Local Industry News & Notes for Sunday, January 18, 2009

• One man carbon and fiber canoe repairs in Anahola

• Sleeping Giant has a cow

• Pick your passion at Wailea Beach Marriott Resort and Spa

• Skyline & Ledgerwook Hawai‘i merge

• Tax season begins February 1

• Waikiki Beac

One man carbon and fiber canoe repairs in Anahola

Jo Licona (Kaua‘i Boat Enterprise) is now ready to do repairs on carbon fiber 1-man canoes, and fiberglass canoes as well as 2-,  4-, and 6-man canoes.  

The company has purchased a new vacuum system, and modern scales for measuring weights and resins, as specified by the manufacturers. So they are now affiliated with the manufactures and the materials manufactures to remain inside of specks and all warranties.

For more information contact Kaua‘i Boat Enterprises at 212-1937 or e-mail jlicona@hawaii.rr.com

Sleeping Giant has a cow

More specifically, Sleeping Giant Sotheby’s International Realty had a cow delivered to a village in a third world country over the holidays.

For a $500 donation, the charity delivers a cow to a struggling family in one of 125 countries around the world. One good cow can produce four gallons of milk a day, enough for a family to drink and to share. The milk protein transforms the health of malnourished children, and sales of surplus milk can help pay for education, medicine, clothing and other necessities. And because a healthy cow can produce a calf every year, a single gift can help an entire community move from poverty to self-reliance.

Heifer International offers many levels of giving; donors can choose from cows, sheep, goats, ducks—or even honeybees.

For more information, contact www.heifer.org.

Pick your passion at Wailea Beach Marriott Resort and Spa

What better way to say “I love you” than with a luxurious Hawaiian vacation designed with you and your sweetheart in mind. At the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, you can “Pick Your Passion” from one of two romantic experiences that will surely set hearts afire.

Starting at $500 a night, this couple’s package offers a choice between an oceanfront or chocolate-themed experience.

Oceanfront Passion includes:

• A day at the renowned Mandara Spa with the Hawaiian Ku‘uipo (sweetheart) Lomi Lomi massage in a magnificent, private oceanfront cabana. This treatment was once reserved exclusively for Hawaiian royalty.

Chocolate Passion includes:

• Mandara Spa’s “Exploration in Chocolate,” a decadent couples’ experience in a deluxe, private ocean view retreat, complete with heated massage beds and private Jacuzzi tub for two with private showers. They’ll be wrapped and scrubbed in the richest of chocolate, then enjoy rinsing (or eating) it off in a fun bath.

The couple will also enjoy:

• To start the day, a healthy breakfast in the privacy of their guestroom

• Following the spa treatments, a glass of champagne and a spa lunch delivered to them in the salon

• Pampering with a Hawaiian Hot Stone Manicure and Pedicure

• An invigorating shower, shampoo and blow dry

• A sunset three-course dinner created by Hawaii Regional Cuisine Chef Mark Ellman at Mala Wailea restaurant located in the resort

All this, plus the warmth of staying in Maui’s prestigious and luxurious Wailea destination, will truly spark the passion! The couple can also retreat to Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa’s exclusive, adult-only Maluhia Serenity Pool with six private over-the-water cabanas, the perfect haven for whale watching and relaxing. And they can take full advantage of the resort’s close proximity to The Shops at Wailea.

The “Pick Your Passion” Package is available for the entire month of February. To make reservations, visit www.waileamarriott.com or call 1-800-367-2960.

Skyline & Ledgerwook Hawai‘i merge

Ledgerwood Associates Hawai‘i has merged with Skyline Business Systems. Based in Honolulu, Pat and Terri Ledgerwood of Ledgerwood Associates have been Hawai‘i’s Sage Timberline Office Supplier since 1986. Pat and Terri Ledgerwood will represent Skyline in the Hawaiian Islands and Guam. Both Pat and Terri Ledgerwood each have over 22 years of Timberline Software sales and consulting experience.

This is a win-win situation for both former Ledgerwood Hawai‘i and current Skyline clients. Skyline offers their newly expanded client base all the familiar resources, while at the same time offering more support options than ever before. This expansion is a natural fit for Skyline and Ledgerwood Hawai‘i, and further represents Skyline’s continued commitment to the construction and real estate marketplace and to Sage Software. Additionally, Sage has authorized Skyline to represent the Sage Master Builder product line in Hawai‘i.

Tax season begins February 1

January is the month to gather information for preparing your 2008 taxes. Beginning in February sites around Kaua‘i offer free tax preparation through VITA and AARP as long as you have all the necessary data.

Even if you owe no tax there are two reasons to file a 2008 federal income tax form. If you missed out on a stimulus rebate last year, you can still claim your rebate by filing your taxes for 2008 if you have over $3000 in earned income or social security income. Further, if you have earned income below certain thresholds, you may be eligible for a refundable earned income credit. For a married person filing jointly with two children this applies to those earning less than $41,646. The thresholds are lower for fewer children, single taxpayers, or married filing separately.  

