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Business Briefs

For Wednesday, October 15, 2008

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Oct 15, 2008

(Page 1 of 2) | Single Page View

HAWAII

Isle hospital selects IT firm

The Big Island's North Hawaii Community Hospital has selected Phoenix Health Systems Inc. to provide IT management and infrastructure services.

Phoenix will partner with the hospital to manage overall IT cost, establish service level metrics and key performance indicators, and ensure it has consistent access to professional IT resources.

"Being a small hospital on the Big Island of Hawaii presents us special challenges in maintaining a solid base of operations, especially staying current in this ever changing and fast-paced health care environment," interim CEO Ron Vigus said in a statement.

Lockheed wins energy contract

Lockheed Martin Corp. has been awarded a contract with a maximum value of $1.2 million by the U.S. Department of Energy to demonstrate innovative technologies to enable ocean thermal energy power generation.

Ocean thermal energy conversion uses the ocean's thermal gradient to drive a heat engine. Since the ocean's temperature difference is relatively small, large volumes of seawater must be moved to generate commercial levels of power.

"OTEC holds the promise of providing clean, base-load electricity to energy markets that today rely almost exclusively on fossil fuels," said Denise Saiki, vice president and general manager of Lockheed's Undersea Systems unit. "It's conceivable, for example, that OTEC could enable Hawaii to achieve energy independence within a generation."

Milk production drops 40 percent

Hawaii's dairy cows produced 1.5 million pounds of milk in August, down 40 percent from a year ago, the state Department of Agriculture reported last week in its monthly livestock roundup.

Hawaii egg production totaled 6.10 million, or 16,944 cases, in August, down 10 percent from a year earlier. Total cattle marketings for the month were 4,100 a head, up 3 percent from August 2007. The increase was due to a 7 percent increase in exports, offsetting a 9 percent decrease in the number of head commercially slaughtered.

Hawaii commercial beef production during August totaled 611,000 pounds, up fractionally from a year ago. Pork production was 299,000 pounds, up less than 1 percent.

Watumull buys Big Island complex

Watumull Properties Corp., a Honolulu-based real estate investment company, said yesterday it has acquired the fee simple Sunset Plaza office/retail complex in Kailua-Kona.

The property, located on Kuakini Highway, is completely occupied with tenants including IBM, the U.S. Army, and Child and Family Services.

Watumull now owns five properties in Kailua-Kona and is seeking additional commercial real estate investments in Hawaii.

Isle energy policies get low grades

Hawaii was given both average and failing grades for its policies allowing homeowners and small business owners who generate renewable energy to connect to the grid and receive credit for the electricity they produce.

Hawaii was given a "C" grade for net metering, or billing arrangements with customers who produce their own energy, and an "F" for interconnection policies, the Network for New Energy Choices said in a report released yesterday. The grades were unchanged from last year.

The New York-based environmental group recommended that Hawaii improve its net metering by increasing system capacity to 2 megawatts and boost program capacity to at least 5 percent of a utility's peak demand. For interconnectivity, the report recommended increasing covered system capacity to 20 megawatts and prohibiting requirements for additional insurance.

[ Taking Notice ]

Promotions / New Hires

» Atlas Insurance Agency has named Russell Park as senior vice president in its client consulting group. He has 20 years of commercial insurance industry experience including alternative risk funding and risk management techniques, self insured and captive programs, and reviewing contractual risk transfers.

» Marriott Vacation Club International has promoted Gregg Grigaitis to regional project director of Hawaii timeshare operations for Marriott Vacation Club. He was previously project director for Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club for five years and has also served as project director of sales at Marriott's Grand Chateau in Las Vegas and project director at Marriott's Legends Edge in Fla.

Awards / Certifications

» Advertising and marketing firm Heinrich Marketing Hawaii has been awarded the advertising and marketing assignments for Humana in Hawaii and The Cookie Corner. The firm's current clients include Paradise Yellow Pages, Lion Coffee, Pap John's Pizza Hawaii, Sizzler Restaurants and Fun Factory.

