Anthony Maglica is shining a big flashlight on CA’s manufacturing rules. He’s made stuff in CA for 62 years—since ’74 at his 450,000-square-foot factory in Ontario. The Maglite flashlight is powerful and loved by police, firefighters, EMTs—saved many lives.
Mag’s gripe is CA’s 95% rule for branding Maglites or any product as “Made in the USA” or “Made in California.” Ask any marketer—that label sells.
But some raw materials can’t be sourced here. O-rings for Maglica, palm oil for cleaning products. There’s now rumblings our buds in Florida are poaching his company, Mag Instrument. Maglica is 84 and a native New Yorker, so a brawler by birth—he employs about 500 at that 450,000-SF Ontario plant…
William Wang wouldn’t mind making some TVs here. The CEO of Irvine’s Vizio, and the only TV-maker left in the U.S., was in D.C. last week with T-Sec’y Steve Mnuchin, First Son-In-Law Jared Kushner and members of the newly created White House Office of American Innovation. Wang was supporting his partners, Foxconn. The Taiwanese electronics maker is putting a $10B plant in Wisconsin to make flat-screens, mostly for Apple. It owns a piece of Wang’s firm, founder owns majority, and WW likes the idea of his firm making some of his products here, too. Vizio makes TVs now in China, Mexico to be competitive.
“It would have to make economic sense,” Wang told me. “But if it penciled out, I’d do it.”
Final note on Wang—a CEO who smiles and laughs easily, easily for a man running a $3.5 billion company.
“I’ve learned,” he said. “Stress gets you nowhere.” The USC electrical engineer is a forward thinker, as to where he should be taking the flat-screen maker in the coming years, where his firm can “disrupt” a new market.
OC earnings beats: Microsemi, most of the OC-based banks, insurer Corvel, Edwards, Vanguard, Sunstone, Allergan…
Cylance, the Irvine cyber-security firm, made Forbes’ “Cloud 100,” Stuart McClure’s firm, rated #17 based on sales growth, market share and valuation.
Laguna Beach’s Kelly Roberts is in line to be tapped by President Trump and Slo native Melania Trump as ambassador to Slovenia (see opposite).
Inspiration Point: Scharrell Jackson isn’t your average CPA—I can say that, I’m bean-counter kin. Jackson is partner, CFO of Squar Milner, a Newport Beach firm that’s one of the largest indie shops in the country.
Lake Forest resident is also a mentor to her fellow execs, especially women, when it comes to leadership. She founded “Leadership in Heels” to help women see themselves as top execs, as leaders. LIH is also inclusive, members are C-suiters to stay-at-home-moms. The group just staged a 2-part series of all male panelists, holding forth on bridging workplace gender issues.
The Center Club/Pacific Club “subway series” sold out—kudos to Jackson—a leader.
