Los Angeles Business Journal back issues from October 2007:
Port officials see emerging threat from south: L.A. eyes alliance with growing Mexican rivals.(SHIPPING)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Amid considerable growth in Asian shipping to Mexico's Pacific Coast, the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports have launched unprecedented talks with Mexican port officials in an attempt to develop new trade routes and limit future damage to L.A.'s import-dependent economy. Three ...
Package-plasty: Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeons offer clients hotels, hairdos, shopping sprees and more ...
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FRANCOISE Rabin came to Beverly Hills several years ago from her home in London for an "extreme makeover," including a complete nose reshaping, upper and lower eyelid reconstruction, a mini-face lift, chin implant, fat repositioning and ...
Jeans firm got too big for its britches: Blue Holdings' plan for expansion comes apart at seams.(RETAIL)(Blue Holdings Inc. acquires Long Rap Inc.)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Last year, Blue Holdings Inc. had some grand plans. The Commerce-based premium denim company acquired a 50 percent stake in a trendy sportswear line called Life & Death. Bidding to move aggressively into retail, it also tried to buy an East Coast retail chain for $32 million to ...
Bigger not better for these brokers: in merger's wake, Trammel Crow alums exit CBRE.(REAL ESTATE)(Trammell Crow Co.)(CB Richard Ellis Inc.)
Oct 01, 2007; ... CB Richard Ellis Group Inc.'s $2.2 billion acquisition of Trammell Crow Co. in December has shaken up the local brokerage industry, with about three quarters of Trammell Crow's Southern California brokers leaving the company. As with any significant merger there is attrition, ...
Radio stations ready for ratings revolution.(Up Front)(Matt Mallon is appointed as chairman of Southern California Broadcasters Association)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] MATT Mallon, general sales manager at radio station KABC-AM (790), is turning up the volume. The 40-year-old Mallon was recently named chairman of the Southern California Broadcasters Association's general sales managers council. He'll be ...
Waffling?(Up Front)(IHOP Corp. acquires Applebee's International Inc. Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... When the IHOP Corp. recently purchased the bar and grill chain Applebee's for $2.1 billion, Chief Executive Julia Stewart made it clear she planned to turn the more than 500 Applebee's restaurants into franchises, a strategy that paid big dividends with the International House of Pancakes ....
On second thought.(Up Front)
Oct 01, 2007; ... If you had your heart set on visiting Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills by making the top bid at the Jewish National Fund's Oct. 11 auction mentioned in this space two weeks ago, you'll have to make another plan. The group has taken the trip off the auction ...
T-Formation: former semi-pro football player launches deluxe fashion line.(Up Front)
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At 6 feet, 2 inches tall and 230 pounds, Marq Massengale doesn't look like your typical fashion maven. But don't let the linebacker physique fool you. Massengale (who is in fact a former semi-pro football player) is making a name for himself ...
See's goes to war over what makes 'real' chocolate.(Up Front)(See's Candies Inc.)
Oct 01, 2007; ... What would Lucy say? See's Candies Inc., a Los Angeles institution whose main Carson plant once hosted a classic episode of Lucille Ball's TV comedy "I Love Lucy," today is waging a campaign to preserve what it believes makes chocolate chocolate. See's and other ...
Abu Dhabi Doo.(News of the Week)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Abu Dhabi Doo: Warner Bros. struck a multibillion-dollar joint venture deal with two Abu Dhabi-based companies that seek to bring Bugs Bunny, the Roadrunner and Scooby-Doo to the Persian Gulf. The deal outlines plans for a theme park, a hotel and multiplex ...
Stagnant job scene.(News of the Week)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Stagnant Job Scene: The unemployment rate in Los Angeles Country sat at 4.9 percent in August, marginally up from 4.8 percent in July. The county saw non-farm payroll employment drop by 0.1 percent from July levels. Year-over-year employment growth slowed to 0.9 percent; the county gained ...
