Maui Business

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maui Ku‘ia Estate Chocolate company of Lahaina has donated sweets to first responders and people sheltering in place across the country, and contributed proceeds to the Maui Food Bank and other nonprofits.

The Maui Job Corps Center recently honored top employees through its Celebrating Excellence awards program that selects recipients based on impact, character, leadership and years of service.

The Hawai‘i REALTORS® trade organization has named Derek Lau as its 2021 President.

The Federal Communications Commission has awarded Hawaiian Telecom $24 million to continue deploying fiber broadband service to rural areas in Hawai‘i.

Maui-based Vitalitea Hawaiʻi received the 2021 Good Food Awards in the Elixirs’s category for its flagship flavor “Restore,” a craft kombucha made from local pineapple.

The Four Seasons Resort Lānaʻi, located at Manele Bay, earned the No. 1 top ranking on both the 2021 Best Hotels in the USA and Best Resorts in the USA lists published today by U.S. News & World Report.

Blue Hawaiian Activities begins operations with 19 concierge offices throughout Maui and Oʻahu, and will further expand to Kauaʻi and the Big Island in the coming months.

Hawaiʻi girls in grades 8-12 are encouraged to apply for the”CompuGirls Hawaiʻi Spring Camp 2021″ program. The free virtual program is aimed to introduce and educate underrepresented Hawaiʻi girls in STEM education, cybersecurity and information technology.

Programming updates and federal funding has allowed the state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations to offer a choice of either Extended Benefits (EB20) or Pandemic Unemployment Emergency Compensation (PEUC) for claimants that filed for EB20 between Dec. 15 and 28, 2020.

Maui United Way received another grant from the Hawai’i Community Foundation to continue purchasing personal protective equipment (PPE) to distribute to non-profits throughout Maui Nui to keep staff, offices and clients safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

AlohaCare has appointed interim CEO Francoise Culley-Trotman as its permanent chief executive officer.

The Abilities Awareness Fair, an informational gathering for persons with disabilities, attracted nearly 20 vendors and support groups and almost 700 viewers to a livestreamed event Friday.

Southwest Airlines announced new nonstop flights between Long Beach and both Kahului, Maui and Honolulu on Oʻahu.

Central Pacific Bank unveiled an historic transformation that includes a newly refreshed brand, new community spaces and new digital products.

Hawaiʻi Energy awarded over $1,000,000 in funding to 251 nonprofits and small businesses in Oʻahu, Maui and Hawaiʻi counties, through its Energy Relief Grant program. 31 businesses in Maui County were awarded up to $25,000 grants.

Wailea Village launched a weekly farmer’s market in its courtyard which opens from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. every Tuesday. The first Wailea Village Farmers Market begins Tuesday, Jan. 26 and will observe mask mandates and social distancing guidelines.

Some Maui residents report that they have received their second Economic Impact Payment by mail in the form of a prepaid debit card. The Treasury Department and the IRS are issuing millions of second payments in this form as a way to “speed delivery.”

Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority Report: Maui County had a 41.8 percent occupancy rate for vacation rentals during December 2020 with an average daily rate of $277.

Hawaiian Airlines has begun pre-clearing passengers departing from select US mainland cities to Hawai‘i under a program that allows travelers with a negative COVID-19 test to bypass the airport screening in Hawai‘i.

The US Small Business Administration has approved approximately 60,000 PPP loan applications submitted by nearly 3,000 lenders, for over $5 billion, between the program’s reopening on Monday, Jan. 11, and Sunday, Jan. 17.