OBTAINED FROM MONEY MATTERS, MAUI NEWS, APRIL 14, 2010
Hawaiian plans to continue expanding its work force of 4,000. It is adding 10 new long-range Airbus aircraft, the first of which is to be delivered this month. Ten pilots and 45 flight attendants are being hired for each aircraft.
By BRIAN PERRY, City Editor
The announcement from the Denver-based real estate investment and development company did not say how many jobs would be lost during the transition from current owner Ohana Hotel Co. The property will be managed by Green Tea LLC, an Amstar subsidiary.
“A change in the existing operational model is critical to turning the hotel around and into a viable operation,” said Green Tea President Joy Berry. “Our revamped organizational structure will take a team approach requiring employees to have more than one role, so that no matter the task, we all work together and help each other out to ensure the long-term viability and success of the hotel and more jobs for the community.”
The 70-room hotel, which opened in 1946, has about 180 members of UNITE HERE Local 5, not counting nonunion and management employees. A union representative could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening.
In January, Ohana sent out notices to employees, informing them of the sale of the hotel.
State Sen. J. Kalani English, whose 6th Senate District includes East Maui, Upcountry, Molokai and Lanai, said he welcomed Amstar Group as a new “corporate neighbor” in Hana.
He said he hoped the new owner would continue the tradition of staffing the hotel with Hana residents.
“Given the state of our local, national and worldwide economies, we in Hana are willing to face the unfortunate reality that some jobs at the Hotel Hana-Maui will be lost,” English said. “We’re willing to acknowledge that Amstar’s business model may call for changes that will mean shifts in employment. However, having met with Amstar executives and speaking with them about their plans, I am comfortable that they intend to be good corporate neighbors and focus on having a positive impact in our community.”
The transfer of hotel ownership is expected to be completed in May.
“We are choosing to invest in the Hotel Hana-Maui because we recognize Hana as a special place,” Berry said. “Our efforts will be focused on travelers who have a great interest in ‘doing,’ offering them a wide variety of activities and providing them with a memorable experience in a memorable place.”
Green Tea will host an employment fair within the next few weeks. The new hotel management company is encouraging all interested employees and members of the community to attend and apply for jobs.
“The company is also reviewing operational functions that are more efficiently operated and managed by specialists, potentially creating job opportunities with outside contractors and within the community,” the Amstar news release said.
Berry said the new owners believe the hotel can be profitable and offer more jobs if repositioned in the marketplace.
English said both Amstar and the community of Hana are committed to making the transfer of hotel ownership as effective as possible.
“All of Hana has experienced the uncertainty surrounding the Hotel Hana-Maui’s financial condition, and I think we are all extremely satisfied with the plans we have seen for the hotel’s future,” he said.
* Brian Perry can be reached at citydesk@mauinews.com.
By CLAUDINE SAN NICOLAS, Staff Writer
POSTED: April 19, 2010
KAHULUI – Maui High School’s student auto mechanics kept up a winning tradition this weekend in Honolulu by capturing the top and runner-up spots in state competition.
This time around, seniors Bryson Higa and Lewis Drapete dominated the field at the 2010 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition by taking home trophies for the highest written exam score and being the first and only team to complete a “perfect” car in the hands-on portion of the contest.
Higa and Drapete’s instructor is Shannon Rowe, a 1996 Maui High graduate who won the state title in the same contest and went on to take second place on the national level.
This year in Honolulu, second place went to Maui High seniors Taylor Asato and Joseph Delara. They were led by instructor Neill Nakamura. In third place was a student team from Aiea High School.
King Kekaulike High School – the only other Maui school to compete – tied for fourth place with Moanalua High School. The Kekaulike team featured seniors Forest Lunstrum and Odmar Gil under the direction of instructor Petar Kovacic.
A second Kekaulike team picked up fifth place with senior Kealakaimilani Freitas and junior Jonathon Harris. They were advised by instructor Dave Masters.
The state’s best auto technology students competed Saturday at Leeward Community College, where they were given deliberately “bugged” 2010 Fords to demonstrate skills required of successful automotive technicians.
On any given day, professional auto technicians would make the same types of repairs to cars and trucks.
Higa concentrated “under the hood” by fixing the engine starter, while Drapete took charge of the electrical portions of the vehicle, including lights, car locks and accessories. They completed their tasks in 48 minutes, finishing comfortably ahead of their peers. Their closest competitors were Asato and Delara, who submitted their car more than an hour into the contest.
“It was fun and interesting and exciting,” Higa said Sunday.
“It was a good experience,” Drapete added.
Both students said they plan to pursue a career in auto mechanics after high school graduation.
