BUSINESS BRIEFS
City tops stolen motorcycle list
Advertiser Staff
Motorcyclists in Honolulu are more likely to have their bikes stolen than in any other metropolitan area, according to a study done by the Progressive Group of Insurance Companies.
Honolulu, the nation's 53rd-largest metro area, ranked ahead of much larger cities. A motorcyclist in Honolulu is four times more likely to have a bike stolen than a motorcyclist in Chicago or Detroit, according to the study. Miami ranked No. 2 behind Honolulu, followed by San Diego, Las Vegas and New York.
KHON LAYS OFF SENIOR EXECUTIVE
The new owners of KHON-TV have laid off longtime broadcast executive Wally Zimmermann.
Montecito Broadcast Group, which took over the local Fox affiliate last month, informed Zimmermann on Thursday that it was eliminating his position as executive producer, Zimmermann said.
Zimmermann's last day was Friday.
The move comes after Montecito announced earlier this year that it was laying off as many as 35 of the station's 112 employees.
Zimmermann, who has been with KHON since October 2002, has more than two decades in the local broadcast business.
He previously was news director at local ABC affiliate KITV and served as KHON's news director between 1980 and 1987.
Last week, KHON announced the hiring of Alexander Rogers as its new controller. Rogers previously served as manager of corporate accounting at Aloha Airlines.
KAHALA HOTEL NAMES DIRECTOR
John Blanco has been named managing director for The Kahala Hotel & Resort, Trinity Investments LLC chairman Charles Sweeney announced yesterday.
Blanco was most recently general manager of The Ritz-Carlton Penha Longa in Sintra, Portugal.
His 20-year career in hotel and resort management includes working at The Ritz-Carlton Mauna Lani (now the Fairmont Orchid) and with the Four Seasons Resort Wailea.
Trinity Investments' affiliate, Kahala Hotel Investors LLC, acquired the Kahala Mandarin Oriental last year and will rename it The Kahala Hotel & Resort tomorrow.
Sweeney also announced the appointment of Timothy K.H. Lee as resort manager.
