Honolulu Star-Bulletin from Honolulu, Hawaii • 26

r- i i p' r' I "jf I'T rj r' 1 1 yl n' 1 ti frn i 4 tf-i-i C-4 Friday, September 5, 1997 Star-Bulletin nfi'P II lr si III I Japan demands end to fines on port calls median price this year for homes in the Coconut Grove area of Kailua was $245,000, based on 22 resales. In 1 996, the median was $271 ,500 with 32 resales. Sales, past 12 months Homes 33 tyf Median sales price $250,000 Median sales price per sq. foot $219.18 Median market lime 136 days Coconut Grove Active listings Homes 26 Median listings price $269,700 Median listings price per sq.foot $237.67 Median market time 55 days Months remaining inventory 9.5 Source: Prudential Locations Inc. Inventory divided by monthly sates BUSINESS BRIEFS sanctions violate the bilateral Friendship, Commerce and Navigation Treaty between Japan and the United States.

But he added that the issue will be resolved through negotiations. Talks continued today between Japanese and foreign shippers, the Transport Ministry and stevedores' unions. But a ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said no agreements were reached on a plan that would satisfy Washington enough to delay or cancel the sanctions. The sanctions were proposed by the independent U.S. Federal Maritime Commission, which complained about two restrictions on competition.

One is a practice known as "prior consultation," in which any changes in shipping practices must first be discussed with the Japan Harbor Transportation Association. The other is the issue of Japanese harbors, which allegedly discriminate against U.S. carriers who have attempted to run their own operations in Japanese ports. Associated Press TOKYO Japan's transport minister demanded today that the United States immediately lift its sanctions against Japanese shippers, but said retaliatory measures were unlikely. A system of U.S.

fines affecting Japan's three largest shipping companies went into effect yesterday to punish alleged restrictive practices in Japanese ports. Two of the three first full container ships facing fines arrived at Washington state ports today. A third was due later in Houston. (Hawaii-bound ships won't be affected immediately since Nippon Yusen KK the one Japanese freight line that makes regular calls in Hawaii isn't due for a Honolulu port call until Sept. 15, its local agent said earlier this week.

"So there's two weeks for this to sort itself out," said the agent, Mike Clarity, Hawaii district manager of Lavino Shipping Agencies Inc.) Transport Minister Makoto Koga told reporters today that the GEEKS: They carry badges FROM C-l Grimsrud to the case. Grimsrud talks Overman through some possible solutions on the phone. He tells Overman to call back if the printing problem isn't solved. ama 11:30 a.m. Geek Squad Headquarters: Overman calls to say he has tried everything, and the printer still won't work properly.

Zanger dispatches Grimsrud to the scene. Grimsrud squeezes his 6-foot-4 frame into Geek-2, a tiny, powder-blue 1963 Renault Dauphine with the orange and black Superman-style Geek Squad logo, and heads for Consortium's offices. Stephens is not only a Dragnet fan, he's a shrewd businessman. "It's a military psychosis of a comic proportion," Stephens says of computer crisis. The humor not only makes the job fun for employees, but relieves the stress for the customer, he says.

And behind the tongue-in-cheek costumes and goofy cars is a business philosophy more rooted in Jiffy Lube than in Microsoft "We're in the fast food business; quick, small and frequent transactions," Stephens says. "The exotic part of the business is the delivery of the service." The recipe obviously works. Stephens will not release exact revenue information, except to say that he has about 2,000 customers and revenues have doubled every year. The business is so successful that Stephens is planning to expand this fall with a drive-through window. Branch offices are scheduled to open in Chicago in May and in Los Angeles in 1998.

A book by Stephens detailing the Geek Squad's secret tips will be released by Simon and Schuster this spring. Stephens also says there is talk of a fictional movie to be produced by Disney based on the real Geek Squad, but he's waiting for a "decent script" BIS 1:30 p.m. Consortium Book Sales, St. Paul, Grimsrud arrives at the scene and lopes inside. Overman takes him to the printer.

