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‘HC&S has been shut down,’ A&B official says

Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar Co. has closed and is no more.

“HC&S has been shut down,” said Darren Pai, spokesman for Alexander & Baldwin, on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, old habits die hard and the name has mistakenly been used in some cases. We should only be referring to A&B.”

For example, Rick Volner, who spoke at the Maui Energy Conference in March, was listed as general manager of HC&S in the program. And a news release about a Maui Agricultural Festival Legacy Farmers Pancake Breakfast event this morning at the Maui Tropical Plantation listed HC&S as the sponsor. A correction was later sent out for the latter event.

Volner is general manager of diversified agriculture for A&B, which was the parent company of HC&S, said Pai. A&B officials said in December that there would be 14 workers remaining from a more than 600-member HC&S workforce; they are now A&B workers, Pai said.

A&B announced the end of HC&S in January 2016 with the final harvest ending in December. A&B cited $30 million in losses from its agribusiness sector in 2015 with more projected losses going forward. HC&S had a 145-year history and was the last surviving sugar plantation in the state.

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