Aliso Viejo-based Octane, a booster group that supports Orange County technology and biomedical startups, landed a new chief executive.
Octane hired Matthew Jenusaitis, 48, as its next top guy. Gary Augusta, who? held the post for five years, steps down this month. The group had contracted the Irvine office of search firm Spencer Stuart to find a new leader.
Jenusaitis is a biotech veteran.
Most recently, he worked with the venture fund Minneapolis, Minn.-based ConcepTx Medical Inc. Before that, he was president of Plymouth, Minn.-based EV3 Inc., which develops technologies to treat vascular diseases.
He spent more than 20 years in various management, engineering and marketing posts at Boston Scientific Corp. and Deerfield, Ill.-based Baxter International Inc.
Jenusaitis holds a bachelor? from Cornell University, a master? from Arizona State University and a business degree from University of California, Irvine.
Boost Opening Stores
Irvine? Boost Mobile LLC, which markets prepaid cell phones made by parent Sprint Nextel Corp., plans to open some 50 retail stores in major metropolitan areas throughout the U.S.
The company launched its expansion last month with the opening of a store in Philadelphia. Nine more stores are scheduled to open by this summer, followed by an additional 40 locations by the year? end.
The stores will sell prepaid phones and accessories. They also aim to be convenient spots for customers to add minutes to their plans or upgrade them.
With prepaid service, users pay for a set amount of calling time in advance. When the minutes are up, they can buy more time. The plans usually include basic phones that don? have a lot of bells and whistles.
Boost currently sells its phones online and through major retailers, including Sprint stores, Best Buy Co., RadioShack Corp., Target Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. It also sells them through independent wireless dealers.
Boost markets to the under-35-years-old set.
Its marketing campaigns typically are edgy and a bit irreverent.
With Boost? latest ads, it? trying to appeal to a larger audience, including families, baby boomers and Hispanics.
?ur stores will have a great vibe and highlight the best we have to offer,?said Jeff Auman, vice president of sales and distribution for Boost.
Boost has some 245 workers here.
Local.com Nabs Execs
Irvine-based Local.com Corp., which runs a local search Web site and business directory, added two executives.
The company named Scott Reinke, 35, as its general counsel, and Ken Cragun, 48, as its vice president of finance.
Reinke hails from San Francisco? Emerging Media Group Inc., an interactive advertising agency.
Cragun joins Local.com from Perris-based Modtech Holdings Inc., which designs and manufactures portable buildings for schools, commercial construction and government agencies.
Both have previously held posts at Fort Myers, Fla.-based Miva Inc., which designs Internet browser toolbars and other related applications.
Local.com hosts Web sites that help users search for local businesses and products. It generates revenue through companies that advertise on its sites.
For the first quarter, Local.com reported $11 million in sales and lost $3 million.
The company expects to see about $50 million in sales this year and turn a profit.
Epicor in Middle East
Irvine? Epicor Software Corp., which makes business software for retailers, manufacturers and others, has recently landed new customers in the Middle East.
Epicor? most recent product suite, called Epicor 9, is gaining traction among a handful of companies in Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, the company said.
Epicor makes what? known as enterprise resource planning software, which helps midsize companies manage accounting, customer contacts, inventory, sales and other back-office tasks.
?hile the overall economic environment remains challenging, the response to Epicor 9 has been exceptional and very much in line with our initial expectations,?said Jim Bork, Epicor? vice president of worldwide sales.
The company recently wrapped up a Middle East tour where it met with prospective customers in major cities.
The company said it landed Saudi Arabia? Rawabi Marketing International as a customer. Rawabi manufactures and distributes chemicals for the dairy, food, paper, detergent and oil field industries.
Epicor? shares are up 7% since the start of the year on a recent market value of about $300 million.
Vizio in South Dakota
Irvine-based Vizio Inc. is breathing new life into the old South Dakota stomping grounds of Irvine? Gateway Inc., now part of Taiwan? Acer Inc.
Vizio, which designs and markets flat TVs, recently opened a customer support and sales office at one of Gateway? former black and white cow-spotted buildings in North Sioux City.
A year ago, Acer cut some 130 jobs and shuttered Gateway? ?est practices center,?a small division that did human resources and technical support
William Wang, founder and chief executive of Vizio, has been chummy with Gateway founder Ted Waitt for more than two decades.
Wang, in one of his earliest ventures, sold desktop computer monitors from Gateway in the late 1980s. He later served as a consultant to the computer maker as it expanded into selling TVs in the late 1990s.
Waitt is one of privately held Vizio? top investors.
Vizio said it hired on many former Gateway employees to work at the site, which is a nod to founder Waitt? family farm.
Vizio said it plans to have roughly 50 workers there by the year? end.
