Trade Winds

Advertiser Staff

• VALERIE KING, former president of Navatek Cruises in Honolulu, has been named president and chief operating officer of computerized event ticket sales firm Ticket Plus LLC. King is a 25-year veteran of marketing, negotiating, strategic planning and sales executive assignments. She will handle day-to-day Ticket Plus operations, allowing chief executive officer Manny Sanchez to focus on company expansion and strategic opportunities nationwide. MICHELLE SANCHEZ, former president, has assumed the role of vice president. King is also former vice president of marketing for Atlantis Adventures and has worked for Ala Moana Hotel, Pleasant Hawaiian Holidays and Paradise Park.

• With King's departure from Navatek, parent company Atlantis Adventures has announced that TERRY O'HALLORAN, vice president of business development, will assume management responsibilities of Navatek on an interim basis. O'Halloran is former owner of Fathom Five Divers on Kaua'i, and is responsible for the creation and management of Atlantis Reef Divers. Besides Navatek, Atlantis also manages Sea Life Park and Waimea Falls Park and handles sales and marketing for the Battleship Missouri Memorial.

• Chris Dey, co-founder of the Honolulu-based sports media and marketing company Hawaii Sports Network, has been named president of the one-year-old organization. The company provides multi-media sports information and statistical analysis, scouting and player services. Coverage focuses on Hawai'i's high school, college, including University of Hawai'i, and amateur sports. Dey is past associate executive director of the Hula Bowl and vice president of TEAM Unlimited.

• Launched this month is the company's newly designed Student Sports Information Directors paid internship program, in which high school students will provide information and statistics on their school's teams and players i to be published as part of their school's site on HawaiiSportsNetwork.com. Chosen to oversee the new program is PAUL HONDA, former sports editor for West Hawai'i Today.

• Also named is Rob Farrow, as new director of (corporate and intellectual) properties, responsible also for developing "brand extensions" for HSN.

• Executives from several Hawai'i businesses have been named to the board of directors of the American Red Cross Hawai'i State Chapter:

• Board chair: FAYE W. KURREN, president of Tesoro Hawai'i Corp., and former chair of the group's major fund-raising humanitarian campaign.

• First vice chairman: ROBERT FUJIOKA, senior vice president, main banking center, First Hawaiian Bank.

• Vice chairman: JAMES ANDRASICK, senior vice president and chief financial officer and treasurer, of Alexander and Baldwin.

• Treasurer: NORMAN CHONG, chief financial officer, Arcadia Retirement Residence.

• Secretary: PETER HO, senior vice president, Corporate Banking Division, Bank of Hawai'i.

• John Kearns, associate professor of history and humanities at Hawai'i Pacific University, was named to the newly created post of assistant dean for faculty matters, aimed at fostering communication among faculty members. Kearns is also an award-winning playwright, including two recent pidgin plays with Kumu Kahua Theatre.

• Communications and marketing company, Communications-Pacific Inc. (Comm-Pac), has announced the hiring of MICHAEL LINDENBERGER as senior account executive. The company also promoted RUSSELL PANG and Jackie Smythe to directors and ABIGAIL WADE to senior account executive. Lindenberger was head of his own San Francisco public relations firm until his recent move to Hawai'i. Pang has worked for Comm-Pac since 1991, most recently as media director and senior account executive. Wade previously was a free-lance writer and editor in Guam and a reporter for Guam Business magazine.

• State Farm Insurance has named Cynthia Frost and Susan Yanabu new agents in its Kaimuki Plaza and Mililani Shopping Center offices, respectively.

• Jan Fujiwara, former director of membership and auxiliary services, and operations analyst with Hawai'i Dental Service, has returned to the company as director of quality management. In her new position, she will oversee compliance programs, quality improvement activities and privacy and confidentiality protocols.

• HDS has also announced the hiring of GEORGE K. HAIA as claims manager, overseeing the company's customer service area, and JENNIFER J. LOO as sales representative.

• Veteran Island broadcaster and radio executive BERNIE ARMSTRONG has joined KGMB-TV-9 as manager of business development. He held similar positions with KHNL and KFVE-TV. Armstrong is a two-term president of the Hawai'i Association of Broadcasters.

• KGMB has also announced the hiring of JAN KAEO L'ECUYER, NINA HASHIMOTO and TOMMY DALY as account managers.

Announcements of promotions and job changes can be sent to: Trade Winds, Business Section, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802, or faxed to 525-6763. Photographs may be included but subjects must be identified on the back.