Da Poke Shack tops Yelp’s 100-best restaurants list
A Kailua-Kona eatery has topped every restaurant in the country, according to one review website.
Da Poke Shack, located on Alii Drive near Banyans surf spot, is the top-rated restaurant in the country, based on it’s perfect five-star average of more than 600 reviews.
A typical review on the site, posted Feb. 19, notes the shop’s small size and popularity.
“Their poke is so fresh that if you don’t get there in time, they will run out of the kind you want. … We had to wait in 5-10 min lines both times. So, you already know the food is delicious. … Truly a hidden gem and a must if you like fresh fish,” the reviewer, from Phoenix, wrote.
Yelp said it based its top-100 list on several factors.
“We dug in to our wealth of rich data to see what the numbers told us about which places Yelpers really love,” officials said on the website’s blog. “Engineers on Yelp’s data mining team used a technique based on the Wilson Score to compile a list of highly rated places to eat. This method takes into account both star rating and number of reviews to reveal which spots not only have top notch ratings, but also which are most popular in the Yelp community.”
Three Island Resort Property associates recognized
Leading Island Resort Property sales associates Edward J. Rapoza, Brandon C. Wood and Frank H. N. Schenk were awarded the distinction of Christie’s International Real Estate Luxury Specialists for 2014.
The designation was awarded earlier this month at the Top Agents Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Rapoza, Wood and Schenk were identified as three of the 140 most successful real estate professionals in the Christie’s International Real Estate network. Only those in the top 10 percent of sales for their affiliate brokerage were invited to the conference.
Island Resort Property recently recorded the highest closing price on a property in Kailua-Kona since 2008. The luxury estate was not an oceanfront property and it sold to an international client.
Pacific Boats & Yachts hires new broker
Capt. Tom Britton is now a broker with Pacific Boats & Yachts, LLC.
He owned a yacht dealership in Washington for 10 years that sold Catalina Sailboats, Monk Trawlers and a variety of used sail and powerboats.
Starting out in upstate New York, Britton fished and cruised in the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay in Maryland and along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, before landing in Northwest Washington. He has also explored Puget Sound in a Grady White, lived aboard a 50-foot sailboat with his wife, and delivered boats between Seattle and Juneau, Alaska.
Located at Honokohau Harbor, Pacific Boats & Yachts is the exclusive dealer for CABO Yachts, Catalina Sailboats, Scout Boats, Ocean Craft Marine and Albermarle Sportfishing Boats.
Jensen promoted to digital content editor
West Hawaii Today announces the promotion of Chelsea Jensen to the position of digital content editor.
In this newly created position, Jensen will be responsible for managing WHT’s social media output, generating digital-first content on a daily basis, monitoring and improving website and mobile content, and tracking all relevant metrics related to WHT’s digital publishing efforts.
“We are very excited to promote Chelsea to this new position. Our digital readership is growing rapidly and it’s important to have a full time digital editor to enhance our readers’ experience. Chelsea has innovative ideas and proven talent and you’ll see the results of her work immediately as she adds new features to our online products,” said Publisher Tracey Fosso.
Jensen, born and raised in Kailua-Kona, joined the West Hawaii Today team in January 2009. She has served as a reporter, page designer and photographer over the years.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from The University of Montana School of Journalism. Jensen is also a 2003 graduate of Kealakehe High School in Kailua-Kona.
Jensen may be contacted at 930-8618 or cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com.
Growth conference held Wednesday
For the third year, Defender Direct Inc., with founding members from Kona, will host the Growth Conference. The leadership conference will provide teaching for people of all industries including business professionals, educators and those looking to develop themselves.
The event is scheduled from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Old Kona Airport Park Makaeo Events Pavilion; the cost is $25. Scholarships are available.
By focusing on equipping and developing its people, Defender Direct has grown, approaching half a billion dollars in annual revenue since it began in 1998. Mike Lantz, chief learning officer, will give a presentation on Defender Direct’s proven leadership successes. Tim Gardner, president and CEO of Marriage Ministries, International, will speak on building healthier relationships.
Visit grotru.com for more information or email info@grotru.com for tickets.
Kaiser Permanente provides free Wi-Fi
Free wireless Internet access is now available to members and guests in every Kaiser Permanente Hawaii hospital room and waiting areas of its 20 facilities across Oahu, Maui and Hawaii.
“Our patients and guests can use it to stay connected to loved ones, surf the web and stream entertainment of their choice,” said Janet Liang, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii president. “This increased access is just another example of our work to continually improve the patient experience.”
Visit kp.org for more information.
Territorial Savings now state-chartered
The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ Division of Financial Institutions has approved Territorial Savings Bank to become a state-chartered financial institution.
Territorial Savings Bank has been a federal-chartered savings bank. It was organized first in 1921 as a mutual building and loan association.
“We are pleased that Territorial Savings Bank wanted to become a state-chartered savings bank,” DFI Commissioner Iris Ikeda Catalani said. “We understand the local market and provide guidance to our state-chartered institutions of best practices so that those institutions can continue to operate in a safe and sound manner. We note that during the financial crisis, Hawaii did not have any bank closures.”
As a state-chartered financial institution, Territorial will continue to accept deposits from the public and invest those deposits, together with funds generated from operations and borrowings, in one- to four-family residential mortgage loans and investment securities. Territorial also originates home equity loans and lines of credit, construction, commercial and other nonresidential real estate loans, consumer loans, and multifamily mortgage loans.
One of the reasons banks seek a charter with the state is because of the local regulators. DFI understands Territorial’s business model and can provide a local context and insight to federal examiners when the bank is examined. Hawaii consumers will now be able to make complaints locally and rely on regulators who have a depth of knowledge of the local market.
This is the first bank in the islands to become state-chartered since Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010. The act provided many levels of consumer protection, including those at the banking level.
Territorial Savings Bank applied to convert from a federal-chartered savings bank to a state-chartered savings bank on Nov. 1, 2013. It has 28 full-service branch offices statewide.
By local souces