BUSINESS BRIEFS
Fire won't crimp macadamia sales
Advertiser Staff and News Services
A fire that damaged a warehouse at the Island Princess macadamia nut orchard on the Big Island will not affect business operations, the company said.
The fire caused an estimated $500,000 in damage at Island Princess' 1,100-acre Kea'au orchard early Tuesday morning. Fire officials said about half of the warehouse was damaged.
The company said yesterday that the warehouse contained farming equipment for orchard operations. The Honolulu manufacturing facility continues to be operational, the company said.
"Because Island Princess products are island favorites, especially during the holiday season, we want to assure everyone that production at our Honolulu factory is 'business as usual,' " said Michael Purdy, Island Princess president.
QUEEN'S LANDSCAPING WINS AWARD
The landscaping at Queen's Medical Center has received national recognition.
The Professional Grounds Management Society gave the hospital the Grand Award in its 2007 Green Star Awards competition. The award was given in the "hospital or institution" category for exceptional grounds maintenance.
"This facility is a slice of paradise, providing patients, visitors and personnel alike a walled-in secret garden filled with dark foliage plants, a native Hawaiian plant area interpreted with signage emphasizing the medical use of the plants," the society said in a news release.
Mark Gwinner, the Queen's landscape developer, said: "This is a great honor to receive. It not only recognizes the efforts put in by my staff, but also the Queen's Medical Center's commitment toward enriching its patients' lives through green spaces."
BIG ISLAND TOWING COMPANY FINED
Vern's Towing II was cited by the state Department of Health for storing too many vehicles at its Hilo facility, a violation of its solid-waste management permit.
The state Health Department said Vern's failed to comply with a warning letter it issued to the facility in April 2007. In July 2007, Vern's had even more vehicles on its site, officials said.
The state imposed a penalty of $1,287 and ordered Vern's to take corrective action.
Although the manner in which the waste vehicles are currently stored at the site poses a relatively low likelihood of exposure to solid waste or related contaminants to humans or the environment, the number of vehicles reported stored there exceeds permit requirements, creating a potential risk.
Vern's can request a hearing to contest the allegations.
LONGS' SAME-STORE SALES DOWN
Longs Drug Stores Corp. said yesterday that early results indicate that its November same-store sales fell 0.6 percent, hurt by a decline of its nonpharmacy sales.
Same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, is a key indicator of retailer performance because it measures growth at existing stores rather than newly opened ones.
Same-store pharmacy sales rose 0.8 percent, while same-store front-end sales fell 2 percent.
Longs, which operates Hawai'i's largest chain of drug stores, said its total retail sales from continuing operations rose 2 percent to $362 million.
The company is closing 23 stores in Colorado, Oregon and Washington that are classified as discontinued operations.
Shares fell 2 cents to $53.96 in after-hours electronic trading, having earlier closed down 83 cents at $53.98.
