Irvine-based apparel licensing company La Jolla Group Inc. named Ian Calvesbert to the newly created position of general manager for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He will be based in England. Calvesbert is the former managing director of the Europe, Middle East and Africa business of Fox Head Europe Ltd., part of Morgan Hill-based motocross company Fox Head Inc.
Gorjana & Griffin Inc. appointed Gary Ritchie, formerly vice president strategic planning at Costa Mesa-based RVCA Clothing, to a similar post at the Laguna Beach-based company. Gorjana sells jewelry, bags and shoes through Nordstrom, Bloomingdale and other retailers.
The University of California, Irvine, moved up one spot on rankings among universities to No. 44 in an annual list compiled by the U.S. News & World Report. Chapman University in Orange was ranked sixth-best college in the western region by the magazine, up from No. 7 last year. California State University, Fullerton, climbed two places to No. 31 among schools in the region. Irvine-based Concordia University ranked No. 66 among regional schools, down from No. 58 last year. Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo was No. 49 among liberal arts colleges nationally, climbing 15 spots.
Irvine-based venture-capital firm Sail Capital Partners tapped former Toronto mayor David Miller for its 12-person advisory board. Sail Capital focuses on clean-technology companies. In April, the firm rolled out a $100 million joint fund in Canada through its early- and mid-stage investment arm, Sail Venture Partners.
A Newport Coast home owned by Vanessa Bryant, wife of basketball star Kobe Bryant, was listed for sale for $3.75 million. Kobe Bryant transferred ownership of the 6,000-square-foot canyon-view home to the Vanessa Bryant Trust in January.
Prologis, previously AMB Property, was granted a five-year extension on plans to build on 18 acres in Anaheim’s Platinum Triangle. The developer hopes eventually to build 1,208 residential units and 150,000 of office and retail space on the tract. Most developers planning housing projects in the Platinum Triangle have received similar extensions during the past two years.
Costa Mesa-based Anna’s Linens opened three stores in Puerto Rico, bringing its total there to five. The discount home-furnishings chain has a total of 305 stores companywide.
Santa Ana-based disk drive maker STEC Inc. said PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP resigned as the company’s independent auditor. The London-based accounting firm had been STEC’s auditor for more than two years. A regulatory filing indicated no disagreements between the two companies that led to move, which comes at a significant juncture for STEC, whose Chairman and Chief Executive Manouchehr Moshayedi is fighting insider trading charges. Moshayedi denied those charges in a recent filing in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
ISC8, a Costa Mesa-based cyber-security company formerly known as Irvine Sensors Corp., bought technology and consumer accounts from Pleasanton-based Bivio Networks for $10 million in cash and stock. Bivio makes networking products to control and monitor network infrastructure.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors approved John Wayne Airport’s request to lease space to Mexico-based airliner Interjet. The airline awaits federal approvals on flights to Mexico City and Guadalajara.
Irvine-based Versant International Inc. acquired Grocers Direct LLC, a food brokerage and distribution company in Newport Beach. Versant, a public company whose shares trade over the counter, is an investor in early-stage companies. It bought Irvine-based organic-foods company Mamma’s Best LLC in August. Terms of the recent deals weren’t disclosed.
Greg Long of San Cle-mente won $15,000 in a surfing competition sponsored by Nike and Surfline. Surfers submitted videos of themselves riding big waves in Puerto Escondido, Mexico. Long, 29, is shown catching a wave more than 20 feet high in his winning video entry.
ECONOMIC INDICATOR
UP: Orange County home sales in August, which saw a 20% rise from a year earlier, according to San Diego-based DataQuick Information Systems. The median price of homes sold rose 6% to $445,000.
