4.8 MB PDF - Saturday Briefing

September 29, 2007
Disney’s The Lion King
WOWed Outrigger audience!
By Ruthann Yamanaka
The “buzz” around Outrigger after Outrigger Night at Disney’s
The Lion King performance on Friday, September 21, at the Blaisdell
Concert Hall is that the spectacular artistry of the costumes, stage
setting, and gifted entertainers that captured the audiences’ attention
for well over two hours was simply phenomenal! The show was so well
received that the cast members accepted two standing ovations from
appreciative Outrigger employees, families, and friends.
If We Bought Groceries
Like Health Care
(This is the second in a series of articles that
examines U.S. health care issues.)
Oahu celebrated Aloha Festivals this past month with a myriad of
events and activities. One of the largest was the Waikiki Ho‘olaule‘a held
Friday, September 21, along Kalakaua Avenue. The street was blocked off
late in the afternoon, while everyone scrambled to set up food and product
booths, as well as entertainment stages, in anticipation of the evening ahead.
While most Americans are satisfied with the
excellent health care they get under our current
system, as I pointed out in my article last week,
that system is actually quite complicated. While the
complexities are practically invisible to most people,
they tend to make health care more expensive.
Even though few patients pay the full cost of
health care directly, we all pay for it in the end,
through higher taxes and prices for practically
everything we buy, since health care costs must be
factored into the price of everything from bread to
thread. That is why I am writing this week about
the complexities and distortions in the way health
care is provided and paid for in our country.
A useful way to see some of these distortions is
to imagine what life might be like if we delivered
other essential goods and services under the same
economic model now used to deliver and pay for
physician and hospital services.
For example, imagine how different grocery
shopping would be if we were to allow the
government to control our spending for food, just as
it does right now for health care. (Remember, this a
fictional story; however, it will help put health care
and health insurance issues into perspective.)
First of all, since our employer would be required
to provide us with “Grocery Insurance,” our wages and
salaries would be reduced by the cost of that insurance.
We could do our shopping only in stores that
had a contract with our employer. In fact, we’d have
to show our “Grocery Insurance” ID card before we
were even allowed inside.
There would be fewer grocery stores around
because no one could build one without a
Continued on page 3
Continued on page 10
Continued on page 8
Hanging out with “Mufasa” Geno Segers are sisters Sheila Ayson,
Joanna Padilla, and Kathy Hansberry
Non-Stop Entertainment at
Waikiki Ho‘olaule‘a
By Nancy Daniels
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Employment Opportunities
If you are interested in the positions listed below and meet the
qualifications, please submit an in-house application obtained from your
Supervisor or Human Resources. If you have any questions, please call
Eric Ishikawa at (808) 921-6989. Application deadline for the following
positions is October 5, 2007.
Guest Service Representative (Part Time)
A minimum of one year customer service experience required. Must be
computer literate, have 10-key by touch skills, and be able to type 30 wpm.
Must also have excellent communication skills and be flexible to work any
shift and day.
Integrated Marketing Writer/Editor (Full Time)
Will be responsible for creating and managing content on websites owned or
managed by Outrigger Enterprises Group, as well as editing content for email
marketing, direct marketing, and advertising assignments. A minimum of
five years experience writing and editing, preferably with B2C and B2B web
content. Must have excellent writing and editing skills and knowledge of the AP
Stylebook. Proficiency with HTML and Microsoft Office Suite required. Must
have excellent interpersonal, organizational, and multi-tasking skills.
Relationship Marketing Manager (Full Time)
Will be the primary project manager for relationship marketing initiatives
for Outrigger Enterprises Group. A minimum of five years experience in
CRM or online direct response marketing capacity, preferably for hospitality
or travel and tourism. Must have a proven track record of successfully
implementing B2C and B2B online CRM programs. Proficiency with
HTML and Microsoft Office Suite, as well as a solid understanding of
database marketing infrastructures and technologies required. Must also
have strong analytical, and written and verbal communication skills.
Steward (Full Time)
A minimum of two years experience working in a high volume hotel/
restaurant environment as a steward. Must be able to maintain service/
cleaning standards with a positive, service-oriented attitude towards our
guests, employees, and our company.
Happy Birthday!
