OCBJ Weekly Edition | Orange County Business Journal

OCBJ INSIDER

Military Moves

Editor at Large Rick Reiff reports that one of America’s best-known soldiers is now a part-time OC resident

TMC Builds Duo of Instagrammable Hotel Brands

HOSPITALITY: Shared spaces, unique experiences

Shifting demographics of travelers brings plenty of room for companies looking to offer a more contemporary take on travel

Octane Launches New Women Leaders Initiative

Aims to connect entrepreneurs, VCs

New series of women-focused initiatives will foster industry growth in the region and offer female execs at upstart area firms a wider collection of business contacts

Checkerboard Connections

Vans Juggles Multiple New Endeavors to Stay Relevant

Checkerboard popularity pushed Vans sales through the roof in 1982 and now the company is OC’s largest apparel and footwear company by revenue

Nate Jensen: Driving World Toward Clean Energy

Crafts deals with Amazon and BP

Nate Jensen was one of five honored the Business Journal’s 11th annual General Counsel Awards, held on Nov. 18

Robyn Babcock: Guiding Labor Law for Broadcom

CHIPMAKERS: Irvine office; 21,000 workers

Robyn Babcock of semiconductor giant Broadcom has come a long way from a small town in Pennsylvania to her office in Irvine

Vizio: In-House Team Manages IPO, Pandemic, More

Tackles gamut of issues for TV giant

A pandemic IPO, doubling of the employee headcount, contracts, litigation and navigating ever-changing regulatory waters has kept Vizio's legal team busy the past two years

Amber Enriquez: Fighting for a Sustainable Future

ECOS aims for safer, cleaner products

Amber Enriquez was given the Rising Star Award at the Business Journal’s 11th annual General Counsel Awards on Nov. 18

Glaukos, Tarsus Set Sights on Eyelid Mites

DRUGMAKERS: Tarsus CEO expects to be first

Two big Orange County companies set their sights on combating tiny Demodex mites that often nest among eyelids

Babak Siavoshy: Building Anduril Into a $5B Powerhouse

Negotiates deals for expanding contractor

Babak Siavoshy was honored at the Business Journal’s 11th annual General Counsel Awards on Nov. 18, as the outstanding general counsel of a private company

General Counsel Event Draws Crowd of 400+

EVENTS: Erwin Chemerinsky headlines

More than 400 members of the Orange County business and legal community attended the 11th annual General Counsel Awards ceremony on Nov. 18.

David Grant Guides SCP Through Retail’s Evolution

GM Leaving Center After 44-Year Career

David Grant announced his departure as general manager of OC’s largest shopping center, South Coast Plaza, earlier this month.

Compass Execs Find Right Direction in OC

FINANCE: Seeks companies with moat

Compass Diversified buys and sells companies, yet it’s not a private equity firm

TMC Taps Tech For The Next-Gen Traveler

Texting, Digital Check-Ins, Streaming Services In Use

TMC Hospitality thinks in terms of tech at every step of what co-founder and CEO Philip Bates calls the guest journey.

Staar Plans ICL Experience Center in Lake Forest

2022 Opening; Awaits FDA OK for EVO Lenses

Staar Surgical Co. (Nasdaq: STAA), Orange County’s most valuable publicly traded company in the ophthalmology industry, is expanding its presence in its relatively new hometown of Lake Forest.

Crisp Imaging Streamlines Building Document Handling

Costa Mesa Firm Emphasizes Docu-Dock Easy Handling

Crisp Imaging in Costa Mesa has introduced its Docu-Dock software to speed up the often laborious task of storing and retrieving building architectural plans, drawings, and specifications generated for businesses, schools, universities, hospitals and other organizations.

Duo of Irvine Satellite Makers Add Military Work

$8.4M Contract for Tyvak; Parent Co. Going Public

Irvine-based satellite makers are forging new links with the U.S. military.

STARTUPS & INNOVATIONS

Fwaygo, a pre-launch music app developer in Irvine, recently partnered with rapper Young Thug and raised over $1.6 million at what the company says is a $100 million valuation.

