Orange County’s wealthiest people aren’t afraid to dig deep for a good cause.
Perhaps no one knows that better than Jerry E. Mandel, president of the Orange County Performing Arts Center, a frequent beneficiary of OC’s wealth.
Mandel said the center, which takes no government funds, is fortunate to be in OC, where there is a lot of wealth and great philanthropists.
“This center is a monument to people of wealth in the area,” Mandel said. “We see a lot of gifts from a lot of people, including most of the people on (the Business Journal list). We could not operate without them.”
Through the years, the center has garnered support from several of OC’s wealthiest people, including Henry Segerstrom, founding chairman of the center, and Henry Samueli, co-chairman of Irvine-based Broadcom Corp.
Both have contributed big sums to the center’s drive to raise $200 million to build a new concert hall and music theatre next to the existing hall in Costa Mesa.
Samueli and his wife Susan gave $10 million and Segerstrom, managing partner of C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, donated $40 million,OC’s single largest charitable gift to date,to what is set to be known as the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
The arts, in fact, is a hot-button for many in OC, including Samueli’s business partner, Henry Nicholas, co-chairman of Broadcom. Last year, he and his wife Stacey donated $1.24 million to South Coast Repertory Theatre.
With all the gift giving that goes on in Orange County, it’s impossible to name all efforts. But the Business Journal has highlighted a few places OC’s wealthiest choose to invest their dollars.
Besides the arts, their philanthropic causes range from schools, to technology to land conservation,and sometimes even their own employees.
That last type of move made heroes out of John Tu and David Sun of Kingston Technology Co., Fountain Valley.
The two made national headlines in 1996 by handing out $100 million in bonuses to workers after selling 80% of Kingston to Japan’s Softbank Corp. (They’ve since bought the company back.)
Another fellow to raise more than an eyebrow was Jim Jannard, chief executive and founder of Oakley Inc. of Foothill Ranch.
The fashion iconoclast turned a few heads in 1997 when he purchased a Puget Sound island for $22 million. The area was a hot spot for game-hunters, but Jannard ended that to save rare Ryuku sika deer found on the island. He, his wife Bobbie and seven children now call it home,at least most of the time.
Speaking of environmentalists, the term is often linked with Joan Irvine Smith, the great-granddaughter of land baron James Irvine.
Through the years, the heiress has donated millions to environmental causes such as water research, various Orange County charities and the University of California, Irvine. She’s also a big art collector, and opens her impressive display to the public.
Throughout OC there are telltale signs that wealthy execs have left their mark: Buildings baring their names.
For instance, Paul Folino president and chief executive of Emulex Corp. of Costa Mesa, will see his name on the Ocean Institute’s new children’s technology center after making a $500,000 donation.
UC Irvine named its Bren Events Center (and other buildings) after The Irvine Company Chairman Donald L. Bren and his mother. Donald Bren is a large booster of the UC system. He has given more than $50 million to the Los Angeles campus and UC Irvine, where he serves on the board of overseers.
In fact, UC Irvine often basks in gifts, garnering large donations from several high profile players including Dwight Decker, chairman of Conexant Systems Inc., who last year gave $6 million to the university’s school of engineering. (The school is named for Broadcom’s Samueli, another big donor.)
Meanwhile, Chapman University has its own muscle. Folino has given several donations to Chapman University, including $2 million for the school’s Aquatic Center (to be named after him) and $500,000 to its film studio. And, George Argyros, chairman and chief executive officer of Arnel & Affiliates, and general partner of Westar Capital, bears his name on Chapman’s business school.
He’s also a big political activist, in favor of building an airport at El Toro. Argyros donated $3.5 million to the cause, and has had his hand in other endeavors. He helped to collect roughly $30 million for the Bush campaign effort, and was rewarded with an ambassador to Spain nomination, which is pending Senate confirmation. n
