Source: Maui Time, Maui News, Best of Maui, Maui Activities

The%20Maui%2010
Who's the county's most powerful player?

by Jacob Shafer

July 24, 2008

EVER VIGILANT

Not too much movement at the top but a fair amount of shuffling at the bottom. Young Brothers Ltd. slips back into the mix after rising amid news of a new collective bargaining agreement then falling back with a quiet week. Proving they’re not to be forgotten, the state’s largest inter-island cargo company bulked up with the addition of a new freight barge to its fleet. As reported in the Pacific Business News, the new ship, dubbed the Makaala (meaning “vigilant,” and we certainly hope all her pilots will be), is capable of carrying up to 8,600 tons of cargo (also known as: a lot) and cost $12 million. The barge is the second added by Young Bros. in the last year; in November they christened the Hoomaka Hou. The two vessels, along with another pair set to arrive from Oregon-based U.S. Barge within the year, are part of a $186 million expansion investment announced by Young Bros. in 2006.



RANK PREVIOUS COMPANY

1 1 Alexander & Baldwin

2 2 Monsanto Hawai`i

3 3 Maui Land & Pineapple Co.

4 4 Weinberg Foundation

5 5 Dowling Co.

6 6 Wailuku Water Co.

7 8 Goodfellow Brothers

8 7 Matson Navigation Co.

9 NA Young Brothers Ltd.

10 NA Consolidated Theatres



MOVIE ON UP

Also cracking the top ten this week is Consolidated Theatres with the announcement that they’ve consummated a partnership with online ticket seller Fandango. The theater chain, which has two locations on Maui, also got a boost (along with every other multiplex in the nation) as The Dark Knight led a record-smashing weekend, pulling in over $155 million in North America. Overall, the top ten films grossed better than $230 million, a figure analysts attribute at least partly to rising gas prices and consumers’ concurrent desire to look closer to home for entertainment. And back to that Consolidated/Fandango thing—the Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch reported that some 13 percent of Dark Knight tickets were purchased in advance through Fandango, also a record. MTW