BUSINESS BRIEFS
Hawaii 48th in patent applications
Advertiser Staff
Hawai'i ranks 48th among the 50 states and District of Columbia when it comes to international patent applications, according to a new study on U.S.-based global intellectual property creation released today by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, California and Connecticut topped the list of states.
South Dakota, Alaska and Arkansas were the states ranked lower than Hawai'i, according to the study.
The state ranking is based on the total percentage of international patent applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty per 100,000 workers for the years 1998 and 2006. Hawai'i generated 5.5 patent applications per 100,000 workers in 2006, according to the report.
CONVICTION ON DISPOSAL CHARGE
The former owner of Fantastique Inc., a Downtown dry cleaning and laundry business that operated from 2000 to 2005, was convicted Wednesday of breaking several environmental laws, according to the state attorney general's office.
Xuan-Mai Pavey pled no contest to unlawful disposal of hazardous waste, air pollution and abandoning hazardous waste.
The charges were based on the company's failure to comply with the law regarding the safe use and disposal of perchloroethlyene, a hazardous solvent that is commonly used in dry cleaning machines, the attorney general's office said in a news release.
Pavey was sentenced to five years probation, ordered to pay a $6,000 fine and perform 50 hours of community service.
"This case shows that severe legal consequences result if a business owner ignores Hawai'i's pollution and hazardous waste laws," Attorney General Mark Bennett said. "We hope this case will serve to deter future violations of our environmental laws."
A&B IN PRESENTATION TO INVESTORS
Alexander & Baldwin Inc., the Honolulu-based owner of Matson Navigation Co. and Hawai'i real estate, said it will make a presentation for investors at the Stephens Fall Investment Conference at 7:15 a.m. Hawai'i time Nov. 15 in New York City.
The presentation will be made by Christopher Benjamin, A&B's senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer, and Matthew Cox, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Matson.
The company said it will provide access to its presentation slides on its Web site. Stephens will provide a live webcast of the presentation at http://www.wsw.com/webcast/stph7/alex/. A replay of the talk will also be available at the site for 90 days.
FROZEN PIZZA TIED TO E. COLI
General Mills frozen meat pizzas sold under the brand names Totino's and Jeno's have been tied to 21 reported cases of E. coli 0157:H7 illness in 10 states, the state Department of Health said yesterday in an advisory warning Hawai'i consumers not to eat the products.
The Health Department has received no confirmed reports of severe gastrointestinal illness associated with the contaminated products.
Packaging for the products bears the establishment number "EST. 7750" inside the USDA mark of inspection as well as a "best if used by" date of "02 APR 08 WS," the Health Department said.
