Maui Business

Ed Schultz, President & CEO of HHG, was appointed to the Board of Governors for the East-West Center Corporation by Gov. Josh Green, effective July 1, 2024.

Walmart is now accepting applications for its 11th annual Open Call event, inviting small business owners and entrepreneurs across the US to apply for the opportunity to pitch their products to be sold on Walmart or Sam’s Club shelves or on Walmart.com and SamsClub.com. Applications are open until July 15, 2024.

Four free courses are being offered to Hawai‘i residents through the University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges’ Good Jobs Hawai‘i initiative in collaboration with Hawai‘i State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT)’s Creative Industries Division (CID).

Suspension of service disconnections for all Hawaiian Electric customers on Maui has been extended through at least Aug. 31, 2024, in accordance with the extension of Gov. Josh Green’s emergency proclamation. Maui customers who are financially challenged by the devastating wildfires will not have to worry about potential disconnection of their electric service, according to a company announcement.

A new report by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization identifies potential opportunities to diversify Hawaiʻi’s economy by analyzing a variety of industries across counties in the US and the state.

The Shift and Save pilot, which incorporates time-of-use rates that are lower in the daytime when cheaper solar energy is abundant, went live in February with 16,000 homes and businesses on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island. Customers enrolled since February must decide whether they will continue beyond the six-month bill protection period.

The 2024 award cohort included seven businesses of Maui County that excelled in sustainable business practices.

Castle Hospitality Group has promoted Ashley Asuega-Stark from assistant general manager to general manager of Chase ‘N Rainbows, the company’s West Maui Vacation Rental Division.

Prolific herds of hungry Axis deer continue to wreak havoc in Maui County, damaging farm crops, overgrazing livestock pasture lands, threatening fragile watersheds and even encroaching in heavily urbanized areas like Kahului Airport’s runways and baggage claim areas. Without natural predators in the islands, the deer have flourished unchecked. Now, in part due to an initiative funded by Maui County, some deer are falling prey to hungry humans.

The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Kā‘anapali has expanded its commitment to wellness with a new partnership with Aloha Fitness Maui.

Hawaii State Federal Credit Union has released its financial education webinar series schedule from July to September 2024.

The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority’s Meet Hawai‘i has launched a refreshed website experience to support its efforts in attracting meetings, conventions, and business groups to the Hawaiian Islands.

To gain a deeper understanding of how local companies utilize digital and broadband technology for their business operations, the Hawai‘i Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism Hawai‘i Broadband and Digital Equity Office recently published its Hawai‘i digital economy survey involving more than 1,000 businesses.

Qualified nonprofit and for-profit organizations in Maui County are invited to apply to administer the County of Maui Agricultural Micro Grants Program for the Fiscal Year from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. The deadline to apply to administer the program is July 26, 2024.

In May 2024, Maui County continued to have the largest supply of available vacation rental (TVR) units in the state, but occupancy rates for them were below half, at 49.5%, according to a report by the state Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism’s Hawaiʻi (DBEDT).

The Hawaiian Coffee Labeling Act 211, which was enacted in July 2023, requires all coffee products carrying a Hawai‘i geographical reference to include the disclosure of the location where the coffee was grown in the state, and also indicate the percentage by weight of locally grown coffee and coffee grown elsewhere. The law also specifies that coffee products claiming to be 100% Hawaiian in the labeling and advertising must be grown and processed in Hawai‘i. 

Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa will host its next Kōkua for Maui event on Friday, July 5, 2024 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the resort. The event is a place where Maui residents and visitors can shop and show their aloha for local artisans and Lahaina small businesses who were impacted by the August 2023 wildfires.

A two-day Financial Literacy for Teens workshop, which covers basic money management skills, will be held in-person Monday, July 1, and Tuesday, July 2, at Maui Economic Opportunity in Wailuku.

Hawaiʻi State Federal Credit Union has announced five management team promotions, including Ellen Liddle, Genesis Nicklaw, and Ashley Noji to senior vice president, and Reid Hinaga and Jason Martinson to division manager.

Maui County hotels continued to be impacted by the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires, but still led the counties in May 2024 revenue per available room (RevPAR) due to comparatively higher average daily rate (ADR).  Maui County hotels achieved RevPAR of $302 (-10.9% vs. 2023, +14.6% vs. 2019), with ADR at $517 (-4.2% vs. 2023, +49.8% vs. 2019) and occupancy of 58.3% (-4.4 percentage points vs. 2023, -17.9 percentage points vs. 2019).