Los Angeles Business Journal back issues from August 2007:
East L.A.'s Golden Boy lands big one: De La Hoya pays $70 million to redevelop Sears site.(REAL ESTATE)(Oscar De La Hoya)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Boxing's golden boy Oscar De La Hoya is purchasing the iconic Sears warehouse and store site in Boyle Heights that he frequented with his mother while growing up in the area. Plans call for an intensive redevelopment of the property, adding housing and retail to the site. The ...
Prime time for buying: web site offers instant gratification for viewers who can buy clothes and products used on the air.(SeenOn.com)(Website overview)
Aug 06, 2007; ... FOR years, the fashion industry has worked the premise that consumers buy what they see in TV and movies. Product placements and celebrity endorsements have been a part of Hollywood for decades. But now a Web site has gone one step further by selling the exact products that ...
Mortgage meltdown goes mainstream: lending firms feel pain as county's Alt-A delinquencies surge.(LOANS)(Company overview)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Shares of local mortgage lending giants Countrywide Financial Corp. and IndyMac Bancorp Inc. were hit hard last week as evidence mounted that the mortgage loan crisis was spreading beyond the subprime sector to more mainstream borrowers. Countrywide and IndyMac are two of the ...
ValueClick facing lead-generation gap: stock takes a tumble as Wall Street reacts to FTC probe.(INTERNET)
Aug 06, 2007; ... ValueClick Inc., the nation's No. 1 independent online advertising network, stumbled last week with a big drop in stock price after the company reported second quarter earnings below Wall Street's targets and lowered its guidance. The stock dropped 19 percent on Monday to a low ...
AEG vice president in drive to go global.(PAGE 3)(Andrew Messick)
Aug 06, 2007; ... MEGA-promoter AEG is expecting big things from newly christened exec VP Andrew Messick, who will run marketing, advertising, PR, merchandising, creative services and business operations for most of AEG's sports operations. He comes from the NBA, where he was point man on the ...
Glittering again: True Religion veteran Gold-Lubell launches jewelry line.(Up Front)
Aug 06, 2007; ... SERIAL entrepreneur Kymberly Gold-Lubell, co-founder of True Religion Apparel Inc, who divorced the other co-founder, has embarked on another adventure in the fashion world. She left the Los Angeles-based premium denim company in March and has launched a new upscale jewelry ...
Good news comes to L.A. Times in form of filming.(Up Front)(Los Angeles Times)
Aug 06, 2007; ... The Los Angeles Times, like newspapers across the country, has made headlines of late for its declining circulation and shrinking profit margins, but at least one small part of the company's business is on the rise. The paper's downtown headquarters has hosted a growing number ...
Landmark sale.(News of the Week)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007 ... Landmark Sale: Final bids were submitted for the purchase of the property beneath Grauman's Chinese Theatre. The theater itself isn't part of the package until 2023, after the theater's 99-year ground lease expires. Then the historic landmark will pass to the owner of the land. In the ...
Tainted toys.(News of the Week)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007 ... Tainted TOYS: Mattel Inc. recalled nearly one million toys in the U.S. due to the presence of lead paint. A contract manufacturer in China manufactured the toys, according to Mattel--but the El Segundo-based toymaker said it was able to prevent two-thirds of the 967,000 affected toys from ...
Bridge link.(News of the Week)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007 ... Bridge Link: Shares in Material Technologies Inc. soared as Wall Street took notice of the company in the wake of the deadly bridge collapse in Minneapolis. The Los Angeles-based company has technology that its Chief Executive Robert Bemstein says can detect metal fatigue in bridges and ...
Labor pressure.(News of the Week)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007 ... Labor Pressure: The Los Angeles City Council delayed a decision on whether to back United Airlines' efforts to begin nonstop service to Shanghai in an effort to put pressure on the airline to pay its workers "a decent wage," Harbor Area Councilwoman Janice Hahn said. This is the second ...