Oct 15: Mei Yuan L. Huang, Judy Yuet Mui
Lui, Susan E. Young, Beverly Kanani Domingo,
Jonathan P. Yamamoto, Leonardo F. Afan, Jessen
W. Richardson, Therese M. Glowania, Tereza R.
Gapuzan, and Josefina L. Ader.
Oct 16: Teresita G. Badua, Gary A. Tachino,
Edgar A. A. Ramos, Philip Y. F. Wong, Morena
Lau, and Zhuo Hui Zhao.
Oct 17: Maile S. S. Yoshioka, Eva E. Burd,
Cristina Tamayo, Keith H. Yamane, and
Leonarda Dait.
Oct 18: Max J. Sword, Revinia V. Cabbab, Evelyn
V. Ceredon, and Maile U. Tabios Montano.
Oct 19: Frances Kirk, Natalie A. Kekauoha,
Robert S. Ishihara, Clifford L. T. Letuli, Kook
Ja An, Wilma A. Achuara, Justin J. Barido,
Marianormita A. Pabro, Consolacion N .Tomas,
Rowena J. Gaspar, Tiana A. Agustin, Guo Hui
Wu, and Ross K. Esperon Jr.
Oct 20: Violeta Morales Vasquez, Kwan Wui Ng,
Chad H. Teramae, Mildred B. Bunghanoy-Aiu,
Erlita B. Soriano, Sun R. M. Bee, JoAnn F. Okawa,
Nanee Oh, and Stacey L. Cameron.
Oct 21: Donavan J. Wiese, Makaio C. Abraham,
Surlita Suyman Serrano, Jane Chen, Paulina D.
Ypil, Kristofer K. Nickelsen, Delia Aguilar Estacio,
Avelina B. Camungao, Elizabeth A. Agustin, and
Jussie D. Tumaneng.
Oct 22: Robert Y. Watase, Maria Warlita Afaga,
Mariza M. Z. Acevedo, Danny E. Morden, and
Marylene Lagasca.
Lifesaver Club
By Dr. Chuck Kelley and Marie Miyahira
Holiday Giving Starts Early
As we swiftly approach the holidays, ease into it by giving the gift of
life! Not only is it safe, simple, and saves lives, it’s conveniently located,
and you can donate during your workday.
If you are interested in donating the gift of life and would like to make
an appointment, please contact me (Marie Miyahira) at 921-6881 or via
email at [email protected]. For more information on donating
blood, visit www.bbh.org or call the Blood Bank of Hawaii at 845-9966.
Blood Drive
Tuesday, October 23
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
OHANA East
Lobby Conference Room
Saturday Briefing
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Saturday Briefing is published by and for
employees of Outrigger Enterprises Group.
Editor-In-Chief: Richard Kelley
Senior Editor: Marie Casciato
Assistant Editor: Lehua Kala`i
Contributing Writers: Employees of Outrigger
Enterprises Group
Visit us online at: www.outrigger.com/sb
or www.ohanahotels.com/sb
Submit suggestions, comments, and
news tidbits to Marie Casciato at
[email protected] or
via interoffice mail to OEH/Executive Office,
or contact her at (808) 921-6601.
© 2007 Outrigger Hotels Hawaii
An Equal Opportunity Employer
Non-Stop Entertainment at Waikiki Ho‘olaule‘a
Continued from page 1
Outrigger Enterprises Group
(OEG) partnered with 105.1 KINE
radio station to bring an exciting
line-up of island artists to perform
throughout the evening on the stage
fronting the Outrigger Waikiki on the
Beach. Each of the five groups was
great, with crowds gathering early to
enjoy the island entertainment.
Ualei started the evening off and
got the audience going with their
great island sound. Kalia continued
the momentum with a top-notch
performance of island tunes. The fun
and entertainment continued with
Waimanalo Sunset Band and their
homegrown performance.
Next to take the stage was the
group PALI. This Nā Hōkū Hanohano
award-winning group is known for
their beautiful harmony and diverse
and energetic performance, and the
crowd showed their appreciation
with lively dancing and applause
throughout the performance.
