2008-05-01 News
The Maui 10
by Anthony Pignataro	write the author
May 01, 2008 RESORTS GO DOWN RANK PREVIOUS COMPANY 1 2 Monsanto Hawai`i 2 1 Tesoro Hawai`i 3 3 Alexander & Baldwin 4 5 Weinberg Foundation 5 4 Maui Land & Pineapple Co. 6 7 Wailuku Water Co. 7 6 Dowling Co. 8 8 Goodfellow Brothers 9 9 Maui Electric Co. 10 10 Hawaiian Telecom Maui Land & Pine and Dowling—developers of fine resorts across the island—drop a notch this week on news that sale prices for fine, up-scale vacation resorts are dropping. Fast. "Sales of new and previously owned condominiums, single-family homes and house lots at master-planned resorts statewide such as Wailea and Hualalai declined 20 percent last year to 1,535 properties," reported the Honolulu Advertiser on April 23. Still, the Advertiser added that "developers of million-dollar-plus resort homes are betting that there are plenty of wealthy individuals seeking Hawai`i vacation property to keep demand relatively strong." While undoubtedly true, homes for the ridiculously wealthy are the bread and butter of Hawai`i's land developers, and any drop in sales, temporary or not, isn't good. MONSANTO IS GOOD PLACE TO WORK?! According to the April 2008 issue of Hawaii Business, the giant maker of herbicides and genetically modified plants immune to those very same herbicides is. With an average salary of $64,500, 559 full-time Hawai`i employees, 13 paid holidays and a mere three percent voluntary turnover, the company is ranked eighth of the 24 "large companies"—employing 150 or more people—that made the list. "If an employee of this agricultural company must travel," the mag says, "the company will reimburse travel costs for a relative to care for children, up to what a local caregiver would have cost." Wow. Can you believe that? Hawaii Business called Monsanto a mere "agricultural company." Stunning. MTW

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