Maui Business

County of Maui restrictions, triggered by fire evacuation orders Aug. 8, were lifted today, Sept. 5, 2023, for two West Maui parcels: Lahaina Gateway, 325 Keawe St., and Walgreens, 342 Keawe St.

Pono Wines,  a premium Napa wine brand inspired by Hawaiʻi, released today the 2021 IMUA Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, made in partnership with the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa (UH Mānoa).

Hawaiʻi Community Lending today announced the launch of the Kānaka Anti-Displacement Fund to prevent displacement of kānaka maoli (Native Hawaiians) from Maui after the tragic wildfire that destroyed thousands of homes and businesses in Lahaina.

The US Small Business Administration has partnered with the Hawaiʻi Small Business Development Center to open an SBA Business Recovery Center in Honolulu to provide a wide range of services to small businesses impacted by Maui wildfires that began Aug. 8. SBA representatives continue to be available at the Business Recovery Center in Kīhei to provide information on SBA disaster loans and business assistance on the dates and times indicated.

With a $200,000 OHA grant award, the Purple Maiʻa Foundation will focus on introducing students and teachers in Hawaiʻi to artificial intelligence (AI) through workshops, training sessions, and mentorship programs. By equipping Native Hawaiian students with AI knowledge and skills, they aim to increase their college, career, and community readiness, and ensure they are prepared to participate in the rapidly evolving field of AI. 

The Hawaiʻi Green Infrastructure Authority is the recipient of a $50 million appropriation for Solar PV+Battery financing in the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

More than $390,000 has been raised for the Kokua Restaurant & Hospitality Fund for restaurant, bar and hospitality workers displaced by the devastating Maui wildfires.

Edwin Torres will lead the  Outrigger Kā‘anapali Beach Resort as its general manager with a commitment to helping families and the community in the aftermath of the Lahaina wildfires.

Low-interest federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans are now available to small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations in Hawaiʻi, Honolulu and Kauaʻi counties as a result of wildfires that began Aug. 8 in Maui County.

The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority Board of Directors took decisive action at its monthly board meeting Thursday to approve $2.6 million in funding to launch the Maui Marketing Recovery Plan. The plan is centered around a new Mālama Maui campaign and prioritizes rebuilding travel demand from the United States market to Maui in the wake of the devastating Lahaina wildfires.

This second event aims to provide insurance and banking assistance to the Maui community, featuring representatives from various insurance companies and financial institutions. Last weekend’s event was cut short due to an evacuation.

The University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization issued a new report, “After the Maui wildfires: The road ahead.” The report finds that businesses in Lahaina generated more than $70 million per month in revenue and they employed about 8,500 individuals. Roughly 2,000 homes in Lahaina were lost in the fire, representing 3% of Maui’s entire residential housing stock. Residential structures within the burned area were valued at $550 million.

Thanks to the generous contributions of its Residents and Associates, Kāhala Nui recently donated $74,842 to the Hawai‘i Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund. The total donation includes a $10,000 match by Kāhala Nui Senior Living Foundation’s Community Outreach Fund.

Maui United Way’s Emergency Financial Assistance program has received more than 7,000 unique individual requests for financial help. The program offered a one-time $1,000 financial assistance payment, not to exceed $5,000 per household, for adult fire survivors living in the impacted fire zones in Lahaina and Kula. It was made possible by the many generous donations from local kamaʻāina, mainland friends, and people from around the world.  

ALTRES Foundation today announced it has launched an online portal for unemployed Maui workers affected by the unprecedented wildfires. The newly launched portal, HireMaui.org, went live on Aug. 28, and offers a way for displaced Maui workers to connect with job vacancies offered by businesses statewide.

While West Maui and fire-affected parts of Kula remain no place for visitors — with teams still searching for remains from the Lahaina fire and the recovery in the early stages — the rest of the island was unharmed by the fires but now is reeling from the abrupt loss of tourists that is causing people to lose their jobs and businesses to struggle.

Central Pacific Bank announced the Lahaina Branch will reopen to serve the West Maui community on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023. The branch, which has been closed since Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, will provide a full range of business and personal banking services when it reopens on Monday.

The Hawaiʻi State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations today announced the availability of a disaster recovery jobs portal for Maui to help workers and businesses impacted by the wildfires. The portal provides access to all currently available jobs on Maui as maintained by the DLIR. 

Kamaka Air facilitated 10 evacuation flights and multiple free cargo flight deliveries with more than 65,000 pounds of essential supplies, such as food, clothing, medicine, and household goods for citizens affected by the crisis.

“Individuals that do not qualify for regular unemployment insurance may be eligible for DUA benefits beginning the week of Aug. 13, 2023, as long as the individual’s unemployment continues to be a direct result of the disaster,” said Governor Josh Green, M.D.