Marianas Business Journal - Business News From Around The Region

Tuesday, February 9th 2010 7:49 PM Chamorro Standard Time

Volume 7 No. 20 February 1, 2010 - February 14 , 2010

Gourmet group

Pago Bay Resort LLC and the Marianas Business Journal hosted a Power Lunch on Jan. 21 at VIP Restaurant. At the event were (standing from left) Gerald S.A. Perez, general manager, Guam Visitors Bureau; John Tarantino, chief operating officer, Pago Bay Resort; Robert A. Underwood, president, University of Guam; Michael Ady, president, M80 Systems Inc.; Daniel Rosenberger, assistant vice president and senior financial advisor, Merrill Lynch; and Frank J. Whitman, managing editor, Marianas Business Journal; and (seated from left) David A. Alcorn, vice president, GFS Group; Duncan G. McCully, attorney, McCully & Beggs, P.C.; Maureen N. Maratita, publisher, Glimpses Publications; and Wendy Huang Ortiz, principal broker, Realty One Pacific.

Guam News

NEWS FLASH! - Cape wins Pacific cleanup contract

Cape wins Pacific cleanup contract

NEWS FLASH! - $566.18 M mil con projects in Obama 2011 budget

$566.18 M mil con projects in Obama 2011 budget

NEWS FLASH! - Saipan company opens doors on Guam

Saipan company opens doors on Guam

NEWS FLASH! - ANZ CEO may give progress report on global strategy

ANZ CEO may give progress report on global strategy

Able ready and willing to meet buildup labor needs

Representatives of Able Body Labor, a Florida-based staffing company, were on Guam from Jan. 18 to 23 to explore the prospect of providing skilled labor to contractors who will be involved in the military and ancillary buildup.

Computer and culinary expansion - fresh new eats and bytes

Dr. Kebab's is a new Mediterranean and Middle Eastern delicatessen scheduled to open at the end of February in the Pacific Bay Hotel building in Tumon. The 800-square-foot deli will occupy the space formerly leased by a Subway restaurant below the VIP House Chinese Seafood Restaurant. Subway has since moved to the Blue Lagoon Plaza fronting San Vitores Road in the space previously occupied by the Thai restaurant, King and I (See "A scoop on upgrades at two Subway stores" in the Jan. 18 issue of the Journal).

Corporate Giving

Sales from raffle tickets at the Guam Business Executive of the Year 27th annual gala on Jan. 16 raised $3,580 for the Guam Chapter of the American Red Cross. The grand prize of one round-trip, business-class air ticket to Hawaii was donated by Delta Air Lines.

Plain Fiji

We drive to Pacific Harbor, in Namosi province in the East of Viti Levu. The area bills itself as "the adventure capital of Fiji." About 80% of the area is rainforest and it's noticeably cooler. We pass smallholdings with livestock and cattle, and papaya farms. We are to stay at the Pearl South Pacific Resort & Spa.

"Fresh Prince" of Bel-Air moves into Upper Tumon

Tumon Bel-Air is a new residential gated community development supported by Bel Land Development Corp., composed of 26 townhouse units located along Tumon Lane neighboring Pia Marine by the Tumon Golf Driving Range. Alessandra "Lani" A. Beltran, vice president and owner of Bel Land Development told the Journal that approximately half of the units have already been sold. "We are targeting professionals who reside in Guam," she said. However, some buyers are off-island investors who intend to utilize the units as condominium rentals.

Friday Ocean Night Market still finding its feet and ways to gain support

Like an infant learning to stand and take its first steps, the Friday Ocean Night Market at the Chamorro Village is finding its feet and ways to garner support from local vendors and tour operators, three months after its launch in October 2009.

Grant Thornton no more

As of Dec. 31, accountants Keith T. Nakamura and Roger D. Slater have discontinued their affiliation with international accounting and consulting organization Grant Thornton International. The firm is again known as Slater, Nakamura & Co. as it had been from the time the pair initially partnered in December 2000 until it joined Grant Thornton International on Jan. 1, 2005, according to Journal files. "We are, and always have been, a local firm," said Nakamura. "We were members of Grant Thornton; we aren't anymore. Only the name has changed." The firm will continue its practice in the same Marine Corps Drive location in Tamuning with essentially the same employees.

