Merger deal keeps 2 air ambulance providers in Hawaii
HONOLULU — Hawaii will continue to have two air ambulance providers under a settlement approved by the Federal Trade Commission.
The commission says it will allow Hawaii’s two air ambulance providers to merge, so long as one of the companies sells its Hawaii air ambulance business to a third company.
The deal approved Thursday allows Air Medical Group Holdings to buy AMR Holdco. AMR Holdco will sell its Hawaii air ambulance service to AIRMD, which does business as LifeTeam.
The commission filed a complaint challenging the merger, saying it would lessen competition and create a monopoly in Hawaii air ambulance services.
The air ambulances transfer patients between hospitals and other medical facilities in the Hawaiian Islands. Patients rely on the service to receive medical care not available in their communities.
Driving range at golf course might get $50M face-lift
HONOLULU — Honolulu is looking to pair with Topgolf Hawaii to replace the driving range at one of its golf courses with a high-tech version and other golf-related activities.
The city offered Topgolf Hawaii a 20-year lease deal with options to extend up to 40 years to upgrade Ala Wai Golf Course’s traditional driving range. Topgolf was offered a conditional award following a competitive request-for-proposals process that began in December.
Topgolf plans to invest $50 million on the project. The company is expected to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Ala Wai Golf Course driving range and other golf-related activities.
The partnership will pay the city a minimum annual lease rent of $1.02 million and 1 percent of its gross revenue on sales to conduct business at the Ala Wai location. The base rent is set to increase as the contract progresses.
The lease will require approval from the Honolulu City Council and state Board of Land and Natural Resources since the golf course sits on state land.
The deal will boost declining revenue at the city’s six courses, where expenses exceed revenue by several million annually, said Guy Kaulukukui, director of the city Department of Enterprise Services.
Kaulukukui said the Ala Wai course’s driving range earns between $500,000 and $600,000 in annual gross revenue, a figure he expects will quadruple to about $2 million annually under Topgolf Hawaii.
The company also plans to add up to 450 jobs offering full-time, part-time and seasonal work.
The upgrade should be open to the public in a few years if everything works out.