Hueston’s Draw; Julia’s Shine; Chuck’s Birthday

Check our front-page report on the latest joint venture between Hyundai Motor America and the Tiger Woods Foundation—and kindly note that they aren’t the only ones who poke around north of here from time to time … No shortage of OC-L.A. links last week when the Southern California chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors featured Newport Beach-based Enron prosecutor-turned-private practice star John Hueston for a talk titled “Growth, Red Flags & Ethics.” Ground rules prevent any reporting from the California Club ballroom—but suffice to say Hueston drew a big crowd, offering an indicator that there’s plenty of interest in boardroom ethics in the wake of Wells Fargo’s troubles and ahead of a Trump administration that’s made “drain the swamp” a drumbeat … Another direct link to OC came with corporate governance maven Hoshi Printer, who is well known for his work with the Santa Ana-based Forum for Corporate Directors, serves as a director of the local NACD chapter and Irvine-based Lantronix, and was his regular gracious self on making introductions … No introduction necessary for Tim McCarthy, managing director for business development in the Los Angeles office of Whittier Trust, and a guy who’s been known to poke around down here, including Costa Mesa, where his outfit keeps an office. McCarthy wasn’t at the NACD event, but he caught up with the Insider in the hallway of the California Club for a chat about the cowboy ways of Jeff Moore, a Newport Beach-based senior managing director of CBRE. It’s an off-duty lifestyle shared by McCarthy, who gave the Insider some inside stuff on Moore’s setup for the annual Rancheros Visitadores ride. Seems the real estate pro runs with the Borrachos, one of the various camps that populate the famous trail ride, which draws an assemblage of power players annually—and everyone can do the Spanish translation for themselves … More OC links were prevalent on a list of new appointments to the NACD chapter’s board, including Kimberly Alexy, a director for Microsemi; Leslie Heisz, who serves on the board of Edwards Lifesciences; Scott Ullem, CFO of Edwards and a director of Berry Plastics Group; and Taco Bell CEO Brian Niccol, who’s on Harley-Davidson’s board … Something about Julia: It was a dark and gloomy day—the middle of murky rain last week—right up to the moment that the crowd began to gather at the Segerstrom Center for a groundbreaking on the civic plaza that will bear the name of benefactors Julia and George Argyros. Then the sun shone through just in time for the couple to do the honors to get the project started … Belated happy birthday to OC 500 Hall of Famer Chuck Martin, who redefines the milestone of 80 … Sullivan says: You can decide what it means, but there’s something to be discerned in the fact that the completion of President Barack Obama’s service at 12 noon on Jan. 20 will mark only the second time in history that the U.S. has had three consecutive presidents serve two full terms—a feat last achieved by Jefferson, Madison and Monroe.