BUSINESS BRIEFS
Tenants sought at Ilikai hotel
Advertiser Staff and News Services
Sofos Realty Corp. has been hired to find tenants to fill available commercial space at the Ilikai hotel as part of an effort to transform the tower into a more upscale property.
There is about 32,000 square feet of retail and office space plus 33,000 square feet of restaurant space at the Waikiki property that Sofos Realty seeks to lease. Some 21,000 square feet is also being made into a spa.
Anekona Development, a firm headed by local developer Brian Anderson that bought the Ilikai and an adjacent building for $218 million last year, is repositioning the 43-year-old hotel as part of a $60 million renovation plan that includes selling 343 units in the roughly 1,000-unit tower to investors.
GAS CO. CEO YATES RESIGNING
Jim Yates, president and chief executive officer of The Gas Co., is leaving the company to pursue a "personal career goal in Hawai'i," the company announced yesterday.
Yates also has accepted a position to serve on The Gas Co.'s board of directors, the company said.
Tom Wellman, The Gas Co.'s chief financial officer, will serve as interim president and CEO until a successor is found. Macquarie Infrastructure Co., The Gas Co.'s parent company, will conduct a search for a successor for Yates, whose last day is Aug. 31.
"We are indebted to Jim for his significant contributions and dedication to The Gas Co. over the past 12 years," said Wellman.
WARNING ISSUED ON RAW OYSTERS
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers not to eat raw oysters harvested from an area of the southern tip of Hood Canal in Washington.
One of the areas where the oysters were distributed was Hawai'i.
The FDA said raw oysters harvested from a "growing area" in Hood Canal from July 3 and thereafter have caused at least six people in California and Washington to become ill.
Symptoms of the illness called vibriosis include diarrhea that may be accompanied by abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills.
The agency is recommending people who believe they have experienced these symptoms after consuming raw oysters to consult with their healthcare provider and their local health department.
KONA COFFEE WILL BE SOLD IN ILLINOIS
A new coffee house offering an exclusive selection of Kona coffee is opening in Aurora, Ill.
Kona Cafe is being promoted as offering an extensive selection of coffee cultivated on the slopes of Mount Hualalai and Mauna Loa. Kona Coffee is considered one of the best coffees in the world and can command prices above $30 a pound.
The 1,300-square-foot cafe is opening in the River Street Plaza, a development in a historic district along the Fox River.
