Maui Business

Child & Family Service (CFS), a Hawaiʻi nonprofit, announced the appointments of Dr. Linda Fox, PhD, as Chief Program Officer and Kainalu Severson as Chief Risk & Operating Officer. 

Japan Airlines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Japan-America Society of Hawaiʻi to support the upcoming Hawaiʻi-Japan Sister State and Sister City Summit, scheduled for May 2026 in Honolulu.

Central Pacific Bank earned several honors by the US Small Business Administration as the top lender in Hawaiʻi for 2024. This achievement includes the prestigious SBA Lender of the Year, Category II award for Hawaiʻi, a recognition CPB has now received 16 times since 2004.

Applications have been extended for Cohort 16 of the KūHana Accelerator, which launches next week. Business owners looking to take their companies to the next level now have until this Friday, March 7, 2025, to submit their written applications for Cohort 16.

Maui County’s economic recovery remains slower than other islands, particularly in tourism and employment, suggesting lingering effects from the August 2023 wildfires disaster that disrupted tourism and local businesses, according to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism the 2025 Statistical and Economic Report, published in this first quarter.

Applications are now open for Cohort 6 of Hawai’i Ag & Culinary Alliance’s Cottage Industry to Commercial Enterprise Scholarship—an initiative designed to help local value-added food entrepreneurs using Hawai‘i-sourced ingredients scale their businesses. 

Hawai‘i Energy is increasing rebates for energy-efficient home upgrades through June 30, giving residents a chance to save more on their electricity bills.

The IRS has released its 2025 Dirty Dozen list, warning taxpayers, businesses and tax professionals about the most common tax scams that threaten financial security. From phishing emails to misleading tax credits, these schemes peak during tax season but can occur year-round. Here’s what to avoid:

Maui Health CEO Lynn Fulton has been awarded the prestigious Pacific Business News “Women Who Mean Business” award for 2025, an accolade recognizing extraordinary women who excel in both business and community leadership.

The clearest near-term risk is federal layoffs, which could result in a loss of more than 2,000 local jobs, fully offsetting growth in construction and the lift from local tax cuts. Together with other federal policies, this places the Hawaiʻi economy at risk of recession over the next few years, UHERO reports. 

David Morimoto is being promoted to Vice Chair and Chief Operating Officer; and Dayna Matsumoto is being promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Eighteen months after the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires, there were 202,738 visitors to Maui in January 2025. The number of visitors to Maui in January 2025 was higher than January 2024 (175,005 visitors, +15.8%), but below January 2019 (233,422 visitors, -13.1%).

To celebrate 100 years of serving Hawaiʻi, American Savings Bank is giving back with a $100,000 donation to local nonprofits through the newly launched ASB Charitable Foundation. Ten organizations will each receive $10,000 – and the public is invited to decide the recipients by voting online.

This first-of-its-kind interactive augmented reality experience features 11 leading cultural educators and scientific experts. The “living portraits” on the plaques consist of portrait images that “come to life” by employing augmented reality (AR) technology. By using the AR viewer on a smartphone and pointing the camera towards the portrait, it creates a lifelike experience for the guest as the image begins to move and speak when viewed on the phone’s screen.

With 40 years of experience in branding, product development, corporate strategy, and community engagement, Blaine Miyasato will lead CNHA’s efforts to strengthen and unify its brand, ensuring it reflects the organization’s mission to uplift Native Hawaiians.

Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi has promoted Shellie Niles to Vice President of Mission, in which she will be responsible for advocacy and overseeing the neighbor island offices for Hawaiʻi’s largest social services agency.

At a luncheon hosted at Fuego Argentinean Steakhouse, CEO of Hawaiian Airlines Joe Sprague served up updates on the ongoing integration, sharing new benefits, expansions and programs designed to beef up travel experiences for both residents of Hawaiʻi and visitors.

The Hawai‘i Technology Development Corp. and Hawaiʻi Green Infrastructure Authority, co-administrators of the State Small Business Credit Initiative, have announced receipt of an additional $20.5 million in federal funding to bolster the Hawaiʻi Small Business Capital Program, also known as HI-CAP.

Conrad Figueroa is Central Pacific Bank’s new senior vice president and director of Mainland lending within the Credit Strategies & Solutions team, the bank announced.

Hawaiʻi State Federal Credit Union recently presented a donation of $5,000 to Hawaiʻi Meals on Wheels in support of its mission to provide nutritious meals and essential services to kūpuna and individuals with disabilities across Oʻahu.