Shimogawa Scoops

  An Idaho billionaire, who founded a prominent direct marketing nutritional supplements company, has recently purchased more than 1,000 acres of land on Kauai’s northeastern coast that was supposed to be developed into an agricultural subdivision, public records show. Kealia Land Co. LLC, a company with ties to Frank VanderSloot, the founder and CEO of Melaleuca Inc., closed on the more than $38 million Kealia agricultural land deal in late October. Duston Barton, president of Riverbend Management Inc., and who has close ties to VanderSloot and his companies, is listed as a manager of Kealia Land Co. LLC. The former sugar cane land was once supposed to be developed as part of the Kealanani development into homes with requirements for homeowners to use their properties for agricultural uses. In addition, there once was a plan to develop a tea farm on the land, amongst other crops, as well as nearly 200 luxury homes. There’s another 930-acre adjacent parcel that is still...

Oprah Winfrey is back again at shopping for Maui real estate, as the billionaire media mogul has recently purchased a three-acre property in Kula on Maui that’s adjacent to the other properties she owns on the Valley Isle, according to public records. The television star, who has her own TV network, already owns more than 100 acres in Kula that is occupied by her modern-style farmhouse. Winfrey paid $7 million for her latest purchase on Thompson Road, which includes a 1,139-square-foot building on the property.  The three-acre agricultural-zoned property has a total assessed value of about $416,800, tax records show. The sellers purchased the property in 1974 for $50,000, making it a 14,000 percent profit for the sellers. The deal, which closed on October 18, shows the buyer as Madrona Tree LLC that lists Cindy Iwaki, an executive of Winfrey’s companies, as its manager, according to the sales deed obtained by “Shimogawa Scoops.” Winfrey owns the other adjacent parcels of land in “u...

The major recent purchases of a couple of pristine properties on Kauai’s North Shore involves well-known buyers. However, these purchases do not involve Mark Zuckerberg, even though there may be some ties to the Facebook CEO. One purchase involves a sprawling, ultra-luxe 14-acre estate in Kilauea. Public records show that a Delaware entity called “2801 Kauapea Road LLC,” which traces back to San Francisco-based Iconiq Capital LLC, which was founded by Divesh Makan, a wealth manager, who advises top Facebook executives, including Zuckerberg. Dara Beirne, who works for Iconiq Capital, is listed as the authorized for 2801 Kauapea Road LLC on the sales deed. The Kilauea estate, which encompasses 9,249-square-feet of living space along with a resort-style pool and spa, as well as fruit orchards, a barn and guest house, was sold for $21.25 million. The total tax assessed value of the property is about $4.9 million, public records show. Neal Norman of Hawaii Life represented bot...

Chick-fil-A’s much anticipated opening in Honolulu in the former Burger King space on Beretania Street is finally moving forward. The Atlanta-based chicken restaurant chain filed a permit Monday to demolish the old Burger King building to make way for Oahu’s first Chick-fil-A eatery.  MGA Architecture is the architect for the new restaurant, which is located near Straub Hospital and the Honolulu Police Department headquarters on South Beretania Street.  Chick-fil-A is opening its first location in Hawaii on the island of Maui. Chick-fil-A was once scheduled to open in Kaneohe in Windward Oahu but the site it chose to build its restaurant is now back on the market.  The popular restaurant chain is also scheduled to open in Kapolei in West Oahu.