The evening’s entertainment came
to a climax with the Society of Seven
Las Vegas (SOS LV). The group is
usually hard at work in the Outrigger
Waikiki Main Showroom, but to help
mark Outrigger’s 60th anniversary,
the guys brought their show to the
streets for all to enjoy. The crowd was
literally shoulder-to-shoulder in front
of the stage, but that didn’t stop them
from moving and shaking right along
with the band! SOS LV gave it their
all, with an astounding performance
that brought one of the largest crowds
ever to the Outrigger stage. It was
non-stop dancing, singing, and pure
entertainment for the 45 minutes
they were on stage. Mahalo to Fran
Kirk and the Society of Seven Las
Vegas for making this year’s Waikiki
Ho‘olaule‘a one of the best!
As usual, the crew at the
Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach
did a great job getting the OEG
entertainment stage decorated and
Front row: Malamalama Suyat’s daughter Kanani, Malamalama Suyat,
Malamalama’s sister Paula Wallace, Cindy Castillo, and Lorna Benigno’s daughter Jaylene
Back row: Amy Chock, Rowena Colling, Meali‘i Richardson, Puna Ortega, and Lorna Benigno
ready for the phenomenal lineup of island artists. When the second trailer that
made up the Outrigger stage arrived late, the Outrigger Waikiki crew flew into
action and had the stage pulled together and fully decorated in record time!
Many, many thanks to Puna Ortega and the Front Desk staff, Herman Lam
and the Maintenance staff, and Ivy Kwok and the Housekeeping staff for their
precision organization in putting the stage together in a timely manner.
To our stage managers Brian Fong and Robert Uchida, mahalo nui loa for
keeping the entertainment lineup on track and running smoothly.
Kudos go out to these employees and their family members for assisting in
making this year’s Outrigger entertainment stage a real success: Eugene Chu,
Wayne Talaro, Marvin Shin, Jin Soo Moon, Ben Sumibcay, Calvin Fujimoto,
Sung Ki Kim, William Kim, Carol Ogasawara, Herman Lam, Jody Suyat, Mealii
Richardson, Amy Honey, Brian Fong, Rowena Collins, Robert Uchida, Lorna
Benigno, Ethan Chang, Jim Heather, Barbara Lam, Cindy Castillo, Gloria
Daoang, Tom Song, Zhuo Hui Zhao, Kwan Wui Ng, Ji Qiao Liang, Milagros
Robiniol, Kwok Fai Young, and Chi Man Mar.
And finally, a big mahalo to our radio partner 105.1 KINE, Event Manager
Alan Yamamoto, and host for the evening, Mr. Billy V, who, along with Stacie
Ayers and Yvonne Hobbs, kept the crowd entertained in between musical groups.
Continued on page 4
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Non-Stop Entertainment at Waikiki Ho‘olaule‘a
Continued from page 3
The crowd was literally shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the stage, but that didn’t stop them from moving and shaking right along with the music!
The evening’s headliner Society of Seven Las Vegas took the stage and brought the show to the streets for all to enjoy
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Continued on page 5
Non-Stop Entertainment at Waikiki Ho‘olaule‘a
Continued from page 4
Ualei started the evening off and got the audience going
with their great island sound
Kalia­­, a group of current and former Outrigger employees,
gave a top notch performance of island tunes
Randy Nunies, Kimo Miguel, and Reuben Burke
Waimanalo Sunset Band continued the fun and entertainment
with their homegrown performance
Cindy Castillo and Barbara Lam
The crowd showed their appreciation for PALI with lively dancing
and applause throughout their performance
Herman Lam
Continued on page 6
Danette Bolosan and Rowena Colling
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Non-Stop Entertainment at Waikiki Ho‘olaule‘a
Continued from page 5
Jin Soo Moon,
Wayne Talaro,
Ben Sumibcay,
Marvin Shin,
Eugene Chu, and
Sung Ki Kim
Back row: Robert Uchida and Brian Fong
Front row: Puna Ortega, Meali‘i Richardson, and Amy Chock
Billy V kept the crowd entertained
in between musical groups
At the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort Aloha is…
Appreciating Employees for a Job Well Done!
By Therese Glowania
As a show of appreciation, the Outrigger Keauhou
Beach Resort (KBR) recently held its quarterly Employee
Mahalo Party outdoors in the Royal Garden.
Employees were treated to a scrumptious buffet
prepared by KBR’s talented culinary team, with tableside
service by our management team. The party agenda
included several games, all of which were competitive for
the players and entertaining for the audience. The games
included picking up hundreds of scattered flowers while
blindfolded—the team with the most flowers in their basket
were the winners. Balloon-pop was great fun and had every
employee running around with a balloon tied around one
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ankle. The goal of the game was to stomp and pop other
people’s balloons. The last person standing with an unpopped balloon was deemed the champion.
