Maui Business

Fitness and wellness specialist Justin Yanagida and affordable housing developer Highridge Costa were honored as Volunteer of the Year and Benefactor of the Year, respectively, at Maui Economic Opportunity’s 38th Volunteer Celebration held Wednesday.

R.D. Olson Development held a groundbreaking recently of the Maui Airport Industrial project, located on a 6.3 acre parcel in Kahului near Costco at 250 Lauo Loop.

HPM Building Supply is expanding its retail operations with a new store and drive-through lumberyard on Lānaʻi, the company announced. The 5,000-square-foot retail space was previously known as Lānaʻi Hardware and Lumber store.

Interventional cardiologist Dr. Jason T. Call has joined the staff at Pacific Permanente Group, a Maui-based medical group providing health care services in nearly a dozen specialties. 

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources will host free grant-writing classes for farmers, entrepreneurs and small businesses Feb. 23 on Molokaʻi, Feb. 27 on Maui, and Feb. 29 on Lānaʻi.

Hawai‘i’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Office of Consumer Protection and Department of the Attorney General contributed to a comment letter filed Feb. 7 supporting a proposed Trade Regulation Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees by the Federal Trade Commission.

Maui Business Brainstormers will sponsor a business workshop for students called Nā Haumāna ʻoihana nō (Entrepreneurial Students, indeed!) at Kamehameha Schools Maui on Feb. 14 as part of National Entrepreneurship Week.

Longroad Energy will hold a virtual community meeting at 5 p.m. March 14 to provide updated information on its Pulehu Solar project, a 20MWac/80 MWH solar and battery storage system, set for construction in Lower Kula.

The Forbes Travel Guide unveiled its 2024 Star Awards, with 21 Hawaiʻi hotels, spas and restaurants winning high ratings, and Maui County had a dozen of them.

An in-person networking event presented by Maui TechOhana featuring a guest speaker from Pacific Disaster Center will take place on Feb. 22, starting at 5:15 p.m.

Outrigger Resorts & Hotels has tapped Meghan Lee on Maui to lead overall sales and marketing for Outrigger Kā‘anapali Beach Resort while naming Luana Maitland to oversee cultural programs at Outrigger’s Waikīkī beachfront resorts.

Gary Grube, founder and President of the Hua Momona Foundation said food insecurity isn’t the only issue families face. “Ongoing instability of income, healthcare, and housing is also weighing on westside families,” he said.

The median sales price of a single-family home in Maui County spiked to $1,342,581 in January, the highest cost for island homeownership in at least a year, according to statistics reported monthly by the Realtors Association of Maui. Median condominium prices increased more, by percentage, up 20.9% to $795,000.

The state legislature authorized Maui County to implement a 0.5% general excise tax surcharge that took effect Jan. 1, 2024. Revenue from the county surcharge will be used for housing infrastructure, including water, wastewater, pedestrian paths and sidewalks.

Hawaiian on Thursday became the world’s first major carrier to deploy Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency broadband internet. The service debuted onboard an Airbus A321neo flight from Honolulu to Long Beach, Calif.

CocoNene celebrated the grand opening Monday of its new store at the Kīhei Kalama Village. The store known for its made-in-Hawaiʻi products lost its flagship location on Front Street during the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire.

The US Department of Labor recovered $134,000 in tips, overtime wages and damages and assessed nearly $5,700 in penalties after an investigation found that the owner of Maui’s L&L Hawaiian Barbecue at 270 Dairy Road, shorted employees’ tips and other pay.

The public is invited to join the County of Maui Office of Innovation & Sustainability today for the launch of the ‘Mayor Sustainability Series.’ Featuring individuals dedicated to caring for the planet, this series seeks to facilitate critical conversations on climate change and how to come together to create a more sustainable Maui Nui and collective world.

The 212-unit, low-income Aikanaha rental housing project underwent review Wednesday morning by the Maui County Council’s Housing and Land Use Committee. The project could be the first buildout in the Waikapū Country Town development.

ʻĀina Lani Pacific is seeking a Maui County grant of more than $4.9 million to help pay for steeply rising construction costs projected for the developer’s 28-home Kilohana Makai project in Kīhei.