Los Angeles Business Journal back issues from January 2008:
Peking pluck: investment banker stirs things up with Chinese food chains.
Jan 07, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LORNE Goldberg made his name through his accomplishments in L.A. investment banking--among them was saving YouBet.com Inc. by raising $6 million for its launch. Now, he is set to add to his fortune by, among other initiatives, spicing up the menu at two ...
De La Hoya TKO'd over sears project: boxer pulls out of Boyle Heights mixed-use project.(REAL ESTATE)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Boxing star Oscar De La Hoya has thrown in the towel in his attempt to purchase the landmark Sears building site in Boyle Heights, which was to be redeveloped into a mixed-use retail and residential project. The deal fell apart Dec. 31 when De La Hoya and his joint venture ...
Home prices dip as sales volume dives: number of houses sold drops by stunning 66 percent.(PROPERTY)
Jan 07, 2008; ... The Los Angeles County residential real estate market continued to tumble in December, with sales nose diving 66 percent compared to a year earlier and the median price dropping 7 percent to $510,000. The median, which fell in October for the first time year-over-year since the ...
Issues at stake in February election divide business interests: telephone tax, Indian gaming measures go to voters.(POLITICS)
Jan 07, 2008; ... The state's February election is getting attention for the possibility that California may affect the outcome of the presidential campaigns. But the election is getting particular attention from businesses--which are divided on whether to support several key measures. ...
Moguls don't make mountain of season.(Up Front)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] ONE might expect local moguls to give lavish gifts during the holiday season. Perhaps a Porsche for a teenage son or a pony for a young daughter. Well, that doesn't appear to be the case. Rick Caruso, real estate developer of the Grove and ...
Striking soup kitchen.(Up Front)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Jay Perrin, general manager of restaurant Campanile on La Brea Avenue, said that his eatery's "Writers Soup Kitchen" for striking Writers Guild of America members has been a hit since it began Nov. 21. He said that every Wednesday about 200 WGA members show up to flash their ...
Resolute resolutions.(Up Front)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... When it comes to New Year's resolutions, Linda Dishman is all business. Dishman, executive director of the Los Angeles Conservancy, said that she's made it her resolution to save the historic movie palaces in downtown Los Angeles' theater district and it make the "year of the ...
Taken off: Leg Avenue stepped it up with line of sexy costumes.(Up Front)
Jan 07, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CHEAP luggage and off-brand tennis shoes hardly seem like foundations for an up-and-coming business that makes millions selling sexy Santa outfits, revealing Countess Draculas, and other exotic costumes and lingerie. But after getting their ...
LAX-area hotels regroup in living wage battle.(Up Front)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Despite a legal setback, hotels near Los Angeles International Airport are not giving up their fight to overturn an ordinance requiring them to pay workers the city's living wage. A three-judge state panel Dec. 27 upheld L.A.'s year-old ordinance, which requires the operators of ...
More planes.(News of the Week)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] More Planes: Los Angeles International Airport was the nation's fourth-busiest airport in 2007, logging 680,954 landings and takeoffs, according to statistics released by the Federal Aviation Administration. The figure represents a 3.5 percent uptick in ...
Jacobs deal.(News of the Week)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Jacobs Deal: Neste Jacobs, a unit owned jointly by Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. and Finnish refiner Neste Oil, will acquire Finland-based engineering services provider Rintekno for an undisclosed sum. The move will strengthen Neste Jacobs' position in engineering services in the Nordic ...
Mortgage cuts.(News of the Week)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Mortgage Cuts: Countrywide Financial Corp. will cut 127 jobs from its office in Rolling Meadows, Ill., as a result of the ongoing slide in the mortgage lending and homebuilding industries. The cuts will begin Jan. 18. This announcement came after the Mortgage Bankers Association reported ...
Environmental suit.(News of the Week)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Environmental Suit: The state of California sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for denying its first-in-the-nation greenhouse gas limits proposals on cars, trucks and SUVs. The suit challenges the Bush administration's conclusion that states have no business setting emission ...
Internet traffic.(News of the Week)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Internet Traffic: Oversee.net acquired Pompano Beach, Fla.-based domain name services provider Moniker for an undisclosed sum. Los Angeles-based Oversee.net said that Moniker will continue to be run out of Florida. Monte Cahn, the company's founder and chief executive, said the companies ...
Shoe battle.(News of the Week)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Shoe Battle: Vans Inc. asked a federal appeals court to stop Skechers USA Inc. from making and selling shoes with a checkerboard pattern during an ongoing trademark-infringement lawsuit against the Manhattan Beach-based company. Vans filed its request with the San Francisco court of ...