Tough times.(News of the Week)(layoffs in Amgen Inc.)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Tough Times: About 8 percent of the 8,300 workers based at Amgen Inc.'s Thousand Oaks headquarters will be dismissed this fall. The 675 layoffs were roughly what had been expected by industry observers and make up nearly half of the 1,500 Amgen jobs that will be trimmed nationwide. Word of ...
Not so fast.(News of the Week)(Fremont General Corp.'s shares)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Not SO Fast: Shares in Fremont General Corp. plummeted after billionaire banker Gerald Ford reneged on his rescue plan for the troubled lender announced earlier this year. The Texas-based banker and former chief executive of Golden State Bancorp told the Santa Monica-based lender that he ...
Goofy gamble.(News of the Week)(financial report of KB Home Corp.)(Financial report)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Goofy Gamble: Amid what is shaping up to be the worst housing downturn since the early 1990s, KB Home has enlisted the help of Mickey Mouse to sell homes. Los Angeles-based KB said it would begin to offer homes customized with Walt Disney Co.-themed flooring, window coverings and lighting ...
Compensation questioned.(News of the Week)(executive compensation system)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Compensation Questioned: Corporate governance research group the Corporate Library said that Countrywide Financial Corp. needs to fix its "poorly designed" executive compensation system and questioned the decision-making ability of the company's directors. The Portland. Maine-based ...
Major donation.(News of the Week)(Claremont McKenna College received $200-million gift)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Major Donation: In what is estimated as the single largest donation to an American liberal arts college, Claremont McKenna College said it would receive a $200-million gift to establish a new master's degree program in finance. The donation is from Robert Day, a college alumnus who is ...
Fly by.(News of the Week)(nonstop service from Los Angeles International Airport to Shanghai)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Fly By: United Airlines" quest to start nonstop service from Los Angeles International Airport to Shanghai hit major turbulence after the U.S. Department of Transportation said it would recommend several other U.S.-China routes to be flown by other airlines. Delta Air Lines Inc. was ...
Drive time.(News of the Week)(Activision Inc. merged Bizarre Creations )(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007 ... Drive Time: Santa Monica-based Activision Inc. acquired U.K.-based video game developer Bizarre Creations in an effort to diversify its game titles. The maker of the popular "Guitar Hero" franchise bought the British company to add car racing titles to ...
Four-letter word? Rentech liquefies 'dirty' coal to produce clean-burning jet fuel.(News & Analysis)
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DON'T call Rentech Inc. a coal company. "It's like calling an ethanol company a corn company," said Chief Executive Hunt Ramsbottom. Still, to some, the Los Angeles-based producer of coal-based fuels conjures up an image of a red brick building ...
Breitburn tries for appeal to boomers seeking income stocks.(CORPORATE FOCUS)(BreitBurn Energy Company L.L.C.)(Company overview)
Oct 01, 2007; ... THE pledge of two college roommates in the early 1980s to one day go into the oil business together has hit black gold for Randy Breitenbach and Hal Washburn, whose Breitburn Energy Partners LP has seen its unit price more than double since going public nearly a year ago on the Nasdaq. ...
Crustacean sharpening its claws with corporate structure: Elizabeth an creates catering business, expands and diversifies.(RESTAURANTS)(AnTran Holdings LLC)
Oct 01, 2007; ... EVERY morning when Elizabeth An comes into Crustacean Beverly Hills, the upscale restaurant owned by her family, she makes sure that the pillows at each of the tables are creased at the center. That sort of attention to detail is typical of how she has run the family business, ...
Downtown proposition.(MARKETPLACE)(Central City Association of Los Angeles, California)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... The Central City Association has begun working on a plan that would make it easier for nightclubs and restaurants to open along Seventh Street in downtown L.A. Conditional use permits, which provide site-specific zoning exemptions, can currently take as long as two years for the ...
Celebrity vault.(MARKETPLACE)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Most of us might consider dropping $3 to buy a celebrity magazine at the supermarket. Klaus Moeller and Cole Sternberg are aiming way higher with their celeb items. Last week the duo sold about $100,000 worth of photos of Frank Sinatra from their new studio, Celebrity Vault in ...
