Prince Resorts hires former Kyo-ya exec
Greg Dickhens, former president of Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts LLC, has been named vice president of Prince Resorts Hawaii Inc.
Prince Resorts said Dickhens will be based in Honolulu and will assist in strategic planning.
"We are thrilled to welcome Greg as a valued member of our executive team," said Donn Takahashi, president of Prince Resorts, in a statement.
Dickhens left Kyo-ya when its parent Kokusai Kogyo Co. bought out Cerberus Capital Management LP’s controlling interest in the company in February. At Kyo-ya Dickhens was in charge of seven Starwood Hotels and Resorts properties, including the Sheraton Waikiki Resort and The Royal Hawaiian, a Luxury Collection Resort.
Before joining Kyo-ya, he was chief financial officer of Vail Resorts Development Co. and also was vice president of development for Hilton Hotels Corp.
Dickhens graduated from Punahou School and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration as well as a master’s degree in business administration from the Anderson School of Business at UCLA.
Prince Resorts Hawaii operates three luxury hotels and golf courses in the islands: the Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki and Golf Club on Oahu, and the Hapuna Beach Prince Hotel and Golf Course and Mauna Kea Beach Hotel and Golf Course at the Mauna Kea Resort on the Kohala Coast of Hawaii island.
Low oil prices unlikely to hurt railroads
OMAHA, Neb. » The stunning collapse in oil prices over the past several months won’t derail the railroads’ profit engine even if it does slow the tremendous growth in crude shipments seen in recent years.
But even with oil prices falling off a cliff, industry analysts and railroad executives point out that crude shipments still make up just a sliver of the overall freight delivered by rail. What’s more, because fuel is such a huge cost in the industry, railroads are a direct beneficiary of those falling prices.
Factory activity grows at sluggish pace
WASHINGTON » U.S. factory activity grew at the slowest pace in six months in December, weakened by declines in orders and production. Yet growth was still healthy, a sign manufacturing could help drive the economy’s expansion in 2015 as it did last year.
The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchasing managers, said Friday that its manufacturing index fell to 55.5 in December from 58.7 in November. Any reading above 50 signals expansion. November’s figure was just below a three-year high reached in October.
December’s reading is the lowest since June. But it is also close to the average for all of 2014 and remains at a solid level. Americans are buying more cars and appliances, boosting demand for factory-made goods. Economists also forecast that businesses might spend more on industrial equipment this year, which would also lift output.
U.S. construction spending slips 0.3%
WASHINGTON » A sharp slowdown in government-built schools and infrastructure caused U.S. construction spending to fall slightly in November.
The Commerce Department said Friday that construction spending slipped 0.3 percent in November, after having climbed an upwardly revised 1.2 percent in October and 0.6 percent in September.
Much of the decline came from a 1.7 percent retreat in government expenditures. Publicly built school spending fell 2.5 percent, while the transportation, health care and public safety sectors also fell.
Euro sinks after bank chief hints at stimulus
LONDON » The euro slid to a 4 1/2-year low against the dollar Friday after the head of the European Central Bank hinted at plans to fight alarmingly low inflation across Europe.
In an interview with Germany’s financial daily Handelsblatt, Mario Draghi, the ECB’s president, said that the bank is more at risk of failing to keep prices stable than it was just six months ago.
The euro fell to levels last seen in June 2010. Back then, Europe’s financial markets were reeling as Greece, Ireland and other countries struggled under their debts.
ON THE MOVE
The Nature Conservancy of Hawaii has announced that Christopher J. Benjamin has been elected chairman of the board of trustees. He is president and chief operating officer of Alexander & Baldwin. Benjamin has served on the Hawaii board since 2007 and has worked with the conservancy staff to develop its 10-year vision as well as the current three-year plan for forest and marine conservation.
Blue Planet Foundation has announced that Shem Lawlor has joined the team as a clean transportation director. He was previously a transit-oriented development planner with the City and County of Honolulu.
The USS Missouri Memorial Association has promoted Jason Morrison to vice president of facilities and engineering. Morrison joined the association’s management team as chief engineer in November 2013 and directed key restoration projects to help preserve the battleship and helped improve the visitor experience for tours aboard the "Mighty Mo."
