NEWS & NOTES Hawaiian Telcom promising new services Officials of Hawaiian Telcom, formerly known as Verizon Hawaii, promised the company would be bringing a number of innovations and new “tools” to its consumers. Hawaiian Telcom Chief Executive Officer Mike Ruley
NEWS & NOTES
Hawaiian Telcom promising new services
- Officials of Hawaiian Telcom, formerly known as Verizon Hawaii, promised the company would be bringing a number of innovations and new “tools” to its consumers.
Hawaiian Telcom Chief Executive Officer Mike Ruley said one such tool would be the development of a single voice-mail system for subscribers, meaning their land phone and cell phone answering-machine devices would be coordinated. Company officers were on Kaua‘i last week, meeting with employees and a reporter with The Garden Island.
Company leaders offer traditional wireline service for local and long-distance calls, and began operating under the Hawaiian Telcom banner May 2 following the closing of the $1.6-billion sale of Verizon Hawaii to the Washington, D.C.-based, global-equity firm the Carlyle Group.
Ruley said company officials would be hiring about 200 people, and would be making a significant investment in improving the company’s infrastructure and brand-name recognition in Hawai‘i. Ruley said the company and its leaders are completely “Hawai‘i-centric,” and would also have an annual budget providing for philanthropic donations. Hawaiian Telcom leaders will seek to differentiate themselves from competitors through delivery of services and simplification of technology, and by not duplicating services, he concluded.
Cruise ships calling on Nawiliwili
- Tomorrow, Monday, May 23, the Pride of Aloha, 850 feet long, calls on Nawiliwili Harbor, arriving at 7 a.m. and remaining overnight, leaving Tuesday, May 24, at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 25, the Norwegian Wind, 754 feet long, arrives at 8 a.m., and departs the same day, at 5 p.m. Also Wednesday, May 25, Pacific Venus, 602 feet long, arrives at 8 a.m., and departs the same day, at 6 p.m. On Sunday, May 29, MV Infinity, 964 feet long, arrives at 6:30 a.m., and departs the same day, at 6 p.m.
HTA’s seeking ‘real’ nominees
- Members of the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA), the state agency for tourism, announced the 14th Annual Keep It Hawaii Recognition Awards Program. According to HTA officials, the Keep It Hawaii program recognizes individuals and representatives of community organizations and businesses across the state, who offer an authentic portrayal of Hawaiian culture within an appropriate Hawaiian context, thus showcasing the true culture of Hawai‘i to visitors, and helping to perpetuate that culture for future generations. Numerous awards are available in many categories. There is no charge to submit nominations or entries. According to an HTA press release, entries must be postmarked no later than Wednesday, June 15, or received in HTA offices by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, June 17. The winners will be announced at a press conference and reception in mid-July. For full details, criteria and guidelines, the nomination and application process, please visit the HTA Web site at www.hawaii.gov/tourism, or contact program administrator Martin Schiller at 1-808-227-6002, or 1-808-539-5720, or via e-mail at mschiller@tsg-hawaii.com.
Landscape technician program coming
- Kauai Landscape Industry Council (KLIC) leaders will be presenting a Certified Landscape Technician Program beginning Thursday at Kaua‘i Community College. To register or for more information, please contact the KCC Office of Continuing Education and Training, 245-8318, or KLIC coordinator Diane Hansen at 332-0611.
Nominate an older worker
- If you know a Kaua‘i resident in the workforce who is 65 or older and works at least 20 hours a week, you can nominate that person for a special award dedicated to older workers. May is Older Americans Month, and there is no better way to celebrate than to nominate an older worker for the Experience Works Prime Time Awards Program, said Eileen Walsh, president and chief executive officer of Experience Works. She said the program recognizes and honors the valuable contributions of older workers to their communities and workplaces as they age. Experience Works leaders are looking for nominations from Hawai‘i. Last year’s winner was 85-year-old Daniel Lau of Honolulu, who is the chairman and secretary of Finance Factors, Ltd. To obtain a nomination form, please call toll-free 1-866-397-9757. A nomination form may also be accessed online at www.experienceworks.org. The deadline for nominations is Tuesday, May 31. The eventual honoree must be willing and able to travel to Washington, D.C. the week of Sept. 26 for the Experience Works Prime Time Awards Program event.
Deadline for KIUC internship program May 31
- Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) leaders will host a summer internship program to promote KIUC as a workplace for electrical and mechanical engineers who are currently in an engineering program in their junior or senior years in college. According to Shelley Paik, KIUC’s member-services coordinator, the program is intended to increase awareness of the need for engineers in the electric-utility business.
“While KIUC is not known for being a high-tech company per se, we are certainly a technology company in the business of the production, transmission and distribution of power,” said Michael Yamane, KIUC’s vice president of strategic planning and the internship project supervisor.
Applications for the internship program can be obtained online at www.kiuc.coop, or by calling 246-8217. The deadline for applying is Tuesday, May 31. Students will be selected based on how ell they meet the requirements including knowledge, skills, college discipline and other stated qualifications of the job. The program will run six to eight weeks this summer.
Hawaiian Air knows the way to San Jose
- Hawaiian Airlines officials announced last week that it will start daily, nonstop service Oct. 1 between Honolulu and San Jose, Calif. Airline leaders have been making regular flights to the Bay Area for many years. “San Jose is the largest community in the Bay Area,” said Joshua Gottbaum, trustee for Hawaiian Airlines. Hawaiian’s new flight 45 will depart Mineta San Jose International Airport at 9:20 a.m. local time and arrive in Honolulu at 11:45 a.m. The return flight 44 will depart Honolulu at 1:30 p.m. and arrive in San Jose at 9:40 p.m.