Russian expansion.(MARKETPLACE)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Russia has been identified as a key focus for the Beverly Hills-based Hilton Hotels Corp. Last week it signed a deal with Belgravia Asset Management Ltd. that allows Belgravia to open 25 hotels with about 3,000 rooms in Russia and other parts of Central and ...
ValueClick stock is surging but sale seen as unlikely.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Company overview)
Oct 01, 2007; ... An old saying on Wall Street tells investors to "buy on rumor, sell on news." But for speculators in the stock of ValueClick Inc., the news may never come. ValueClick jumped 21 percent in two days last week after analysts at Stanford Group wrote to investors about how the ...
Lowe Enterprises named developer of NoHo Art Wave. (NEWS & ANALYSIS).(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority last week awarded Lowe Enterprises exclusive negotiating rights as master developer for the proposed NoHo Art Wave project adjacent to the North Hollywood Metro Red Line station. The Los Angeles-based developer will ...
Pot smoke, caffeine, chemicals may be added to list: notices would have to be posted at businesses under Prop. 65.(ENVIRONMENT)
Oct 01, 2007; ... MANUFACTURERS in California are concerned that state regulators are considering adding 11 chemicals to the list of hazardous substances requiring the posting of notices under the state's Proposition 65 law--including marijuana smoke, caffeine and many chemicals used in manufacturing. ...
Skyscraper blues.(REGULATION WATCH)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... High-rise building owners, managers and tenants beware: higher regulatory fees are on the way. The City of Los Angeles is about to raise its annual high-rise building inspection fees 26 percent to generate an additional $385,000 to offset rising inspection staffing costs. ...
Regulation worries.(REGULATION WATCH)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Complying with regulations, although necessary, can hurt the bottom line. That's the conclusion of a just-released nationwide survey of 142 executives holding compliance or information technology positions. The survey was conducted by Mountain View-based Polivec Inc., which sells ...
Retailers can connect with consumers via MyFoxLA: Channel 11 launches 'Hotlist' Web site as local shopping guide.(INTERNET)(www.myfoxla.com/hotlist)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... KTTV-TV (Channel 11) has concocted a two-month-long contest to hype the launch of "MyFoxLA's Hotlist, a Web site that matches L.A.-based retailers with consumers. The site functions as a local shopping guide in more than 140 categories. Visitors to the site can read about a ...
Million-dollar video.(ADVERTISING & PR)(Revver Inc.)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Revver Inc., the L.A.-based video Web site that shares its advertising revenues with video creators, recently paid out the millionth dollar for user-generated content since launching a year ago. "The time and place to be an independent creator is right now, online," said Steven ...
First TV campaigns.(ADVERTISING & PR)(Reunion.com)(television )(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Two L.A. companies have produced their first television commercials, both trying to move from niche success to mainstream acceptance. Reunion.com, the friend-finding Web site in Santa Monica, has commissioned a direct response TV campaign consisting of four spots that show the ...
Idea Hall.(Talent Shifts)(Marcie Perez and Dennis Kaiser are appointed)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... PR shop Idea Hall has opened an L.A. office, staffed with two local veterans. Vice President Marcie Perez, previously public relations director for Tu Ciudad magazine, will spearhead the agency's multicultural practice. Dennis Kaiser, former Los ...
Tom Dunlap has landed a job at Deutsche LA as director of Integrated Production.(Talent Shifts)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Tom Dunlap has landed a job at Deutsche LA as director of Integrated Production. He recently won a silver Cannes Lion for the animated Coca-Cola Co ....
NBC Universal.(Talent Shifts)(Ramon Escobar left from Telemundo Communications Group Inc.)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Ramon Escobar, former senior executive vice-president for Entertainment at NBC Universal's Telemundo in Burbank. has left the network to accept a management post ...
Allison & Partners.(Talent Shifts)(Jonathan Heit appointed)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Jonathan Heit will head Allison & Partners' new technology division. The PR agency's tech clients include YouTube, CNET, Sony Electronics, Boost ...