Bascon Corp.

For nearly 22 years, Bascon Corp. has set out to be a leader in providing high-quality, innovative construction management and general contracting services for many government of Guam agencies and private organizations, said Leilani Rose Suarez, marketing consultant and acting general manager of Bascon.

JGPO's Ruggiero promoted

GUALO RAI, Saipan - U.S. Marine Capt. Neil Ruggiero, public affairs officer for the Joint Guam Program Office Forward, will be promoted to the rank of major effective Feb. 1.

Louis Vuitton shows its sartorial savoir-faire

On Feb. 1, Louis Vuitton is scheduled to launch a new range of small leather goods in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Louis Vuitton Heritage Line dating back to 1910.

Working to re-open Philippine labor office on Guam

During the first half of this year, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office will re-open, said Kerwin Orville C. Tate, consul for the Philippine Consulate on Guam.

Residential development on Barrigada Heights fresh on the market

A new 26-lot residential subdivision in Barrigada Heights has been developed by Won C. Kim of Tumon Corp., a general contractor and construction firm. The cul-de-sac subdivision is at the top of North Sabana Drive, in the vicinity of the Pacific Presbyterian Church. Tumon Corp. has developed the infrastructure including paved roads and sidewalks, and had water lines and power cables installed, according to Elizabeth C. Duenas, associate broker for Remax Diamond Realty, the listing agent for seven lots in the subdivision.

Special Feature: Click, click, flash

Sleek and slim in design so it will slide effortlessly into your pants or suit pocket without the unwanted and obvious bulk, JVC introduces its new pocket flash memory camcorder, the PICSIO GC-FM1. PICSIO is a small, simple, pocket camera that allows easy sharing and delivery of unparalleled quality for both video and still images. No need to scroll through menu and open folder options, the PICSIO was created with "menu-less" navigation - a top priority in the design of the camera. User friendly functions are easily selected using logically placed dedicated buttons including power (on/off), playback, delete, video/still mode switching, thumbnail display and a four-way controller enabling efficient zoom, still image viewing and record start/stop functions.

Watts sues port

HAGÅTÑA, Guam - Watts Constructors LLC announced Jan. 15 that it has filed a lawsuit in the U. S. District Court of Guam against the Port Authority of Guam to prevent PAG from collecting charges related to the loading of cargo to be exported from Guam at a location other than the Guam commercial port. The authority had levied fees on Watts and the joint venture it manages, Watts-Healy Tibbitts A JV, totaling more than $1 million. The cargo was loaded at the Guam Shipyard at the inner Apra Harbor area at Naval Base Guam. (See "Guam aggregate works for Watts projects" in the Nov. 23, 2009 issue of the Journal.)

WDI serves up new director of operations for April start

BARRIGADA, Guam - Suguru Ishiguro will take on the Guam leadership position at WDI International Inc. as director of operations by April 1, according to the restaurant chain. Presently the general manager for the catering division, Te Quiero and Blue Aster, Ishiguro moved to Guam in 1997 from WDI's Japan corporate office.

Tech talent Underwood targets School of Engineering for UOG

If all goes according to plan, two years from now, a School of Engineering will be a reality at the University of Guam. While the planning is in a preliminary stage, "it includes a pretty thorough discussion of faculty needs and specialties as well as a course of study that would receive favorable [Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology] review," Robert A. Underwood, president of UOG, told the Journal. A team of professors has been preparing a prospectus on the project.

NEWS FLASH! - Presolicitation issued for third phase of Tipalao housing

Presolicitation issued for third phase of Tipalao housing

NEWS FLASH! - DoD announces new Joint Region head

DoD announces new Joint Region head

Editorial

Heading in the right direction

Though it is in a preliminary stage, we don't think we're jumping the gun as we applaud the effort of the University of Guam to establish a school of engineering. There is little doubt that a good engineering program will meet a need in the community - members of the profession are in increasing demand on Guam with the ongoing increase in military construction not to mention the tsunami of construction on its way with the military buildup. And in fact, there is a global shortage of engineers.