By winning the contest, Higa and Drapete each received a $10,000 scholarship to attend a technical school on the Mainland and a $3,000 scholarship to participate in the Ford Assets Program at Leeward Community College. But they said they would likely pass those up to attend WyoTech, a tech school for auto and other mechanics in Sacramento, Calif.
Drapete, 18, of Kihei, and Higa, also 18, of Kahului, credited their win to Rowe for his advice, and to their friendship, which allowed them to easily communicate and work well together.
“He’s a real good instructor,” Higa said of Rowe. “He’s patient.”
Drapete said Rowe provided tips about the contest and encouraged them throughout two weeks of six-hour-a-day practices on cars.
“We worked really hard,” said Drapete, who gave up two weeks of judo to focus on the auto competition.
Rowe works as a full-time instructor at Maui High and has been supporting the program with his expertise as a former mechanic and supervisor at Valley Isle Ford for 12 years. “It’s something I enjoy a lot,” Rowe said Sunday. “It’s a way for me to give back.”
Aside from school scholarships, each member of the first-place team received a set of car mechanic tools.
Their state win earned Higa and Drapete the right to compete at the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills National Championship in Dearborn, Mich., this June. It’ll be the first time they will compete, and the second year in a row that Rowe will accompany students as their instructor.
Maui High has had at least 15 national final appearances. The Sabers have placed in the top 10 for the past nine years and won national titles in 1995 and 2000.
In 2009, a Maui High team placed 14th at the national contest – one of the lowest scores ever for a Saber team.
Both Ford and AAA sponsor the annual state and national contests as a means to attract more young adults to a career in auto mechanics.
* Claudine San Nicolas can be reached at claudine@mauinews.com.
Title: New Feature to find sold comparables
To find sold comparables for a property, simple find the property in question and then scroll down to just below the “Show All Units For Sale” feature. Click on the “Show Comparable Units Recently Sold” link and it will bring up a popup window that will show all of the comparables. Condos and residential homes find comparables that were sold within the last six months that have a not more that 1 bedroom more or less than the unit being viewed that are also in the same price range of $400,000 more or less. Condos will only bring up units in the same complex. Vacant Land will find comparables of any price. Homes find comparables nut just in the same neighborhood, but in the general vicinity.
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The Hansen Ohana attended the meeting where Dr. Bonham spoke. It was very good and the summary below is excellent. We know you would like us to share this info with you.
Economic Recovery
Pamela Tumpap’s Notes from Who Moved My Recovery? By Dr. Carl Bonham
* Dr. Bonham noted the big question is “what will recovery look like?’
*He said the US reported last summer that the recession is over, but people still wonder what that means.
*He explained that the recovery is likely to e choppy.
*We need to watch consumer confidence and consumption.
*Investment in buildings will likely be subdued.
*We, in our County and State rely on US consumer consumption for travel and tourism and watching these key indicators will give us clues about our recovery.
*Feb. and March, 2010 were good months and we expect things to pick up during the summer.
*Investment in Maui and the State is better than the rest of the country, where lower investments are a drag on the economy.
*A typical recovery shows an increase in consumer consumption, typically followed by a increase in investment in equipment, with increases in structures (buildings) afterwards.
*However, with this recovery, investment in buildings in not expected to come back the same way.
*With excess inventory in homes, no growth is anticipated in housing construction for a while.
*With respect to total US consumption, expect to see growth of about 3% this year.
*While 162,000 jobs were created last month, much of this was temporary employment and government work. It was not really driven by a growing economy, however, it helps as more are working.
*It is estimated that $50 trillion in wealth was destroyed during this recession.
*As a result, we still face a reduction in consumer consumption and people are saving more.
*It will be a long recovery for household and business wealth.
*Government policy did help spur consumption, like Cash for Clunkers and the First Time Home Buyers Program, but this is pretty much done now.
*When looking at Hawaii’s recovery, we need to care about our exports (visitor services), investment, consumption and government.
*The visitor section is currently seeing occupancy rise, but room rates are still down. However, Maui will benefit from increased lift.
*Maui single family residence home sales are up, but what really matters is new construction. Tax credits help drive this, but the question is what happens after July – September. Expect Maui home prices to stay in the $500k-$600k rance for a while.
*Jobs and income affect home sales and until unemployment turns around, do not expect a rebound in home prices.
*For Hawaii, we don’t have consumption data. However looking at the retail tax bases gives us an idea of what consumers are doing. We saw 15% growth in the fourth quarter of last year, so it is picking up a bit.
*Visit www.uhero.hawaii.edu for additional information.
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