BUSINESS BRIEFS
Phishing e-mail warning issued
Advertiser Staff
Members of the Garden Island Federal Credit Union are the target of the latest so-called phishing e-mail that attempts to get people to disclose information linked to their financial accounts.
The e-mail tells people they've been selected to take a two-minute marketing survey. The e-mail says people will have $80 credited to their accounts if they click a link and fill out the online questionnaire.
In general, financial institutions say they do not send unsolicited e-mails asking people for information such as their account numbers, passwords, debit card information and Social Security numbers.
STATE AVOCADO CROP DOWN 5%
Hawai'i avocado growers last year improved their yield per acre but farmed fewer acres to produce a smaller overall crop, according to a report by the National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report estimated the state's avocado crop at 840,000 pounds last year, down 5 percent from 880,000 pounds a year earlier.
The price paid to farmers last year was 68 cents per pound, unchanged from 2006. Total crop value at the farm level was $571,000 last year, down from $598,000 a year earlier but still the second-highest value in the last decade.
The federal agency reported that farmers increased their average yield by 7 percent to 3,400 pounds of avocado per harvested acre. Total acreage planted in avocados was 340 last year, down from 380 a year earlier, while acreage bearing fruit was 250 compared with 280 in the same period.
KONA BREWING OPENS AIRPORT VENUE
Kona Brewing Co. and HMSHost will open a new restaurant in the Honolulu International Airport main terminal tomorrow.
The Air Pub will offer the brewery's flagship beers — Longboard Island Lager, Fire Rock Pale Ale, Big Wave Golden Ale, Wailua Wheat and Pipeline Porter. And it will offer pupu, salads, sandwiches, entrees, gourmet pizzas and desserts.
Kona Brewing Company's airport pub will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
PORTLAND CEMENT SHIPMENTS DROP
Hawai'i's shipments of finished Portland cement fell in May compared to a year earlier as construction activity in the state slowed.
Data furnished by Bloomberg L.P. shows the shipments of Portland cement, a commonly used cement for making concrete, fell to 36,649 metric tons in May, or 14.6 percent less than a year earlier. That compared with an 18 percent decline in the shipments nationally.
FIRST HAWAIIAN BANK RATING UPHELD
Standard & Poor's affirmed its credit rating for First Hawaiian Bank. The bank said S&P made no changes to its AA- long-term credit rating, citing the company's consistent earnings growth and strong asset quality. Last year, S&P upgraded the bank's long-term credit rating from A+ to AA-.
15 CRAIGSIDE HOSTS FREE SEMINARS
The developer of 15 Craigside is offering free seminars beginning Friday for senior citizens and their families on how to plan for their retirement.
The seminars will be at 10 a.m. at the 15 Craigside sales center, 15 Craigside Place in Nu'uanu. Other seminars are set for Aug. 9 and 23. Those interested in attending a seminar should call Lori at 754-5410.
