Maui Business

Members of the Hawaii CARE Act Coalition will gather at the state Capitol Tuesday, May 3, as the House and Senate hold separate floor votes on HB 2252.

Maui Economic Development Board is accepting applications from Maui County students in grades six through 12 for the Daniel K. Inouye Innovation Award. The deadline for submitting applications is Aug. 8, 2016.

Maui SBW is able to offer a full five-day agenda of free educational events by relying on the funding of sponsors who cover the full operational costs of the event.

A press release issued today by the Hawai‘i Department of Commerce and Consumer Protection indicates that business operations at all of the state’s Sports Authority locations may cease within the next few months.

Pacific Media Group will hold its 17 Annual Job Fair Saturday, May14, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center in Kahului.

Under an agreement with Aloha Petroleum, Dunkin’ Donuts plans 15 restaurants in Hawaiʻi, including franchises on Maui, Oʻahu, Kauaʻi and the Big Island.

In 2015 Hawaiʻi residents registered more than 6,200 complaints about identity theft, fraud and other consumer complaints with the Federal Trade Commission.

For the first time, Hāna, Lāna‘i and Moloka‘i will each host one or more Small Business Week events during Maui Small Business Week.

Maui visitor arrivals (+1%) and visitor expenditures (+4.3%) both increased this March compared to March 2015. More visitors stayed exclusively on Maui (+8.1%) compared to March 2015, topping the list other Hawaiian Islands for exclusive stays in March 2016.

McDonald’s Restaurants of Hawaii awarded $25,000 in scholarships to 10 of its top student employees, including four recipients from Maui.

Maui County Budget and Finance Committee Chair Riki Hokama has proposed a 40% property tax increase for Commercialized Residential permitted properties—Maui’s bed-and-breakfast properties, while maintaining or reducing tax rates by 2% for other classifications.

Social Media Marketer Danielle Miller has announced new topic, day and time for the seventh edition of Miller Media Mastermind, a marketing program that combines the support of a business networking group with the training of a college course—just for women.

The Hawaii Bankers Association launched its ninth annual Foodbank Drive to benefit the Hawaii Foodbank, with donations being accepted at nearly 300 bank branches throughout the state through May 31, 2016.

A recent study by New York financial technology company SmartAsset revealed that Wailuku, Lahaina and Kahului made the list of Hawai‘i locations that have access to the best 401(k) benefit plans.

G&A earned a gold Pele in the packaging category for a Minit Stop food container design using whimsical “isms” and phrases written on the box.

Wailuku-based Sae Design was one of the few Neighbor Island, woman-owned small businesses to be recognized at the 2016 American Advertising Federation Hawai‘i Pele Awards.

David Daly is the new director of the MEO Business Development Center. He replaces retiring MEO BDC Director Craig Swift.

In the first year of the route’s operation, the number of visitors from China grew 29.1%—a trend that continued in 2015 with a further 12.4% growth.

More than 32 participants, many of whom were older, non-traditional students, attended last week’s “Discover ABIT” Open House at the University of Hawai’i Maui College campus.

Housing cost an average of 43.2% of total expenditures or $26,982 per year; food was 14.7% or $9,171 per year; transportation was 13.9% or $8,714 per year.