» The Hawaii Tax Institute has honored Cades Schutte tax department chairman Roger Epstein with the Hawaii Tax Advisor of the Year award. He will be recognized at the 45th annual tax institute luncheon on Oct. 21 at the Marriott Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa Hotel.

HAWAII

Isle hospital selects IT firm

The Big Island's North Hawaii Community Hospital has selected Phoenix Health Systems Inc. to provide IT management and infrastructure services.

Phoenix will partner with the hospital to manage overall IT cost, establish service level metrics and key performance indicators, and ensure it has consistent access to professional IT resources.

"Being a small hospital on the Big Island of Hawaii presents us special challenges in maintaining a solid base of operations, especially staying current in this ever changing and fast-paced health care environment," interim CEO Ron Vigus said in a statement.

Lockheed wins energy contract

Lockheed Martin Corp. has been awarded a contract with a maximum value of $1.2 million by the U.S. Department of Energy to demonstrate innovative technologies to enable ocean thermal energy power generation.

Ocean thermal energy conversion uses the ocean's thermal gradient to drive a heat engine. Since the ocean's temperature difference is relatively small, large volumes of seawater must be moved to generate commercial levels of power.

"OTEC holds the promise of providing clean, base-load electricity to energy markets that today rely almost exclusively on fossil fuels," said Denise Saiki, vice president and general manager of Lockheed's Undersea Systems unit. "It's conceivable, for example, that OTEC could enable Hawaii to achieve energy independence within a generation."

Milk production drops 40 percent

Hawaii's dairy cows produced 1.5 million pounds of milk in August, down 40 percent from a year ago, the state Department of Agriculture reported last week in its monthly livestock roundup.

Hawaii egg production totaled 6.10 million, or 16,944 cases, in August, down 10 percent from a year earlier. Total cattle marketings for the month were 4,100 a head, up 3 percent from August 2007. The increase was due to a 7 percent increase in exports, offsetting a 9 percent decrease in the number of head commercially slaughtered.

Hawaii commercial beef production during August totaled 611,000 pounds, up fractionally from a year ago. Pork production was 299,000 pounds, up less than 1 percent.

Watumull buys Big Island complex

Watumull Properties Corp., a Honolulu-based real estate investment company, said yesterday it has acquired the fee simple Sunset Plaza office/retail complex in Kailua-Kona.

The property, located on Kuakini Highway, is completely occupied with tenants including IBM, the U.S. Army, and Child and Family Services.

Watumull now owns five properties in Kailua-Kona and is seeking additional commercial real estate investments in Hawaii.

Isle energy policies get low grades

Hawaii was given both average and failing grades for its policies allowing homeowners and small business owners who generate renewable energy to connect to the grid and receive credit for the electricity they produce.

Hawaii was given a "C" grade for net metering, or billing arrangements with customers who produce their own energy, and an "F" for interconnection policies, the Network for New Energy Choices said in a report released yesterday. The grades were unchanged from last year.

The New York-based environmental group recommended that Hawaii improve its net metering by increasing system capacity to 2 megawatts and boost program capacity to at least 5 percent of a utility's peak demand. For interconnectivity, the report recommended increasing covered system capacity to 20 megawatts and prohibiting requirements for additional insurance.

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Courtesy Hawaiian Airlines
BIRD IN HAND: Hawaiian Airlines said yesterday it transported 12 endangered puaiohi birds from the Big Island to the Alakai Wilderness Preserve on Kauai on Monday in collaboration with the Zoological Society of San Diego, and state and federal agencies. Altogether, 23 puaiohi — also known as the small Kauai thrush — have been transported and released into their native environment on Kauai in the past week. The flock of birds, one of which can easily fit in the palm of a hand, was reproduced and raised at the San Diego Zoo’s Keauhou Bird Conservation Center on the Big Island.





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