Craft peace.(News of the Week)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007 ... Craft Peace: Hollywood's film studios and television producers reached a tentative accord with Hollywood's five basic crafts unions. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers' tentative agreement on a new three-year contract affects more than 6,000 workers ...
Unplugging.(News of the Week)(assets of Amp'd Mobile Inc. is beeing purchased by Prexar Mobile )(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007 ... Unplugging: After holding an emergency auction. bankrupt wireless career Amp'd Mobile Inc. was seeking to sell its assets in a "very discrete" fashion, according to Prexar Mobile which said in a-statement that it is buying unspecified "strategic wireless assets" from Amp'd. Prexar said the ...
Policy payout.(News of the Week)(rate reduction)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007 ... Policy Payout: Geico General Insurance Co. and California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner announced an 11 percent rate reduction for all 436,000 Geico auto insurance customers, about one-fourth of whom are in Southern California. The estimated ...
Earnings.(News of the Week)
Aug 06, 2007 ... Earnings: Wait Disney Co. reported third quarter net income of $1.2 billion, a 5 percent gain from the same period a year earlier. Revenue for the Burbank-based entertainment company rose 7 percent to $9.1 billion. Maguire Properties Inc. reported a second-quarter net loss $24 million, a ...
Corrections.(UP FRONT)(Correction notice)
Aug 06, 2007 ... An article in the July 30 issue headlined "United Way's New Funding Criteria Adds Recipients but Cuts Others Out" incorrectly stated that the Salvation Army would receive funding from the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. The Salvation Army did not apply for money from the organization ...
Hot topic taking some heat from street: teen retailer's stock hits 52-week low as it struggles in competitive sector.(APPAREL)
Aug 06, 2007; ... FOR Hot Topic Inc., it's been more like lukewarm lately. Stock of the City of Industry-based teen apparel retailer's shares dropped to a 52-week low last week following a "sell" rating by A.G. Edwards analyst Robert F. Buchanan. As of late last week, the stock had fallen 19 ...
Ronco assets go to Marlin Equity for $6.5 million.(News & Analysis)
Aug 06, 2007; ... "But wait--there's more." The line made famous by Ronco Corp.'s infomercials also describes the aftermath of the company's bankruptcy proceedings. The Simi Valley-based Ronco on Aug 1 sold all its assets to Marlin Equity Partners, a private investment firm in El ...
TiVO tracking device gives advertisers a fresh gauge: Long Beach production house creates an ad that is the least fast-forwarded.(TELEVISION)
Aug 06, 2007; ... ADVERTISERS who worry that consumers will TiVO through their spots can now resolve or confirm their angst. A new tracking service from TiVO reveals "the least fast-forwarded brand campaigns," and the first winner is a campaign from Long Beach-based production house Nista Hancock ...
Russian campaign.(ADVERTISING & PR)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Just as Los Angeles was losing its Olympic bid for 2016, an L.A.-based agency was helping another city win. On July 4, the International Olympic Committee voted Sochi, Russia as the host city for 2014 Winter Games, thanks in part to a marketing campaign by local ad shop Canvas Atelier. ...
Latina power.(ADVERTISING & PR)(Five Hispanic women formed Latina Agency Alliance )(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Five Hispanic women who run their own marketing agencies have formed Latina Agency Alliance (LAA) with the aim of pursuing new business opportunities, referring clients to each other and mentoring other Latinas who hope to start their own companies. The local presence of LAA is ...
Agencies & accounts.(ADVERTISING & PR)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Ad shop 72andSunny won the creative agency of record title for the Discovery Channel. The agency will oversee all U.S. strategic and creative duties for the cable TV channel, including a re-branding campaign to start in October. ... Santa Monica-based Palisades MediaGroup has opened a New ...
Ark Advisors guides clients through advertising reviews: Russel Wohlwerth helps determine if agencies keep accounts.(CONSULTANT)
Aug 06, 2007; ... When a corporation puts its advertising account "up for review," the process works like a black box. In one end. a number of ad agencies enter full of hype and glory: from the other end, a single winner emerges. Russel Wohlwerth is the man inside the box. His ...
