BUSINESS BRIEFS
Five cent increase in gas cap seen
Advertiser Staff and News Services
The wholesale price of regular gasoline in Honolulu could rise about 5 cents to $1.88 a gallon next week, according to Advertiser calculations.
The state sets a cap on the price that wholesalers can charge for gasoline, but retail prices are unregulated. The cap is adjusted weekly. The Public Utilities Commission today will announce the official wholesale cap for next week.
NEWEST BANK MAKING DEBUT
The latest entry to Hawai'i's banking industry will be opening its doors Friday.
Pacific Rim Bank will begin taking deposits and making loans at its Restaurant Row office after its official opening ceremony Friday morning.
The bank, which will employ more than 15 workers, is the second local bank start-up in several decades. Ohana Pacific Bank, which caters to O'ahu's Korean-American community, recently received approval from state and federal regulators and is in the process of opening its offices near Ala Moana Center.
SURFLIGHT TAKES SHOT AT BLANKS
Waialua-based Surflight Hawaii Inc. said it hopes to fill some of the void produced when the world's largest maker of surfboard blanks, Clark Foam, abruptly shut down. Surflight said it is joining forces with a manufacturer to offer polystyrene foam cores locally.
Surflight said the blanks produced with Marko Foam Products of Corona, Calif., are more environmentally friendly and produce lighter and stronger surfboards compared to the polyurethane blanks that Clark produced.
FERRY SERVICE OPENS OFFICES
Hawaii Superferry, which plans to begin providing interisland ferry service in early 2007, has opened a new headquarters in downtown Honolulu at One Waterfront Plaza.
Hawaii Superferry will keep its operational offices at Honolulu Harbor's Pier 19 ferry terminal, the hub of its future operations.