Another noteworthy game was “Living Sculpture,”
which tapped into everyone’s creativity. A box of saran wrap
and four rolls of toilet tissue were placed on each table.
One employee per table was selected to be the “Living
Sculpture,” as the rest of the team utilized their imagination
and the materials to turn them into “Living Sculpture.” This
five-minute timed competition resulted in a wide array of
amazing creations.
Continued on page 7
At the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort Aloha is…
Appreciating Employees for a Job Well Done!
Continued from page 6
Giving out door prizes took on a new
twist. Instead of identifying a prize and then
drawing an employee name, names were drawn
first and the employee had the opportunity to
select an unseen prize from behind curtain #1,
#2, or #3. Employees were excited to have their
name drawn, yet apprehensive about what was
behind the curtain of their choice.
The event created many fun-filled memories
that our ‘ohana will not soon forget.
Sitting: Ramsey Garcia, Summer Flores, Johanna Naweli, and Hosanna Sondofa
Standing: Lei Ann Piper, Brandy Edsman, Vivian Terazono, and Aloha Kekauoha
Nyaia Kimitete and Nuen Peacock
engage in a balloon-pop battle
Mary Jackson, Paulina Paul, Antonia Jackson, Kabe Langidrik, Emilyea Edward, Asuncion
Domingo, Bliss Franco, Merry Coleman, and Summer Flores
Selina Joseph, Becky Ford, Gregg Enright, and
Mona Nobriga work on transforming Viv Cawagas
into a “Living Sculpture”
The Living Sculpture competition - Vivian Terazona, Nuen Peacock, Tyler Alcos, Viv Cawagas,
Presing Juan, Antonia Jackson and emcee E A’ana.Tyler Alcos’ team took 1st Place.
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Disney’s The Lion King
Continued from page 1
To further
celebrate Outrigger’s 60th
birthday celebration,
Outrigger hosted a
special post-show
reception for employees
and their ‘ohana
attending the show
that evening. The most
exciting part of the
night was when many
of the cast members
joined the reception! The
cast graciously signed
Lorena Rosete strikes a pose with cast
autographs, posed for
member Roberto Dos Santos
photographs, and just
“talked story” with Outrigger employees and guests. The
ensemble was very friendly and enthusiastic, as they mingled
with the crowd and were inundated with compliments and
praises for their energy, professionalism, and exceptional talent.
Danette Bolosan with her nephew Trenton and nieces Harmony and Khylie
with “young Nala” Diamond Curvy (wearing lei)
Char Luning and her grandchildren Brianna and Brayden
meet cast member Kehinde Hart
Ruthann Yamanaka, Donna Leong, “Simba” Clifton Oliver,
Sam Hoffman, and Kathy Hansberry
Dawn Takamoto and fiancée and nieces
Kylie, Allyson, and Kassidy
The event was a success with over 400 employees, family,
and friends attending the reception. Those in attendance
also received a special yellow Lion King umbrella as a gift,
courtesy of West Coast Entertainment.
A big mahalo to the following ‘ohana for their time, effort,
and hard work in making this event a success: Nurhan Enustun,
Char Luning, Sam Hoffman, LiLi Hallett, Victoria Hallett, and
Kekoa Hallett. It was truly another WOW experience!
Continued on page 9
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The Hee family - Dustin, Desiree, Daryl, and Dezman
meet cast member Kehinde Hart
Disney’s The Lion King
Continued from page 8
The Keamos—Naomi, Jordyn, Josh, and James
Loan Montgomery-Freitas and daughter Alyssa with
Pam Yagi and daughter Abigail
Ivan Paik enjoying the evening with his lovely wife Kelly
Lorry Ijima-Sato with her husband Scott, mother-in-law Mom Sato,
daughters Allyson and Ashelly, nephew Steven, and son Gavin
Tom Wakita (right) and his beautiful wife Melanie
talk story with “Simba” Clifton Oliver
Ethan Chang and his wife Tammie meet “Banzai” Rudy Roberson
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If We Bought Groceries Like Health Care
Continued from page 1
Certificate of Need issued by a government agency. It is a
costly and slow process, but the government does not want
grocery stores popping up all over the place and duplicating
services or driving up usage. A government panel makes the
decision as to what is needed.