Guess making an international play with jewelry line: $100 million in retail sales expected across Europe, Middle East, Asia.(RETAIL)
Aug 06, 2007; ... As part of Guess Inc.'s plans to further globalize the brand, the company has rolled out a line of jewelry in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. And by next year the new international jewelry line is expected to do $100 million in retail sales, said Cindy Livingston, the ...
Skechers stock down.(MARKETPLACE)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Skechers USA Inc. shoe sales are healthy but the company's share price has tumbled since the Manhattan Beach-based company's second quarter earnings came in at 32 cents per share, well beneath the 43 cents projected by analysts. "While we are pleased with our top-line increases, ...
Party central.(MARKETPLACE)(Party Showcase)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Classic Party Rentals Inc. continues its buying binge with the purchase of Raleigh-based Party Showcase, which rents supplies for high-profile events in North Carolina. The acquisition is the third by El Segundo-based Classic since Virginia-based private equity firm Quad-C ...
Hotelier retires.(MARKETPLACE)(Ali Kasikci planns to retire from Peninsula Beverly Hills)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Ali Kasikci announced his plans to retire from his post as managing director of the Peninsula Beverly Hills after nearly 16 years with the hotel. He is scheduled to step down on Dec. 8. When Kasikci joined the hotel in 1992, it was losing $500,000 a month. Under Kasikci's ...
Critical vote approaches on ports' Clean Truck Program: competing petitions circulate in support and opposition of plan.(EMISSIONS)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... THE ongoing feud between truckers and environmentalists in San Pedro Bay is heating up as a critical vote by port harbor commissioners nears. The Los Angeles and Long Beach ports plan to vote next month--no specific date has been set--on a controversial program aimed at reducing ...
Bus for a duck.(TRADE & TRANSPORT)(daily passenger bus service launched)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... A European transportation giant is trying to help Angelenos get around a little easier for a little less. Megabus.com, a subsidiary of $2.8 billion United Kingdom-based Stagecoach Group PLC, last week launched daily passenger bus service from Los Angeles to six regional cities. ...
Port names directors.(TRADE & TRANSPORT)(appointment of Gary Cardamone)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... The administration of the Port of Long Beach was infused with some new blood this past week. Gary Cardamone, a 25-year veteran of port construction, was named by the Board of Harbor Commissioners to the newly created position of director of construction management. Lisa Marin, ...
A friendlier pump.(TRADE & TRANSPORT)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Concerns about possible $4-a-gallon gas seem like a distant memory now. The average price of a gallon of regular self-serve gas in Los Angeles dropped to $3 last week for the first time since early March. The price is 7 cents lower than the previous week and down 23 cents from ...
Anti-harassment training regulations win final approval: companies with more than 50 employees will be required to train supervisors.(SEX)
Aug 06, 2007; ... STATE officials have approved final regulations for the landmark sexual harassment training law and the biggest clarification: the law now applies to larger firms that hire contract workers. The final regulations were crafted by the Fair Employment and Housing Commission to ...
Rubbed the wrong way.(REGULATION WATCH)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Permit fees for tanning salons, massage parlors, massage therapists and cyber carts in the city of Los Angeles are about to go up--way up. Assuming the Los Angeles City Council signs off next month on the fee increases recommended by the Los Angeles Police Commission, massage ...
Hearing on rest periods.(REGULATION WATCH)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Employers have long chafed at a state regulation requiring they give meal and rest breaks to their employees after a certain number of hours worked each day. Employers complain that the one-size-fits-all regulation doesn't work in some industries and that more flexibility is needed. ...
Cinema Electric sends shows to 50 million mobile viewers: Encino company becomes force among content networks.(TECHNOLOGY)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Eight years ago, Cinema Electric Inc. was creating wallpaper for mobile phones when handsets still came with grainy green and black screens. Five years ago, the company began delivering original media content for cell phones in the United Kingdom when American carriers lacked bandwidth ...
