaiian Host chooses ‘host-ess’
Professional hula dancer Nicole Kawehi Navarro of Kapolei has been named the winner of "The Great Hawaiian Host-ess" search by Hawaiian Host Inc.
Navarro was selected from more than 500 entries submitted electronically. More than 19,000 votes overall were cast.
"Nicole really stood out as someone who exemplified the aloha spirit and could serve as a true ambassador of Hawaii," said Keith Sakamoto, Hawaiian Host president and CEO, in a statement.
Navarro has received a monetary prize, a year’s worth of Hawaiian Host chocolates and the opportunity to be featured in at least one of the company’s advertising materials.
Goodfellow Bros. gets permanent home
Goodfellow Bros. Inc. is one of Hawaii’s biggest general contractors, but the construction firm has been largely transient when it comes to a base of operations on Oahu.
That changed recently with the completion of its construction office and base yard at Campbell Industrial Park, which celebrated a grand opening Thursday.
"We have a permanent home," said Bob Takamatsu, Goodfellow’s general counsel.
Goodfellow’s Oahu base was developed on a 2.7-acre site that had been vacant for more than two decades because of toxic contamination from a chemical wood preservation business, after remediation under a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program.
Goodfellow is a fourth-generation, family-owned construction firm founded in Wenatchee, Wash., in 1921. The company expanded to Hawaii in the early 1970s with a headquarters on Maui and over the decades broadened its work statewide.
The company’s projects on Oahu include terracing a landslide-prone hillside at Castle Junction, building Royal Kunia golf course and widening Puuloa Road between Salt Lake Boulevard and Nimitz Highway.
Aston takes over luxury boutique hotel
Aston Hotels & Resorts has taken over operations of the newly branded Hotel Renew by Aston.
The property at 129 Paoakalani Avenue is being billed as Aston’s first designer boutique hotel. The 72-room property was designed by San Francisco-based Jiun Ho and offers ocean, city, and mountain views. Guests will have access to boutique amenities ranging from cold-scented towels at check-in to weekly cocktail mixers and PlayStation 3 Blu-ray consoles. The full-service hotel features two resort pools, a fitness facility and a Hawaiian-influenced spa.
"The addition of Hotel Renew solidifies Aston’s position as a leader in hotel operations in Waikiki, as we always strive to offer the widest range of hotels and condominium resorts," said Kelvin Bloom, president of Aston Hotels & Resorts. "Adding a luxury boutique hotel to the Aston collection of hotels and resorts allows us to serve guests looking for an intimate getaway with all of the shopping, dining and activity conveniences of Waikiki at their doorstep.."
Kahala Mall welcomes new tenants
Two new tenants at Kahala Mall actually are familiar to longtime shoppers.
Pearl’s BBQ relocated to the former Arby’s space to make way for a new restaurant concept by Mike Hickey called Kahala Grill. Its signature items include garlic chicken and ginger chicken, hamburger stead, loco moco and garlic shrimp.
Halia Lifestyles is the new name atop the former Kahala Kids, though the ownership has also remained the same in this case. The store’s concept has expanded to offering family apparel, from just children’s clothing and accessories.
Rate on 30-year mortgage rises to 3.81 percent
WASHINGTON >> Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages jumped this week to their highest levels in a year, signaling slightly higher costs for homebuyers. But rates still remain low by historical standards.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate for the
30-year loan rose to 3.81 percent, up from 3.59 percent last week. That’s still not far from the 3.31 percent rate reached in November, the lowest on records dating to 1971. The average on the 15-year loan rose to 2.98 percent, up from 2.77 percent last week. The record low of 2.56 percent was reached in early May.
Mortgage rates are rising because they tend to follow the yield on the 10-year Treasury note. The yield rose to 2.17 percent Tuesday, its highest level in 13 months.
On the Move
The School of Travel Industry Management at the University of Hawaii at Manoa has hired two assistant professors:
>> Junwook Chi was a director of transportation economics at the Rahall Transportation Institute & Center for Business and Economic Research at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va.
>> Kwanglim Seo is an expert in hospitality finance and was previously working in hotels and restaurants in Spain, Korea and the United Kingdom.
Central Pacific Bank has appointed Edwina Oliveira vice president and compliance manager. She has more than 35 years of banking experience, including serving as vice president and operations compliance manager of American Savings Bank.
