The 20th annual Business Journal’s Family-Owned Business Awards luncheon was held a year ago in June at the Hotel Irvine.
More than 400 people attended the event, which was keynoted by SeneGence founder and CEO Joni Rogers-Kante.
We all know why the 21st wasn’t held live—Hotel Irvine has been closed since March—and is instead a virtual event scheduled for Oct. 7.
The pandemic hasn’t kept last year’s winners from carrying on with their own businesses; in fact, some have seen sales boosted over the past six months.
Here’s an update on last year’s five winners.
—Peter J. Brennan
Keep Botox Coming
The coronavirus didn’t affect the sense of humor at CosmetiCare Plastic Surgery Center and MedSpa, a Corona Del Mar-based plastic surgery business that won last year’s award for midsize business.
A March 26 tweet said: “There will be brighter days. No ifs, ands, or … well maybe butts. Yes, in fact, there may be many new butts.”
Since Dr. Michael Niccole opened his business in 1982, he’s helped thousands of people improve their noses, eyelids, ears, and body. The main work is breast surgery—more than 1,000 a year. His employee count has risen to 50 from 35 a year ago.
Niccole has built his practice to include family members, including son Devon Niccole as chief executive, wife Penny Niccole on the board of directors, and daughter Charm Niccole as digital content contributor.
“I derive my strength from my family’s support, first and foremost,” Niccole said in a recent blog post on his website. “I’m a family man, so having my family work closely with me always helped through the hard times.”
The clinic’s Dr. Brian Reagan became somewhat of a social media star when his 33-second video, entitled “Day One After Tummy Tuck,” received more than 1.6 million views on YouTube since its appearance in late 2018. He also won a 2020 Aesthetic Award as “Top Plastic Surgeon West, Top Aesthetic Doctor.”
The company is also showcasing a medical-grade skincare line that was developed by the practice’s team of board-certified plastic surgeons and skincare experts.
“Our top-selling products are flying off the ‘shelves’ of our online store,” said a company post on Facebook.
After the pandemic started, the company reduced its workload, continuing essential appointments, such as follow-up appointments for surgical patients. Nowadays, its website says it’s still operating Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the new addition of virtual consultations.
In response to the #2020Challenge on Instagram, CosmetiCare last month posted the following advice: “Just keep the Botox coming until this is over…”
Not Party Time Yet
MacKenzie Corp., a Lake Forest-based customer insights consulting firm that received the Business Journal’s Family-Owned Business Award in the small business category, celebrated its 35th anniversary on April 22.
Nowadays, it’s operated by Jenny Dinnen and Katie Rucker, twin daughters of founder Don Vivrette.
In the past year, it has introduced a brand refresh with an updated logo. It expanded clients by going into new verticals such as fitness, professional sports, healthcare and the non-profit space. It hired a new director of customer insights.
The company helps businesses to make better decisions by leveraging the data that they have and customer insights.
Prior to the pandemic, a big focus of its business this year was advising its customers on the ramifications of the newly enacted California Consumer Privacy Act.
“When we assist our clients with preparing for California law, the first thing we do is understand their data,” Dinnen wrote for the Business Journal last December, in a Leader Board article. “One of the positive outcomes of this law is it forces executives to think about their data and all its possibilities.”
In addition to offering clients customer surveys and analytics, it’s focused on helping clients interpret information and create business strategies to reach their respective goals.
Dinnen, who joined the Board of Team Kids nonprofit, has stayed active by blogging once or twice a month on the company’s website.
“Be Relevant, Stay Relevant as Consumers Head Outdoors” was the headline on her blog earlier this month. “It may not be time for party planning yet, but people are itching to get out of their house for some fun and fresh air.”
A Stone Story
Bedrosians Tile and Stone, an Anaheim-based company that got its start in 1948 by providing tile to contractors and builders in Central California, last year won the Business Journal’s family award for longevity.
About 72 years later, the company has become one of the largest independent porcelain tile and stone importers and distributors in the U.S.
The past two years have been a double whammy. First, tariffs above 400% on its products from China effectively stopped imports from that country. Then the coronavirus forced it to lay off a third of its U.S. workforce of 900 and close one store.
“This is definitely a challenging time, but I think we’re learning to deal with it,” said Gary Bedrosian, son of the company’s founders Ed and Alice Bedrosian.
“We’ve had to cut back on a lot of things to lower our costs to put our company in a profitable situation. Since June, we’ve been doing a lot better as far as keeping the company going.”