Gorilla Nation Media.(Talent Shifts)(Matt Stodder appointed)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Former Yahoo executive Matt Stodder has joined Gorilla Nation Media to handle integrated sales for Web sites. Stodder's new title is vice-president of ...
TBWA\Chiat\Day.(Talent Shifts)(Mike Yagi appointed)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... TBWA\Chiat\Day has promoted Mike Yagi to the position of creative director on the Nissan account. Also, Chris Adams and Margaret Keene have both been promoted to creative ...
Big 'Green' freighter makes first stop at Los Angeles Port; ceremony greets world's largest alternative maritime power vessel.(ENERGY)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... THE world's largest alternative maritime power vessel--which can plug into shore-side electrical power while at berth--recently made its maiden voyage to the Port of Los Angeles, marking a step forward for the technology. The port last week held a welcoming ceremony for the Xin ...
Tracking truckers.(TRADE & TRANSPORT)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... In response to pressure from the Homeland Security Department, trucks will soon be required to install a new tracking device in order to gain access to marine terminals at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports. The recently announced changes to the PierPass program, which ...
Desert launch.(TRADE & TRANSPORT)(Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners lease agrrement with United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... A little bit of space is coming to wide-open Palmdale. The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners approved a 20-year lease agreement with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for use of one of the five hangars at L.A./Palmdale Regional Airport. Under ...
Downtown digs.(TRADE & TRANSPORT)(Worldwide Aeros Corp. opened new manufacturing facility)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Worldwide Aeros Corp., a Tarzana aircraft maker, has opened a new engineering and manufacturing facility near downtown Los Angeles. The company plans to use the facility for the development of Aeroscraft, a rigid, buoyancy-assisted aircraft. The ...
Attorneys joining the ranks in field of expert witnesses: some of L.A.'s most prominent lawyers adding role to their regular practice.(LAW)(Los Angeles, United States)(Column)
Oct 01, 2007; ... The extent to which the testimony of high-priced expert witnesses factored into the mistrial last week of music producer Phil Spector is unclear, but one thing is not. Expert testimony--at times costing more than $1,000 per hour--has become an integral part of major criminal and ...
Sony's consolidation project will bring 600 to Culver City: ground breaks for expansion of office space on studio lot.(CONSTRUCTION)(Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.)
Oct 01, 2007; ... SONY Pictures Entertainment executives, local government officials and Gov. Schwarzenegger broke ground last week on a construction project on the studio's Culver City lot. When completed, it will bring about 600 Sony employees now working in Westwood and elsewhere in Los ...
Broader overture.(MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT)(Alliance Films contract with Overture Films)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Alliance Films will be the exclusive distributor for Overture Films in Canada through 2010. A multiyear deal announced last week covers all rights to Overture's movies in Canada. The Alliance partnership completes Overture's global distribution. The company now has domestic ...
Art fraud.(MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT)(Robert Bane Ltd. Inc.)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Online auctions have helped boost line art sales, but the $2.3 million legal judgment won last month by a noted Japanese pop artist also highlighted some of the hazards involved. Hajime Sorayama, known for his erotic and futuristic art, won the judgment last month--including $1 ...
Sneak peek.(MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Yahoo Inc.'s online TV channel is exclusively streaming the premiere episodes of the CW network's primetime series "Aliens in America" and "Life Is Wild" free and without commercial interruption before their first air dates. The drama "Life Is Wild" will begin its network TV ...
Mediawatch.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Statistical table)
Oct 01, 2007 ... <Pre> HOLLYWOOD MOVIE BOX OFFICEWeekend Gross Total Gross Rank Title (mils)(mils) Distributor 1 Resident Evil $24.0 $24.0 Sony 2 Good Luck Chuck 14.0 14.0 ...
Name change.(NTD Architecture)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Name Change: NTDStichler Architecture, a San Diego-based firm with Los Angeles-area offices at 955 Overland Court in San Dimas and 2025 E. Financial Way in Glendora, ...
Residential construction.(Marina del Rey)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Residential Construction: A new residential community called Pier Pointe is now under construction in Marina del Rey. The cluster of townhomes, condominiums and a nine-story residential tower was designed by Van ...
