The Hawaii Tourism Authority, the state’s tourism agency, is seeking proposals for marketing contractors to run several major market programs and some new ones.

The agency has released a new request for proposals for Cruise Development Consultation Services and for another contractor to handle external destination marketing management and representation services for the emerging Southeast Asia market. The agency also is seeking proposals for external destination marketing management and representation services for its existing Oceania, Korea, China, Europe and Taiwan markets.

The new contracts under the existing RFPs will have a start date of Jan. 1 and will replace current contracts for Oceania, Korea, China, Europe and Taiwan. The Southeast Asia RFP represents a new contract and will have a start date of Nov. 1.

RFPs will be available for download at www.hawaiitourismauthority.org. The cruise market RFP is available now; all other markets will be available MondayAug. 3. Inquiries for all RFPs should be sent to HTA’s procurement officer, Ronald D. Rodriguez, at 1801 Kalakaua Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815, via telephone at 973-2251 or via email at ronald@gohta.net.

HPU bookstore opening at Aloha Tower

Construction barriers around much of Aloha Tower Marketplace will come down Monday as Hawai’i Pacific University wraps up roughly a year of construction converting the second floor of the retail complex into student dorms.

An HPU college bookstore operated by Barnes & Noble College also will open Monday and is expected to be followed by more new tenants, including Nashville Waikiki, Taco Del Mar, Subway, Boston Pizza and a convenience store. They will join longtime tenants Hooters, Gordon Biersch and the Star of Honolulu.

HPU is also adding classrooms and other campus facilities to the ground floor.

Students are scheduled to begin moving into dorms Aug. 24.

Original owners buy back door company

The sale of Servco Raynor Overhead Doors Inc. back to previous owners Peter Eldridge and Mike Markley was completed Friday.

The transaction, terms of which were not disclosed, included the company’s overhead doors, automated gates and fencing operations, as well as the transfer of 20 employees.

The new entity will be called Raynor Hawaii Overhead Doors Inc.

Servco had owned the operation for the past nine years after buying the company from Eldridge and Markley in 2005.

The partners founded the company in 1990 and will continue to focus on residential and commercial sale and service.

SolarCity focuses on excess energy credit

SolarCity Corp. named Hawaiian Electric Co.’s proposal to change how it credits solar customers as a barrier the company will work to overcome.

San Mateo, Calif.-based SolarCity, which singled out HECO in a second-quarter earnings report on Wednesday, is one of the largest solar installers in Hawaii. SolarCity and San Francisco-based Sunrun account for roughly 50 percent of the solar installations in Hawaii.

The company will be focusing on how solar customers are credited for the excess energy their systems produce in Hawaii and Nevada in the near future, said SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive and CFO Brad Buss in a letter to shareholders.

"Our top priorities in the immediate future are to both seek continuity for net metering in Nevada and prevent HECO’s attempts to stop providing net metering tariffs in Hawaii," the letter said.

In June, HECO proposed to credit new solar customers on Oahu at a rate of 18 cents per kilowatt-hour for all solar energy sent to the grid. Currently solar customers are credited at the retail rate for electricity, which averaged 27.2 cents on Oahu in July.

SolarCity reported a net loss of $22.4 million on revenue of $102.8 million. That was an improvement from a loss of $47.7 million on revenue of $61.3 million.

Backpack donations coming from Servco

Hundreds of backpacks filled with school supplies by employees of Servco Pacific Inc. are being donated to each first-grader at five Oahu schools.

The employees have been gathering the school supplies, including crayons, markers, portfolios, three-ring binders, pencil boxes, glue, scissors, erasers, pencils, watercolors and composition books, for the past two months.

In the company’s seventh anniversary of its school supply drive, backpacks will be delivered to Kaimiloa, Fern and Keolu elementary schools.

Students at Kuhio and Wahiawa elementary schools received their supply-filled backpacks on Wednesday.

The backpack drive was initiated by a group of Servco employees who realized that many families struggle to provide their children with supplies needed to succeed in school.

"We care about the community and are proud of our fellow employees at Servco for how they pitched in," longtime employee and backpack drive chairman Francis Lee said in a statement. "These students now have the necessary tools they need to make learning fun and enjoyable."

ON THE MOVE

BrightStar of Honolulu has announced Steven Tam as its new manager. He previously served as a director of advocacy for AARP Hawaii as well as a vice president of sales for Prudential Locations.

KKDLY has announced the promotion of Ernest H. Chu to senior accountant from staff accountant. He received his bachelors of business administration in accounting degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Advantage Realty has announced that Toni Maehara, Realtor associate and certified new home specialist, has joined its Kahala office. Maehara is an experienced agent and has extensive knowledge of local neighborhoods. She is also affiliated with several local nonprofits.

SHIP AHOY!

Today’s ship arrivals and departures:

HONOLULU HARBOR