Amgen executive angered over coverage restrictions: CMS won't pay for anemia treatment, which means fewer Aranesp sales.(BIOTECH)
Aug 06, 2007; ... AMGEN Inc.'s Roger Perlmutter's blood was boiling last week. The executive vice president of global research and development was reacting to the decision of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to not pay for his company's anemia treatment if a cancer patient's ...
Pay for performance.(HEALTH CARE & BIOTECH)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Insurers clamping down on what treatments they'll pay for isn't the only challenge facing oncologists these days. The community cancer center journal Oncology Issues recently published an article by Macdonald and a fellow Aptium colleague detailing the challenges their profession faces in ...
Mediawatch.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Statistical table)
Aug 06, 2007 ... <Pre> MEDIAWATCH MOVIE BOX OFFICE Weekend GrossTotal Gross Rank Title(mils) (mils)Distributor 1 The Simpsons 71.971.9Fox 2 I ...
Synergy expansion.(Pasadena)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Synergy Expansion: Synergy Workplaces will expand from its Beverly Hills office to open its second Los Angeles area facility in Pasadena. In September, Synergy will open its Pasadena business center, ...
Texas hotel.(Beverly Hills)(Hilton Garden Inn opened in Texas)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Texas Hotel: A Hilton Garden Inn opened in Beaumont, Texas. The hotel, a three-story, 100-room facility is operated by JaiMaha Laxmi Inc. under a license agreement with Hilton Inns Inc., a ...
Land venture.(Beverly Hills)(joint venture between Canyon Capital Realty Advisors and Canyon Capital Advisors )(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Land Venture: Canyon Capital Realty Advisors and its affiliate Canyon Capital Advisors has entered a joint venture, River Canyon, with Brian Vail's River West Investments and Riverview Capital Investments, owned by former state Treasurer Phil Angelides. The new ...
Beauty entertainment.(West Hollywood)(Salon City Inc launched improved version of the Web site SalonCity.com)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Beauty Entertainment: Salon City Inc., which publishes the nationally distributed Salon City magazine, is finalizing its preparations to launch Salon City Network, a new Internet programming vehicle. SCI is among the leading media companies in beauty entertainment, and Salon ...
Gallery premiere.(Downtown L.A.)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Gallery Premiere: Los Angeles based psychiatrist Jack Barbour, the co-founder of South Central Health and Rehabilitation Programs, has collaborated with artist Marco Antonio Chavez in establishing the Museum ...
Confectionary opening.(Silver Lake)(Valerie Confections opened a production facility in Silver Lake)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Confectionary Opening: Valerie Confections, an L.A.-based artisanal chocolate company, has opened a production facility and its first retail store on First Street in Silver Lake. The company has sold various chocolates and confections through ...
Industrial sale.(Thousand Oaks)(Wood Family Trust )(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Industrial Sale: The Tri-County office of CB Richard Ellis has assisted in the sale of a large industrial property located at 2101 Corporate Center Drive. Panattoni ...
Cashing in on opting out: Kelly Watson launched Career Partners to pair executives in job-sharing arrangements.(Innovation)
Aug 06, 2007; ... SOME critics say the "opt-out revolution" is a myth, but Kelly Watson swears by it. She chose to leave her executive marketing job at the LA. office of Telecom New Zealand after giving birth to her second child because she felt like she couldn't balance her busy family life with a 70-hour ...
Teen music fans driving explosive growth at Buzznet: networking site features voluminous entries that are frequently updated.(INTERNET)
Aug 06, 2007; ... BUZZNET.COM is definitely creating a buzz in the increasingly crowded world of online social networking. Eight million visitors are flocking to what the Hollywood-based company is calling a "social media networking" Web site. Six months ago, the site saw 2 million visitors. ...
U.S. renewables buoyed.(TECHNOLOGY)(Renewables Group LLC)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Santa Monica-based U.S. Renewables Group LLC, which owns and operates landfill methane, biomass, wind and solar power projects, closed on a $475 million second private equity fund. The commitment far exceeds the fund's original target of $250 million. The money will be used ...
