APPAREL
Wet Seal LLC in Irvine filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last week and is taking steps to liquidate its assets. The retailer’s estimated liabilities are between $50 million to $100 million, according to documents filed in bankruptcy court. It’s the company’s second bankruptcy in two years.
ADVERTISING
Ezoic Inc. in Carlsbad bought OC-based advertising technology firm AmpedSense. Both companies are involved in maximizing website traffic and advertising revenue. Ezoic helps clients test website elements and layouts to attract readership; AmpedSense makes a WordPress plug-in that runs A/B testing for website ads. Ezoic hired a former Google executive in December to form global partnerships; the company received $5.6 million in Series A funding in November 2013, according to CrunchBase.
HEALTHCARE
San Clemente-based Glaukos Corp. promoted Chris Calcaterra to chief operating officer, effective immediately. The position appears to be a new one; news sources hadn’t previously listed a chief operating officer at the medical device maker. Calcaterra joined the company in 2008 as chief commercial officer and prior to that was senior vice president for the cataract business at Advanced Medical Optics Inc., which was acquired by Abbott Laboratories in 2009 and is set to become part of Johnson & Johnson in New Jersey in a deal expected to close this quarter.
Mission Viejo-based Ensign Group Inc. acquired the real estate and operations of a 124-bed skilled nursing and 17-bed assisted living facility in San Antonio. Terms of the transaction were undisclosed. Ensign is a holding company that operates through its subsidiaries in two segments: skilled nursing facilities and assisted and independent living; and home health and hospice services.
MANUFACTURING
Skis Rossignol S.A. in Grenoble, France, bought Felt Racing LLC in Irvine on undisclosed terms. Felt builds bicycles across price points but is known primarily for high-performance models that cost as much as $25,000. Rossignol makes winter sports equipment and has begun to add warm-weather products.
MEDIA
Inside OC is now broadcast via Cox Communications Inc. in Las Vegas following expansion to San Diego County and Palos Verdes. The weekly public affairs show is produced independently in partnership with Orange County Business Journal Editor at Large Rick Reiff.
NONPROFITS
Newport Beach-based building industry charity HomeAid America said CalAtlantic Group Inc. Executive Chairman Scott Stowell will serve as chairman of its board of directors for two years. The charity provides housing for homeless people. It has completed 475 multiunit housing projects across the country valued at more than $215 million.
RESTAURANTS
Nekter Juice Bar Inc. in Santa Ana signed multiunit franchise agreements to expand the food-and-smoothie chain into Utah, Washington and Florida. An additional deal is expected to grow its reach in Texas. Nekter said it will have 100 locations by year-end.
SPORTS
Local fantasy sports operator Fantasy Aces filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, leaving players unable to access their accounts, according to news reports. The Aliso Viejo-based company a week earlier announced that competitor Fantasy Draft was acquiring it, but the deal fell through. An article in Legal Sports Report indicated that according to the bankruptcy filing, Fantasy Aces spent some player funds on operations.
TECHNOLOGY
Newport Beach-based MSC Software Corp. will be sold for $834 million to Swedish IT service provider Hexagon AB, the companies said. MSC will operate as an independent business unit in Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division under terms of the deal, which is expected to close in April.
Irvine-based video game products maker Razer Inc. acquired the majority of assets of a San Francisco developer of a mobile phone offering unlimited cloud-storage capacity. Financials details of the deal for Nextbit Systems Inc. were undisclosed.