Grocery stores that do get approved and built have
two doors.
• Many shoppers come through the main door and are
allowed to shop if they can prove that they have “Grocery
Insurance” provided by a government program, their
employer or purchased on their own.
• There is also a side entrance to handle emergency shopping
24 hours a day. A few years ago, the federal government
essentially nationalized grocery stores by mandating that
they admit, through this emergency side door, anyone who
really needs groceries, whether or not they have “Grocery
Insurance” or any ability to pay.
Inside the store, the shelves would contain a limited
amount of goods, most with bland, generic labels, as
mandated by law. Only foods with proven nutritional value
would be allowed, and grocery items that “just made you feel
good” would be denied.
On checkout, people would “co-pay” for groceries
according to a “schedule of benefits.” For some items
there would be no “Grocery Insurance” coverage at all and
shoppers would have to pay the full price. At the end of the
month, we might receive a bill from the grocery store telling
us that, because grocery coverage had been denied or had
only paid a portion of the charge, we owed additional money
for our groceries.
Talking to “Lucy,” a grocery store owner, we find that
her business is in a mess. She is losing several million dollars
a year.
• One of the big issues is that the store is not getting paid
for the groceries taken by the many indigent shoppers who
are allowed to come in through the side door and take
whatever they need, as mandated by federal law.
• In addition, more and more of her customers are on some
kind of a government aid program for their groceries. There
is “GroceryCare” for senior citizens, “GroceryAid” for
shoppers with low income, and the “State Children’s Grocery
Insurance Program” (SCGIP) for the children of certain lowincome families who do not qualify for “GroceryAid.” The
government pays grocers as little as 30 percent of their costs
for shoppers on these programs, forcing stores to shift the
rest of those costs onto other shoppers – you and me – in the
form of higher prices. Grocers have no alternative to doing
this to their regular customers except to go out of business,
which is happening in many parts of the country.
• Moreover, the cost of filing claims for payment by both
private and government insurance is tremendous. Lucy
has a large staff dedicated to this job, but it is costly and
frustrating. If one of her clerks inadvertently violates the
bureaucracy’s rules, buried in multiple thick manuals, she,
as the head grocer, would be subject to felony indictment,
fines, jail, and loss of license to operate a grocery store or
even to work in one once she gets out of jail.
• If that’s not bad enough, her costs for “grocery malpractice
insurance” have been going through the roof. More and more
shoppers are hiring attorneys to sue grocers and stores. Multimillion-dollar judgments are making it more and more difficult
and expensive to stay in the grocery business these days.
This all sounds like a nightmare, but in fact it’s a good
parallel to the way we actually do run health care and health
care insurance in our country. There has got to be a better
way. We’ll discuss some ideas in a future article.
Narelle Eichorn Secures Third Term on Tourism Board
By Cliff Olson
It is with great pleasure to announce that Director of
Sales - Oceania, Narelle Eichorn, has been re-elected for the
third consecutive year as Chair of the Southern Queensland
Branch of the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC).
As the country’s peak tourism body representing the
inbound tourism industry, we are extremely proud that
Outrigger Hotels & Resorts has a senior representative working
with this proactive group, whose role is to ensure the continued
growth and prosperity of Australia’s flourishing tourism industry.
Narelle brings almost 30 years of industry experience,
and her enthusiasm and passion for “all things tourism” is
evidenced by this week’s vote by ATEC committee members
in favour of Narelle remaining in the role of Chair. ATEC is
the leading industry body representing Australia’s $22 billion
export tourism sector.
Narelle said ATEC is a strong and vocal advocate for the
inbound tourism industry and plays a vital role in regions
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such as the Gold Coast and Brisbane,
which relies heavily on building
international visitor numbers.
In her position, Narelle’s
focus includes building upon the
membership base, particularly
young ATEC members, and
developing professional business-tobusiness opportunities for members.
ATEC’s Sydney-based
Managing Director, Matthew
Narelle Eichorn
Hingerty, said, “Narelle’s experience
in the inbound industry, along with her commitment to
growing business opportunities, continues to be of great
benefit to local members.”
On behalf of Outrigger, I congratulate Narelle on her
latest achievement.