Grimsrud opens his black bag of tricks. Grimsrud tries typing in commands, then pokes into the printer before reaching his diagnosis. A small switch that allows the automatic paper size selection device to work needs to be replaced, EXECUTIVE PROFILE Staying flexible at GE Capital Associated Press Geek Squad Special Agents Christopher Baglien, right, and John Dahlquist roll a broken hard drive, into Geek Squad headquarters last month. but the procedure would cost nearly as much as a new printer. Grimsrud shows Overman how to manually select paper size and recommends a new printer model.

But Grimsrud also points out that a new printer is not really needed. "We'd have to bring in a half-time computer support person if we didn't have them," Overman says. "We have been very happy." BIB Stephens is serious about customer service. Customers begin talking to a special agent to solve their problem within four to seven minutes and repairs are completed as soon as possible, he says. The company charges a flat rate for repairs and the agents get a bonus for each satisfied customer.

"We focus on between 60 and 70 problems and do those things very well. We also only concentrate on individuals and small businesses," Stephens says. Agents are paid about half of what their corporate counterparts earn, but they also get bonuses, and stock options that Stephens says will pay off eventually. Mark Minasi, a Virginia-based computer consultant, says there is a clear opportunity for companies like the Geek Squad. "The business absolutely needs it.

If somebody will come and hold your hand for you for a reasonable price, then God bless them." ing with the Miami-based cargo airline on what steps it would have to take before it would be allowed to resume flying. A Fine Air DC-8 bound for the Dominican Republic crashed shortly after takeoff Aug. 7. Four crew members and one person on the ground were killed. Following the accident, current and former Fine Air pilots expressed concern about overloaded planes.

No official cause for the crash has been determined. FCC rejects requests to regulate 'Net calls WASHINGTON The government has resisted pleas by small long-distance companies to regulate Internet telephone calls. "Washington at this point has no need to regulate," said Commerce Department Assistant Secretary Larry Irving, whose National Telecommunications and Information Administration held a conference yesterday on Internet phone technology. Worried that the new communications may hurt profits, a group of small long-distance companies, the America's Carriers Telecommunications Association, asked the Federal Communications Commission to order makers of Internet phone software to stop selling it. International or long-distance calling over the Internet is much cheaper than conventional phone service.

Because the call travels over data networks rather than public telephone networks, the caller doesn't have to pay long-distance or international charges, just the price of the Internet service. Hawaii TV station gets first digital permit WASHINGTON Federal regulators granted a Hawaii broadcaster the first permit to build a commercial digital TV station promising viewers crystal-clear pictures and sound. The Federal Communications Commission this week issued the construction permit, governing technical specifications for transmission equipment, to KHVO, the ABC affiliate in Hilo. The FCC's Mass Media Bureau also awarded the station, owned by KITV Argyle Television a free second channel needed for the switch to digital. During the conversion to digital, broadcasters will transmit programs the existing analog channel as well as the digital channel.

This way, existing analog TV sets will not be rendered useless immediately. The FCC has given permission to stations to experiment with digital broadcasting, but this week's action marks the first commercial construction permit since the agency adopted digital TV rules in April. Cargo flier shuts down ahead of FAA action MIAMI Fine Air Services the operator of a cargo plane that crashed and killed five people last month, has shut down operations until it can clean up its procedures. Fine Air decided to voluntarily cancel all flights rather than be suspended by the Federal Aviation Administration, whose inspectors found "significant violations," the FAA said yesterday. The FAA said it was negotiat Earl S.

Wakamura's job is to look for new client relationships and negotiate commercial loans at GE Capital Hawaii. "We don't have the same restrictions as the banks (with regulations by the Federal Deposit Insurance Wakamura said. "All our funds come from GE. We have more flexibility." He joined the company in 1976 and most recently was vice president and manager of mortgage banking. Gov.

Ben Cayetano recently appointed Wakamura to a second term on the Rental Housing Trust Commission, which helps fund affordable rental projects. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Hawaii. GE Capital Hawaii is a unit of GE Capital, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Electric Co. based in Stamford, Conn. Name: Earl S.

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