Michael Medved at Business Conference, ‘Off the Map’ TV Series Premieres, and More Business News About Hawaiian Airlines, Foodland, Pets Discount and More

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BY SAM SLOM – Hope you plan on joining SBH on Wednesday for our 35th annual business & investment conference at the Ala Moana Hotel (Garden Lanai and Hibiscus Ballrooms) 8 am – 2 pm. There’s still time to come and register!

Best selling author and popular radio talk show host, Michael Medved will keynote. Charley Memminger will provide the humor.  The Hawaii Tourism Authority’s Mike McCartney will bring you thoughts for optimism. Mets’ Pitching ace Sid Fernandez will join us too.

Many other fine business and community speakers are lined up including: Marcus Bender (Kai Vodka), Debi Halcro (Valenti Print Group) and James Kerr (SuperGeeks). A media panel will feature veteran business reporters Jim Dooley, Matt Levi, Greg Wiles and Malia Zimmerman. Hope to see you there.

According to pollster Scott Rasmussen, Consumer & Investor Confidence Fell Sharply Following the last Jobs Report. Before jobs report, 38% said economy was getting better, 38% said worse. Now, 33% say better, 43% worse.
See https://tinyurl.com/RR4708

Talking trash. Have your green/blue trash cans been picked up on time?  Not if you live in East Honolulu. Ever since December, when blue/green containers fell on the holiday Saturdays, residents had no trash picked up. Supposed to have been the Monday or Tuesday following the holidays. Nope. Then last Saturday, no pickup again. Yesterday, one of the containers was grabbed. Holiday spirit? Or union slowdown? You decide.

Suddenly, we have been invaded by house flies. Horse flies too. Must be that global warming. In any event, the teenagers in our house were very impressed with a new high tech device I bought at Longs. It’s a $1.69 fly swatter. No batteries. No internet. Totally “green.” It works.

The much publicized announcement of a buyer for Hawaiian Electric shows how gullible many people are here. Check out the background of the “buyer.” Not going to happen.

The sale of the “Aloha Airlines” name is a fact. It happened last week for $1.5 million. What happens next is uncertain.

New tv series, “Off The Map” debuts Wednesday on ABC. The series is a medical drama set in a small “South American country.” Writing has been criticized but let’s give it a fair shake. Good for Hawaii.

Island Partners Hawai`i on Monday announced that it has been selected by British Airways as a 2010 Face-of-Opportunity winner and has been awarded travel to anywhere in the world to conduct vital business meetings as well as attend the British Airways Face-of-Opportunity business conferences in New York and London.  This award is part of the British Airways Face-to-Face program, which provides small business owners and entrepreneurs the critical tools for building business relationships abroad and stimulating growth through the power of face-to-face interaction.

“We are thrilled and honored to be a part of this prestigious group of small businesses who were chosen by British Airways as a Face-of-Opportunity winner,” said Tony Vericella, IPH Managing Partner.  “These business gatherings in New York and the United Kingdom, as well as the opportunity to venture into the United Arab Emirates will give us the chance to meet prospective partners and customers, who are vital to the growth of our business in 2011 and beyond.” Island Partners Hawai`i (IPH) is an event design and destination management company that is recognized for its creation and production of exceptional experiences for corporate incentive programs and small luxury groups throughout the state of Hawai`i.  The company firmly believes that these face-to-face meetings will enable it to significantly grow its client base in Europe within the next 5 years. IPH will be represented by Charlene Davé, the company’s European Account Manager for corporate and private luxe events.  Prior to traveling to Europe, Davé will attend the British Airways Face-of-Opportunity conference in New York City on February 2 where IPH will receive free counsel from top influential international business experts while networking with venture capitalists, renowned entrepreneurs, media and other small business owners. The conference, which includes an introduction by Simon Talling -Smith, Executive Vice President Americas, British Airways, and key note speeches by Rhonda Abrams, best-selling author and USA Today small business columnist and Bill Rancic, best-selling author and first season winner of The Apprentice, will provide IPH with additional tools in business planning, marketing and travel to assist the company in its strategies to grow its client network beyond North America.

Hawaiian Airlines has a new marketing agreement with Foodland. Buy your veggies and earn air miles faster.  But tell me it isn’t so: the Foodland market in Koko Marina Center may move because of lease problems.

Assaggio’s Restaurant in Koko Marina has been closed since December and will remain closed art least until February for rennovations.