The family’s members—including brother Larry, who serves as chief executive, and sisters Janice and Linda—also over that time have built one of the larger privately held portfolios of industrial properties in the region—one estimated by the Business Journal to be in the 3 million square foot range.
Adaptation over the years has resulted in the company and its family members expanding business lines from manufacturing operations to growing retail locations—it now has close to 50 stores over 12 states, including distribution centers in Anaheim, San Jose, Seattle and Jacksonville, Fla.
While the company has rehired about 25 of its laid-off employees, Gary is not optimistic about 2021, which will be “a challenging year” because of high unemployment and fewer government stimulus funds.
The company, where sales will probably decline 4% this year, will survive, he said.
“We’re not making a lot of money, but we’re profitable at this point,” Gary said. “We’re in it for the long haul. We’re up for the challenge.”
Staying Connected to Family
GrandPad Inc., which makes electronic tablets for seniors, a year ago won in the up-and-coming category.
Looks like the coming part has well arrived.
The Orange-based company’s number of active users had more than doubled to 800,000 from a year ago when it reported 305,000, Chief Executive Scott Lien told the Business Journal in July.
Since March, the GrandPad tablet has also been used to conduct more than 56,000 telehealth visits with seniors who have been isolated in their homes due to COVID-19. The company has recorded 1.7 million video visits on GrandPad during a 90-day period.
GrandPad doesn’t disclose sales, though Lien said the company continues to see a growth rate of more than 30% quarter-over-quarter.
“Now more than ever, staying connected with family and friends is important, but it’s critical for seniors who can’t travel or visit with loved ones,” Lien said.
It has added a handful of related devices to its product mix of late, including a watch that monitors sleep and steps, a body weight scale, and a device that tracks blood pressure, pulse oximetry, body temperature, heart rate and respiration.
In July, the 6-year-old company announced 12 strategic partnerships with in-home living facilities and specialty clinics, including Kaiser Permanente and the University of California-San Francisco School of Medicine.
Isaac Lien, head of innovation and son of CEO Scott Lien, came up with the idea for GrandPad during his time at Chapman University.
The 8-inch wireless GrandPad device features large buttons for email, photos, and other straightforward functions.
It costs $10 per month for 20 months or $200 up front, with a $40 monthly subscription plan. That includes unlimited data use, streaming music and video calling, among other features.
The tablet is manufactured by Taiwan-based PC giant Acer Inc., which in 2016 became an investor in the company.
Hotels Prepped for Virus
Pacifica Hotels, an Aliso Viejo-based boutique hotel collection that won last year’s category in large businesses, is in one of the industries hardest hit by the pandemic.
“We are surviving,” Chief Executive Matt Marquis told the Business Journal last week.
“It’s scary to think we all thought it’d be three weeks and at worse 90 days. We lost anywhere from 70% to 100% of our revenue companywide in that first three months.”
He attributed survival to the company’s low leverage where most of its properties have debt levels at about 40% to 50% of their values.
“That helped us a lot stay out of trouble with lenders,” said Marquis, who added that the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program also aided the company’s survival.
Two decades ago, Pacifica Hotels was spun out of Dale Marquis’ company, Santa Barbara-based Invest West Financial Corp. Now, all five of Dale’s children are involved in Pacifica, including Matt Marquis as the CEO while Adam Marquis is president.
Formed in 1995, Pacifica Hotels owns 28 hotels and manages 12 through its third-party management platform, mostly along the coast from San Diego to the San Francisco Bay Area, along with locations in Hawaii.
It has more than 1,200 employees. It has the largest hotel portfolio by total properties of any Orange County-based operator.
Pacifica Hotel’s portfolio in Central California has flourished as they provide natural social distancing that make guests feel safer, he said.
Marquis said one hotel that will be slow to recover is the Wayfarer DTLA, which combines traditional hotel rooms with dorm-style guest rooms and communal amenities. That hotel in downtown Los Angeles, opened in February and was then shut down three weeks later due to the coronavirus.
“The hotel was built for experiencing other people and because of social distancing, we have to rethink that,” he said.
His company is finding opportunities in picking up new management contracts. It’s also considering purchasing hotels, which aren’t selling at huge discounts even though the industry’s in turmoil, Marquis said.
It’s implemented coronavirus measures such as installing plexiglass barriers on its front desks.
The hotel company has waived amenity and cancellation through Dec. 31.
“In general, we see a light coming at the end of the tunnel and we hope it’s not a locomotive,” Marquis said.
