Maui Business

The Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau has created a new executive position, chief brand and narrative officer, and named Travis Watanabe to fill it starting July 1.

The fourth annual Hawaiʻi Made Conference wrapped up Tuesday in Waikiki after bringing together the state’s farmers, value‑added producers, food manufacturers, entrepreneurs, supply‑chain partners and resource providers.

Blue Hawaiian announced a new senior executive team on Wednesday. Blue Hawaiian is Hawaiʻi’s largest helicopter tour operator and concierge service provider, according to the company.

AARP is awarding five grants totaling $57,000 to improve communities on Maui, part of $139,000 given to 12 organizations throughout Hawai‘i through the AARP Livable Communities 2026 Community Challenge grant program.

Waiwaolani, a Maui-based clothing brand inspired by Hawaii’s native ecosystems and cultural connections to the land, expands its footprint with the opening of its first Oʻahu retail location at Kahala Mall. The 1,138-square-foot store occupies the former Fighting Eel space.

Hawai‘i State Federal Credit Union has awarded $22,000 in grants to 44 Hawaiʻi public school teachers through its 2026 Investing in Education grant program, with five Maui schools among the recipients.

Hawai‘i’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose a tenth of a percentage point to 2.5% in May, up from 2.4% a year earlier, according to data released today by the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, situated on award-winning Kā‘anapali Beach at iconic Pu‘u Keka‘a “Black Rock,” announced the appointment of Kaleo Kenui as general manager. He brings nearly three decades of hospitality leadership experience across full-service resorts and Marriott Select Brand properties to the Maui property.

The Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce hosts its Annual Membership Meeting and Luncheon on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Maui Beach Hotel in Kahului.

This summer, Queen Kaʻahumanu Center is welcoming a lineup of retail, school, and community-focused pop-ups that offer new reasons for Maui residents and visitors to stop in throughout the season. Pop-ups include Get Nutz Wear, the Lahaina Think Space, 2BDesired, and the Lands’ End school uniform shop.

These awards leveraged more than $10 million in qualified manufacturing investments statewide, underscoring the importance of continued Manufacturing Assistance Program funding to sustain growth, modernize production capabilities and strengthen Hawaiʻi’s manufacturing competitiveness.

Hawaiian Electric employees on in Maui County and on Oʻahu together with the IBEW Local 1260 raised $273,053 for Aloha United Way during a 2025 workplace campaign.

Ongoing Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) monitoring efforts on Maui continue to highlight the importance of active green waste management and composting as part of broader strategies to reduce potential breeding habitat for the invasive pest.

Hawai‘i’s nominal personal income had a substantial increase of $12.9 billion or 12.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025 compared with the same quarter of 2024. The Bureau of Economic Analysis notes that this unusual increase was due to a settlement paid to households in the fourth quarter of 2025 to compensate for losses related to the 2023 Maui Wildfire.

The SECURE Act would impose a federal ceiling on privacy protections. Department officials say this would limit the Hawaiʻi Legislature’s ability to address new technologies that impact consumer privacy and to enact stronger laws to protect Hawaiʻi consumers as privacy risks evolve.  

ALTRES CEO and President Barron Guss announced four promotions including: Theresa Collier of Wailuku, Maui; Andrew Gomolka, resident of Kakaʻako; Hayden Sinclair resident of Waikīkī; and Kelly Ralleta, a resident of Kapahulu.

A Maui-based artificial intelligence startup that aims to personalize the guest experience at hotels will be featured at the next Maui Tech ʻOhana gathering from 5 to 6:30 p.m. July 8.

This Father’s Day, families can elevate their celebrations with a private helicopter charter from Maverick Helicopters on Maui.

Cargo to Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi experienced back-to-back disruptions over the last several days.  First, dangerous ocean swells made it unsafe to moor and discharge cargo at both Kaunakakai and Kaumalapau ports on June 3, and then an unexpected mechanical repair to the towing tug delayed the recovery sailing originally planned for June 6.

Disney’s live-action “Moana” is set to make waves in theaters July 10, and Hawaiian Airlines is marking the voyager’s next great adventure with three commemorative liveries that capture the daring spirit of exploration and wayfinding.