Education
Some OC universities made U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of the best graduate schools. The University of California-Irvine business school is No. 42 among 95 schools, tying with Boston University. Chapman University’s is No. 79. UCI’s law school jumped seven spots to No. 21 out of the 194 American Bar Association-accredited schools. Chapman’s tied with Belmont University in Nashville at No. 139. UCI’s education program ranks No. 24, Chapman No. 144, out of 199 schools. UCI’s engineering school is No. 35 in that category. Brandman University ranks No. 97 out of 152 schools for its doctor of nursing program, and UCI ranks No. 66 for its master’s-degree program. Medical programs were divided into research and primary care, UCI ranking No. 46 and No. 77, respectively.
— Subrina Hudson
Finance
Newport Beach-based Pacific Investment Management Co. added Joshua Bolten, former White House Chief of Staff to U.S. President George W. Bush, to its Global Advisory Board, which Pimco established three years ago to provide its investment professionals with a better understanding of the policies and institutions that influence financial markets. Bolten is president and chief executive of the Business Roundtable in Washington, an association of chief executives of U.S. companies.
— Peter J. Brennan
Manufacturing
T-shirt maker Absolute Screenprint Inc. in Brea will lay off 170 people, effective March 31, a notice filed with the state said, and its 100,000-square-foot building is on the market for $16.3 million. The company was founded in Garden Grove in 1992. Business Journal coverage of it in 2007 said annual revenue was about $8 million.
— Paul Hughes
Chicago-based Littelfuse Inc. will lay off 54 people in Orange, following its purchase of U.S. Sensor Corp. in July for $24.3 million. It’s unknown how many employees work at the facility, but a notice filed with the state didn’t say the location will close. U.S. Sensor makes thermistors, probe assemblies and thin-film platinum resistance temperature detectors and RTD assemblies for the electronics and industrial markets, including home automation. Its product line was folded into Littelfuse’s electronics segment; the Chicago company designs, makes and sells circuit-protection products and traded recently at a $5.5 billion market cap.
— Paul Hughes
Media
Dave Habiger was named president and chief executive of consumer data and analytics company J.D. Power. He’ll oversee the Irvine-based firm’s global strategic direction and business strategy in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. Habiger previously served as director and chief executive of Textura, a global construction management software and payments company that sold to Oracle in 2016. He serves on several corporate boards, including Chicago-based food-delivery service GrubHub. Habiger replaces Finbarr O’Neill, who announced his retirement in October.
— Subrina Hudson
Restaurants
Del Taco Restaurants Inc. in Lake Forest said franchisee Team Schostak Family Restaurants will open 12 locations in the Detroit market; it currently runs five in Michigan, and a sixth is in development. Schostak principals also run 65 Applebee’s in the state. At year-end, Del Taco had 564 restaurants in 14 states, 45% of those franchised.
— Paul Hughes
El Pollo Loco opened a restaurant in Lafayette, La., a new market and the first of a two-location franchise deal with Listo Way LLC. The Costa Mesa-based fast-food chicken chain said in 2016 that it planned to enter Cajun country. The restaurant debuted on St. Patrick’s Day.
— Paul Hughes
Retail
Ellia Kassoff of Newport Beach-based Strategic Marks LLC said on LinkedIn that following the Toys ‘R’ Us demise, he’ll resurrect decade-dead brand KB Toys. Strategic acquired the name last year. KB had more than 1,000 stores at its peak, closed in 2008 due to bankruptcy, and was sold to Toys ‘R’ Us in 2009. Kassoff has delved into retail by buying old names, the most notable a legal tussle with Macy’s that ended in 2016 with him winning rights to May Co., Robinson’s, Bullock’s, I Magnin, and regional brands. His Leaf Brands LLC has candy lines with annual sales of $1.5 million, led by the flagship Hydrox cookie. The LinkedIn note said, “Please be patient with us” on a plan to open some type of retail by Christmas.
— Paul Hughes
