Shinseki elected to First Hawaiian board
Retired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki has been elected to the board of directors of First Hawaiian Bank. He previously served on the bank’s board from 2006 to 2008.
"We are proud to welcome Gen. Shinseki back to our ohana," said Bob Harrison, First Hawaiian Bank chairman, president and chief executive officer. "He is a man of great integrity and character who has dedicated his entire career to serving our nation."
The Kauai-born Shinseki is the first person of Asian ancestry to lead one of the American military service branches. He retired from the Army in August 2003 after a 38-year military career capped by four years (1999-2003) as chief of staff, the top uniformed position in the Army. In 2008, President Barack Obama nominated him to be the seventh secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, where he served for five years.
Shinseki graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and holds a master’s degree in English literature from Duke University. He has received numerous honors and decorations for his leadership and courage including the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
First Hawaiian Bank, with $18.1 billion in assets, was founded in 1858 and is Hawaii’s oldest and largest bank. It has 57 branches in Hawaii, three on Guam and two on Saipan.
Island Air accepts card payments only
Island Air is making the switch exclusively to card transactions. The small interisland carrier said Tuesday it will no longer accept cash for booking flights and checking in bags so that it can ensure a more efficient check-in for passengers. Baggage is processed at the airport during check-in.
The major credit and debit cards accepted by Island Air include MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Japan Credit Bureau and Discover.
Island Air, which offers more than 250 weekly flights, offers nonstop service between Honolulu and the neighbor island airports of Kahului, Lihue and Lanai.
Condos, apartments lead building recovery
Residential condominium and apartment building is leading the U.S. construction recovery, according to a study released Tuesday.
Property and construction consultation company Rider Levett Bucknall released its inaugural North American RLB Crane Index, which tracks the number of fixed cranes on construction sites in markets including Honolulu.
Honolulu had 16 construction cranes in November, up from 13 in August. Half the cranes were for residential projects, a third were for commercial projects and the remainder were for health care and hospitality projects.
The commercial, health care, hospitality and education sectors are beginning to experience increases in crane activity, the report found.
"Unlike other forms of data, cranes are observable and recognizable icons of major construction activity," Julian Anderson, president of Rider Levett Bucknall North America, said in a statement. "Therefore, they are an extremely useful measure of the changing pace of the construction industry. We’ve always seen them rising in major cities."
The company’s local offices in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle physically counted all fixed cranes appearing on each skyline and gathered additional data and information for the index.
Walmart offers cash pickup on tax refunds
NEW YORK » Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is launching a service allowing customers to pick up their tax refunds in cash at about 3,000 stores nationwide.
It’s the discounter’s latest move to offer more financial services, which is seen as a path to bringing more shoppers to its stores.
The world’s largest retailer, based in Bentonville, Ark., says the process will take the same time as if customers were to file their returns electronically and then get direct deposit, which could take just a week, says Daniel Eckert, senior vice president of services for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s U.S. division.
The service could help people without bank accounts get their refunds more quickly and avoid high check-cashing fees. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. also says it could prove convenient for others.
"We know tax refunds can be one of the largest financial payouts of the year for many of our customers, and the last thing they want is to wait for a refund check to arrive and then spend money on unnecessary fees," Eckert said.
ON THE MOVE
Graham Builders has announced that Gary Teixeira has joined the firm as a finish carpenter. He has 15 years of experience in the carpentry industry and was previously a finish carpenter at Chris- Contract.
First Hawaiian Bank has announced that Paula Ogimi has been promoted to branch manager from credit underwriter in the residential department of the bank’s Kahuku branch. She was previously a personal banker at the Waipahu branch.
Hau‘oli Mau Loa Foundation has elected James Koshiba to its board of directors. He is the co-founder and former executive director of Kanu Hawaii. After stepping down as executive director in 2013, Koshiba worked as a writer, community organizer and consultant to educational and nonprofit organizations in the western United States and Hawaii.
