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Retired sugar executive Cataluna dies at 77

LIHUE (AP) - Donald Bruce Cataluna, a retired sugar industry executive and former Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee, has died. He was 77.Cataluna worked almost every sugar plantation job, from taking care of pack mules to managing some of the largest plantations in Hawaii. He spent his career with C. Brewer & Co. and was one of the industry's first part-Hawaiian plantation managers.Keith Smith, who worked with Cataluna at the Wailuku Sugar Co., told The Garden Island that his former supervisor was a trailblazer."In those days, the plantation managers were all Caucasian, and Don and ...

Chamber events timed to mark Legislature’s opening

This year, Chambers of Commerce statewide kicked off the opening of the Legislature with our first-ever Chamber Week, from Monday to Friday, in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, which created the Oahu events. Activities were held daily in conjunction with opening of the 2014 session to engage members and the business community in the legislative process and to come together for a strong business sector legislative voice. It began Jan. 10 when Gov. Neil Abercrombie proclaimed Jan. 13-17 Chamber Week. Events included:* Monday, State of Business - CNBC reporter Scott Cohn ...

Business/In Brief • Jan. 11, 2014

Down to Earth sells products at e-storeDown to Earth Organic & Natural opened an e-store Friday that features more than 100 items.Products for sale include local coffee, honey, cosmetics, sunscreen, facial care, oils and massage lotions and vegetarian supplements, including vitamins, protein powders, heart and bone health aids, antioxidants, cold and flu herbal remedies.Noni, Spirulina and Down to Earth private label products will be for sale as well.The site may be accessed at estore.downtoearth.org."Opening an e-store marks a major milestone in the 37-year history of Down to ...

Nominations open for county’s outstanding small businesses

The new year is here and we are again partnering with the mayor and his Office of Economic Development, headed by Teena Rasmussen and her team, to honor outstanding small businesses in Maui County.All are invited and encouraged to nominate an admirable small business for the annual 2014 Mayor's Small Business Awards. The nomination forms are available at the Maui County Business Resource Center at Maui Mall, the Maui Chamber of Commerce at the J. Walter Cameron Center, the Mayor's Office of Economic Development in Wailuku, the Kuha'o Business Center on Molokai, and online at ...

3 indicted in Hawaii mortgage debt scheme

HONOLULU (AP) - Federal prosecutors in Honolulu say three people were indicted in a real estate scheme that resulted in $3.3 million in property sales based on fake claims of paying off more than $4.5 million in mortgage debt.U.S Attorney Florence Nakakuni in Hawaii said Wednesday that the scheme involved filing false forms with the state Bureau of Conveyances indicating that the mortgages had been paid.FBI spokesman Tom Simon says two suspects, 46-year-old Jennifer McTigue and 38-year-old Sakara Blackwell, were arrested at their separate homes in Honolulu on Wednesday. Simon says ...

Business/In Brief • Jan. 10, 2014

Hawaiian defends Neighbor Isle faresLIHUE - The chief executive of Hawaiian Airlines said airfares that have risen for travelers throughout Hawaii are reasonable given rises in fuel costs, government fees and other operating costs.The Garden Island reported Thursday that CEO Mark Dunkerley of the airline's parent company, Hawaiian Holdings Inc., said the airline operates on very tight profit margins."When we make decisions, we have to make them very, very cautiously, because it doesn't take much to take you from . . . profit-making to loss-making," he said.Dunkerley told members of the ...