BUSINESS BRIEFS
Biofuel land-leasing bill signed
Advertiser Staff and News Services
Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday signed into law a bill designed to make it easier for biofuel producers to directly lease public lands.
The measure is part of the administration's efforts to increase Hawai'i's energy independence by encouraging the use of alternative renewable energy sources such as biofuels.
A law passed in 2002 authorized the Board of Land and Natural Resources to lease public land to renewable energy producers through direct negotiation. The law, however, did not take into consideration that biofuel production does not require its production facility to be at the same location as the fuel source. Because of the different requirements for industrial- and agriculture-zoned districts, it is often advantageous to have biofuel production facilities in a different location than where the crops and other organic materials are harvested.
The new law expands the definition of renewable energy producer to include growers and producers of organic materials used primarily for production of biofuels.
COVERALL CLEANING'S ISLE FRANCHISE
A regional franchisor of commercial cleaning firm Coverall Cleaning Concepts has acquired the master franchise for the business in Hawai'i.
With its acquisition, California-based Melton Franchise Systems Inc. will provide training, sales, technical and customer service support for 60 Coverall franchise owners providing janitorial services to more than 230 customers in Hawai'i.
Melton is a master franchisor and support provider to about 460 Coverall franchise owners in Utah, New Mexico, Idaho and parts of California and Nevada through affiliate Coverall Mountain & Pacific. Coverall Cleaning Concepts has about 9,000 franchise owners worldwide.
MAUI LAND & PINE REGISTERS SHARES
Maui Land & Pineapple Co. has filed a registration statement for $15 million of shares it sold last year in a private placement to Ohana Holdings LLC and ZG Ventures LLC. The company was obligated to register the 517,242 shares under the terms of the private placement, allowing the shares to be sold in public markets if the owners choose to divest.
Maui Land & Pineapple said it did not think that Ohana, a firm controlled by eBay Inc. founder Pierre Omidyar, and ZG, which is managed by former America Online executive Miles Gilburne, plan to sell their holdings, since they have said they are long-term investors in the company. Gilburne also sits on the Kahului company's board of directors.
DEAL FOR MEDICAL RECORDS SYSTEMS
A subsidiary of the Hawaii Independent Physicians Association has won a contract to install and provide training in electronic medical records systems for a group of physicians practicing in and around Waimea on the Big Island.
The eQuality Healthcare Information for Physicians unit of the association said it won the contract over two other providers and will install the system over the next 12 to 18 months for 45 to 50 physicians and other providers.
It will allow doctors to transition from paper records and exchange medical information with other doctors. It also lets patients view their records online and interact with doctors over the Internet.
Bill Donahue, executive director of the Hawaii Independent Physicians Association and manager of the eQHIP unit, said the systems using eClinical Works software should benefit the physicians participating.