Landsea Boosts Local Homebuilding Pipeline

Builder Paid $30.1M For 132-Home SJC Site

Newport Beach’s Landsea Homes Corp. (Nasdaq: LSEA) has kicked off work at its latest Orange County development, a 132-home project in San Juan Capistrano.

Laguna Beach Smithcliffs Estate in Mega-Deal

Furniture, Art Part Of $37.5M Trade

About four months after hitting the market, a newly reconstructed 10,000-square-foot home in the exclusive Laguna Beach Smithcliffs community has traded for $37.5 million.

OC LEADER BOARD

INSIDE Operation Warp Speed

That I survived five long and tumultuous years at the president’s side is, in and of itself, an unlikely outcome.

OC Housing Vet Stowell Aims Small With New Venture

ADUs for former CalAtlantic exec

With more than 30 years of experience in the sector, OC housing executive Scott Stowell has his eyes on a decidedly smaller type of housing product

OC LEADER BOARD

The Rebirth of a University

We at California State University, Fullerton have long celebrated 1957 as the year the only CSU in Orange County opened its doors to the first of what would become our now more than 310,000 alumni

OCBJ INSIDER

Newport in Napa

Irvine Co. is going big at Fashion Island, announcing plans earlier this month to build a four-story, 80,000-square-foot store for RH

Designing Restaurants Feeds AO’s Creativity

Architects oversee complex plans

Ranked as the county’s second-largest architectural firm, AO evolved from two-person shop designing small industrial and retail projects to a team of nearly 300

OC Tech Firms Post Record Revenue

Chipmakers excel; Blizzard hit

A recent round of earnings reports has highlighted the growing strength of Orange County’s tech sector, as four notable area companies reported record revenue

General Counsel Event Draws Crowd of 400+

Erwin Chemerinsky headlines

More than 400 members of the Orange County business and legal community attended the 11th annual General Counsel Awards ceremony on Nov. 18

Synoptek Adds Execs To Help Triple Sales

IT Firm Eyes $300M Revenue Within 5 Years

Major growth expected as estimated revenue this year may come in between $110 million and $120 million, after having grown from $40 million over the last five years

MatterHackers Wins $5M 3D Printer Contract

Largest Military Deal For Lake Forest Firm

MatterHackers will deliver Ultimaker 3D printers and training to Navy and Marine bases across the U.S. and overseas

TearLab Adds Mazzo to Board, Preps for Expansion

Over 20 Million Tests For Dry Eye Disease

Mazzo currently serves as executive chairman of retinal implant company Neurotech and as adviser of biotechnology company Avellino Labs

How to Celebrate a Birthday Weekend (Like a Food Critic)

Yes, I was throwing my own party, but part of the fun was planning the details and seeing the evening come to fruition

Taqueria De Anda: Four Decades of Authentic Cuisine

Taqueria De Anda had its humble beginnings in Arandas, Mexico, as Rafael “Don Rafa” De Anda used to work his taco cart around Mexico City in the 1950s

Paul Musco’s Hangout: Il Barone

When prominent OC philanthropist S. Paul Musco died in September at age 95, he was lauded in the Business Journal as a successful businessman and an arts patron who supported myriad organizations

STARTUPS & INNOVATIONS

Athletic video analysis platform Dashreel is opening a $1 million seed round to support its executive team expansion and AI platform development

Home, Land Sales Continue at Great Park Neighborhoods

Developer in Talks With City on Housing Mandate

Great Park Neighborhoods capturing about 23% of the new home sales in Orange County over the last year

Donahue Schriber Sells IE Shopping Center for $121M

722K-SF Countryside Marketplace Trades

Deal among the first transactions the company’s been a part of since new president and CEO Michael Glimcher was hired about a year ago

Turning Wireless Into Wine

Gary Jabara Inks Huge Napa Resort Deal After Mobilitie Sale

Jabara under contract to buy The Estate Yountville, a 22-acre collection of upscale hotels, restaurants, wedding facilities, shops, meeting space, a vineyard and other facilities