Business Briefs

Reported by Star-Bulletin staff & wire

Tuesday, July 22, 1997

State seminar to focus
on local music industry

Hawaiian music and entertainment leaders will talk about emerging markets and challenges for the local industry at a state-sponsored, brown-bag seminar Monday from noon to 1:45 p.m. in room 204 at the State Office Tower, 235 South Beretania St.

Retail sales of Hawaiian music are currently at $8 million, with sales of recordings doubling in the last 10 years, according to the state Department of Business Economic Development & Tourism.

Speakers from the music industry include: John Tilton, vice president of Tihati Productions; Leah Bernstein, president of Mountain Apple Co. and Jon de Mello, chief executive officer of Mountain Apple Co. and talent agent.

Alex Achimore, development program manager for the Hawaii Community Development Authority, also will speak on the idea of creating a Hawaiian version of New Orleans' Preservation Hall, which is a nonprofit organization that helps jazz musicians by giving them a place to play.

Seating at the seminar is limited. To make a reservation contact Mike Markrich at 586-2412.

Atlantis executive
leads Pacific travel group

Valerie King, executive director of marketing at Atlantis Adventures, is the new chairwoman of the Hawaii chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association. King's employer runs Atlantis Submarines, Sea Life Park and Waimea Valley and Adventure Park.

Also elected at PATA was Wanda Kakugawa, president of Market Trends Pacific Inc., as vice chairwoman.

TWA cutting 1,000 jobs
by year's end

ST. LOUIS -- Trans World Airlines said today it will cut about 1,000 jobs -- 4 percent of its work force -- by the end of the year partly because it doesn't need as many mechanics since it added new planes to its fleet.

The airline said it is consolidating its 23 domestic maintenance stations into 13. The cuts include about 250 jobs at the airline's overhaul base in Kansas City, 200 jobs at its domestic line maintenance stations, 200 jobs from airport operations and 225 jobs from reservations, the airline said.

"We are taking delivery of more than $2 billion worth of brand new and recent-vintage used aircraft," said William F. Compton, executive vice president of operations. "As these new aircraft with fewer scheduled maintenance requirements come to constitute a larger and larger portion of our fleet, we are required to adjust our staffing."

Line maintenance stations that are under review for closure include Boston, Washington National and Dulles, Philadelphia, Miami, Cleveland, Atlanta, Columbus, Cincinnati and Detroit.

The St. Louis-based airline has struggled through two bankruptcies and last year's crash of Flight 800. It lost $71 million in the first quarter of 1997, and Wall Street is expecting a loss for the second quarter, due out soon.