Headline Story

Tech talent Underwood targets School of Engineering for UOG

Regional News

Connecticut paper: new admiral on Guam in February

GROTON, Conn. - Rear Adm. Paul J. Bushong will assume command of Joint Region Marianas in late February according to The Day newspaper of Groton, Conn. Since May 15, 2009, Bushong has been the commanding officer of Submarine Group Two based at Naval Submarine Base New London, Conn.

"Island" in the midst of Sino-Japanese territorial dispute

TOKYO - Halfway between Guam and Taiwan, the outcropping known as Okinotorishima stands just proud of the waves. Physically insignificant, these two jagged rocks surrounded by a man-made wall are becoming a major bone of contention between Japan, which claims they are an integral part of its territory, and China, which counters the feature is little more than a reef that cannot legally be used by Japan to extend its Exclusive Economic Zone further into the Pacific.

Manta Ray opens coffee corner, dive safaris

COLONIA, Yap - The Manta Ray Bay Resort in Yap has opened a 24-hour pastry and drink counter in its lobby. The coffee corner is open 24 hours and offers cheese cakes, pies, and freshly brewed coffee and tea. The feature has been named The Musto Koffee Korner in honor of Mike and Vikki Musto, founders of Trip n Tour Dive Travel and longtime supporters of the hotel, according to the hotel's Manta Report newsletter. The Mustos, now based in California, are former Guam residents.

Remnants of garment industry linger on

OLEAI, Saipan - A decade ago, more than 30 factories in Saipan were filling orders to clothe U.S. consumers. While those factories have closed, clothing from five of them is being retailed on Beach Road by a man who expects to profit handsomely - in due course.

UMDA sets goals for 2010

GUALO RAI, Saipan - They're in it for the long haul. David L. Wickline, president and chief operating officer of United Micronesia Development Association Inc., said UMDA can play a unique role in working with governments and the private sector to create solutions to help grow economies in Micronesia.

RP eyes WWF facility for environment initiative

MAKATI CITY, Philippines - The Philippines hopes to access funds from the $400-million global facility of the World Wildlife Fund allotted for the Coral Triangle Initiative. The Coral Triangle is a geographical location which combines the tropical waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. It is said to be rich in aquatic and marine life due to the presence of some 500 or more species of reef-building coral and is thus, considered by many environmental groups as a priority region to be protected.

Opinion

A right vs a good defines health care

We seem to constantly hear these days that "it is my right to .....". We seldom stop and think of what that really means. Those who believe the government should care for us from cradle to grave have been promoting the idea that health care is a right. By promoting that false premise they have succeeded in moving the debate from whether the federal government should micromanage health care to how the federal government should micromanage health care. This is a false premise and we should reject it. Health care is not a right. It is a good like food, like shelter and like clothing.

Obama care may be more costly than penalties

Not to say it wasn't a mess before, but health care reform in the aftermath of Scott Brown's Senate victory in Massachusetts is in an even bigger mess. Prior to that election, it appeared that the passage of health care reform and the expansion of health care coverage was a certainty, even though it was unclear what the reforms would be, how much it would cost and who would pay. Now that support for such legislation is increasingly waning, the discussion is turning into taking an omnibus piece of legislation and passing it in pieces. Many of those pieces, whether enacted piecemeal or enacted en masse sometime down the road in a revamped form, place new and larger burdens on employers.

Briefcase

Presolicitation notice issued for Japan-funded infrastructure projects

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Navy has issued a presolicitation notice for three design-build infrastructure projects on Guam to be funded by the government of Japan. The projects are for "underground utilities and site improvements necessary to support future building construction projects required to support the relocation of U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam," according to the notice dated Jan. 19. The projects are to be at three locations on Guam - Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station Finegayan, Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Base Guam.