An old friend dropped in on developer Don Koll at his Balboa Island home last week. “How’re you doing, buddy?” a beaming George W. Bush asked a stunned Koll, as wife Kathi-a Bush appointee to the Kennedy Center board who arranged the get-together when she learned the former president was going to be in Southern California-stood by. Kathi says Bush, accompanied by L.A. financier Brad Freeman (Freeman Spogli & Co.), stayed for 45 minutes, inquiring about Don’s health, discussing family and friends and “not really” talking politics. Bush “looked really relaxed, he looked really good.” The Secret Service motorcade caused a stir among merchants and neighbors; Bush emerged from the house to a cheering crowd. Koll is wheelchair-bound and has trouble speaking, a result of the stroke he suffered in 2005. But Kathi says with help from her and others he travels (they also have homes in L.A. and Cabo) and still goes to Koll Company’s Newport Beach office to oversee things. And he has all of his facial expressions: Since the Bush visit, she says, “Don cannot stop smiling …
The only other time I surprised him with a guest it was Cindy Crawford” …
Talking to three reporters in his ornate Newport Center office recently, Igor Olenicoff sometimes sounded more like a standup comedian than a contentious billionaire. He segued from his Russian accent into humorous imitations of Japanese businessmen, Swiss bankers and Motown recording artists. He recounted his family’s narrow escape from communism; partying and earning multiple degrees at USC; getting roughed up by the Temptations while bean counter for legendary record producer Berry Gordy; and becoming a wealthy developer with an offshore bank account. Mainly, Olenincoff wanted to explain his role (of victim, as he tells it) in an international financial scandal. Olenicoff has plead guilty to a felony and paid the IRS $52 million to settle tax evasion charges without jail time; with even more to lose are financial giant UBS and the Swiss banking system’s vaunted confidentiality. UBS already has pledged $750 million to the U.S. government, agreed to disclose names of secret account holders and seen the conviction of one of its former execs, who is alleging widespread wrongdoing at the bank. Olenicoff is suing UBS, too. Mark Mueller’s account begins on page 1 …
The Irvine Chamber is pitching its city as the “affordable alternative” for groups planning to stay in SoCal’s beach cities …
Open for business: Former Irvine Company flack and ex-OC Register reporter Bill Rams, dba Rams Communications …
Longtime biz journalist Jim Flanigan (New York Times, formerly L.A. Times) has a new book with a cheeky cover, “Smile Southern California, You’re the Center of the Universe” (Stan-ford University Press). It takes an upbeat look at the region’s businesspeople and companies, including OCers Paul Nguyen of Pacific Machinery Co. in Garden Grove, AST Research cofounder Safi Qureshey and Broadcom.
