How Much for Sears at SCP? Kudos Galore

Have to wonder how much longer Sears will remain at South Coast Plaza, where its 300,000-square-foot store is now among the properties the once-colossal retailer has put up for sale or lease … A recent visit found a skeleton crew of Sears workers on the sales floor—they appeared to be outnumbered by an inventory team operating amid scattered shoppers. Deep discounts abounded, along with handbills seeking “consultative sales associates” to work on commission … No word on whether SCP owner C.J. Segerstrom & Sons—No. 61 on this week’s list of largest privately held companies based here (see related coverage starting on page 1; list starts on page 14)—holds a right of first refusal on the Sears there. Word in retail circles has Sears in an “evolving situation” at SCP. Spokesperson Debra Gunn Downing, meanwhile, keeps it close to the vest: “South Coast Plaza respects Sears, its retail partner, and declines to comment on any speculation on the future of the department store at this time,” she says … A benchmark for SCP might be found at the famed Ala Moana retail center in Honolulu, where landlord General Growth Properties bought a 340,000-square-foot Sears in a 2012 deal that valued the store between $200 million and $250 million, according to industry sources. General Growth took the opportunity to raze the Sears and redevelop a whole section of the center … Another general—George Casey, who was commanding general of the multinational forces in Iraq before capping his military career as chief of staff of the U.S. Army—will tee off with Goodwill of Orange County CEO Frank Talarico at the Goodwill Golf Invitational at Pelican Hill on June 27, part of a fundraiser to support local veterans. Goodwill’s Tierney Center for Veteran Services hopes to put 15,000 vets in need to work by 2020. Casey reportedly considers Goodwill OC’s approach—providing a one-stop resource for vets needing anything from mental health services to job coaching to financial aid—a model worthy of emulation (see related OC Leader Board, page 67) … Kudos to FBI Special Agent Tyler Call, graduate of Woodbridge High in Irvine, son of Call & Jensen Partner Wayne W. Call, and one of the 13 law enforcement officers recently awarded the Medal of Valor by President Barack Obama. The younger Call was off duty when he took heroic action to help rescue a woman held at gunpoint by her ex-husband. Call also received the Shield Bravery Medal from FBI Director James Comey last month in Washington … More kudos, this time for Knobbe Martens General Counsel Wendy Peterson, producer of “Hello, My Name Is Frank,” which was directed by her husband, Dale, debuted at the 2015 Newport Beach Film Festival, claimed prizes at a handful of other festivals, and now has video-on-demand deals with Amazon, iTunes, DirecTV and Dish. Also in the works is a limited-theatrical release that so far has hit New Orleans and the Tri-Cities area of Washington State, where the premiere served as a fundraiser for the Tourette Association. The movie was filmed in the Tri-State area and tells the tale of a fellow with Tourette Syndrome who winds up on an improbable road trip … Double kudos to Bob Olson, who joined Tim Busch for the June 10 grand opening of their sleek-and-chic joint venture hotel—Paséa in Huntington Beach—and went back the following night to celebrate his birthday … Worth a look: the Dale Griggs Lawn Bowling Center at Santiago Park in Santa Ana.