Trade Winds
Advertiser Staff
• BENJAMIN KEKUNA has been named account director of the Orchid at Mauna Lani on the Big Island. He will be responsible for groups in the East Coast region, including Australia and Europe, as well as large groups of 26 rooms and more in the Hawai'i region.
A graduate of Kapi'olani Community College who attended Chaminade University for a year, Kekuna brings more than 25 years experience in hotel operations and sales to the position.
• KAREN INOUYE has joined Finance Factors as vice president and manager of the Maui Mortgage Center. She will be responsible for expanding the mortgage operations into a full-service, retail mortgage operation. She will also oversee the hiring and training of retail loan officers, wholesale account executives and support staff.
Inouye attended Maui Community College. Before joining Finance Factors, she served as vice president and branch operations manager for North American Mortgage Company.
• BRENDA BAROSO has joined Atlantis Adventures as sales manager for its Maui submarine tours. She is responsible for promoting and selling Atlantis Submarines to Maui visitors through industry suppliers such as hotel activity desks, travel agents, wholesalers, cruise lines and ground transportation operators.
Baroso brings to Atlantis nearly 10 years of travel industry experience on Maui. She is former marketing coordinator for Hawai'i Nature Center, Wailuku, and was vice president of Central Maui Destination Association.
• DONNA ROMANO has been named director of human resources for Four Seasons Resort Hualalai on the Kona Coast. She is responsible for recruitment, benefits administration, training and development.
Romano brings nearly 20 years of hospitality industry experience to the Four Seasons. She was most recently assistant director of human resources for Four Seasons Newport Beach. Before that she served as director of training then associate director of Human Resources at the Lana'i company.
• Also promoted at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai was JAMES KOSTECKY to resort manager. He is responsible for the hotel's day-to-day operations.
Kostecky brings more than 15 years of hospitality industry experience to the position. He most recently was general manager of The Tides in South Beach, Fla. He attended Cornell University.
• JONI TAMAYO-WILSON of Honolulu has joined Brookstreet Securities Corp., a full-service, independent brokerage firm with a nationwide network of investment professionals. She specializes in employee benefits and financial services.
Formerly with New England Securities, she has a bachelor's degree in mathematics.
• MARK DONNELLY has been named project director of marketing for Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club. He will be responsible for the marketing efforts of the proposed 750 two-bedroom villa vacation ownership resort. His responsibilities include generating customers, advertising, managing broker relationships and agreements and direct-mail campaigns.
Donnelly was been with Marriott International for more than 16 years.
• State Farm Insurance has announced the addition of three agents. They are SHAWN NAKANO at the Ward Avenue office, DEAN NOMURA in Kapalama and SAM THOMSEN in Mililani Town Center.
Nakano has worked in sales for the past 20 years with State Farm and AT&T Wireless.
Nomura joined State Farm in 1994 as a claim representative before being appointed agent.
Thomsen was hired as a claim representative in 1998.
They will provide customers with a variety of insurance and financial products, including State Farm Bank products.
• DEREK HIGASHI has been named general manager of Parts Center Hawaii Inc. He will be responsible for overseeing operations of the four NAPA Auto Parts stores operated by Parts Center Hawaii Inc. on the Big Island.
Higashi has worked for Parts Center Hawaii Inc. since 1995 in various operational capacities. He lives in Kona with his wife and two children.
• The sales team of Le'olani, including CIS GEORGE, MARY PAT LARSEN and DONNA WALKER, was honored with the Sales Team of the Year Award at the 46th Annual Parade of Homes awards ceremony.
Other honors for Schuler Homes included the HECO Energy Value Housing Award for Watercolors at Makakilo and the Best Use of Flooring for the Opus model at Kapolei Knolls.
• Coffee Partners Hawaii, an authorized licensee of Starbucks Coffee International, appointed ESTEE BEARD as general manager of the Starbucks Coffee store at Kona Coast Shopping Center.
As manager, Beard performs all aspects of operation including staffing and cash management, inventory control, customer satisfaction and upholding the Starbucks standards for product quality and presentation.
She is former customer service manager of Seattle Coffee Company and owned and managed Espresso Vezzo in Seattle.
• RYAN MIELKE has been hired as vice president of public relations for Starr Siegle Communications. He has 14 years of public relations/advertising/media/publications and management experience and most recently served as public information officer for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
• HUGH DAMON, CCIM, has joined Grubb & Ellis CBI as a commercial real estate broker. He will be responsible for office leasing and sales. Damon brings more than 17 years experience in commercial real estate to the position.
Announcements of promotions and job changes can be sent to: Trade Winds, Business Section, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; faxed to 525-6763, or e-mailed to business@honoluluadvertiser.com. Photographs may be included but must be identified on the back.