Energy stakes.(News of the Week)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Energy Stakes: Billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp. plans to take a 35 percent, $684 million stake in Delta Petroleum Corp., a Denver oil exploration company. The Los Angeles-based investment corporation will buy 36 million shares of Delta at $19 a share. Delta said ...
Power buy.(News of the Week)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Power Buy: Los Angeles private equity firm Gores Group completed its acquisition of the power systems business of Tyco Electronics Ltd. for $100 million in cash. The unit, now part of a newly formed company called Lineage Holdings Inc., manufactures power ...
Staying afloat.(News of the Week)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008 ... Staying Afloat: Boeing Co.'s satellite-making complex in El Segundo won a U.S. government contract worth as much as $1.2 billion. The NASA contract marked ...
Correction.(News of the Week)(Correction notice)
Jan 07, 2008 ... An article in the Dec. 24 issue headlined "Companies Begin to Write Layoff ...
Buzz words: viral web marketer Rocket XL enlists bloggers in online campaigns.(News & Analysis)
Jan 07, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Internet's 80 million bloggers discuss every imaginable subject, and then several others. Marketers want to use some of that chatter to sell stuff, and Rocket XL is finding ways to do that. The downtown L.A. agency specializes in viral ...
Teledyne acquisitions highlight strength of L.A. aerospace.(News & Analysis)(Teledyne Technologies Inc.)
Jan 07, 2008; ... It's been a busy holiday shopping season for Teledyne Technologies Inc. The Thousand Oaks manufacturer of electronics and aerospace components for military and commercial markets announced two new acquisitions and closed a third in the past two weeks, including the Jan. 2 ...
L.A. firm partner enlists in effort to educate Afghans: state department looks to improve legal system.(INTERNATIONAL )(Los Angeles )
Jan 07, 2008; ... THE U.S. State Department has launched a program to improve the legal system in Afghanistan with the help of American lawyers, and Robert O'Brien, managing partner at the Los Angeles office of Arent Fox LLP, has been tapped to co-chair the effort. "If democracy and equal rights ...
U.S. court in Texas leaps past L.A. in new patent cases: streamlining of system is credited with drawing in lawsuits.(LEGAL )(Los Angeles )
Jan 07, 2008; ... A rural federal court district in Texas has replaced the Los Angeles federal court district as the epicenter of new patent cases. Judges in the Eastern District of Texas, based in Tyler-population 100,000--made the court system friendlier to patent plaintiffs by establishing ...
Wolfgang Puck Shutters Vert at Hollywood & Highland: restaurant was the only mid-level operation among chef's locations.(DINING)
Jan 07, 2008; ... BRASSERIE Vert, a Wolfgang Puck restaurant in the Hollywood & Highland Center, closed at the end of last month so Wolfgang Puck Worldwide Inc. can allocate more resources to the company's catering business in the landmark complex. "Vert wasn't living up to the expectations as we ...
Public American.(MARKETPLACE)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... American Apparel Inc. finally closed it deal to go public on Dec. 12, a year after it was bought by "blank check" company Endeavor Acquisition Corp. for $385 million. And investors mostly shrugged. The company, which now trades under the ticker APP on the American ...
Sports wear.(MARKETPLACE)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... In his 37 years in the sportswear industry, Mark Mertens has had to reinvent his company several times. And once again, he is ready for a change. During its history, Mertens' Vemon-based company, A4, has manufactured sportswear apparel for licensing agreements with companies ...
Retailer J.C. Penney will apply brakes to diesel trucks: company will switch to cleaner vehicles at ports.(ENVIRONMENT)(J.C. Penney Corporation Inc.)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... DEPARTMENT store chain J.C. Penney Co. Inc. has become the latest corporation to commit to convert its local fleet of diesel tracks to cleaner burning models. The company joined the Coalition for Responsible Transportation, an industry group that is swapping hundreds of ...
Airline grounded.(TRADE & TRANSPORT)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Maxjet Airways Inc.'s tenure in Los Angeles didn't last long. In fact, the all-business class airline itself didn't last long. Maxjet, which operated flights between London's Stansted Airport and three U.S. air ports--including Los Angeles International ...
Trapac troubles.(TRADE & TRANSPORT)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... The first terminal expansion project at the Port of Los Angeles in more than five years is hitting some snags in the early going. In the month since the Los Angeles Harbor Commission approved a $1.5 billion project to expand and modernize the terminal owned by Wilmington-based ...