For those who pay tax but do not itemize, they can add up to $500 to the standard deduction if they paid real property taxes ($1000 for married filing jointly). So be sure to bring your tax bill to your tax preparer.    

Standard mileage rates have gone up considerably: 50.5 cents per mile from January to June 2008 and 58.5 cents per mile from July to December. These amounts are 27 cents for trips for medical help and 19 cents for trips for charity work.

Too much for you to keep track of? Then, pack up your documents in January and bring them to a preparer in February or March. Sites provided by the AARP are in Princeville, Kilauea, Kapa‘a, Lihu‘e, Puakea, Koloa, Kalaheo, Kaumakani, Hanapepe, Waimea and Kekeha. The AARP prepares taxes primarily for seniors and low income but if time permits, others are helped as well.

Some of the items you will need are: Proof of identity (driver’s license, e.g.); social security card (or ITIN); copies of all W-2, 1098, 1099 forms received, records of any other income (e.g., summaries from a bank, brokerage, gaming establishment, rents collected and associated expenses, etc.); child care provider’s identification number and address; if you rent, the name and address and state tax number of your landlord; amounts of payments in 2008 for real property taxes; bank documents for direct deposit of a refund; prior year’s tax return; appropriate receipts for contribution to an IRA; if you want to itemize, lists of medical expenses, contributions to charities (you must have receipts or cancelled checks), taxes, mortgage interest paid, etc.   

For more information contact Marjorie Gifford, ERO and tax counselor, AARP at 826-0122 or Bob at the AARP office at 246-4500.   

Waikiki Beach Marriott awarded energy star

Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa has recently been awarded the 2008 ENERGY STAR seal of approval by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy, the fourth time in the past five years. Rated for its energy consumption on a scale from 1-100, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa scored 81 on its performance, the highest rating it has ever achieved.

Noted as a top performer in energy efficiency and environmental leadership, the 1,310-room resort just completed a $28 million green guestroom renovation project to its oceanfront Kealohilani Tower. The latest room renovations feature a green twist while indulging in the new style and luxurious feel of residential comfort.

In addition, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa continues its extensive energy conservation and recycling programs, while also giving back to the community.

The resort’s ECHO practices reflect the environmental interests and concerns of guests, associates, business partners and communities, with focus on five key areas:

• Water and energy conservation

• Respecting and preserving wildlife

• Clean air initiatives

• Waste management

• Clean-up campaigns

Since 2000, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa has been recycling bottles, plastic, aluminum, cardboard, paper, lead waste, fryer oil, green waste and wet waste. Fryer oil is used to make biofuel by a local vendor, while wet waste from the resort’s kitchen is also provided free of charge to local farms to feed their animals.

Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa also participates in the state’s HI-5 recycling program for beverage containers. The resort donates the money made from the recycling redemption to a neighborhood high school, which uses it to fund school programs.

 Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa was the recipient of the ENERGY STAR award in 2004, 2005 and 2006. The resort was also recognized on Travelocity’s IgoUgo.com list of “10 Hotels Where Every Day is Earth Day.”

The EPA introduced the ENERGY STAR program in 1992 as a voluntary labeling program to reduce air pollution through increased energy efficiency.

American car buyers find bargains in Canada

With the Canadian dollar’s swift fall back to the 80-85 cent U.S. range, American car buyers are finding bargains in Canada.

Here’s one example: The popular 2009 Toyota Camry LE is priced at $22,370 U.S. including freight. In Canada, it’s priced at $24,870, until you factor in the exchange rate. At 85 U.S. cents on the Canadian Dollar, the price of the Canadian car drops to $21,139. At 80 U.S. cents on the Canadian Dollar, the price of the Canadian car drops to $19,896. Obviously the lower the Canadian dollar gets, the bigger the bargain. Plus, this example does not factor in the generous discounts that dealers have been offering lately.

When the Canadian dollar moved to at or above par value with the American dollar, virtually all Canadian new car distributors lowered their prices to bring them closer to U.S. prices. Now that the Canadian dollar has dropped, it has created some real bargains for Americans. On used cars as well as new cars.  

CarCostCanada, through their popular website at www.CarCostCanada.com, offers members valuable information on how to get the most bang for their buck.

CarCostCanada.com’s exclusive Wholesale Invoice Price Reports provide exclusive access to new car dealer invoice prices and secret factory rebates to lower prices even further. The “trick” is, you’ll only get them if you know about them. Many of these rebates are not advertised, but when applied can save car-buyers thousands of dollars on an average new car. Walking into a dealer with one of these price reports in hand empowers buyers to realize maximum savings on the vehicle of their choice.

In uncertain times like these, the lowest possible price is exactly what vehicle buyers on both sides of the border are looking for.