BUSINESS BRIEFS
Plenty of poinsettia for holidays
Advertiser staff
There should be a healthy supply of poinsettia for the holiday season, according to a survey of local growers conducted in October.
Holiday poinsettia inventory is estimated at 319,000 pots, up 5 percent from last year, the Hawai'i office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service reported.
The survey shows that the 5- to 6 1/2-inch pot category represented 69 percent of the total, or 220,000 pots. Pots under 5 inches account for 20 percent of the total, or 64,000 pots.
Red continued to be the most popular color for the coming season, making up 85 percent of the inventory. The remaining 15 percent was divided among white, pink and marbled.
HELP NEEDED FOR FREE TAX SERVICE
Several nonprofit groups are seeking community volunteers to help provide free tax help in Hawai'i.
The AARP, the Hawaii Asset Building Coalition and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance groups are seeking volunteers to provide free tax assistance, said Internal Revenue Service spokeswoman Judy Monahan.
Volunteers will be provided with free training materials on how to prepare basic individual income tax returns and, in most cases, how to file them electronically, she said.
Instruction will cover both federal and Hawai'i state tax returns. Training classes are generally held in December and January and, in return, volunteers are asked to donate some of their time to help at volunteer sites around the state between January and April.
For more information, call the AARP Tax-Aide prospective volunteer coordinator at 955-5776 or the Hawaii Asset Building Coalition at 677-6939, ext. 25.
ENTREPRENEUR CONTEST AT PLAZA CLUB
Fifteen entrepreneurs will take part in the Hawaii Entrepreneur Investor Pitch Competition set for today at the Plaza Club.
The event is organized by Enterprise Honolulu, HiBEAM and the High Technology Development Corp. in partnership with Hawai'i Pacific University. The competition, which is part of the Global Entrepreneurship Week, will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. and will be followed by a networking reception.
The finalists were among 40 entrepreneurs who submitted executive summaries of their business plans in the preliminary round of the competition. Once the summaries were approved, the 15 finalists were picked and were provided with two to five hours of coaching by local entrepreneurial experts.
The winners will be vying for cash prizes that total $4,500. In addition to the money, the participants also are expected to benefit from the experienced coaches who will help the entrepreneurs perfect their investor pitches.
The event is open to the public.
NEW WAIKIKI STORE FOR WRITING AIDS
The finer tools for writing — as in putting pen to paper — will be for sale at a new store that opens tomorrow at Waikiki Beach Walk.
Bittner, The Pleasure of Writing, is at the corner of Beachwalk and Kalia Road, across from the Outrigger Reef on the Beach and the new Trump International Hotel & Tower.
The chain specializes in fine writing instruments, elegant stationery and writing accessories from around the world, including a wide selection of colored inks, handmade paper, leather journals and other writing accessories.
Bittner Hawaii Inc. is a division of Bittner Inc., which was founded in 1990 and operates its famous pen boutique and Web site www.bittner.com in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Calif.