Subway gains momentum.(TRADE & TRANSPORT)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Just before breaking for the holidays, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill that lifted the 21-year-old ban on tunneling under Wilshire Boulevard, drawing a mix of cheers and groans from local political leaders. The move gives momentum to Mayor Antonio ...
Regulators look to toughen oversight of public projects: state seeks to boost monitoring of payroll, work sites.(CONTRACTING)
Jan 07, 2008; ... UNDER pressure to clamp down on prevailing wage violations, state regulators are looking to require more public oversight of private contractors on public works projects, including more frequent site visits. The state Department of Industrial Relations has issued a draft ...
Social security numbers.(REGULATION WATCH)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... In an effort to guard against identity theft, a new state law kicks in this month that restricts employers from using the social security numbers of employees. Besides the obvious prohibition from posting or displaying an employee's social security number in public, employers ...
Smog check regs.(REGULATION WATCH)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... The clampdown on diesel emissions continues to broaden. This year, the headlines will be dominated by the state Air Resources Board's attempt to regulate diesel emissions from on-road vehicles. An off-road vehicle regulation-aimed primarily at construction and farm equipment--passed last ...
High mileage.(REGULATION WATCH)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... With the new year comes an increase in the federal mileage reimbursement guidelines. This year, for the first time, the federal mileage reimbursement guideline tops 50 cents per mile as higher gas, vehicle insurance and vehicle maintenance prices are accounted for. The new rate ...
Mediawatch.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Statistical table)
Jan 07, 2008 ... <Pre> MEDIAWATCH MOVIE BOX OFFICE Weekend Gross Total Gross Rank Title (mils)(mils) Distributor 1 National Treasure $35.6 124.0Disney 2 Alvin & Chipmunks 30.0...
Kaiser strengthens its resolve on seismically safe facilities: state had pushed back deadline on upgrades.(CONSTRUCTION)
Jan 07, 2008; ... CALIFORNIA hospitals, which originally faced their first deadline for completing billions of dollars worth of earthquake safety improvements this year, got some respite when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger approved legislation that provided greater flexibility for some "fiscally challenged" ...
Legal exposure: attorneys look to Cytokine Institute's chemical analysis for guidance in lawsuits.(Innovation)(Cytokine Institute )
Jan 07, 2008; ... DR. Bruce Gillis has been retained as an expert witness by both plaintiffs and defendants in many toxic exposure lawsuits. But he has rarely had to go to court. The vast majority of the cases settled before entering the trial phase. Gillis, a physician and toxicologist, likes to ...
Torrance manufacturer scores big without keyboards: company's annual revenue grows 100 percent to $25 million.(COMPUTERS)
Jan 07, 2008; ... How can a 25-person private company compete with computer manufacturing giants Microsoft, Apple and Dell? Torrance-based TabletKiosk has managed to carve out a niche market in the past five years since its launch, growing more than 100 percent annually in revenue, which is ...
Entertainment advance.(TECHNOLOGY)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Up until now, 11,000 movies, television shows and music videos on CinemaNow Inc.'s Web site could only be viewed on a computer screen or a download device. Last week, CinemaNow announced a partnership with Macrovision, a software company, that would bring the company's digital ...
Mobile merger.(TECHNOLOGY)(Mandalay)(TwistBox Entertainment Inc. )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Mobile content producer TwistBox Entertainment Inc. has raised $32 million over the past two years and now it has merged with a public company. TwistBox will become a subsidiary of L.A.-based Mandalay, a shell company operated by Trinad Capital Master Fund, according to ...
In the kitchen.(TECHNOLOGY)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Santa Monica-based Cooking.com, an Internet marketplace for kitchen appliances, recently received a $7 million loan to expand operations. The money, which comes from Orix Venture Finance, will also be used to enhance the site's library of recipes, articles and ...
Jet setter: Scott Duffy has come a long way from sleeping in his car: his fifth start-up, an online travel agency, was bought by Virgin Group in 2006.(People)(dialogue with Scott Duffy )(Interview)
Jan 07, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Scott Duffy is the prototypical serial entrepreneur. In his late 20s, he was on the startup team of an Internet site that eventually became CBS's Sportsline.com. Then came another tech startup later bought by NBC, and then he helped launch Fox-Sports.com ....
