Maui Business

Maui Office of Economic Development invites the public to participate for free in six events planned for the Maui County 2023 National Entrepreneurship Week.

The second Core Four Business Planning series of this year, offered by Maui Economic Opportunity’s Business Development Center, begins March 7 at MEO in Kahului. Core Four offers 24 hours of instruction on how to start, operate and grow a business and is perfect for those thinking of starting a business or in the early stages and in need of further direction, according to a news release.

When Gemma Alvior made her first lehua flower design in 2016, she had no idea her work would grow over the pandemic and bloom into nationally-recognized fashion line Pulelehua Maui. Now, the Maui designer is opening her flagship brick-and-mortar boutique in Kahului.

During a recent Maui TechOhana, 45 entrepreneurs heard a presentation from guest speaker Jen Chiu, who led a design innovation team at Google, about the “Future of Work.”

Hawaiian Telcom ran their annual campaign with the employees contributing $2,843 and Hawaiian Telcom adding $10,500 to bring it to a total of $13,343 for Maui United Way’s 2022-2023 campaign.

Maui had a 95.1% recovery in visitors in 2022, compared to 2019, with 2.9 million people visiting Maui last year.  Total visitor spending was $5.69 billion in 2022, up 11% from 2019.  The year-end data was released by the state Department of Business Economic Development and Tourism.  

Maui County had the largest vacation rental supply, occupancy and average daily rates of all four counties last month, according to a recent state report.

Central Pacific Financial Corp. (NYSE: CPF), parent company of Central Pacific Bank, recently reported net income for the fourth quarter of 2022 of $20.2 million, compared to $16.7 million in the previous quarter and $22.3 million in the year-ago quarter.

After the height of remote work due to the pandemic in 2020, Hawai’i now has about 20% of its workforce still working remotely, at home or in a hybrid arrangement — and that may not change much in the future, according to Hawai’i economist Paul Brewbaker. 

The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement has been awarded a total of $1,053,000 in funding to expand operations for its Pop-Up Mākeke, an online marketplace supporting more than 500 of Hawai‘i’s businesses.

Krank Cycles, one of Maui’s original bicycle shops, gives away bikes to kids and helps repair bikes free in Maui County communities each year.

For the first time, Hawaiian Electric is seeking requests to develop firm renewable capacity on Maui and O’ahu.

Hilton Grand Vacations, a global timeshare company, has gifted $100,000 to 10 local nonprofit organizations in Hawai‘i, including Ka Hale A Ke Ola homeless resource center and the Pacific Whale Foundation on Maui.

Maui County again topped other counties last month when it came to hotel average daily room rates and revenue per available room, according to data recently released by Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.

In his new role, Nāhoʻopiʻi is responsible for the administrative, fiscal, procurement, and human resources operations of HTA, as well as the management of the Hawaiʻi Convention Center. Nāhoʻopiʻi succeeds Keith Regan who departed HTA in August 2022. 

Mufi Hannemann and Peter Ingram have been appointed to a two-year term on the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board by US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

On the heels of its recently debuted $100 million resort-wide transformation, The Ritz-Carlton Maui, Kapalua announced the expansion and elevation of its retail experience with three new boutiques: Hue Home + Design, a home and lifestyle brand; BikiniBird, a swimwear and clothing store; and The Shop by WHEAT, featuring a curated collection of men’s, women’s and children’s casual luxury essentials.

A senior program manager of a design strategy and innovation team at Google will be the guest speaker at the Malcom Center in Kīhei Thursday, Feb. 2, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Maui Now’s Wendy Osher talked one-on-one with Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram, who shared a business update and what’s to come for Hawaiian Airlines in 2023, including a new partnership with Amazon that will help to diversify the airline’s portfolio.

These projects could meet over 20% of Molokai’s energy needs and serve an estimated 1,500 households on the island. The Ho‘āhu Community-Based Renewable Energy Projects, Pālā‘au Solar and Kualapu‘u Solar, will be the first on the island to offer the shared solar program.