BUSINESS BRIEFS
Hawaii resident on Forbes 400 list
Advertiser Staff
The Forbes 400 listing of the wealthiest Americans has only one person on it from Hawai'i this year.
The magazine listed Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay Inc., as living in Honolulu and ranking No. 54 on the list with wealth of $6.3 billion.
Omidyar, who serves on Punahou School's board of trustees and attended the school in the seventh and eighth grades, calls Hawai'i home along with his wife Pam, who also has roots in the state. A spokeswoman said the Omidyars live here part-time.
Omidyar also is a large shareholder in Maui Land & Pineapple Co. and reportedly has invested in local technology company Sopogy Inc. through his Ohana Holdings LLC.
COMMPAC HELPS ESTABLISH COUNSEL
Local public relations and marketing firm Communications Pacific has helped establish a business focus on real estate and land use for an international network of public relations companies.
The network of 59 companies known as IPREX has formed a new Real Estate Communications Counsel within the organization. Heading up an eight-member steering committee for the new focus group will be Bruce Coppa, CommPac's chief operating officer.
Formation of the group was announced yesterday at an IPREX meeting in Boston.
The IPREX network was formed in 1983. Honolulu-based CommPac joined the network early last year shortly before forming its own real estate and land use practice.
Through the network, member companies can be referred assignments or asked to assist with publicizing projects, managing issues and coordinating communications.
PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM INSTALLED
Suntech Hawaii said it has completed the installation of a 103-kilowatt photovoltaic solar electric power system at Pineridge Farms that features 515-panels.
The system is forecast to generate enough power to cut the company's energy bills by more than 80 percent. The system is expected to offset 2,150 barrels of oil that would have been burned to produce electricity over its 25-year life.
TESORO WINS MILITARY CONTRACT
Tesoro Hawaii Corp., operator of the largest of Hawai'i's two petroleum refineries, has won a contract to supply aviation fuel to the military here.
It was awarded a contract worth up to $198.9 million from the Defense Energy Support Center.
Tesoro won the contract over 15 other companies who responded to the Defense Department's solicitation over the Internet. The contract runs through Oct. 30, 2009.
SURVEY: ISLE RESIDENTS LESS STRESSED
A survey by Amway Global Wellness shows Hawai'i residents are less stressed and exercise more than the national average.
The survey of more than 15,000 people nationally found that 27 percent respondents in Hawai'i only reported having a "very" or "somewhat" high stress level. That compared to the national average of 40 percent.
It also found that 18 percent of Hawai'i residents are not exercising regularly for at least 30 minutes. That's less than the national average of 23 percent.
The same survey found 43 percent of state residents said not getting enough exercise is one of their biggest wellness challenges. About 30 percent said getting enough sleep was a major challenge.