KPMG LLP.(Accounting)(promotions)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... KPMG LLP, an audit, tax and advisory firm, has promoted Patrick J. Cahalan, Anthony L. Kitchener, Kenneth T. Le, Regina Prince and Michael N. Salazar to partners, and Brian T. Burt, Hank McClusky and Omid Yazdi to managing directors at its L.A. office. Cahalan and ...
Focus LLC.(Banking & Finance)(appointment of Paul Richey )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Focus LLC, a national middle-market investment banking firm, has named Paul Richey southwest regional managing director ...
Gemini Partners Inc.(Banking & Finance)(appointment of Grant Sugimoto )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Grant Sugimoto has joined Gemini Partners Inc., a Los Angeles-based investment bank providing M&A, corporate finance and valuation advisory services to middle-market companies ....
Cheryl Rowley Design.(Design)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Cheryl Rowley Design, a Beverly Hills-based interior design firm, has hired Steven ...
California Institute of Technology.(Education)(appointment of Deborah Doyle McWhinney )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Deborah Doyle McWhinney has been appointed a trustee of the California Institute of ...
USC Marshall School of Business.(Education)(appointment of Adlai Wertman )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] USC Marshall School of Business has named Adlai Wertman clinical professor of social responsibility ....
Warner Bros.(Entertainment)(appointment of Thomas Gewecke )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Thomas Gewecke has joined Warner Bros. as president of digital distribution. Gewecke was ...
City of Hope.(Health Care)(appointment of Colleen Finn )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Duarte-based City of Hope has named Colleen Finn senior director of marketing and new business ...
Intercontinental Los Angeles Century City.(Hospitality)(appointment of Patricia Hurley and Ken Tipple )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Intercontinental Los Angeles Century City has hired Patricia Hurley as group sales manager and Ken Tipple as director of group sales. Hurley was most recently national sales manager for the ...
Gilchrist & Rutter PC.(Law)(appointment of Steven P. Heller )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Steven P. Heller has rejoined Gilchrist & Rutter PC as a partner. The Santa Monica-based firm provides services in real estate, business litigation and ...
Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold LLP.(Law)(appointment of Matthew Hicks )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Matthew Hicks has been hired as special counsel at the Los Angeles office of Sedgwick Detert Moran & Arnold LLP, an international ...
Liner Yankelevitz Sunshine & Regenstreif LLP.(Law)(appointments)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Liner Yankelevitz Sunshine & Regenstreif LLP, a business law firm, has promoted Matthew Rosengart, ...
Care.(Non-Profit)(appointment of Edward Kibirige )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Care, a non-profit organization fighting global poverty, has appointed Edward Kibirige senior director of development at its Los Angeles ...
American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles.(Non-Profit)(appointment of Myra Jolivet )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Myra Jolivet has joined the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles as chief marketing ...
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.(Non-Profit)(appointment of Victoria Smart )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Victoria Smart has been promoted to director of the membership department for the ...
National Academy of Public Administration.(Non-Profit)(appointment of Ellis M. Stanley )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... National Academy of Public Administration, a non-profit chartered by Congress to improve government performance, has appointed Ellis M. ...
Chrysalis Enterprises.(Non-Profit)(appointment of Mark Loranger )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Mark Loranger has joined Chrysalis Enterprises, an L.A.-based non-profit that helps the underprivileged and homeless, as vice president ....
Children's Bureau.(Non-Profit)(appointment of Halbert S. Washburn )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Children's Bureau, a Los Angeles-based non-profit for the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect, has elected Halbert S ....
CytRx Corp.(Pharmaceuticals)(promotion of David Haen and Ed Umali )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... CytRx Corp., a biopharmaceutical research and development company, has promoted David Haen to vice president of business development and Ed ...
FilmCore.(Production)(promotion of Sean Shafer )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... FilmCore, a creative editing and sound design services company for TV commercials, has promoted ...
Deasey/Penner & Partners.(Real Estate)(appointment of Brian Linder )(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Brian Linder has been hired as partner at the Los Angeles sales office of Deasey/Penner & Partners, a real estate firm Linder was ...
Colliers International.(Real Estate)(appointments)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Colliers International, a real estate services company, has named Bradford Gloger associate, Lauren Konklin marketing coordinator and Michael Soto research analyst. Gloger was formerly a consultant at Bearing Point, a firm that provides management ...
Wells Fargo.(Kudos)(Brief article)
Jan 07, 2008; ... Wells Fargo received the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award at Para Los Ninos' Goal for Kids annual fundraiser. The award recognized the bank's commitment to improving the lives ...