Business briefs for December 20

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United Airlines promotes Shigeoka

United Airlines promotes Shigeoka

United Airlines has announced the promotion of Reid M. Shigeoka as the general manager of the Kona United operations. Shigeoka was supervisor of the Hilo station since it opened in 2011.

A Hilo native and a Waiakea High graduate, Shigeoka holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Hawaii in Japanese language and literature.

Shigeoka, a 16-year veteran with United/Continental, started with Continental in New Haven, Conn., then became a certified training coordinator and accepted a promotion in Honolulu. He later was tapped to open and run the Continental station in Maui and then beacame a supervisor in Newark, N.J.

Prior to opening the station in Hilo, he was transportation and safety manager for Chelsea, a division of Continental.

Keauhou Bay resort selects executive chef

Pyramid Hotel Group has selected Viktor Schmidt as executive chef at the 22-acre oceanfront Sheraton Kona Resort & Spa at Keauhou Bay on the Kona coast.

The company also announced that Donna Meyers is the resort’s new director of group sales and Alana Miranda has been appointed director of leisure sales.

“We are fortunate to have these three highly skilled individuals at Sheraton Kona,” said General Manager and Area Managing Director Steve Lindburg. “To have Chef Viktor at the helm in our kitchens is absolutely ideal. Donna’s organizational strengths and her keen business-to-business sales acumen add an important dimension to our sales efforts while Alana’s wide range of experience in the leisure marketplace add further depth to the great team at Sheraton Kona.”

Stocks fall as sides snipe in ‘cliff’ talks

Associated Press

Stocks dipped Wednesday, recording their first loss of the week. President Barack Obama and Republicans in Congress sniped at each other, and a deadline to avoid sweeping tax increases and government spending cuts drew closer.

General Motors stock surged after the government announced plans to sell its ownership stake in the company. The Dow Jones industrial average closed down 98.99 points, or 0.7 percent, at 13,251.97. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index dropped 10.98 points, or 0.8 percent, to 1,435.81. The Nasdaq composite index fell 10.17, or 0.3 percent, to 3,044.36.

Obama said that he and House Speaker John Boehner were “pretty close” to a deal to avoid the tax increases and spending cuts, a combination known as the “fiscal cliff.” The two sides have exchanged proposals this week. But Obama also said congressional Republicans keep finding “ways to say no as opposed to finding ways to say yes.”