Maui Business

The Maui Volunteer Coalition for Recovery in partnership with the Ho‘ōla iā Mauiakama Disaster Long Term Recovery Group, is offering a limited number of complimentary POINT Pro subscriptions to Maui’s nonprofit organizations. This initiative aims to strengthen volunteer management systems and enhance capacity to support wildfire recovery efforts.

Maui Land & Pineapple Company, Inc. announced the selection of Kainoa Casco as Vice President of Land Productivity and Asset Management. Casco is responsible for developing and executing strategies to create value by increasing the productivity of unimproved land in West Maui.

Lahaina Cannery and Lahaina Gateway, West Maui’s premier shopping destinations, are welcoming a group of new tenants for the holidays – businesses that have been adversely affected by the wildfires and have been shuttered for nearly a year and a half.

Central Pacific Bank has hired Larry Panzeri as the new branch manager of its Kīhei branch. 

Applications are now open for a state-funded program empowering Hawai‘i-based entrepreneurs to develop their food products from concept to business plan and pitch, providing tools to grow and scale their businesses.

BIA Hawaiʻi has announced the 2025 Officers and Directors who will lead the association and the industry in the coming year. These industry executives hail from various sectors within the building and construction industry, including associate members whose products and services support builders, developers, and specialty contractors. 

The US Department of Agriculture has announced awards for 17 Hawai‘i projects totaling $2.6 million under the Resilient Food System Infrastructure program. The RFSI program is aimed at strengthening middle-of-the-supply chain operations and local food systems by supporting processing, manufacturing, storing, transportation, wholesaling and distribution of agricultural products. The grants include $77,896 to Maui Breadfruit Co. and $59,058 to NH Properties, LLC dba Haʻikū Organic Farm on Maui.

First Hawaiian Bank today announced that bank employees and retirees have ushered in this year’s holiday giving season by contributing a donation of $873,987.53 to 36 charities in Hawai‘i, Guam, and Saipan as part of the bank’s annual Kōkua Mai employee giving campaign.

Visitors to Maui island lag behind by pre-pandemic arrivals in 2019, according to a fourth quarter 2024 Statistical and Economic Report released by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Here on Maui, 14 months after the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires, there were 180,609 visitors to Maui in October 2024, which was higher than October 2023 (134,493 visitors, +34.3%), but below October 2019 (238,043 visitors, -24.1%). Visitor spending increased to $388.5 million in October 2024, compared to $332.9 million (+16.7%) in October 2023 and $379.8 million (+2.3%) in October 2019.

Servco Pacific Inc. acquired Big Island Toyota’s Hilo and Kona locations today, Dec. 1, 2024.

Tetsuji “Tets” Yamazaki of Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa has become the first Maui hotel general manager to be awarded “General Manager of the Year – Resort Property” by the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

Maui Health announced the selection of Penny Koval, MSN RN, NHA, as the health system’s new Administrator of Critical Access Hospitals. The appointment took effect on Nov. 1, 2024.  As CAH Administrator, Koval oversees all hospital and long-term care operations for both Kula Hospital and Lānaʻi Community Hospital.

Maui United Way allocated over $12.7 million to individuals and organizations across Maui County. It also focused on long-term resilience, providing resources for mental health, education and recovery.

Maui County Federal Credit Union has announced its first-ever Holiday Fair, a community event celebrating local businesses and bringing holiday cheer to the Maui community. The event will take place on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 224 Kehalani Village Drive in Wailuku.

During the months of November and December, the Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, becomes home to a range of specialty pop-ups, collaboration and activations designed to bring the holiday spirit alive to its guests from both near and far.

A pre-fabricated, fire-resistant building material known as mass timber can be shipped to Maui from the Pacific Northwest and reduce on-site construction by at least half, compared with traditional stick-built homes, according to Haʻikū architect David Sellers.

Catholic Charities Hawai‘i has named Denise Iseri-Matsubara as executive director of Catholic Charities Housing Development Corp.

Queen Kaʻahumanu Center invites the public to gear up for the holidays on Black Friday, Nov. 29, with giveaways, performances, and exclusive shopping opportunities.

After years of operating once a week under tents in a parking lot, the Nāpili Farmers Market now has a 3,200-square-foot marketplace for vendors and customers and some brick-and-mortar shops for shelter from rain showers.