Gone is Pets Discount in the Hawaii Kai Shopping Center.

On February 10, Verizon will begin selling I-Phones so consumers have a choice.

Multiple honors for Kaiser Permanente. Kaiser was Rated highest in the state for quality and satisfaction1 Kaiser Permanente has been rated the top Commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid health plans in Hawaii based on quality and member satisfaction, according to the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) Health Plan Rankings for 2010-2011. The rankings are based on consumer satisfaction, prevention, and treatment.  Kaiser Permanente’s Hawaii Region has maintained its excellent status in the 2010 NCQA Health Plan Accreditation renewal survey. The excellent accreditation is for their Commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid lines of business. This is the highest level of accreditation awarded by NCQA.  Best Doctors list honors Kaiser Permanente physicians2 You may find some familiar names on the 2011-2012 Best Doctors® list for Hawaii. In a nationwide survey, 53 Kaiser Permanente physicians were named among the state’s top medical professionals. A wide variety of specialties were represented, including internal medicine, pediatrics, cardiology, and vascular surgery. 1 NCQA’s Health Insurance Plan Rankings 2010-11-Private, Medicare & Medicaid.  2 List excerpted from the Best Doctors in America database, which includes over 46,000
doctors in more than 40 specialties and 400 subspecialties of medicine across the
country. The Best Doctors in America® database is compiled and maintained by Best Doctors®, Inc. For more information, visit www.bestdoctors.com

Sales and Marketing Executives International (SMEI), Honolulu Chapter is proud to announce that Jim Donovan, Athletics Director at the University of Hawaii, will be a guest speaker at a dinner meeting that will be held at The Kahala Hotel & Resort on Tuesday, January 18, 2011 from 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm. This event is sponsored by Star Advertiser, Hawaiian Airlines, Pacific Business News, IMF Visions, Hagadone, Techniques Hawaii, The Kahala Hotel & Resort, Edward Jones and Mana Means Communications.

Donovan was announced as the University of Hawaii’s 20th Director of Athletics in 2008. Within two years, he has secured a partnership with ESPN Regional Television, Inc. for the creation of the Diamond Head Classic basketball tournament and worked tirelessly with the Hawaii State Legislature and private sector to fund various athletics facility improvement projects.

Donovan also negotiated a contract with Oceanic Time Warner Cable and KFVE-TV on a new television partnership which will bring in more than $14 million to the athletics department over a six-year period. Since its inception in 1948, SMEI, Honolulu Chapter, has been hosting learning and networking opportunities for sales and marketing executives. To learn more about SMEI’s dinner meeting featuring Jim Donovan or to make a reservation, please visit https://www.smeihonolulu.com or call 942-7000.

Prices have stabilized for Oahu’s residential properties, both single family and condo.

No, not another week has gone by and still no elected Speaker of the House at press time? Rep. Calvin Say has insisted for more than a month that he is only one-vote short of control. House GOP leader, Rep. Gene Ward, even announced he was giving his 8 Republican votes to Say last Friday, and again yesterday, but not so fast. Say didn’t say he would accept the valuable minority support. Meanwhile, the 26th Legislature begins next Wednesday, January 19.
At a Senate Ways & Mean hearing yesterday, the Department of Human Services released its budget request. For fiscal year 2012, the welfare agency wants $2.3 BILLION in total funds. The Department of Education, the most expensive government agency, has a $2.4 billion budget. That means that in a few years we will pay more for welfare than for education. Our major growth industry.

The next monthly SBH Sunrise Networking breakfast is coming up, Thursday, January 27 at the Pineapple Room, Macy’s Ala Moana, 7-8:30 am with guest speaker, Shiro -Hawaii’s Saimin King- Matsuo..Call Darlyn at SBH (396-1724) for reservations.

Celebrating a major business anniversary?  New location or product? Your business press releases are welcome in the weekly SBH News & Views E-Blast which reaches more than 8,000 business owners and government leaders in Hawaii..

Not receiving your E blast copy? Send PR, addition request and email address to SBH@lava.net or call Darlyn (808-396-1724).

Let SBH help you with YOUR business. Just starting a business?  Call me personally for help at 808-396-1724 or email: SBH@lava.net. Smart Business Hawaii Means Business and we’re here to help you.

To learn more about where your tax dollars go for public education visit our new transparency website shining the light on Hawaii’s education issues – www.educate808.com

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