BUSINESS BRIEFS
Hydrogen plant in Kapolei blessed
Advertiser Staff and News Services
Airgas Gaspro held a blessing yesterday for its new hydrogen production plant in Kapolei, the first such facility in Hawai'i.
The second-generation hydrogen generator, built by H2Gen of Alexandria, Va., has the capacity to produce 10 times more hydrogen than Hawai'i currently consumes, Gaspro said in a news release.
"The demand for hydrogen will only continue to grow in Hawai'i," said Mark Mahler, area vice president.
"Until now, all hydrogen sold in Hawai'i had been imported from California. With the commissioning of this unit we are not only investing in Hawai'i's future, we are taking another step toward a source of supply reliability and energy independence," he said.
The self-contained unit uses propane and steam to create hydrogen. The waste products are water and a small amount of carbon dioxide. It has been in operation for several months.
Airgas Gaspro is a major producer and distributor of nitrogen and medical oxygen in Hawai'i. It also operates the only carbon dioxide and dry ice plant in Hawai'i.
BILLABONG PAYS $100M FOR DAKINE
Billabong International Ltd., the world's largest surfwear maker, has agreed to acquire DaKine Hawaii Inc. for about $100 million.
DaKine was founded in 1979 in Hawai'i by Rob Kaplan and is now based in Hood River, Ore.
"The brand has developed a strong reputation as the global action sports industry's leading provider of specialized backpacks and technical accessories with an excellent historical growth profile," Billabong said in a news release.
DaKine is expected to contribute 4 percent of Billabong International's group sales, the company said.
It is Billabong's second acquisition of a major Hawai'i-connected surfwear company in the past year. Billabong in September bought Hale'iwa-based Xcel Hawaii Inc. for an undisclosed amount.
BBB OFFERING SHREDDING SERVICE
The Better Business Bureau of Hawaii is providing opportunities for businesses and consumers to shred important documents at various locations on O'ahu and in Kona on Sept. 20.
The BBB is partnering with Access Information Management and Shred-It to host the "Tear it Up" events in an effort to prevent identity theft. Each person will be allowed to bring three boxes or bags of documents that will be shredded free of charge.
BBB staff also will be on hand to provide information and answer questions on how to protect individuals from identity theft. The shredding service will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the following locations:
AGENCY REBRANDS AS TRAVEL LEADERS
Carlson Wagonlit Travel agencies around the country, including the company's Lahaina location, will be rebranded as Travel Leaders outlets, the company said in a news release.
"In addition to announcing our new Travel Leaders brand, we're also using the news release to announce our brand promise and formally launch four major consumer-driven initiatives that will enable us to live up to our name," the company said.
There are more than 500 Carlson Wagonlit Travel locations across the country. The company's new Web site is www.travelleaders.com.
