Maui Business

Island Grocery Depot in Lahaina reopened Tuesday with modified business hours. The store will not have ice, fresh meat and select produce items until water is safe.

The University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization launched a publicly available, interactive housing data dashboard on Sept. 26, that allows users to customize their data reports based on location, with information such as property and rental market, demographics, zoning and housing stock. UHERO designed the dashboard to inform discussions on the way forward for housing in Hawaiʻi.

The grants, made possible through the Micro-Grants for Food Security Program, will provide support for small-scale gardening, herding, and livestock operations to increase the quantity and quality of locally-grown food in communities experiencing food insecurity.

This price freeze, which is scheduled to remain in effect until Nov. 6, 2023, unless terminated or superseded by separate emergency proclamation, does not extend beyond the Island of Maui. During this declared emergency, the price freeze now in effect for the Island of Maui means that the essential goods and services that are subject to the price freeze must be sold at pre-emergency price levels.

Due to the Maui wildfires that occurred in Lahaina on Aug. 8, 2023, many vacation rental units in West Maui became unavailable for the rest of August, resulting in dramatic decreases in unit night supply and unit night demand in the West Maui area.

Aloha Petroleum invites Hawaiʻi high school students to participate in its annual commemorative mug design contest. This year’s theme is “What Does Aloha Mean to You?”

As demand for construction workers is estimated to rise due to housing and infrastructure initiatives, the Hawai’i Regional Council of Carpenters aims to attract more individuals to the trades through its pre-apprenticeship program.

A team from the Office of Head Start visited Maui Economic Opportunity to provide support and assistance to staff and parents affected by the wildfires.

Longtime community development specialist Toni Rojas has been appointed as Director of Maui Disaster Relief by the Hawaiʻi Catholic Community Foundation. The position was created to support the ongoing efforts of Catholic Charities of Hawaiʻi and the 11 parishes on Maui to aid in the recovery of the Lahaina and Kula communities, which were severely impacted by wildfires on Aug. 8, 2023.

The report shows Maui lost more than $13 million of visitor spending each day in the weeks following the fire. With the planned Oct. 8 reopening of unaffected West Maui resort areas, economists are not anticipating a rush to travel, but a gradual recovery instead.

FHLB Des Moines awarded $4 million to the Hawaiʻi Bankers Association who will regrant funds to the Hawaiʻi Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund, the United Way of Maui and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement. FHLB Des Moines donated $1 million to the Valley Isle Chapter of the Hawaiʻi Credit Union League, who established the Credit Union Wildfire Relief Fund. This fund provides direct and immediate support to those in need, addressing their most pressing needs at any given time.

A month after sustaining the devastating effects of the wildfires that destroyed Lahaina and its neighboring communities, Depo Market– a handcrafted jewelry company employing adults with disabilities, is pleased to announce the official grand opening celebration for their long-awaited storefront location in Wailuku.

Along with celebrating the appointed, MHLA also recognized the wildfire relief efforts of its members during the Annual Meeting. Maui’s visitor industry is experiencing a daily economic loss of nearly $13 million a day since the August wildfires.

HawaiʻiUSA and Maui Oma Coffe Roasting Company created a custom coffee blend named ‘Imua,’ which appeared on store shelves this week. Proceeds from Imua Coffee purchases will go towards the nonprofit Imua Family Services.

The revamped MauiNuiFirst.com website offers businesses an expanded platform to showcase their products, services and activities.

Maui County hotels earned RevPAR of $294 (-30.4% vs. 2022, -3.8% vs. 2019), with ADR at $564 (-8.6% vs. 2022, +43.7% vs. 2019) and occupancy of 52.2% (-16.4 percentage points vs. 2022, -25.8 percentage points vs. 2019).

At the 20th annual Build Hawaiʻi Awards, Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company received the grand award for their outstanding work on Kō‘ula at Ward Village, a 41-story mixed-use development.

The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority is renewing its efforts to attract tourists from Europe with the awarding of a two-year contract for visitor education and marketing services for this market to Emotive Travel Marketing.

“As we continue to assess the needs of Maui’s people and how they envision rebuilding for the future, a Tourism Recovery Plan is critical to supporting Maui’s revival and the state’s immediate, mid-term, and long-term recovery efforts,” said Mahina Paishon-Duarte, Chair of the Disaster Response Permitted Interaction Group and HTA Board Vice Chair.

American Savings Bank, Bank of Hawai‘i, First Hawaiian Bank, and Central Pacific Bank joined Hawaiʻi Community Lending, a Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit community development financial institution, in taking a pledge to provide mortgage forbearances to Maui families impacted by the recent wildfires.