Maui Business

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. 

The Hawaiʻi Visitors & Convention Bureau shared highlights on accommodations, venues, cuisine, and activities in Maui County.

The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation has announced that president and CEO Terry George will retire on July 1, 2025, after 22 years of dedicated service to the organization. The foundation’s board has appointed Alex Harris as president and Eric Co as CEO, introducing a co-leadership model to guide the organization into the future.

Central Pacific Bank has announced the launch of Business Express, a new online lending platform designed to provide small businesses in Hawaiʻi with fast, flexible and easy access to financing.

With the theme “Building Solutions for Hawai‘i’s Housing Crisis,” Hawai‘i Community Lending held its annual meeting, Hui Waiwai, on Jan. 23, 2025. All proceeds from the event—totaling more than $37,000—go to support housing for local and Hawaiian families.

Vivia by Ho‘okele Home Care, a locally owned provider of home health care services, announced Friday that Tracy Hart will serve as vice president of client navigation, and Mary Lester will serve as vice president of operations for Vivia by Ho‘okele Home Care.

Micah Kāne, CEO of Hawaiʻi Community Foundation, will become the next CEO of Parker Ranch, Inc. Hawaiʻi Community Foundation has outlined a six month transition period, during which it will name Kāne’s successor.

The state’s Airports System has successfully raised $849 million in bond financing to fund approximately $600 million of essential projects to upgrade and expand airport infrastructure, including runway repairs, terminal renovations, security enhancements and the construction of new facilities.

Boosted by new grid-scale and rooftop solar capacity, Hawaiian Electric achieved a 36% consolidated renewable portfolio standard in 2024, accelerating progress toward the 2030 RPS milestone of 40%.

A “Mastering Your Money” class aimed at helping residents take control of their finances through budgeting, spending, saving and credit strategies will be held 1 to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, in-person at Maui Economic Opportunity in Wailuku.

The KūHana Accelerator is preparing to launch its next cohort in March 2025, and applications are now open. Business owners looking to take their companies to the next level have until March 3, 2025, to submit their written applications for Cohort 16.