New exec at Soliant.(TECHNOLOGY)(Soliant Energy Inc. appoints Marc Cortez )(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Marc Cortez is the new vice president of sales and marketing at Pasadena-based Soliant Energy Inc., a company that develops solar panels for commercial use. Cortez was previously director of marketing at Sharp Solar Energy Solutions Group. ...
OSI's credit line hiked.(TECHNOLOGY)
Aug 06, 2007; ... OSI Systems Inc., an electronics provider to the security and health care sectors, recently received a new $90 million credit line. The new financing includes a $45 million term loan and $45 million revolving line of credit, with the ability to ...
Eastern view: when Dominc Ng became head of East West Bank, it was a struggling savings and loan. He's turned it into a 'financial bridge' between business customers in China and the United States.(People)(Interview)
Aug 06, 2007; ... IN 16 years at the helm of East West Bank, Dominic Ng has taken a small, struggling savings and loan with barely $600 million in assets and transformed it into one of the region's ethnic banking powerhouses with nearly $11 billion in assets and 62 branches. He launched this transition ...
RBZ LLP.(Accounting)(promotions)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... RBZ LLP, a Los Angeles-based accounting and business consulting firm, has promoted Elisabeth Cai to manager in the tax department, Cindy Chu to director in the law firm services group, Armen Grigorian to senior supervisor in the audit department, David Lain to ...
Gulfstream Aerospace.(Aerospace)(appointment of Tray Crow)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Gulfstream Aerospace, a business-jet aircraft designer and manufacturer, has hired Tray Crow as director of completion ...
Perkowitz+Ruth Architects.(Architecture)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Nick Frankart has been promoted to chief financial officer of ...
B. Riley & Co.(Banking & Finance)(promotion of Ian Corydon )(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... B. Riley & Co., a research, trading and investment banking services firm headquartered in Los Angeles, has ...
Michel Financial Group.(Banking & Finance)(appointment of Ana Hart )(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Ana Hart has joined Michel Financial Group, a financial and estate planning company in Century City, as director of ...
Scott Sternberg Productions.(Entertainment)(promotion of Patrick Murphy )(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Scott Stemberg Productions, a television show production company at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, has promoted Patrick Murphy to ...
Cinema Logic Group.(Entertainment)(appointment of Thomas Hencz, Joe Marsella, Christina Roach )(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Cinema Logic Group, a Santa Monica-based film and interactive production company, has hired Thomas Hencz as sales executive, Joe Marsella as senior project manager and Christina Roach as executive assistant and office manager. Hencz was formerly executive director of sales and marketing ...
National Association of Clean Water Agencies.(Government)(appointment of Christopher M. Westhoff )(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... The National Association of Clean Water Agencies has elected Christopher M. Westhoff as ...
Passion for online publishing draws Frenchman to L.A.(Featured Newsmaker)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... ANTOINE Boulin, who is used to cramped spaces and crowded Parisian subways, finds Los Angles a welcome change. "The city has got a great vibe," Boulin says. "It's refreshing to see palm trees and wide open spaces everywhere." Boulin is the new chief executive of TG ...
California Endowment.(Health)(appointment of William Nicholas )(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, has appointed William Nicholas as director of ...
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.(Hospitality)(appointment of Michael Beck and Julie Carruthers)(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has hired Michael Beck as vice president of real estate and Julie Carruthers as senior director of training and organizational development. Beck was most recently director of real estate and ...
Dykema.(Law)(appointment of John Viola )(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Dykema, a Midwest-based legal services and public policy consulting firm, has named John Viola as a member in the ...
Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP.(Law)(appointment of James J. Vieceli )(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... James J. Vieceli has joined Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP, a national law and consulting firm, as a partner for the firm's corporate ...
Russ Reid Co.(Marketing)(appointment of Kevin White )(Brief article)
Aug 06, 2007; ... Russ Reid Co., a marketing and communications firm serving non-profit organizations, has hired Kevin White as vice president of media for ...