Riders were burning rubber late last month at the Nitro World Games, a fast-growing action-sports competition now in its third year.
The event was hosted by San Clemente-based action-sports entertainment company Nitro Circus, which also oversees an arena tour featuring BMX bikers, motocross riders, skateboarders and other athletes.
The late-September iteration of the World Games took place in Salt Lake City.
And one of the newest events—Nitro Rallycross—had Yokohama Tire Corp. in Santa Ana as the official tire provider, expanding its partnership with Nitro Circus.
Yokohama is official sponsor of the world games competition, as well as a marketing partner of Nitro Circus. The company is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo-based Yokohama Rubber Co.
Yokohama’s senior director of consumer product and planning and product marketing, Fardad Niknam, said its ADVAN A405 tire was developed for rallycross, thanks to its groove pattern and stiff construction—making it a fit for “the 100-foot-plus jump to the all-wheel-drive [and] 600-plus horsepower standing starts of Nitro Rallycross.”
The A405 tire also works on the Santa Ana (405) Freeway, we’re told.
Nitro Circus co-founder and motorsports athlete Travis Pastrana, who competed in the challenge, described the inaugural rallycross event as “motocross with a roll cage.”
Yokohama Vice President of Marketing Andrew Briggs said the company is pleased to continue its partnership with the entertainment company, and that it’s the perfect opportunity to showcase the tire brand.
“Now, with introduction of Nitro Rallycross, we are especially excited to showcase our product to their passionate fan base.”
K-Beauty Fever
The Korean beauty craze is continuing its upward trajectory, and now shoppers can get a piece of the action at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.
Los Angeles-based online K-beauty retailer Beautytap opened its first brick-and-mortar shop in the luxury shopping center last month. Its grand opening celebration was attended by beauty influencers Republican congressional candidate Young Kim and former Girls’ Generation K-pop-star-turned-actress Jessica Jung, who signed on with Beverly Hills-based United Talent Agency in May.
Chairman and Chief Executive James Sun said Orange County is the ideal location to open the company’s first retail store.
“Orange County has a strong Asian-American population, and there’s pent-up demand here for [Korean] beauty,” he said. “Also, South Coast Plaza is world-famous. There are people literally from mainland China who come just to shop here.”
The store was getting plenty of customer activity last weekend, including a large number of shoppers who were waiting for a table at always-busy restaurant Din Tai Fung, which is in the same wing of the mall.
The pink and white-colored space features rows of skincare and beauty products from brands such as Peripera, Cosrx, Etude House and Oneoseven. It also carries Jung’s Serein collection from her Blanc & Eclare label, making it the second store in the U.S. to offer the collection.
Seattle native Sun said the shop represents only about 10% of its inventory, so shoppers can expect to see new merchandise and brands every month.
Beautytap launched last year and has raised an estimated $750,000 in seed money.
Sun, a former “Apprentice” finalist, has founded a number of tech companies, including mobile loyalty program Pirq, which was acquired by iPayment in 2014. He also owns Dramabeans.com and AppZocial.
Bits & Pieces
Mazda North American Operations in Irvine announced it hired Mary Katherine Lim as manager of corporate communications. Lim will manage all aspects of the automaker’s internal and external communications. She was previously based in China as corporate communications specialist for Ford Motor Co. … Newport Beach-based firm Beyond Fifteen Communications Inc. promoted Marta Bistram from account executive to account group manager. It also added Senior Account Executive Taylor Byers and Junior Account Coordinator Katherine Shepherd to its team two weeks ago. … Exhibit design and marketing agency FG & PG named Nick Peery general manager. He will oversee the company’s sales and operations at the firm’s 170,000-square-foot headquarters in Huntington Beach. … Westamerica Communications in Lake Forest launched a display graphics division last week that allows companies to advertise on a larger scale, such as office walls, four-story buildings and semitrailer wraps. It ranks fifth on the Business Journal’s list of top commercial printers, posting $27 million in revenue with more than 100 employees. … After 36 years at California State University-Fullerton, Associate Director of News Media Services Paula Selleck retired last month. Director of News Media Services and Senior Communications Counsel Chi-Chung Keung said he’s searching for a replacement.
