Here’s Governor Neil Abercrombie on the sale, news of which broke this afternoon after the Honolulu Star-Advertiser published this story based on documents filed with the state Public Utilities Commission:
It is my understanding that Mr. Ellison has had a long standing interest in Lana’i. His passion for nature, particularly the ocean is well known specifically in the realm of America’s Cup sailing. He is also a businessman whose record of community involvement in medical research and education causes is equally notable.
We look forward to welcoming Mr. Ellison in the near future.
You tech people out there already know this, but Ellison is a fascinating guy. He founded Oracle, one of the world’s most powerful hardware and software firms. He also flies jets, races sailboats, collected four ex-wives and earlier this year attempted (without success) to buy the Memphis Grizzlies. Oh, and he’s worth $36 billion (#6 on the Forbes list of billionaires).
The Star-Advertiser story above reports that David Murdock’s Castle & Cooke Inc. was losing “between $20 million and $30 million from 2006 to 2010.” Ellison’s clearly a smart guy, but the big question is whether he can turn that around without pissing off Lanai’s residents.
Photo: Oracle Corporate Communications/Wikimedia Commons
