BUSINESS BRIEFS
BBB to recognize business ethics
By Advertiser Staff and News Services
The Better Business Bureau has announced the finalists for its 2007 Torch Awards for Business Ethics.
The winners will be recognized at a luncheon April 18 at the Hawai'i Prince Hotel.
The finalists are:
HOKU SCIENTIFIC GETS IDAHO LEASE
Hoku Scientific Inc., a Kapolei-based technology company, has obtained a 99-year land lease from the city of Pocatello, Idaho, for the construction of a polysilicon production plant.
The company said it will build a plant capable of producing 2,000 tons of polysilicon per year on the 67-acre site that Hoku is renting for $1 a year. Hoku said it has a separate option agreement to lease 450 acres more if it needs to expand.
A&B ISSUES $50M IN NOTES
Alexander & Baldwin Inc., owner of Matson Navigation and real estate operations in Hawai'i, has issued $50 million of promissory notes under an agreement with Prudential Investment Management Inc.
The notes were issued on March 20 and carry interest an an annual fixed rate of 5.55 percent, the Honolulu-based company said in a filing at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
STAR MARKET AUCTION TODAY
Star Market has scheduled an auction from noon to 6 p.m. today at its recently closed Kahala Mall location. Items for sale include walk-in freezers, refrigerators, shelving, forklifts, grinders, mixers and stainless steel tables. The auction will be conducted by local auctioneer Joe Teipel. For more information, call 538-1961, or visit www.joeteipel.com.
STATE TO EXPLAIN EXCISE TAX HIKE
The state Department of Taxation will air programming on cable television to explain the new half-percentage-point O'ahu County surcharge tax.
The department said it is providing basic information on the new tax, including who is subject to it and what transactions are covered, during a half-hour program airing on 'Olelo, Channel 54.
The program is scheduled to air:
Other information provided will include common mistakes made by businesses in completing their 2007 general excise tax forms.
