Aerospace
Southwest Airlines will start nonstop flights beginning Nov. 2 from John Wayne Airport to Dallas. The flights follow repeal of 35-year limits on flights from Southwest’s base of Dallas Love Field that were adopted to protect Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
Education
University of California-Irvine computer science professor Scott Jordan was named chief technology officer of the Federal Communications Commission. The associate dean and teacher at UCI’s Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences will serve as the senior adviser on technical issues across the agency and be based in the FCC’s Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis in Washington, D.C. Jordan is well known in academic circles for his research on net and device neutrality, traffic management, pricing and differentiated online services.
Santa Ana-based Corinthian Colleges said it’s caught up on rent payments for its headquarters at the Hutton Centre near the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway in Santa Ana. The for-profit college operator was said to be $381,000 behind on its lease when the landlord, Equity Office Management LLC, filed suit this month.
It said it expects to now pay its rent on the offices in a timely fashion. Corinthian is winding down its operations under an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education by selling schools and closing some campuses. At the time of its agreement with the Department, it operated about 107 campuses with 72,000 students (see related story, page 5).
Healthcare
Irvine-based Allergan Inc. will host a special shareholders’ meeting on Dec. 18, according to a court filing. The drug maker is fighting a hostile takeover bid by Canada’s Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. and its largest shareholder, activist investor Bill Ackman and his Pershing Square Capital Management LP. The Botox maker said it picked Dec. 18 in response to a lawsuit by Valeant and Ackman in an attempt to keep Allergan from finding another potential partner before the shareholder meeting. Allergan bylaws allow a special shareholder meeting to be held within 120 days after at least 25% of its holders request the meeting. Valeant and Ackman are seeking to oust a majority of Allergan’s board members and replace them with directors who favor the takeover bid. Allergan earlier confirmed it received written requests from shareholders to call the special meeting. Meanwhile, a Delaware Chancery Court judge set an Oct. 6 trial date over the timing of the special meeting. Allergan had wanted a Nov. 24 trial date and said it believed Valeant and Pershing Square “are now trying to hastily schedule the special meeting in order to facilitate Valeant’s grossly inadequate offer and to mask Valeant’s continued poor operating performance” (see related OC Insider item, page 3).
Media
Santa Ana-based Greenwood Hall Inc. said it received $8 million in debt and equity financing to “recapitalize” the company, which provides tech-based marketing and employee services to colleges and universities. It has an estimated 150 employees and about 25 clients, according to its website. Greenwood Hall—formerly Greenwood & Hall— has offices in College Station, Texas and in Shanghai.
Restaurants
Restaurant goers voted Del Taco the “best value for your money” in Consumer Reports’ America’s Best Fast Food (and the Worst) report. It was picked over 64 other chains in the U.S.
Wienerschnitzel is offering a $1 million grand prize in its latest “Cash in on a Corn Dog” sweepstakes. The hot dog chain, owned by Irvine-based restaurant operator Galardi Group Inc., has imprinted some of its corn dog sticks with “instant wins,” such as a free corn dog or mail-in cash prizes. The customer who matches two sticks, each stamped with one of the sweepstake words—“wiener” and “schnitzel”—wins the grand prize. Galardi Group had about $230 million in sales last year, according to a Business Journal estimate, with Wienerschnitzel’s 350 stores accounting for most of the revenue.
Retail
A $50 million renovation of the Westfield MainPlace mall in Santa Ana is under way, joining renovations of other Westfield properties in the region, including a mall in Century City. The Santa Ana renovation includes redevelopment of the old Macy’s Men’s Home Furniture store and will bring on tenants 24 Hour Fitness, Japan-based Round 1 Entertainment, and four restaurants, among them Panini Café.
