Amfac (Hawaii)
Encyclopedia
Amfac, Inc. formerly known as American Factors and originally H. Hackfeld and Company was a land development company in Hawaii. Founded in 1849 as a retail and sugar business, it was considered one of the so-called Big Five
companies in the Territory of Hawaii
. At its peak it owned 60000 acres (24,281.2 ha) of land, and was a dominant sugar company in Hawaii as well the founder of one of its best known department stores, Liberty House
.
It now owns 5000 acres (2,023.4 ha) of land in Kaanapali on the island of Maui
. Since 2005 it is known as Kaanapali Land, LLC .
on the island of Kauai
. Paul Isenberg
(1837–1903) became a partner in 1881.
During World War I
, the company was seized by the U.S. government Alien Property Custodian
. It was later sold to a consortium of Hawaii businessmen in 1918, who changed the name to "American Factors". In 1966, the name was further shortened to "Amfac".
Henry Alexander Walker became president in the 1930s. The family estate known as the H. Alexander Walker Residence, was developed into a showcase garden.
From 1968 to 1972 under president Henry Alexander Walker Jr. Amfac acquired 42 different companies.
Ronald L. Sloan was removed as president November 20, 1987 and replaced by Richard L. Griffith (Walker was still chairman of the board). The company announced it was selling its non-Hawaii business units.
Amfac was bought by Chicago
-based JMB Realty
in 1988 for USD $920 million. As the sugar industry in Hawaii declined after statehood, so did the fortunes of Amfac. Amfac's assets were gradually sold off. Liberty House went into bankruptcy in 1998 (it was later acquired by Federated Department Stores
and now carries the Macy's
brand name), and Amfac Hawaii went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002. Amfac Hotels & Resorts was retained by JMB and was renamed Xanterra Parks and Resorts
. Amfac Hawaii was reorganized as Kaanapali Land, LLC and the bankruptcy closed in 2005.
Some of the former plantation land uphill from the resort has been subdivided into a development called Kāʻanapali Coffee Farms.
Big Five (Hawaii)
The Big Five was the name given to a group of what started as sugarcane processing corporations that wielded considerable political power in the Territory of Hawaii during the early 20th century and leaned heavily towards the Hawaii Republican Party. The Big Five were Castle & Cooke, Alexander &...
companies in the Territory of Hawaii
Territory of Hawaii
The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 7, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when its territory, with the exception of Johnston Atoll, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii.The U.S...
. At its peak it owned 60000 acres (24,281.2 ha) of land, and was a dominant sugar company in Hawaii as well the founder of one of its best known department stores, Liberty House
Liberty House
Liberty House, headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, was a department store and specialty store chain with locations throughout the Hawaiian Islands and on Guam, as well as several locations on the mainland U.S.-History:...
.
It now owns 5000 acres (2,023.4 ha) of land in Kaanapali on the island of Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
. Since 2005 it is known as Kaanapali Land, LLC .
History
German immigrant Heinrich Hackfeld and his brother-in-law J. C. Pflueger founded a dry goods store called H. Hackfeld and Company in 1849 in Honolulu. Hackfeld later became the business agent for Kōloa PlantationOld Sugar Mill of Koloa
The Old Sugar Mill of Kōloa was part of the first commercially successful sugar plantation in Hawaii, which was founded in Kōloa in 1835 by Ladd & Company. This was the beginning of what would become Hawaii's largest industry. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark on December...
on the island of Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
. Paul Isenberg
Paul Isenberg
Paul Isenberg was a German businessman who developed the sugarcane business in the Kingdom of Hawaii.-Life:Paul Heinrich Friedrich Carl Isenberg was born April 15, 1837 in Dransfeld, Kingdom of Hanover, Germany...
(1837–1903) became a partner in 1881.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the company was seized by the U.S. government Alien Property Custodian
Alien Property Custodian
An Alien Property Custodian was an office within the Government of the United States during World War I and again during World War II, serving as a Custodian of Enemy Property to property that belonged to US enemies.-World War I:...
. It was later sold to a consortium of Hawaii businessmen in 1918, who changed the name to "American Factors". In 1966, the name was further shortened to "Amfac".
Henry Alexander Walker became president in the 1930s. The family estate known as the H. Alexander Walker Residence, was developed into a showcase garden.
From 1968 to 1972 under president Henry Alexander Walker Jr. Amfac acquired 42 different companies.
Ronald L. Sloan was removed as president November 20, 1987 and replaced by Richard L. Griffith (Walker was still chairman of the board). The company announced it was selling its non-Hawaii business units.
Amfac was bought by Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
-based JMB Realty
JMB Realty
JMB Realty Corporation is a real estate investment company based in Chicago that at one time was one of the largest property developers in the United States. The company was founded as Robert Judelson & Co. in 1968...
in 1988 for USD $920 million. As the sugar industry in Hawaii declined after statehood, so did the fortunes of Amfac. Amfac's assets were gradually sold off. Liberty House went into bankruptcy in 1998 (it was later acquired by Federated Department Stores
Federated Department Stores
Macy's, Inc. is a department store holding company and owner of Macy's and Bloomingdale's department stores. Macy's Inc.'s stores specialize mostly in retail clothing, jewelery, watches, dinnerware, and furniture....
and now carries the Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
brand name), and Amfac Hawaii went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002. Amfac Hotels & Resorts was retained by JMB and was renamed Xanterra Parks and Resorts
Xanterra Parks and Resorts
Xanterra Parks & Resorts is a privately-owned United States park and resort management company based in Greenwood Village, Colorado, controlled by entertainment magnate Phillip Anschutz...
. Amfac Hawaii was reorganized as Kaanapali Land, LLC and the bankruptcy closed in 2005.
Some of the former plantation land uphill from the resort has been subdivided into a development called Kāʻanapali Coffee Farms.
External links
- Kaanapali Land Management Corp., principal subsidiary of Kaanapali Land