BUSINESS BRIEFS
Wind farm project funded
Advertiser Staff and News Services
GE Energy Financial Services yesterday announced that it will finance the operation of the Kama'oa Wind Farm at South Point on the Big Island. Financial details were not disclosed.
The project, called Pakini Nui, will provide enough electricity to power more than 10,000 homes. It also will reduce the island's crude oil dependency by about 160,000 barrels a year, GE Energy said.
Once the wind farm project is completed as expected in March, it will add about 7 percent to the roughly 300 megawatts of total generating capacity now available on the Big Island.
PRINT COMPANY UNIONIZING FAILS
An effort to unionize employees of Hagadone Printing Co., Hawai'i's largest commercial printer, has failed, the company announced yesterday.
The employees voted against being represented by the Graphic Communications International Union, the company said. It was the latest in a series of unsuccessful attempts by the union to organize employees at the printing company, Hagadone said.
HEELYS WILL BRING OUT IPO
WASHINGTON — Most adults who don't have a kid in the house can be forgiven for not recognizing what the brand "Heelys" means to active young Americans. The Carrollton, Texas, company makes an unusual product: footwear that doubles as skates. When the wearer's weight shifts to the heel, a pair of Heelys is transformed into skates by wheels concealed in the sole of the shoe.
Heelys Inc. is hoping to capitalize on its patented skate-shoes through an initial public offering of stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market in coming months. The company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission two weeks ago to raise as much as $115 million through its IPO, an amount that could change by the time it actually finalizes the terms of its offering.
Correction: The Kama'oa Wind Farm at South Point on the Big Island will not be refurbished as part of the new Pakini Nui Wind Project planned for the area by GE Energy Financial Services. A previous version of an item in these briefs contained incorrect information.
