EDUCATION
Attorneys for former students of Santa Ana-based Corinthian Colleges Inc. are asking a court for permission to file a $2.5 billion claim against the bankrupt former operator of for-profit schools, the Wall Street Journal said. The claim would cover college costs and lost wages by 500,000 former students who attended Corinthian schools between 2000 and 2015. Corinthian filed for bankruptcy in May after closing its last locations. It had been selling or closing its more than 100 campuses since last summer under a deal with the U.S. Dept. of Education. Former Corinthian students have since been seeking various concessions from the department, including cancellation of their federal student loan debts.
California State University-Fullerton will get $2.4 million over five years from the U.S. Dept. of Education to offer high school and early college education for migrant farm workers and their children. The money is meant to fund high school equivalency instruction and support and college-transition services. Students from Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties will receive online and small-group bilingual instruction at three sites in those counties and at the CSUF campus. Programs will include academic counseling and an emphasis on engineering and math.
HEALTHCARE
UC Irvine Medical Center and several other OC hospitals made the list of the best hospitals in California compiled by U.S. News & World Report. The Orange teaching hospital ranked No. 11 in California and No. 5 in the L.A. metropolitan area and was nationally ranked in two specialties. Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Anaheim and St. Joseph Hospital in Orange were in a four-way tie for No. 23 in California. Kaiser Anaheim and St. Joseph Orange tied at No. 9 in the metro area. Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach was in a five-way tie for No. 27 in California. It tied with a Woodland Hills hospital at No. 11 in the metro area. Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo was in a 13-way tie for No. 40 in California and tied with a Santa Monica hospital at No. 15 in the L.A. area. Children’s Hospital of Orange County made the magazine’s list of top children’s hospitals and was nationally ranked in eight specialties.
INSURANCE
Newport Beach-based Alliant Insurance Services Inc. acquired an agency in Lodi that specializes in agribusiness insurance on undisclosed terms. The buy of Todd Garibaldi Insurance Agency Inc. is part of Alliant’s ongoing growth plan by acquisitions and is the second deal this year in the agribusiness niche. It said it has 10 offices in California dedicated to farmers and growers. Todd Garibaldi was founded in 2002 and serves farmers, growers, restaurants, wineries and others.
MANUFACTURING
Industrial vending machine maker AutoCrib Inc. moved its U.S. headquarters from Santa Ana to Tustin. It occupies a 58,000-square-foot plant and warehouse, where it also provides worldwide customer service.
RESTAURANTS
Aliso Viejo-based Johnny Rockets Restaurant Group said it will expand its “express” locations on college campuses. Restaurants range from 150-square-foot kiosks to 1,100-square-foot restaurants. Three are open, at Oklahoma State University, Stetson University in Florida, and Richard Stockton College in New Jersey. Johnny Rockets said it has another 45 locations within five miles of college campuses. Express locations have also been opened at similarly sized sites such as amusement parks. The chain, owned by Boca Raton-based Sun Capital Partners, has about 330 restaurants in 27 countries and had 2014 systemwide sales of $343 million.
TECHNOLOGY
Anaheim-based Scenario Virtual Project Delivery was acquired by Plantation, Florida-based e-Builder Inc. on undisclosed terms. E-Builder provides integrated, cloud-based construction program management software for property owners and managers through its flagship product, e-Builder Enterprise. Five-year-old Scenario VPD developed proprietary Building Information Modeling integration software for the design, construction, and operation of complex projects and structures.