Branch opening.(Century City)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Branch Opening: City National Bank will open a Century City Regional Center in the Century Plaza Towers at 2029 Century Park East. The 25,000-square foot location will include space on the first three floors of the building and include ...
Store premiere.(Beverly Hills)(Elie Tahari opened stores)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Store Premiere: Fashion designer Elie Tahari is opening a store inside Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 16. A percentage of the ...
Italian leather.(Beverly Hills)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Italian Leather: Geox, an Italian footwear brand, opened its first free-standing store in the Los Angeles at 400 N. Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. The shoes, designed by Mario Moretti ...
Hotel reopens.(Brentwood)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Hotel Reopens: A former Holiday Inn at 170 N. Church Lane near Brentwood has been reopened as a boutique hotel called Hotel Angeleno. It has 209 redesigned guest rooms ...
Flashlight distributed.(Torrance)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Flashlight Distributed: Torrance-based flashlight producer, Pelican Products Inc. has started shipping for the general release of its 7060 LED flashlight, which premiered in March as the official ...
Lunch menu.(Long Beach)(Long Beach Hotel )(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Lunch Menu: Tracht's Restaurant, at the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel at 111 E. Ocean Blvd., recently started serving lunch daily with a menu that includes crab devilled eggs, pot-roast ...
Beauty bid.(Manhattan Beach)(Intelligent Beauty acquired Technology Crossover Ventures)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Beauty Bid: Manhattan Beach-based Intelligent Beauty, a beauty brand incubator with a full in-house advertising agency, was recently ...
Bright idea: Litepanels makes battery-powered LEDs--light emitting diodes--for TV and film shoots.(Innovation)(Company overview)
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THANKS to a local company, the technology behind light-emitting diodes in traffic signals is lighting up the White House press briefing room and the sets of popular TV shows such as "Desperate Housewives." North Hollywood-based Litepanels Inc. has ...
Cash infusion could mean Earthlink wants to quit Helio; Korean funding leads to barrage of bad press for L.A. cell company.(PHONES)(Helio LLC)
Oct 01, 2007; ... FOR most startups, $270 million in new funding would be ,seen as a positive sign. Not so for L.A.'s Helio LLC, a high-tech cell phone venture backed by a South Korea's giant SK Telecom Co. and Earthlink Inc. Since the information became public last week, Helio has been barraged by negative ...
Big bucks.(TECHNOLOGY)(Demand Media Inc. receives funding)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Demand Media Inc., a 16-month-old startup headed by former MySpace chairman Richard Rosenblatt, has received an additional $100 million in funding. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Goldman Sachs Group Inc. led the second round of financing, along with previous investors, who ...
In the cards.(TECHNOLOGY)(PrintsMadeEasy.com revenue report)(Financial report)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... PrintsMadeEasy.com, an online company that allows companies to design their own business cards on a Web site, is experiencing explosive growth. The 6-year-old company reported $15 million in revenues this year, compared to $3 million in 2003. It ranked No. I among online printing companies ...
New CFO.(appointment of Kevin Rubin )(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Kevin Rubin has been appointed chief financial officer of DataDirect Networks Inc. Rubin comes to the company from MRV Communications, a telecommunication equipment company. Chatworth-based DataDirect Networks ...
A healing touch: Kaiser Permanente's Dr. Jimmy Hara started off with a passion for community medicine. Now he leads a program designed to develop primary care providers.(People)(Interview)
Oct 01, 2007; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DR. Jimmy Hara's dedication to community medicine was forged in the late 1960s idealism of San Francisco s counterculture movement, where he volunteered at the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic when not protesting the Vietnam War or studying medicine at the ...
RBZ LLP.(Accounting)(appointment of Misbel Justesen)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... RBZ LLP, a Los Angeles-based accounting and business consulting firm, has hired Misbel Justesen as ...
VantageILM Inc.(Banking & Finance)(appointment of Shawn Keller )(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2007; ... Shawn Keller has been named director of product management for VantageILM Inc., a Pasadena-based provider of lender and leasing management ...