BUSINESS BRIEFS
TV show seeks 'fun' homeowners
Advertiser Staff
Honolulu residents can apply to appear on a TV show called "My House is Worth What?" that airs on HGTV.
The show has real estate experts evaluate each home's worth by looking at the local market and community.
Show producers say they are searching for "fun and energetic homeowners" who want to be considered for the program.
Homeowners would be needed for one day of taping in early December. Applications can be submitted online at: www.pietown.tv/Shows/mhiww_applicationowners.html.
FAO SCHWARZ TOY STORE OPENING
FAO Schwarz will open a toy store Monday inside Macy's at Ala Moana Center.
The "store-within-a-store" will carry an array of toys, including plush stuffed animals, cars, trucks and trains, and other items.
FAO Schwarz plans to open outlets in nearly 700 Macy's department stores over the next two years in a move that both stores hope will drive traffic in a tough economic environment.
A&B SELLS CALIF. SHOPPING CENTER
Alexander & Baldwin Inc. said its real estate subsidiary has sold a Long Beach, Calif., shopping center after receiving an unsolicited offer from Regency Centers L.P. It didn't disclose a sales price, though said it was "favorable."
The Honolulu-based company said it intends to reinvest proceeds in a replacement property via a tax-deferred exchange. It had owned the 6.7-acre Marina Shores Shopping Center on Pacific Coast Highway for six years.
Marina Shores is comprised of three buildings. Anchor tenants include Whole Foods, Petco and Boater's World.
The company said its A&B Properties portfolio now consists of 6.9 million square feet of retail, office and industrial space in Hawai'i and eight Mainland states, including six properties in California.
Alexander & Baldwin is Hawai'i's fourth-largest private landowner.
LIFEBED USE COVERED BY UNION FUNDS
Hoana Medical Inc., a Hawai'i-based medical technology company, said several union health and welfare trust funds are supporting use of its LifeBed Patient Vigilance System that allows patients' vital signs to be monitored at all times without intrusive wires or devices hooked up to their bodies.
Hoana said the trust funds are directing third-party insurance payors to reimburse LifeBed costs for members.
The Hawaii Medical Service Association, the state's largest healthcare insurer, does not reimburse for LifeBed costs, because other monitors are already available.
Hoana said the union health and welfare trust funds are reimbursing hospitals at $18 per day per bed. The groups involved include the Hawai'i Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund and cover about 230,000 people.
HONOLULU TOPS AS A ROMANTIC ESCAPE
Honolulu was the top city in the nation when it came to six of 45 categories related to travel, according to a survey of travelers by Travel & Leisure magazine and Headline News.
The 2008 America's Favorite Cities survey asked people to rate 25 cities.
Honolulu was tops as a relaxing retreat, as a romantic escape, for active/adventure vacations, for weather, for winter/Christmas travel and for Thanksgiving travel. It ranked among the top five cities in 14 categories.
The city ranked worst in one category: theater.
